Hi everyone. I was honestly just looking to hear more about UIW. It seems like a great program but are there any downsides to it. Honestly, I just want to be guaranteed something since in my mind I can always continue my specialty somewhere prestegious. I'm not Christian myself but I've already been involved with my local christian university and I really value and appreciate their beliefs and values so I don't see that being an issue for me. Honestly, I just want to know if it's worth it. I don't want to risk not getting into my dream bs/md program and then being forced to do pre-med. I don't want to deal with all that stress and just want to have to maintain a set average. Any tips/ stories would be very much appreciated!

Hi everyone,

If I submitted my application (EAP) do I have to complete the checklist items before or after a potential interview? Also does anyone know the average wait time between submitting and application and getting an in-person/ online interview? Thanks so much any guidance is incredibly appreciated!!

Hi all,

I'm submitting my application but unsure if I should be test optional or not. I have a 1360 superscore (1350 individual). I have a 4.0 GPA and 4s and 5s for AP and 7s for IB. I have clinical hours, volunteering all of that but scared about my SAT score. I'm retaking it in August but really want to submit my application asap. Any ideas what the average SAT score is for the 4+4 program? Thanks!

Hi all, so I'm just a bit confused with the whole LECOM application process. Since they have well over 50 schools that they partner with for undergrad, can you just keep applying to all of them and then doing their EAP programm like that. Also since they have 5 different campuses to choose from can't you just submit 5 different applications? Does anyone know which undergrad+campus combination is the least competitive with the highest chances of admission. Also since they many different application cycles and interview timelines I'm really confused about this. Honestly I'm confused about the whole thing. I've been scouring their website and this page but it's honestly confusing me a lot. I'm also applying to UChicago ED0 but I would most likely choose LECOM if I had the privilege of getting into both. But I also want to know if it's possible to apply to LECOM and have my descision back before October 15th (ED0 deadline). Thanks yall!

Hi all, so I'm just a bit confused with the whole LECOM application process. Since they have well over 50 schools that they partner with for undergrad, can you just keep applying to all of them and then doing their EAP programm like that. Also since they have 5 different campuses to choose from can't you just submit 5 different applications? Does anyone know which undergrad+campus combination is the least competitive with the highest chances of admission. Also since they many different application cycles and interview timelines I'm really confused about this. Honestly I'm confused about the whole thing. I've been scouring their website and this page but it's honestly confusing me a lot. I'm also applying to UChicago ED0 but I would most likely choose LECOM if I had the privilege of getting into both. But I also want to know if it's possible to apply to LECOM and have my descision back before October 15th (ED0 deadline). Thanks yall!

Hi everyone!

I'm an incoming Senior from Canada, and I'm planning to apply to as many BS/MD (or equivalent direct-entry medical) programs as possible in the U.S. I'm also applying to traditional undergraduate programs as backups and schools in Ireland, Australia and the Caribbean

Since I'm Canadian, physician shadowing and hospital opportunities are much harder to find than they are in the U.S., so I've tried to make the most of every opportunity I've had.

I'd really appreciate any honest feedback on my chances and suggestions for schools I should add.

Demographics

• Gender: Female
• Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
• School: Private IB school
• Applying as an international applicant

Intended Major

Biology / Neuroscience / Psychology / Public Health (depending on the school)

Academics

• 96% overall average
• Full IB Diploma (Advanced Bilingual Program)
• IB Biology HL (Senior Year)
• IB Chemistry HL (Senior Year)
• IB Math AA SL (Senior Year)
• **others courses too but these are all my STEM ones so far (might change up my classes a bit though)
• AP Biology: 4
• IB Bio SL: 6 (remarking so might go up- only 2 points off!!!)
• AP English Language: 4
• AP French Language: 5
• Retaking the SAT (current score isn't where I want it to be)

Clinical / Healthcare Experience

• Certified BLS, First Aid, CPR-C Instructor
• National Lifeguard
• Lifesaving Society Swim Instructor
• Lifesaving Society Lifesaving Instructor
• Currently shadowing physicians at 4 different clinics (they don't have opportunities for lots of hours so that's why I'm going to multiple clinics)
• 150+ hours dental shadowing (my parents are dentists so I've gone to their clinic and also their friend's clinics to shadow- ortho + general dentists)
• Will receive a stong physician LOR
• Hospital volunteering (starting next week- honestly feel like I wasted junior year. I got good grades I guess but I feel like I focused too much on my non-profit and less on volunteering)
• Beginning hospice volunteering next week too (honestly tried to lock in!!- used to volunteer when I was younger but moved- had my mom's best friend battle cancer (unfortunately didn't make it out of hospice)- made me want to become a physician (oncology)
• Non- profit in Egypt which helps underpriviledged kids to receive free visits to cardiologists. Helped with paperwork, shadowing doctors (when I visited Egypt) and creating care packages

Research

• University of Chicago Summer Session (Psychology)
• Conducting psychology research related to polyvagal theory and EMDR (currently the only high school student on both research projects)
• Expecting a strong recommendation from my University of Chicago instructor (who will soon be a professor at UChicago)
• Dental public health research with Burman University-2nd place research poster presentation (only high school student)
• Translations for the Canadian Association of Dental Public Health Dentistry (English to French- recognition at the national conference and help also manage a bit of the social media)
• Attended the IADR in Barcelona (2025)- met with lots of professors and researcher (some connections with Harvard professors)

Leadership / Community Service

Founder & Executive Director — Swimming For All

I founded a nonprofit that provides free swimming lessons to children from low-income families in Central Alberta. We partner with Burman University and FCSS to reduce financial barriers to swimming lessons and promote drowning prevention.

The organization has already been featured by 7+ news outlets, including CBC News, with a CTV feature expected soon.

Other leadership:

• Head Prefect of Communications
• Head Chair, MUN (attended Harvard MUN Canada- inaugural and University of Toronto MUN)
• Certified- CADS Canda Ski Instructor (teaching disabled kids how to ski/ snowboard)
• Volunteer tutor (Schoolhouse + at school)

Other

• Fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish
• DALF C1 (French)
• DELE B1 (Spanish)
• National Lifeguard at two different facilities
• Teach swimming, water safety, BLS, and first aid
• Lifeguarding and emergency response have become one of the biggest reasons I want to pursue medicine- want this to be the main topic of my essay

Letters of Recommendation

• Physician (shadowing)
• University of Chicago psychology instructor
• President of the Canadian Association of Dental Public Health
• Research supervisor(s)- profs supervising
• School teachers- Math and Chemistry

Colleges

BS/MD / Direct Entry

• Brown PLME
• Rice/Baylor
• Case Western PPSP
• Penn State/Jefferson
• Virginia Commonwealth
• Pitt GAP
• Rochester REMS
• Hofstra
• GW
• Stony Brook
• UConn
• (Open to any other recommendations!- honestly I'm willing to apply to every single BS/MD so long as a get 1 acceptance- no preference for any states as I'm willing to go as far as Australia) **also open to direct entry dental programme recommendations

Traditional Undergraduate

• Johns Hopkins
• Duke
• Vanderbilt
• Brown
• WashU
• Northwestern
• UChicago
• Emory
• Boston University
• Case Western

I'd love any honest feedback.

• What do you think my biggest strengths and weaknesses are?
• Are there any BS/MD programs that tend to be more international-friendly?
• Besides improving my SAT, what would you focus on over the next few months?
• (tbh don't know if I have a shot but I guess Ireland is always an option)

Thanks so much!

Hi everyone! wanted to share a community initiative that I've been working on called Swimming For All, a nonprofit that provides free swimming lessons for children from low-income families across Central Alberta.

The program is open to children ages 4–16, with lessons held on Sundays at Burman University in Lacombe. We work in partnership with Burman University to help make swimming and water safety accessible to families who might not otherwise be able to afford lessons.

If you know a family in Central Alberta that could benefit from this program, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it with them. Learning to swim is an important life skill, and we want to make sure cost isn't a barrier.

You can learn more or register here:
https://www.swimmingforall.ca/

We've also recently been featured by:
https://sylvanlakenews.com/2026/07/14/not-for-profit-swimming-for-all-set-to-launch-in-lacombe/

https://centralalbertaonline.com/articles/new-non-profit-offers-free-swim-lessons-to-central-alberta-children

https://pipestoneflyer.ca/2026/07/14/not-for-profit-swimming-for-all-set-to-launch-in-lacombe/

https://lacombeexpress.com/2026/07/14/not-for-profit-swimming-for-all-set-to-launch-in-lacombe/

If anyone has questions about the program, I'd be more than happy to answer them in the comments. This has been in the making for well over 2 years and I'm so grateful for any support. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

Basically this might seem kind of pathetic but I'm 17F. I go to a small private high school and poeple are always making small jokes here and there etc.. I used to go to a big public high school and teacher literally never cared about what anyone would say etc.. like any normla high school. Basically I'm new and didn't really fit in. But basically I had a small group of guys and girls and we always make jokes etc.. with each other. It's reciprocal jabs etc.. making fun but nothing serious or actually "hurtful". Basciallly we were joking around and a guy made fun of me and then another guy came back and I scream "literally look at yourself. No one likes you, you barely show up and no one gives a fuck about you" which was true since he was probably the most hated person in my grade. I didn't realize that one of my favorite and sweetest teachers was there. She looked at me at me super dissapointed and was like"RUDE!!!" All my others teachers understand that it's fine and they know we're joking. Maybe I took it too far but I don't want her to think that I'm actually "rude" and I don't want her to be dissapointed in me and for her to no longer like me just because of this one situation. It just felt so bad since now she thinks I'm some rude bitch or something just because she took it out of context. I said I was sorry and this honestly seems very pathetic but I just don't want to keep thinking about it lots. Any advice is helpful!

Edit: All my friends kept calling me an asshole for what I said. Not sure tbh. I do feel bad but I don't feel like it was really my fault.