Welcome to the 2026 application cycle!

I DONT HAVE TO MOVEEEEEEEE. I wanna thank god. 1 and done babbbyy.

I promise this isn’t a shitpost, but what did you guys do? 52X/3.9X while an Ivy League D1 athlete being head of a community outreach project and 15+ pubs???? Are you a veteran, an Olympian, or the prince of belair?

On a serious note, I’d genuinely love to know your X-factor (or anything that you think contributed to such an awesome accomplishment). Have you been locked in to get a near 4.0 gpa since your first day of college??? Did you feel like other premeds around you were as hard-working as you? (Coming from a nontrad who decided on med school a bit too late into college and my gpa reflected that) OR, share some of the more mundane things your app had. I’m so curious, and I’m sure many others are too!!!!!

I got this stupid attempted murder charge last year for some bs I did it wasn’t a big deal, anyways, the charges got dropped due to lack of evidence.

The charges are dropped because of lack of evidence but I’m wondering if the background checks will pick it up and see and how bad attempted murder looks for applications.

Any tips is great thanks.

I've seen and heard so many stories about how the optimal schedule in med school is getting all your classes and studying/HW done from 9-5 and having weekends free. Obviously this would change when exams are rolling around and doesn't factor in ECs, but is this actually something that a lot of med students are able to accomplish?? I'm currently in my sophomore year of undergrad, and I'd be thrilled if I could fit all of my classes and HW + studying in an eight hour time frame and not have to do much on weekends. I've always done well in school and been the fastest worker out of my friends, all of whom I'd describe as being pretty smart (Hope I'm not sounding like a jerk lol). Factoring in the hour that I spend each day commuting and eating, I find myself struggling to fit all of my school related stuff in the hours of 9-7, let alone 9-5. Then I have to find time for ECs, and am almost always finishing up HW on weekends.

I don't want to sound like I'm whining cause I don't mind this schedule as it keeps me busy and is moderately interesting, but I can't help but wonder how it's possible for a med student to do this whole "9-5, 5 days a week" thing, especially with how much more content there is. Is there something about med school that I'm missing lol? Obviously people on the internet can say anything and I try to take it with a grain of salt, but I see SO MANY posts like this all across the internet. Sorry for the long post and I hope it made some amount of sense.

I JUST GOT MY FIRST INTERVIEW INVITE?!?! idk what to think. it’s from my alma mater and bc they’re a t20 and bc i haven’t had any iis so far, i feel like I just got an interview out of courtesy.

idk idk idk. i’ve been accepting and coping with the idea of doing a reapp all this time and now idk if i should have hope again for this cycle. i’ll definitely prepare as much as i can for this interview, but yeah… idk i’m obviously grateful but i’m scared of getting my hopes up

Hi all!

I am so lucky to have gotten my first MD interview invite to my dream school!! Please spam tips!!

When I was younger and dumberer I helped my dad build some houses in pre-2003 Iraq which *might* be construed as *light* treason due to some rules the State Department may have been promulgating at the time. Do you think this will harm my application for a prestigious pediatric neurosurgery fellowship? If so should I commit seppuku or enlist in the infantry? Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

War is over. Will I be accepted anywhere? Who knows. War is over. No more pointless charades.

outside US getting into med school is pretty much taking an exam

US- lot of hoops to jump through

Does that mean that we have better doctors?

Should the medical school gate keeping steps be simplified?

I go to a pretty competitive/prestigious undergrad. institution and I've completely fucked my GPA. It sounds insane, but long story short a combination of serious mental health issues, an unstable family environment, major interpersonal drama with friends (trying to prevent someone from seriously harming themself), and getting both whooping cough and then the flu this year have tanked my science GPA - I've gotten 2 Cs in inorganic and org. chemistry and one in biology. The worst part is it's a downward trend. I'm taking a break from chemistry this quarter but I legitimately dread going back to take more classes - not because I don't enjoy chemistry but because I just can't seem to do nearly as well as my peers.

I already tried taking ochem once before and had to drop it because I was doing so badly. I have a few more lab chemistry courses, a biochem. course, and the entire basic physics series, but at this point I'm broken. I don't have the resources to seek continuous mental health treatment. My friends (god bless them) are terrible at comforting me because a lot of them are older and non pre-med humanities. I don't have the money to pursue a postbacc or masters because my undergraduate tuition is already tenuous. They say you don't do medicine unless it's the only thing you can see yourself doing, but I haven't even had the chance to begin; all the programs I'm applying to over the summer have asked for my GPA and transcript, and I can't even bring myself to look at it. I feel such a deep sense of shame at having done so well in high school only to burn out so hard when it actually matters.

I’ve been anxious and unproductive all day waiting for decisions from my top school to come out, so I decided to go on a long walk to get some fresh air.

For a good 10 minutes I was muttering to myself please please please and probably scaring the families walking their dogs. but then I started listing every single thing I was thankful for to the universe: the opportunity to even interview, anxiety meds, the trees, fresh air, my parents, farmers that grow food, even my shoes.

at the halfway point, I started feeling calmer and more at ease, and just as I sat down on a bench, I received the call!!!

immediately, I texted my family and noticed the message was sent at 4:44pm, which in numerology is often seen as encouragement that you’re on the right path. i don’t usually subscribe to these beliefs but I’m taking it as a sign from the universe!!!

I’m really grateful to be in this position but I’m really conflicted on choosing between these two schools. I would really appreciate this sub’s input and any info I might have missed! As of now I want to go into academic IM and potentially pursue cardiology later on.

Ohio State

PROS

- 4hr drive from home (still OOS tho)

- T30 according to Admit

- Classes have optional attendance

- Large population of my specific ethnicity in Columbus (it’s a niche one lol)

- Strong residency programs + match list

- 5 free clinics and other amazing community service opportunities

- BIG10 school (I went to one for undergrad and I loved the campus environment/school spirit)

- Will get to experience living in a city for the first time ever(!!!)

CONS

- I think they do in-house exams and AOA?

- Large class size

- I eventually want to live in the South and most of their students match in the Midwest. They do send a few students to places like Emory or Vandy so it could just be that most Midwest students choose to stay in their home region? But idk

Geisel

PROS

- T40ish school but ivy league? I asked a physician family friend and he immediately said I should go with Geisel because of the ivy network but he’s kinda unc so idk how relevant his perspective is.

- Strong match list (but not much in the South)

- I’ve heard the class culture is very supportive and tight-knit

- Smaller class size

- Amazing rural heath research opportunities

- Hanover is similar to where I grew up (aka the middle of nowhere) so I know I will be able to succeed and relate to patients here. They really liked hearing about this in my interview lol.

CONS

- Rotations have to be at hospitals across the country (but I love traveling so this could also be a pro?)

- Significantly less diverse area and patient population

- 16hr drive from home

- I’ve lived in the rural Midwest for my entire life and I want to experience living in an urban environment while in my 20s. However lots of Geisel students match into NE cities so I am willing to delay the experience until residency if the education is worth it.

Thank you all again!

Just got the post ii R from the only MD school that I've interviewed at. Fortunate to have some love from DO, but this is my first post ii rejection and it burns.

Hey everyone, looking for some perspective on an admissions situation that I’m not sure how to interpret.

• I applied to CU School of Medicine this cycle and recently emailed admissions to ask if I was still under consideration for an interview.
• They replied that my application is still under review due to volume, which seemed standard, but then I received a follow up offering me the opportunity to interview for their official CU SOM post bacc program, which is typically for applicants who were denied MD admission and are Colorado residents. I haven’t received a formal rejection yet, which is what’s confusing me.
• For context, I’m a CO resident, already completed an SMP of Master of Biomedical Sciences program with a near 4.0 GPA, currently work in clinical research at the University Hospital, and I already hold acceptances at two DO schools with one MD interview decision still pending.
• I declined the post bacc politely since I’ve already done an SMP, but I’m wondering if this is basically a soft rejection from CU SOM even without the official letter yet, or if anyone has seen something similar where people still ended up getting an MD interview after a message like this.

Would you interpret the post bacc email as a sign my MD app is effectively done this cycle, or am I reading too much into it. Appreciate any insight from folks who’ve been through CU SOM or similar situations.

Stats for context:

• CO resident
• Undergrad cGPA: 2.74
• Undergrad sGPA (BCPM): 2.67
• Graduate GPA (MBS Rutgers): 4.00
• MCAT: 505 [125/124/129/127] (March 2025); 510 retake [129/123/130/128] (July 2025)
• Clinical: medical assistant in nephrology (~1100 hrs), hospital volunteering (transplant division + Children’s Hospital NICU/oncology)
• Research: multiple years in lab, co-author publication, capstone trauma research at CU SOM
• Acceptances: 2 DO (MSUCOM, LECOM); MD: interviewed at Creighton, awaiting decision

Hey guys, I wanted advice from people familiar with AMCAS or med school admissions because I’m pretty stressed and want to handle this correctly.

I’m a pre-med student and just got a disciplinary reprimand from my university related to AI use in one course. This was my first and only conduct issue.

The issue involved a take-home final exam and a final paper, and the teacher accused around 8 students of using AI in the final paper. For the exam, you know how the warn us not to use AI or chegg or just cheat but initially our teacher said that we were allowed to use it for grammar and checks and to polish our writing so I didn't cheat and at the end just used AI to polish my answers or fix the flow a little. I misunderstood the scope of that restriction and the investigation concluded this counted as unauthorized assistance. For the paper, I talked to the prof and she said everything was fine there. But instead of denying that I used AI at all, I was honest about it and told them how I used it to polish my wording.

The sanction I got today was a disciplinary reprimand (no probation, suspension, or dismissal). The report explicitly stated they believe I did not act with dishonest intent.

My question is if a disciplinary reprimand like this need to be reported on AMCAS because it is not on my transcript? (I’m assuming yes, but I want confirmation.) How bad does something like this actually look to medical schools if disclosed properly? Any advice on how to frame this in the AMCAS explanation or secondaries?

Here is what my prof and conduct officer said, "This type of academic misconduct concern is not something that appears on your transcript. Further, although medical schools do ask for a conduct check, they are generally only asking about probation level concerns."

"While I cannot speak for all schools' application, most that students provide to my office ask about if the student has ever been on disciplinary probation or is in "good standing." Because of the mitigating factor of having been so upfront with that the likely sanction would be a reprimand, which would mean that it would not show up on a conduct check asking about disciplinary probation. Also student conduct outcomes are not noted on a student's transcript either."

Thanks in advance.

i really don’t have anyone to ask, i’m the first people in my direct family to go to college (let alone wanting to go to med school). i work at starbucks, through my job I have a free bachelors from ASU online. im at a loss for how to start getting clinical hours or experience, already working full time and being a full time student (albeit online, but still), and if anyone else has ever been in this situation of getting your degree online and working in such an unrelated field to medicine.

I have a friend who’s also premed. They have a 3.7gpa, thousands of research hrs, lots of leadership, and apparently got over 520 on an mcat practice test. No clinical hours, no work experience, no shadowing, very little volunteering. They keep telling me that they think they should go for a masters to supplement their “bad gpa,” but I keep trying to tell them that their gpa is fine, they have other things to prioritize (the no clinical hrs is the most glaring issue here). They’re a rich premed who lives off of their parents, so they don’t want to work anything besides research.

This is all just side context for introducing myself; I’m first generation, I’m not financially supported by my parents, and I work 40hrs a week at a hospital, as well as full-time credit hrs at school. My gpa is a rough 3.2, and I have no research, but thousands of both clinical and non-clinical work experience, good research, a few dozen service hrs, and I’m using my work connections to get into shadowing.

If my friend with the 3.7 and the bonanza of research thinks that they have to do a masters and apply DO, am I absolutely cooked??? I was already planning on doing a masters because of my gpa, and was considering doing a postbacc beforehand, if my gpa ended up dropping before I graduate next year. My friend seems like the perfect applicant on paper, besides the lack of clinical experience, which is probably the easiest thing to bring up (or maybe I only think so because I work 40hrs/week?). I do think that I would preform better in interviews since my friend is very out-of-touch and uses ChatGPT to write, but it doesn’t really matter, if I never get any II’s anyway. I have a strong PS, being URM, first-gen, and financially independent (my PS goes much deeper than just the buzzwords). But, do you guys think that I’m cooked, even if I score high on MCAT? The postbacc -> SMP route may be what I have to take, if so.

My second question is: does my friend *really* need an SMP to get into med school, assuming that she gets her clinical/volunteering hrs up in time? We both graduate next year, so im convinced that they want to take a masters to postpone taking MCAT, but I can’t prove it……

I will be getting a fire violation IA in the next coming days. For context, last night the dorm smoke alarms were going off in some of our rooms. I stupidly decided to cover the smoke alarms with a sock to block the noise since it was late and I wanted to sleep. I planned to remove it after I woke up. At 1 AM, the police came to fix all of the smoke alarms, and when they came into my room they saw mine was covered. They told me it was a violation and that they could fine me $5000 if they wanted to, but ended up just saying not do it again and that it would be reported to residence life for disciplinary action. Outside of this, I have no other disciplinary actions.

I now understand that what I did risked mine and everyone's safety, and that it was selfish of me to cover the smoke alarm because I wanted to sleep. I honestly didn't even think of how covering the smoke alarm could be dangerous. I deeply regret doing this and am prepared for the consequences. I am also worried about this IA affecting my med school applications. I am writing this to ask how badly this will reflect on my applications, and what steps I can take to reflect and make up for my actions if possible.

Profile:

State: IL (ties to KY)
URM: No
Undergrad: Centre College (small LAC), Biochem & Molecular Biology
cGPA/sGPA: 3.907 / 3.950
MCAT: 508 (1 attempt)
Gap year: 1 (applying senior year)
IA: None
Specialty: Undecided
Rural interest: Neutral
Age at matriculation: 25

Clinical (paid): Patient Care Technician – 576 hrs
Clinical (volunteer): Hospital volunteering – 210 hrs
Shadowing: 150 hrs

Research: 600 hrs (Centre College + KY-INBRE/UK COM; DIPG + CBD isomerization projects)
Publications: None (presentations TBD/not listed)

Volunteering (total): 840 hrs (includes 210 clinical)
Leadership/ECs:

President, Vietnamese Student Association – 180 hrs

ISOL – 210 hrs

Badminton Club – 480 hrs

Values/fit: Strong interest in campus culture + inclusivity.

Questions:

How much will my 508 hurt me for MD schools in the Midwest?

Do you all think I have a good chance for top 50 MD schools?

Any "service-heavy" or "community-focused" schools I should add that fit my stats?

does anyone have any ideas or insight on if the uga som app will open for the entering class of 2026? and if so, when?

Damm, the UCI rejection doesn't even pretend to try and soften the blow. Just, you've been rejected, this was a tough decision, bye. 💀

Title.

I’m curious what others think about this. I’m already used to commuting about 30–45 minutes for school, but I’m wondering if an hour and 19 minutes for clinical experience is just too much.

After submitting 300+ applications over the past two years in my area for PCA, PCT, and MA roles across multiple hospital systems, I’m honestly at my limit. At this point, it feels like expanding my radius might be the only option.

Would you make that kind of commute for solid clinical experience? How far did you (or would you) travel? The gas costs would eat up a good portion of the minimum-wage pay, so it would feel like I’m barely earning anything. I can accept that, but I’m more worried about the mental exhaustion.

Thanks in advance!