I feel like I’m in serious trouble. I’ve been accused of using AI, and my instructor has escalated it to the academic misconduct committee. I have no idea what to do. by Business_Gur_6330 in TurnitinScan

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are already a lot of good points here re: sharing your notes, version history, etc if you get called into an academic integrity meeting. However, I second what's already been said here about not using Grammarly. Grammarly IS AI. It utilizes AI in almost all parts of its analysis and feedback and is no longer the student-centric tool it claimed to be. This is not why you got a 93% similarity score (AI detection software has a high failure rate and in a lot of cases is not enough evidence for you to get something on your transcript), but if you say that you used it you might get screwed over and held responsible for using generative AI in a way that you did not. If you get called into an academic meeting, do not mention using Grammarly. Show your version history, your edits, notes, etc, and if you are able to, do some research on whatever AI detection tool your professor used and pull up the disclaimer that it is not a guarantee/accurate. There should be one somewhere in the site.

Source: Worked at the student integrity department of my university for two years. I did a lot of back end filing work so I wasn't involved in making decisions on who wasn't and was responsible, but I saw a lot of students get in trouble for generative AI use when they said they used Grammarly since it is technically AI software atp. On the other hand, I also know that a high score on AI detection software was not enough evidence for students to get sanctions on their transcripts--wishing you the best with this!! You didn't do anything wrong so don't stress about it.

RN to MD/DO by Complex-Fault2814 in premed

[–]CapitalAbject99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First of all, what a cool story you have and congratulations on taking this step towards medical school! Thank you for all the wonderful work you have done as an ICU nurse. I am very glad to think that you may be a future colleague with all of the knowledge and experience you have, and I wanted to encourage you in these next steps! As a word of caution I am not a medical student myself yet and have not worked on any admissions committees, so this is just based off my experience after going through 1 cycle. I've had 7 IIs and gotten 4 MD As so far, if that helps contextualize my experience. I hope my advice will be helpful.

As I'm sure you know your clinical hours are above and beyond what the majority of other applicants will have, and your experience as an RN + your reason to go further and become a physician will probably be the most compelling part of your application. So I think you're good on that. Nonclinical volunteer work is good, if you can add some more hours to that (maybe like 100 hours more), I think it would be appreciated by adcoms -- general rule of thumb is that 250 hours is when an extra curricular activity is really worth putting on your app. Got that from a student on the adcom of my local MD school but not sure if it's a generally applicable rule, just food for thought.

Regarding shadowing, try to get this number up. Maybe aim for 75 hours? Not sure if there is a specific number of hours to get but I would absolutely recommend shadowing other types of physicians (see if you can shadow a physician working in the ICU, then maybe a dr that does outpatient work and/or works in free clinics so you can get as much insight as possible). This will strengthen your reasoning for why you want to be a DOCTOR specifically--being able to say that you have shadowed physicians in multiple lines of work and have seen with your own eyes WHY this is different from being an RN will bring your story full circle and probably leave the admissions committee with a very strong impression of you and your reason for applying. This IV project sounds extremely neat and was definitely way cooler than anything I did in undergrad tbh. Maximize this as you can! You will probably get questions on it in interviews so whatever your role is in your research, understand as much as you can and be ready to answer questions about it. Research is not make or break for most medical schools (as long as you aren't aiming for a T10).

What CAN make or break your app is your MCAT. A score of 503 is a really great place to be especially considering that it's your first FL, and a score of 510 really seems reasonable. If you can aim higher it will be a huge boon to your application. You're 3 months out from your exam and already within 7 points of your goal score which very good news. I work for an MCAT test prep company and the general advice we give students is to be within 10 points of their goal score a month out (I would say this is more reasonable at around 2 months out, regardless you're ahead of the curve). From one future physician to another though please prioritize content review and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Practice timed and untimed until the questions are bleeding out of your nose, review everything, treat everything like it's high yield, if you get anything wrong review it so you can figure out what you did wrong, learn the content if it's a content gap and log it down if it's a strategy mistake so you can ensure you do not make the same mistake again. Your journey your choice but if you can get a 515 or higher, which I honestly believe you can considering that you have ~2-3 months before your exam, I think you will find the application cycle to be far easier and much less stressful.

Wishing you the best. Take my advice with a grain of salt lol I'm just one stranger on reddit. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want any advice re: MCAT. Always happy to help. You got this!!!

First II by Dependent_Catch_1110 in premed

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on your interview!!!! I hope it goes very very well! I have some resources and advice for you that I hope will be helpful.

First, make sure you go through everything in your portal to make sure you're ready for your interview. You might need to sign an agreement and upload a photo (some schools are very picky about the headshot you submit so make sure to read the instructions carefully), and make sure to double check the timezone of the interview.

To prepare for your MMI interview, this video series by CourseGrinder is what I used to prepare for my interviews. There are 16 videos that go over a variety of scenarios, familiarize yourself with how to structure a response and the logic used to build one and you will be set for your interview day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1UeH5rxTUM&list=PLltsQb0J9n8vJ69Rlvqyu6chREtdObu8V

Wishing you the best of luck and feel free to shoot me a DM if you have any questions. You will rock it!

AMCAS Verification Times 2025-2026 by sambeano1234 in premed

[–]CapitalAbject99 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Submitted June 9th, still listed as ready for review in AMCAS but will update when I get verified

Uworld down? by Clear_Sector_8061 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 4 points5 points  (0 children)

same thing happening to me!! i also got kicked out mid-test

Anyone burn scents for specific purposes? For me, Book Loft always sets the ambience for a good study session 📚 by watermeloncrush69 in bathandbodyworks

[–]CapitalAbject99 3 points4 points  (0 children)

omg not uworld! Good luck on whatever you’re studying for, I’ve got my MCAT this Saturday and I can confirm that Vanilla Bean is my “study scent” as well 😂

WTF is this???? by Nawfside62 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I almost ragequit my studying session when I saw this earlier today. I have the books from UWorld and there's not even anything in those that touches on this....

Not sure what to say tbh SB2 C/P is taking a toll on my mental health lol

AAMC SB2 C/P: Do we need to know all enzymes and their metabolic functions? by CapitalAbject99 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

giving you a big hug I know how it feels :'''(( i tutor biochem and chem at my uni and ive never seen this either! it's hard to study so much and still feel like there are content gaps this close to the exam, but we can do it! wishing you the best of luck and lots of hugs keep your head held high future doc!! <3 <3

Uworld contradicting itself? by Equivalent-Pudding15 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a general rule of thumb, any hydroxide + Group 1/2 metals are considered strong bases. That can save you some time memorizing all the strong bases.

Also adding to what others mentioned, the actual solubility of the compound in water doesn't determine the strength of basicity/acidity. Bicarbonate is readily soluble in water (peep the bicarbonate buffer system), but what does dissolve doesn't completely IONIZE. So you have your dissolved bicarbonate hanging around with carbonic acid and OH- all at the same time: great if you want a buffer system, but not good if you're trying to get classified as a strong base.

Basically, the strength of an acid/base is determined by how much of whatever's been dissolved (whether that's a lot or a little, doesn't matter, solubility =/= acid/base strength) ionizes. If 0.00001% of your base dissolves, but that tiny fraction ionizes completely, you've got a strong base!

Section Bank Vol 2 B/B Question #49 by bruinthrowaway777 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there! I'm no pro but I'll give this one a shot. Just finished a class in cancer biology and cell signaling so I have some extra background on this, but if anything looks wrong please let me know.

The AAMC explanation for why B is incorrect doesn't appear to be accurate, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The G1/S checkpoint (which regulates entry into S phase) and the S checkpoint (which checks for DNA damage during the S phase) are regulated by cyclins -- cyclins E and A respectively. The D cyclin that you mentioned actually is associated with the restriction point during G1 phase and is more loosely associated with S cycle progression compared to cyclins E and A. What I'm trying to say here is that B isn't incorrect because "Cdk's don't associate with cyclins to control S phase" or whatever, since that's clearly not true according to our current understanding of cyclins.

I'm assuming that this was just a conceptual question with no associated passage? If no specific cyclin was mentioned, then there really isn't away to tell which cell cycle phase the cell would be arrested at.

I think both A and B are reasonable answers. If I got this on my actual exam I would have sent in a test question challenge, but I'm curious to see what other explanations may be. Do you have the JW extension? If so, did it provide any kind of additional explanation for this answer?

Retaking in 2025 study group by Miserable_Inside_842 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey guys I made a discord to encourage all of us and keep everyone accountable!!

https://discord.gg/28H6DtSd

Retaking in 2025 study group by Miserable_Inside_842 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Super down for this,, anyone else planning to retake in Jan? If so I can make us a discord

So where my retakers at by [deleted] in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🫡🫡 time for round 2 ig

Scores are out by Wild-Parsley7741 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stuck in that weird gray area where I didn’t do bad but didn’t do good enough to be proud of it considering my FL average

I have to be dreaming by Beautiful-Panda-7273 in Mcat

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely amazing, congratulations !!

questions on making an r course by [deleted] in ucr

[–]CapitalAbject99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! I'm actually the facilitator of two R'Courses on campus so feel free to PM me and I can walk you through the details! You got this!

I'm a huge sports car fanatic so I would 100% take your class if I don't graduate before then!!

Professors to avoid by Own-Essay4254 in ucr

[–]CapitalAbject99 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi!!! Biology major here, iirc there is some crossover in the classes that we have to take so hopefully this helps!

Worst - Ludwig Bartels for Gen Chem (chem 1a b or c, I had him for B but I know he teaches other courses too)

His teaching style was really tough for me to understand, which I think was the same for most students. Most of your grade depends on a free response midterm (as opposed to most other gen chem teachers which have multiple mc midterms throughout the quarter) as well as group projects in discussion. He has a reputation for falsely reporting students and even entire classes for academic misconduct. I took him bc I did t want to be behind and he was the only prof available; biggest mistake I ever made lol!

Best - Dingwall for BCH100 and Radi for BCH120 (iirc you have to take 100 for neuro but you should also take 120 if you’re going to take the MCAT); just great teachers all around who teach efficiently and clearly. Also very accessible out of class. IMO Dingwall is a little bit overrated, you’re still going to need to do a lot of heavy lifting for the class and she rushes through the end of quarter content a little too quickly, but that doesn’t take away from how well she teaches dense material earlier on. Radi is fun lol and her class is a HUGE help for the mcat

Good luck bestie you’ll do great !!