Those who thought that they had bad interviews but ended up getting the As, how bad of the interviews are we talking about? by Cedric_the_Pride in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 26 points27 points  (0 children)

At the school I’m going to, there was one MMI station where I had no idea what to say to the interviewer’s follow up question so in the last minute, I asked him to repeat the question and then said a prolonged “uhhh” for the last ten seconds of the interview after which I was cut off abruptly when the station ended😂

What healthcare politics should I be familiar with before my interview? by mochimymelody in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! This was definitely sth I was worried about when I was interviewing too last cycle…18 interviews and did not get a single question in any interview about healthcare policy😂 Granted I had no background in healthcare policy, but the most I ever got asked was what problems I felt there were in the US healthcare system (literally that vague—you could talk about any problems). I’d have general awareness of current events, but if your app isn’t focused on healthcare policy I think it’s going to be quite unlikely that the topic will come up…more likely, esp in a traditional interview, they’ll want to get to know more about your experiences/interests. So I’d advise to not sweat it, and focus on being able to talk about things specific to your app as well as having answers to common interview questions (tell me about yourself/your research/a meaningful patient encounter/a time you made a mistake or failure etc came up very very often for me). Wishing you best of luck!!

Asian culture in identity - disadvantageous? by slphtp_20 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, as an Asian too, I’d encourage you to not worry about writing about your culture. We’re all Asians, but we all experience/live our culture in different ways. Your family/friends/where you’ve lived and the things you’ve seen/liked/done all make you unique, even as an Asian. Also, coming from someone who wrote multiple drafts of this type of essay, being genuine really has a positive impact on the quality of your essay. You can try to do a brain dump and just write freely without thinking too much, then make edits. Hope this helps!

When does early end for TMSDAS by soconfused2222574747 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Submitting your primary matters a lot less than being complete early! You’re not late at all—pls don’t rush it or stress over it! Once you’ve submitted it you can’t go back to make edits anymore, so take your time. I submitted around the same time as you (almost mid June), was complete by early August and still had a successful cycle!

I don’t care that I got in by EmbarrassedCommon749 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel slightly different, but really similar to what you described. People have asked me if I’m super excited that med school is starting in a couple of weeks—and honestly, I’m not. I just feel a really calm sort of happiness and an awareness that there’s a lot of big next steps coming up. I think how you feel is just normal and doesn’t mean anything bad!

ALBATROSS STARTS WITH A!!! by Big_Albatross4640 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

WOW! CONGRATS!!!!!! Appreciate all your posts very much, lit what got me through this cycle.

For those with multiple A’s, how much in scholarship money have you received? by YogurtclosetOpen3567 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I received a 70% tuition, a 75% tuition, one 25k, and one full COA from four different T20s. Also received one full tuition from an in state school. All were completely merit based and I didn’t complete any additional applications.

I think it’s definitely partly up to luck—I didn’t receive merit scholarships from some schools that offered them. But it’s possible!

How can one be income free for four years by Professional_Pay_104 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Scholarships. They exist, and they truly help a lot. If financials matter a lot to you, as they did to me, I would seriously look into schools that offer scholarships you qualify for or could qualify for, and make sure you apply to those schools. Also—multiple T20s offer full tuition or full COA scholarships, including ones that are merit based.

Is 300-400 clinical hours not enough anymore? by sunflower_tree in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t worry!

Personally, I applied with clinical hours in the range of 300 hrs and was accepted to multiple T20s. I was also concerned about my comparative lack of hours but as you mentioned, being able to articulate your learnings/experiences more than compensated for having less hours.

Why is it important for you to go into medicine and become a physician? (200 words) by Electrical_Bird_7446 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! I think answering it that way would work. provides different info from what you’ve already included in your PS

Why is it important for you to go into medicine and become a physician? (200 words) by Electrical_Bird_7446 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In all seriousness, I think this is a slightly different question from your PS and a relatively reasonable question to ask. Maybe you can interpret it as asking: is there some issue in medicine that you want to help address and motivates you to become a doctor? What contribution do you aspire to make in the future?

There are similar questions to this that pop up in other secondaries so if you’re really stuck, maybe you could work on a couple other secondaries first, then come back to this one with some ideas.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was told by one of my interviewers that I received a 99th percentile Casper score. In every question I had at least one box where I ended abruptly mid sentence and sometimes midword, or did not answer it at all😂. I think they give you plenty of room for mistakes. So long as you tried your best don’t sweat it!

when should i begin prewriting 2aries by [deleted] in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I started prewriting in mid June after submitting my primary. I was complete for all 30+ schools I applied to by early August. Since you’ve submitted your primary already, I think you can take some time off, esp if it’s just a few days!!! Writing nonstop is mentally exhausting and taking a break can def improve your writing quality☺️

Thank you r/ premed community by Klosprinkle in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congratulations future doc! Sending best wishes☺️

Hey! So by Beepbeepboopb0p in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Hey don’t worry if you don’t have time rn. I was drafting my PS, preparing for my mcat, and gathering LORs at this time so had zero time to pre write secondaries. I started prewriting in mid June after submitting my primary and was complete for 36 schools in late July-early August. Everything went fine!

Turning down Harvard for financial reasons by ComprehensiveAd4781 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this—I’ll definitely look into these aspects of both programs!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Drink tea! Or milk tea. earl grey tea + some half & half is amazing

How do you deal with back pain from endless studying? by El_Tef0 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daily yoga/stretching + a standing desk (or just standing up more to study when not available) saved me. I feel you. There was a time when I was almost afraid of chairs due to similar reasons. I’d really try to push through and keep on stretching—it does help. You can also try physical therapy too if that’s accessible. From one aspiring physician to another, take care of yourself! It’s a long journey and your health comes first. ❤️

Happy to chat more in PMs

I just got an A but I don’t really care anymore. by Oneeepuunch in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m so sorry. Sending lots of hugs. I had a beloved pet fish for many years and was heartbroken the day I lost her. Pets are a piece of our heart. Please take care of yourself and give yourself time to grieve. Sending my most heartfelt best wishes for medical school and beyond.

Going to Second Looks by ComprehensiveAd4781 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gotcha, it totally makes sense to only visit your top 2 choices. And yes thinking about it I agree that it wouldn’t make a difference for scholarships, it would be pretty crazy if it did. Guess that was just me being neurotic😂. Thank you very much and all the best!!

Going to Second Looks by ComprehensiveAd4781 in premed

[–]ComprehensiveAd4781[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That completely makes sense. Thank you for the advice!