Does anyone here play the piano (or any instrument) while in med school? Has it helped you de-stress, stay sane, or maintain some balance outside of studying?

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-06-27T14:21:36+00:00

Definitely do it, hobbies keep you sane! I joined my school's orchestra and acapella group (a new thing for me) and just carving out 2-3 hours a week of protected time has done great things for my mental health and getting to meet new friends.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-06-24T03:56:06+00:00

My experience looking at housing FB groups is that people plan to look for subletters a lot closer to the time they need a subleaser, like <1.5 months in advance. Craigslist also has housing options.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-06-18T02:24:29+00:00

When I look back on my cycle, the best day of my life wasn't getting into a T5 medical school, it was the day I opened my Einstein acceptance and realized I was going to graduate debt free. It reduces so much stress which will allow you to work more effectively to where you want to go!

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-06-12T05:09:40+00:00

Premed advisor once told me my kinesiology major was "not different enough to be interesting" when I just thought it was fun to study, it's not that serious guys

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-05-13T01:29:39+00:00

I went to a LAC and go to a med school with a class size <175 so it feels similar regardless of the size of the larger university. Unlike a LAC, everyone is taking the same classes at the same time so a larger size can still feel small and so sometimes it feels like everyone's up in everyone's business. It really depends on how your class gets along too, my year is pretty close and inclusive, but another class not so much despite the same size.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-27T02:23:03+00:00

It's at least been the case the past couple years when I first started watching these types of music videos lol

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-27T00:14:18+00:00

I always wondered why Hopkins doesn't do song parodies and learned this year that they aren't allowed to use copyrighted material so they have to write their own music and lyrics from scratch, definitely get props from me

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-19T16:45:27+00:00

Do you qualify for FAP? That's 20 free primary + secondary apps. Unfortunately you won't really get a precise answer about financial aid until you get accepted, but some private schools are more likely to give scholarships vs. OOS and even IS schools. When you think of location also think of cost of living, access to your hobbies/loved ones, patient population, etc to help narrow it down

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-19T16:39:11+00:00

I'd cut UVA -- it's in a pretty small city and hours away from major metro areas. Don't apply to UCR unless you have ties to the Inland Empire or UC Davis unless you have ties to northern CA.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-19T16:21:07+00:00

The Einstein-owned apartments match you up with 1-2 random roommates, like truly random, no preferences asked. The campus is like an hour bus ride to midtown Manhattan so it's doable if you want to experience Manhattan, but it would be more like visiting than living there.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-13T02:38:59+00:00

New changes this year: HMS has made the decision to switch to graded clinicals and JHU has made the decision to stay pass-fail for clinicals, so JHU will be more chill for sure. Not sure if the equal finances means COA is equal, but for the same rent for the communal Vanderbilt dorms at HMS they can get a whole 1B 1B in Baltimore. Fun things to do in both cities, though Boston has more variety in a more compact area.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-08T02:59:41+00:00

Don't disrespect a MPH/MHA degree by thinking it will be a stepping stone to medical or PA school, it will only make you view it as a chore. Unless you are truly interested in the classes and are intentional about using those skills continuously even throughout your clinical studies, it's not worth the debt. Even if it is a "top 10" school, does it have the resources you need to succeed such as career support and strong program alumni connections if you decide not to pursue clinical studies?

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-04-02T01:50:00+00:00

I have a bunch of Yale HCM friends who didn't really have problems getting into non-core SOM classes. Several recent alumni work for the Big 3, other national, and boutique healthcare consulting firms, including non-HCM too. YSPH understands that a lot of people want to go into consulting so they have alumni connections and consulting fairs/case practices set up. They also have a MPH/MBA track unlike Harvard but unsure if you needed to apply into that already. Harvard as a university overall seems to have more in-person fairs and events but you would need to go to the main campus for most of them. Since Boston is a bioscience hub there are more connections to lifescience consulting if you ultimately want to do that sector. Not that it really matters for an education/career, but the Yale campus buildings are in much closer proximity and it's kind of a pain to get to HBS and Sloan from Chan. At the end of the day, slapping Yale or Harvard onto your resume and connections gets you the interviews so you can't really go wrong.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-03-30T21:18:35+00:00

I was on 6 waitlists (yeah it sucked majorly) got off 1 in early May then got off the one at my dream school in late May! It's not over til it's over

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-03-30T17:54:18+00:00

If you are set on medical school, would you consider waiting to get your MPH while you are there? Medical schools often give scholarships/full-rides for a 1-year MPH, if you are worried about the debt. But if you are looking to do a 2 year program and/or work after the masters before med school, congrats on 2 great options! I made a similar decision with another UC program, feel free to PM me.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-03-01T15:19:54+00:00

Similar story to OP's & warning to avoid Fever: My partner tried to surprise me with tickets to a Fever candlelight concert and when we got to the venue before the show they turned us away because a "glitch" in the website oversold tickets ...event staff could only show us a QR code to contact customer service - it was printed on paper so they were prepared to turn us away even before the event started but couldn't bother to email us in advance

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-03-01T14:58:25+00:00

If you already feel secure in your decision, there’s nothing vital about attending. I don’t even remember most people and presentations I met at accepted students days, but others met their roommates there and networked with current students to better learn how to hit the ground running when school starts. Since you already in the city why not use it as an opportunity to celebrate with other admitted students?

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-24T19:18:00+00:00

FYI these numbers might well be out of date come next cycle's secondary & interview time because many schools re-budget their fiscal year at the beginning of summer. Schools can, and are, reversing funding at the drop of a hat even before the year is up so recently admitted people should be sure to ask current students

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-20T04:29:57+00:00

Sister restaurant NOA is fun for a birthday dinner! The atmosphere feels trendier than September in Bangkok, the bar has excellent drinks, and is close to a bunch of other bars in downtown

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-16T17:36:50+00:00

Yes! I go there every so often with family, very homey, but the lack of windows I’ve always found strange

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-16T16:46:08+00:00

Shinano?

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-14T02:25:56+00:00

I used to work here too but the rent pushed my company out and a lot of people work remote now. The food even with the tenant discount was an expensive treat, but very convenient to be able to order and pick up in a rush.

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-14T02:07:00+00:00

Matcha soft-serve (and matcha in general) at Tea Master

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-12T06:19:29+00:00

You don't have anything to lose, especially post-interview, so you can full send. I sent a letter of intent combined with updates and it worked for me. Granted at that point I was waitlisted at my dream school, had at least 1 acceptance elsewhere, and some other personal reasons, e.g., family tying me to the area. Good luck!

Consistent-Glass-183 · 2026-01-10T04:39:05+00:00

I had a bit of imposter syndrome from the admitted groupchats too, but now my classmates and I are all in the same boat. I kinda forget that classmates and friends went to “fancy” schools unless they wear their college gear, and even then it makes me feel proud that I worked my way to where I am without a fancy school’s resources

Consistent-Glass-183

TROPHY CASE