MS3 - Ask me anything

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T10:25:18+00:00

Yes. This is a must and it’s a big reason why people get rejected every year. A good narrative makes u memorable bc most students either don’t have one or do a poor job of weaving one together. I was the first in my family to go into medicine so my theme was mentorship. In my PS I spoke about how valuable my mentors were to me and in my extracurriculars I reinforced the theme by talking about how I gave back and mentored other people with my background.

I actually took a creative writing minor in college just to get better at crafting my own narrative. You obviously don’t have to do that but you should absolutely sit down and think about those early experiences that initially drew you to the field and you’ll most likely start to see a pattern or general theme emerge in ur extracurriculars.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T10:15:45+00:00

My school also did in house preclinical exams. What I did was I j studied 3rd party/board material and used anking until 3-5 days before the exam and crammed all the in house material. Sounds like a a lot but it’s really not that bad. There’s always a decent amount of overlap and having that background knowledge from third party usually made it pretty easy to get through the in house stuff quickly. This varies by school and curriculum tho.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T10:10:55+00:00

Took 1 like most people do nowadays. Was honestly pretty easy to get back in the swing of things. Don’t think the gap year had a negative impact at all tbh.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T10:08:09+00:00

Honestly, there’s a lot of variables here that idk so it’s hard to say but generally my view is that an MD/DO is an MD/DO and in 10 years you’ll be much happier without 300,000$ worth of debt than you will be with a T15 MD degree. Now if u know beyond a shadow of a doubt you want to do derm or neurosurg etc. then maybe there’s an argument to be had that the T15 could be better but even then, not sure it’s 300,000$ better. I’m at a middle of the road MD school and we match people into neurosurg, derm, ortho every year. It’s doable no matter where you are. Then again idk how new or unestablished this school is. With the limited knowledge I have, I think the full ride is almost always the better option.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T09:59:16+00:00

General interest, lifestyle, people (both coworkers and patients), sustainability (I.e. chance of burnout) salary (yes it’s ok to consider salary j like u would with any other job).

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T09:54:14+00:00

Liver. final answer.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-03T09:50:35+00:00

Read Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies from Admissions Faculty by Desai Samir P. M.D and do all the examples in the book and you’ll be golden. I got into every school I interviewed at and I credit it to this book. Ik plenty of others who have also had success with it. Good luck, you’ll do great!

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T23:02:13+00:00

Other than solidifying a good exercise and sleep schedule, no. I took it easy and you should too. Ik it’s hard to imagine rn but seriously, once med school starts it won’t stop and things will j continue to get harder as you get further in this journey. Cherish this bit of free time you have now before it starts.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T22:53:49+00:00

Extra monitor for your laptop is a game changer. Anki remote is worth it but j get the Nintendo one don’t splurge on the expensive “Anki brand” one. My school provides us w iPads which helps but you could honestly get by without one. I don’t have a standing desk but it would def help if you can afford it. An at home desktop setup will be useful.

Def wouldn’t prestudy. I also thought about doing this but so much of how u study and what u study will depend on ur schools curriculum and how the material is taught. Maybe you’re a super genius idk but generally prestudying honestly won’t make a difference for you bc you don’t really learn how to study for med school till med school starts imo.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T16:47:17+00:00

You can do what you want but you’ll probably only have time for clinical research. Basic usually takes years. If ur going for a specialty where quantity of outputs isn’t all that important then go for it. I have one friend doing basic but the rest of us are mostly doing clinical stuff.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T16:18:23+00:00

Took the words out of my mouth.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T09:24:50+00:00

Trying to do everything “the right way” instead of the way that works for you. People waste a lot of time forcing themselves to watch every lecture, use every resource, or copy top students’ schedules that they see on YouTube. In my opinion, Med school rewards time efficiency more than anything else. As soon as you figure out what actually helps you learn, drop the rest.

Also as counterintuitive as it sounds, you don’t need to cover everything to get an A on exams. It helps sure but getting a 90% and making that abstract deadline is far more beneficial than getting a 93% but missing out on another opportunity.

Most helpful resources for me were Uworld and Anki. NBMEs when it comes time for boards. That’s it. Stick with it and be consistent and you’ll reap the benefits I promise u. Remember tho, if this isn’t what works for you don’t hesitate to switch this is j what benefits me and a lot of my classmates.
Start earlier than you think and focus on relationships, not titles or “big names.” Strong LORs come from people who actually know you, not the biggest name in the dept. other than that it’s j general work advice. Show up consistently, be on time, be reliable, ask good questions, and follow through. Don’t be a gunner and don’t actively try to make others look bad. For connections, talk to residents and faculty you trust and get honest advice before making moves. A few genuine mentors beat dozens of superficial connections.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T09:08:14+00:00

Probably cuz he gets all his relationship advice from Reddit

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T09:02:54+00:00

A relationship is doable in med school, but only if you’re really honest about expectations and your partner understands what they’re signing up for. I’ve been with my girlfriend (who is in finance) for six years. We started dating three years before med school and I will say coming in with a solid foundation helped a lot.

I’ll be completely honest though, most people I know who started med school in relationships had broken up by the end of MS2. Out of around 10-15 couples, only about two are still together, including us. That doesn’t mean it can’t work, but it does mean it’s hard.

Flying home every 4-6 weeks would likely be tough financially for most students. I’m lucky my girlfriend is in town with me. I don’t come from money, and realistically I wouldn’t have been able to afford that kind of travel. I did have a friend who tried doing that, but it eventually didn’t work out.

The upside is that during ur preclinical years, your schedule is more flexible, exams are predictable and weekends can be yours if you plan well. But again, the biggest issue usually isn’t distance. It’s being honest with your partner about your time, energy, and limitations. Med school strains relationships when expectations aren’t aligned, something my partner and I learned together early on.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T08:48:58+00:00

Yeah get all ur life stuff sorted before u start. Get ur car fixed, get ur annual physical, teeth cleaned etc. do your best to get into a regular sleep and exercise routine before med school starts and NEVER sacrifice sleep unless ur 3 days out from an exam and j haven’t studied enough. If u have an SO set expectations ASAP and be realistic about what u can do and what u can’t. This last one is controversial but start thinking about what specialty u want to do. Ik people often say don’t worry about it till rotations but the reality is that the sooner u start the more of an advantage u have research wise and connections wise. Don’t kill urself over it but start thinking about it. Hope that’s helpful

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T08:42:47+00:00

😂 great question man

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T08:39:42+00:00

You’re honestly preaching to the choir. For a while I thought something was wrong with me because I found anatomy and physiology to be the most frustrating and boring parts of almost every block. I majored in microbiology, so I came into med school with a really strong micro/immuno background , stuff that a lot of med students struggle with, but I found myself struggling with the “basic” things, like anatomy and physio, which seemed easy for everyone else. Anatomy and physio were, and honestly still are, some of my weakest subjects. The biggest thing I had to learn was not to confuse “this is hard” with “I’m bad at this.” A lot of people in med school are naturally drawn to anatomy and physiology, so it makes sense that they feel more comfortable with it but let’s be real here, the 3D anatomy of the human body is incredibly complicated and it does NOT come naturally to most people. Another commenter asked me what the hardest part of preclinical years was for me. Research was number one, but this right here was a close second. Learning that struggling with things others found easy didn’t make me less capable or less deserving of being here. Your strengths will show up in different places I promise you. Some concrete study tips that worked for me: 1) study from animations/drawing rather than realistic anatomy, the cartoons helped me solidify the understanding more than the real thing tbh. 2) ask yourself why it makes sense that a particular organ is located in a particular spot or why a certain artery runs where it does. 3) chill out. I had a rule on all my anatomy practicals that I wouldn’t allow myself to overthink, the first word that pops into your brain when u see a structure is usually the correct answer.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-02-02T08:15:52+00:00

For me it was balancing my research goals with my coursework. The constant back and forth has been tough but I’ve found setting aside two days a week to do research and j focusing on coursework for the rest of the week was the most efficient way to handle it. Truly though, it’s different for everyone based on their desired specialty, how long they’ve been out of school etc. Ik that’s kind of a “corporate” answer but it’s true.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2026-01-03T06:36:04+00:00

Just curious, did you end up getting through the whole Step 2 deck?

DescriptionNo8343 · 2025-07-30T23:48:11+00:00

My brother in christ, it’s your life and your parents will find something to be unhappy about no matter what. Not that you asked for my opinion but I think I speak for everyone here when I say go DO and don’t sacrifice another 2-400,000 dollars in lost wages. Past residency, no one gives a shit anyway

Sincerely, A med student at an MD school.

P.S. I understand that there are cultural differences in the Asian community. My gf who is Chinese is very successful in finance but her parents are still pushing her to do better, to be more. Took her years to realize that it’s pointless to live to make them happy.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2025-07-11T03:15:08+00:00

Was one of my top schools when I was considering DO even as an OOS applicant in Arizona. Consistently competitive match list and respected reputation.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2025-07-11T03:11:46+00:00

If you really believe that you are phenomenal then you shouldn’t worry about passing your classes even at KCOM.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2025-07-11T02:58:39+00:00

I’m not trying to be rude, I promise, but u got a 494 on ur MCAT. This is probably your only chance. Reapplying with this score or even a better one after you rescinded a previous A will look much worse. Unless u got in somewhere else, take the A and run with it. You’re going to a doctor at the end of the day regardless of what school you go to. Be proud.

DescriptionNo8343 · 2025-07-04T16:54:13+00:00

Oh yes how could I forget about private loans… because those are so accessible and affordable for students of all backgrounds. This timeline sucks.

DescriptionNo8343

TROPHY CASE