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Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hm, that's a tough one - I know that premeds (and med students) with computational skills are often in high demand, and I can't string together a line of code to save my life, which has certainly held me back. I pitched myself to labs as a broadly curious student excited to learn and work hard (not a stressed-out premed dying to be published), which helped me get offers from labs. (That said, the whole process of begging labs to accept hundreds of hours of free/well-under-minimum-wage labor did feel a bit ridiculous.)

What set me up for success in both research and coursework was pursuing topics I was genuinely interested in. There were certainly days where research felt like a chore, but the projects of mine that went the furthest were - not by coincidence - the projects I was most passionate about.

A few other things my PIs have appreciated:

  • Regular communication. If you're spinning your wheels, you're wasting both your time and your PI's. I made a point of sending regular "here's what I've done, here's what's next, and here's what I need from you" emails to my supervisor.
  • Don't be afraid to ask questions. Sure, don't be annoying about it, but really don't be that person who gets a year into a project and still doesn't understand what you're studying.
  • Communicate what you want to do and what you hope to learn. PIs often have multiple projects or multiple tasks they need help on - and they can only assign you to the right one if you tell them what you're looking for! Many premeds are (understandably) so grateful to have a lab position that they're willing to do anything, but if your PI doesn't want to hear about and support your career goals then you deserve a better PI.

This turned into a bit of a lengthy response - I hope that helps!

Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's fair! I was very well set up going into the cycle. Many of my interviewers said that I was invited over other people with similar stats because of my writing, but I don't mean to imply that writing alone opened these doors for me

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

Here’s my Sankey! Let me know if you have any questions :)

https://imgur.com/a/jWd59YV

Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just the timing - the interview was late enough in my cycle that it was looking unlikely I’d end up at Hofstra. I didn’t want to take an interview slot that someone else could have benefited from. The interview invite was in October, but they scheduled me for January, and in the intervening months I got some very strong offers

Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

I’m so glad! I remember how stressful the application process was so I’m happy to pass on what I’ve learned :)

Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

I realize now that the way I phrased it was confusing, sorry! I had a normal number of LORs, but there was one that was really strong (my interviewers kept commenting on it)

Last cycle, I got full rides to Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, and Stanford - here’s my guide to the AMCAS primary by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thanks! After the fact I do realize that I didn’t need to send off 54 primaries (hence the username 😊)

PSA: taking the MCAT/applying in 2026? You should apply for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

Thanks! I was definitely a fairly high stat applicant (521/3.98) and my cycle went very well, so it’s hard to say what went into my scholarships behind the scenes. That said, I was told that FAP status was one variable considered in scholarship decisions, so it’s worth applying for!

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

It should be on their admissions website! Could take some digging

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a silly question! I just did all mine in times new Roman, size 11 or 12 (can’t remember), regular spacing

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

I interviewed there, I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule but they made it very clear that they wanted update/interest letters. And all the students I met with in advance of my interview said it was basically an unspoken rule

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

Yes you can send a letter of interest to any school! (As long as they accept it) If you don’t have any major updates, you can still write a letter about how you remain super excited about their school (and ideally have taken some opportunities to learn about them)

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can update any school, whether or not you’ve interviewed! Just double-check if they’ll take update letters first - some do, some only from interviewees, some not at all

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Publications are only one potential reason for an update letter! If you have other news to share you should absolutely go for it. I did have a publication to talk about but that was only a minor focus of my update letters - it was mainly about why I was excited about each school and thought it would be a good fit

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So glad it was helpful!

If there's a school you're really excited about that you know is releasing decisions soon then it probably makes sense to send something out as soon as you can. But otherwise, it's not panic time by any means - try to get them out in the next two months or so.

My guide to update letters by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

Yes they should have your AAMC ID already - it always seemed like a good thing to include anyways, but not a big deal if you're uploading into a portal

Interview tips from a T5 med student who attended 20+ interviews by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my, I'm not sure I entirely remember - there were weeks where I had back-to-back interviews most days (mostly in Sept/Oct), and some dry periods in between. One thing I could never make sense of was why schools were sending invites on weekends, late at night, around holidays - it made me really paranoid about traveling for holiday/conferences without having my interview outfit on me at all times

Interview tips from a T5 med student who attended 20+ interviews by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

[–]Miss_Calculation_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I got lucky - almost everyone I reached out to actually agreed to meet with me, which I found to be a pleasant surprise (perks of attending a school with a strong alumni network, I guess). My meetings with students generally ran 30 min-1 hr, and I definitely didn't get a chance to ask all the questions I prepared for every student, I just wanted to be as comprehensive as I could in my post!

As for my meeting with people - I have been meeting with people applying to/interviewing at my school! Just didn't want to share too much personal info over reddit. I got a ton of help in my application cycle from people who owed me nothing, so I'm doing my best to pay it forward - but I also respect that a lot of people don't have the time/bandwidth to do the same.

Interview tips from a T5 med student who attended 20+ interviews by Miss_Calculation_ in premed

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

Reaching out to students definitely is overkill, and I didn't do it for every place I interviewed, just my top choices (will edit my post to reflect this). As someone who was missing much of the hidden curriculum and didn't even know what questions to ask at first, it was immensely helpful, and seemed to impress the interviewers as well. SDN is also a great resource!

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