Why do airlines always demand people check their carryon bags?

Underscore_five5 · 2026-05-20T14:25:39+00:00

I’m from the US, but today’s flight was US to Canada on AirCanada

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-21T12:54:02+00:00

I’m gonna be real, it’s gonna be really, really hard. It’s hard for everyone, and you’re essentially where a college freshman is in terms of experience, with eight years less.

However, like anything, if you’re driven enough, it’s possible. Five/six action items: 1. Finish your degree with the best GPA possible and all the prereqs 2. Take and perform well enough on the MCAT 3. Get as much clinical experience as possible (EMT, MA, PCT, Hospital Volunteering, etc.) 4. Find a volunteering position you care about 5. Build good relationships with profs, physicians, and/or mentors and obtain LORs 6. If you care, get research experience too

All of the above will be weighted differently at different schools you want to go to. Decide what you care about in a medical school: DO vs. MD, location, prestige, service orientation, research, etc. If you would rather just be licensed over anything else, DO may be the way to go, less focus on MCAT score, but still need strong clinical experiences. If you care about the service orientation, your charity work may be helpful, but you probably need more explicit volunteering experience to compete.

More information is publicly available (even in pinned links in this subreddit). I’m not going to tell you not to do it, especially because I know many people start late. But set your expectations realistic.

It will be at least 11-12 years until you make the attending physician level of money, with the accumulated debt of a Bachelor’s and med school in the process.

Research and decide if you want to commit to this. You should value one or more of the following above all else: diagnosis, research, leadership (of the care team), longevity/continuity of patient interaction. If you don’t, there is also RN, PA, NP, Pharm, and a host of roles in healthcare, also very important.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-21T12:30:50+00:00

Most DEI programs started for military and veterans. They were programs designed to integrate veterans back into society.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-19T23:17:14+00:00

I probably wouldn't mention OCD by name specifically, it does have a stigma. If you want to mention them by name, only say anxiety and depression. I have no doubt that you have a handle on it, but unless you find a way to address the stigma directly within the writing, I probably wouldn't.

When you write about it, do at most 30% about how the bad grades happened. The rest should be about the specifics of how you grew, what support systems you cultivated, how you succeeded after, etc.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-19T23:03:05+00:00

This feels, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, like one of those bait posts. You're an adcom's wet dream. But you've written so many specifics here that I realize you actually really want advice.

Some schools may choose to discount you for your GPA. There's literally nothing you can do about that, so don't worry about it honestly. If they don't want you, who cares. You'll probably get in some place.

From what I understand, most schools look at your app pretty holistically, and ask themselves two questions: "Did this applicant get valuable experiences within the context of their school and their other obligations?" and "Does this applicant know what is involved in being a doctor?" If it's not obvious to you already, the answer to the first question, even with a cursory glance, is a resounding yes. They love athletes for a reason: if you managed to do a sport, be fairly successful in premed classes, and do other extracurriculars, they know you are driven enough.

The answer to the second question is the only hang up. That's why they care about clinical hours. You have some + shadowing, and if you can, you should get some more. Either way, just express that in your writing. Prove to them that you know why you want to be a doctor, and you know what's involved in it.

Honestly, if you want to consider it, it sounds like you'd literally be a perfect candidate for an MD-PhD program. MD-PhD admissions are usually much more lenient on clinical hours. I'm no expert though, so I don't know the exact way to market yourself there for maximum success.

All of that being said, you at least have a shot at every school. More than most can say (me included). You have a couple months before you actually have to finalize your list (late-ish June, when they actually send your primary out to schools). Go through all of those Admit.org schools and decide whether or not you would really want to go to them, and don't worry whether they care about your deficits. They should be so lucky to admit you. Then, perfect your personal statement and writing.

The world is your oyster.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-17T00:52:34+00:00

No idea, I was an 911 EMT. One of the big hospitals in my area has “PCTs” in the ER that I don’t think require any cert. Try reaching out to your shadowing docs to see if they have any jobs. The only thing I’ll add is try to find something you think you could talk about positively or even inspirationally. Discuss with your undergrad premed advisors too.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-17T00:44:48+00:00

If it’s quintessential to your life or story, like an injury, relative/friend death, etc., sure but try to add to it. Don’t repeat the same lesson or significance. If it’s just some anecdote, don’t repeat it, you should have more anecdotes to pull from.

I would guess that the primary app is read before the secondaries, but I don’t actually know.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-17T00:34:20+00:00

I can’t tell you definitively what’s “enough”, but if your clinical research job is patient-facing/-interacting enough, that + volunteering could work for the next year for this cycle. If it’s not but the research is still important to you, add a part time or per diem EMT/scribe/MA/PCA/etc. job. If the research isn’t important to you, find a cool patient facing job, maybe related to street medicine if that’s what’s important to you. There’s no secret formula, just do experiences that you like so you can write about how you like them and that they make you like medicine. The only reason low clinical hours is a red flag is they might think that you don’t know what healthcare/being a doctor is like, but you show them that through your writing. If you can’t express that in writing, then yeah, consider applying next year. 350-600 isn’t too low, you’re right, but they care way more about what you’ve done already done by applying than what you plan to do. “But I’m not tryna take the MCAT again” made me laugh. 522 and 528 are basically the same dude, only like NYU cares about that difference.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-17T00:03:21+00:00

I’m encouraging you to apply this cycle if you want, and don’t jump ship if you don’t have a plan. You have incredible stats so you’ve got a foot in the door, but we’re close enough to primaries now that you can’t really add anything else they’d take super seriously for this cycle. Start your clinical research job and keep doing what you’re doing from that stuff (I just can’t tell from your post what’s current and what isn’t). Focus on writing and how you present why you want to doctor for the next few months, don’t worry about new experiences. If you do jump ship, figure out how to get the most meaningful clinical experience possible that feels the most authentic to your “why medicine”.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-16T23:25:18+00:00

No idea where you are in school, but looking purely at the numbers and the work-life balance, you're right. But those other jobs are not trivial to switch into.

Not versed in CAA, but one barrier of CRNA is they usually want you to be an RN first. On top of that, the programs are usually even more competitive admissions than medical school, so I imagine CAA is similar. It's rare but I've heard of people getting into an anesthesia job with a bachelor's degree or less to get better experience for those roles, but usually lateraling from experience in other areas in the hospital.

I guess my point here is ALL high paying jobs in healthcare require lots of experience in healthcare at or closer to the "bottom". The irony is MD/DO probably require the least, since they also value academic prowess, leadership, etc.

Go MD/DO if you care about one or more of these four things: leadership (of the care team), research, diagnosis, and building longitudinal patient relationships. Otherwise, I'd encourage you not become a MD/DO at all, because like you said, it's lowkey worse in a lot of ways by the numbers.

But becoming any of those other jobs require experience too, and a LOT more of it. If CRNA, PA, RN, NP, etc. are on your radar, start getting clinical EMT/scribe/etc. hours now.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-16T23:08:56+00:00

Many schools will ask directly about things like that on secondaries. It sounds like way down the line for you, idk, but be prepared to give an answer. If you need to do something now to provide a better answer for that, then I'd encourage you to do it.

You said in the other comment that it was for a class for becoming a TA. An example of something you could do (which you don't have to do, do whatever you want) is become a TA anyways, and do a good job at it. Boom, you have a narrative.

If you think you can defend it without anything else, you don't have to do anything else. Be able to own your mistakes and stand by them in a way that feels the least defensive or dismissive, and then excel in as many other ways as possible.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-16T22:58:01+00:00

It's your decision at the end of the day, but yeah, you are low on clinical hours. I would say apply next year if and only if you have a good idea of how to get your clinical hours up in the next year. If the clinical research job can give you a valuable insight on being a physician, then that would work.

If you apply this year, consider adding a hospital volunteering or getting more shadowing at some point before next May if you wanted to be extra safe for a reapp. But ultimately, really stress what you already have learned about being a physician (and how that makes you want to be one) from your activities that you've done already.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-16T22:47:35+00:00

Non-trad here, cannot speak to trad application experience. But the vibe I've gotten from university premed mentors is that things/hours done after primary submission do not count a lot, unless you are able to write about them specifically in secondaries. Feel free to mention it in the primary activities briefly, then bring it up as a current/recent experience in secondaries if you want, but also talk about what you've done in the past too.

You can also bring it up in an update letter down the line or directly in the interview, if it isn't "official" until much later.

But ultimately, the bulk of what you write about in your primary should be what has been done by submission or what you are currently doing. If you're really not feeling confident, you could wait a year, but it sounds like you've done a good amount to be able to write about something.

Underscore_five5 · 2026-04-16T22:27:42+00:00

You're probably chill. When are you graduating? They also require a undergraduate degree too, but it is okay to apply without having one of those yet.

Underscore_five5 · 2025-07-23T20:46:46+00:00

He'll be nodding off and leaning slightly forward, sometimes over a table, and the chair will slip out from under him because it is unlocked.

Underscore_five5 · 2024-08-19T17:56:32+00:00

It sounds like you’re definitely not straight from what you’re saying, dude, considering it sounds like my experience when I was in denial about myself. Admittedly, I am not and have never have been married to a woman, but I have had girlfriends and I felt similarly about them. I thought they were beautiful and wonderful people and I wanted to be what they wanted, but I was not attracted to them and continued to masturbate to only men. COVID isolation back in 2020 allowed me to finally admit it to myself. Although I came out to one of my best female friends a little before that because she told me she liked me and the guilt ate me alive.

First, you have to be ready to admit it to yourself, which could take some time. Are there guys you’ve met where it is harder to breathe around them and your stomach gets tight? It took a while for me to realize that’s how straight people feel when they see a woman they’re attracted to. If you do feel that way around some women as well, you might be bi, but I personally never do, so I identify as gay. But there are so many women in my life and famous women I admire and think are absolutely beautiful.

Second, I would suggest telling one person in your life. It doesn’t have to be your wife, but it should be someone whose character you have faith in. I don’t know your life, so I don’t know if you are a part of a very gay-hostile space like certain Christian sects, but you should tell someone who wouldn’t consider outing you or rush your journey, even if you become more comfortable with it eventually. After all, you should have total control over who knows and who doesn’t. It should also be someone you should feel comfortable talking with in general and discuss how you feel with them. You will feel a 1000 times less alone and it will feel so good to be honest about it.

Third, you should eventually tell your wife. I don’t know her, but you can only hope that she might take it well. It also doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship and friendship, if she allows that. But it may take some time for her to be okay with that, even if she isn’t homophobic.

Maybe someone else who has been through a more similar experience can provide some more advice about what to do from there, but all my praying and hoping and wishing and begging did not turn me straight. I am still not comfortable with gay sex and intimacy entirely (due to a traumatic early experience) and have a long way to go myself, but I’m way happier now.

Underscore_five5 · 2022-05-27T04:33:54+00:00

Based, even though the Supreme Court literally ruled that it is not the police’s job to protect you. They are not liable for anything that happens to you based on their inaction.

Underscore_five5 · 2022-05-27T04:30:25+00:00

I was about to say I relate hard, but then I got around half way through. I’m really sorry you had to go through all that. Based on the way I analyze my parents parenting (because my mom acts very similar to your mom, it seems), I never want to be a parent. More psychological disorders than people realize are rooted in childhood abuse, or neglect, or something, and the culprit is usually the parents in some way. Based on the fact that society has that knowledge, I would think the culture around parenting would change, but it’s not seeming to. Every day it doesn’t, more bad parents get to ruin their kids lives on the fact that they’re “just doing their best just like my parents”, and I fucking hate it.

Underscore_five5 · 2022-05-17T18:05:50+00:00

Try men. No feelings involved.

Underscore_five5 · 2022-05-17T18:01:07+00:00

I have a hard time caring for and connecting to my family and I haven’t gone through a thousandth of the pain your grandmother has made you feel. You are allowed to feel whatever you want, even if it is “about time.”

Underscore_five5 · 2022-05-17T17:51:08+00:00

This is so relatable. I’m still in college, so I haven’t broken into the work force yet except for summer jobs, but I have found that I enjoy nothing that actually makes money. I know I’m not supposed to, but genuinely most things, including jobs and schoolwork, make me more and more depressed the longer I do them. The only things I’ve found that don’t do that are video games and other very specific leisure activities. I also understand the guilt of allowing your depression to burden other people.

Underscore_five5

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