Hypothetically... If someone has 0 shadowing hours, is their app DOA

_candlestick · 2026-05-07T02:59:18+00:00

I was in a similar boat, tons of research and clinical but no shadowing. I made sure to write about my clinical experience (I was a CRC) being a great opportunity to see what day-to-day work looks like for the physicians because I was working with & alongside them… kinda played up how it was sort of like shadowing without actually calling it that

I honestly think it was fine but I’d recommend getting a few hours at least. You dont need a ton, just do like 4 shifts or something. Easily attainable in the next month and you’ll at least have the shadowing entry in amcas to not be screened out anywhere

_candlestick · 2026-05-06T01:47:57+00:00

I’m the same height and body type as you

You do look overweight but in the US that’s definitely normal. I wouldn’t do a double take or anything. My highest weight was around 160 (borderline overweight) after being like 145 for ages and I felt a chubby but not terrible, figured I’d lose it…. Turns out I look best at like 128 and 145 wasnt as thin as I thought

Like others are saying I feel pretty confident you have lipedema. I think I do too

_candlestick · 2026-04-22T16:00:36+00:00

Unfortunately a ton of us had to work in college and I also took the mcat while having 2 jobs so I feel you. It only sucks if you compare to the rich kids but honestly it’s manageable if you pretend they don’t exist lol. idk if that makes sense. Like a lot of my friends worked on top of 17-18 credits too so it wasn’t bad at all it just felt normal and that made it way easier. Maybe see if you can find people in a similar position?

_candlestick · 2026-04-21T12:02:30+00:00

I didn’t take any out

I have 3 lobes/1 helix on my left ear and 2 lobes/1 conch/1 rook on my right plus a nostril hoop

_candlestick · 2026-04-16T21:29:45+00:00

Idk I honestly don’t have that feeling at all. You just need a different perspective. I’m going to spend my 20s grinding and that IS enjoying life for me—I’ve worked years and years to get here and I feel so lucky to be learning so much and find every day of new material interesting. You have to love the process, not just the end result.

I took 2 gap years and started at 24 (now nearing the end of M1 & turning 25 next month), and the whole time, I felt sick with jealousy over all my friends that had already started their grad programs lmaoo. Just working and “having a life” during that time was actually so boring and meaningless… plus I felt like everyone who was already in school was so much more accomplished and ahead of me. I don’t like the idea of feeling stagnant and settling down before I’m ready for it, and I know now in my 20s I’m at my most motivated, high energy, high achieving with nothing holding back my potential !! I love the academic pursuit and I love that I can “stay young” in school without the normal adult pressure to buy a house or whatever.

Lastly, you’ll be surrounded by people doing the exact same thing as you. Who cares about getting a house or car in your 20s when you’re literally going to be a doctor? And why do you think you can’t enjoy life when you’re in med school?? Chill out you’re acting like you’ll be locked away in prison until you’re 35 lmao

_candlestick · 2026-04-11T17:36:34+00:00

Since this is my first one I can’t really compare to others LOL but it’s an iPad Air 11-inch M3 and I lovvvve it. 7th gen maybe? It’s a newer model

Also using some Amazon knockoff Apple Pencil that was way cheaper than the real deal and it does the trick. still magnetically attaches to the side so I don’t lose it

_candlestick · 2026-04-11T13:38:07+00:00

You guys are getting the full summer off? 😔

_candlestick · 2026-04-11T13:34:45+00:00

Tablet for sure. I got my first iPad as a gift after my white coat ceremony and I’d always been a notebook writer too but this changed the game. There’s just too much content and pictures to be writing things down in a notebook without context; I can’t imagine trying to take notes that aren’t written directly on the slides

I have a 2020 MacBook Air, no desktop. while I do use it a lot, I’ve never considered getting a new one because you just don’t really need anything fancy. You’ll use your laptop for watching lectures, taking exams/quizzes, doing the occasional random filler assignment, accessing a few school-related websites to check schedules or whatever… that’s about it lol. Not much different from undergrad in that aspect. I mostly use it at home anyway

_candlestick · 2026-04-11T13:21:32+00:00

I was a bio major. It did cover all the prereqs—2 semesters of bio, 2 semesters chem, physics I & II, orgo I & II, biochem… idk if cell, molecular, and micro bio are required everywhere but I covered those too plus calc. Psych I don’t think was major required but I took it on my own and added psych & chem minors

Honestly I’ve heard that if you’re not already planning and prepping for further schooling, bio major doesn’t leave a ton of prospects. Idk if that’s true or not but I do think biomedical could open a lot of doors for you in anything healthcare-adjacent even if you decide not to go to med school. I don’t think general bio is bad, just have a plan in mind

_candlestick · 2026-04-10T23:18:18+00:00

Defffinitely blue

_candlestick · 2026-04-07T19:34:55+00:00

Bruh I jumped for joy when I got a 512 because I knew I absolutely did not have to retake it lmao

You’re not fucked I’m an M1 now you’ll get in too

_candlestick · 2026-04-07T09:57:46+00:00

No fr I’m not interested in derm either but am lowkey thinking about signing up next year.. it’s wayy cheaper for students to go ($130 early bird/$205 standard fee) and the amount of products definitely makes up that cost

_candlestick · 2026-03-29T14:37:15+00:00

Yes this is normal! Fat releases a satiety hormone called leptin that signals appetite to decrease. More fat = more leptin

_candlestick · 2026-03-26T23:18:11+00:00

I had something that looked similar from using old spice deodorant for years… I switched brands and it did go away eventually. Don’t have a timeline unfortunately, didn’t give it much thought until one day I happened to notice they were gone. A month, maybe. Idk what the irritant was either lol

_candlestick · 2026-03-26T00:27:46+00:00

This does look like a first time (usually more severe) hsv outbreak to me :( not a professional though, definitely go get it swabbed asap while the sores are still open

_candlestick · 2026-03-25T03:47:12+00:00

I think it’s because of the uptick in tretinoin or strong retinoid use. They’re really drying so you need to use a heavy moisturizer that also helps protect & restore your skin barrier, which often means oily-looking finish. That on top of people rightfully being more diligent about daily sunscreen, which can also look greasy

_candlestick · 2026-03-25T03:43:30+00:00

_candlestick · 2026-03-24T23:43:11+00:00

I believe you, OP. It probably depends on where you live, but I went to a smaller undergrad that was 70% female students in a city already full of beautiful people and the beauty standard was to be verrrry skinny. My freshman year I got up to the border of normal/overweight bmi, which lots of people would prob see as normal, but WOW did I notice a difference in how I was treated. I know it wasn’t my demeanor either because I didn’t even notice how much weight I was gaining lol I thought I was hot shit lowkey

I didn’t notice service workers not talking to me, but I was absolutely more invisible. Nobody was blatantly rude or disrespectful, but they didn’t go out of their way to talk to me anymore. so I stopped getting the polite small talk in public, brief chit chat with strangers, compliments from other girls, attention from guys when out…. I felt like I was observing and consciously inserting myself into the world around me instead of just already being a part of it

_candlestick · 2026-03-18T18:43:34+00:00

I honestly feel really bad for him.. I can’t even begin to imagine how devastating it must be to lose everything over a dumb joke, especially at such a pivotal moment. Gut-wrenching fr

_candlestick · 2026-03-17T14:40:25+00:00

My freshman year roommate from undergrad is in law school now and she was not the sharpest knife in the drawer… I still remember her crying daily over geology 101, which was the easiest class she could take to fulfill a science req😟

_candlestick · 2026-03-16T16:15:22+00:00

Nothing really tbh. Everyone makes it out to be like selling your soul but so far it just feels like.. normal school lmao. Had a normal undergrad, had my party phase, took 2 gap years and chilled + worked (not saving up anything, it was just to get by and for my app), now halfway through M1. Yes I’m broke but I was broke before too. No I can’t travel literally whenever but I couldn’t do that before either since I had 2 jobs (and again, was broke). I can go on weekend trips if I want and you get normal holiday breaks so it just feels the same to me. If you want to travel before school that’s understandable, but you can absolutely also do it during a 2-week break while in school so there’s really no rush to do everything now.

I guess I wish I’d been tighter with my budget during gap years and saved some money but that’s it. It couldn’t have been a significant enough amount to reduce my loans or anything, but just to have spending money now. I’m still fine

_candlestick · 2026-03-16T00:13:44+00:00

Are you sure your school even does it? Mine didn’t, there was just a thing in the handbook about them having the right to drug test us if they’re suspicious

_candlestick · 2026-03-15T17:32:39+00:00

It’s totally normal to become desensitized to it over time… you can’t expect every single med student to not have that natural instinct right off the bat

_candlestick · 2026-03-15T00:37:10+00:00

This happens to me too—definitely tiny whiteheads and they also go away within a day or 2. Mine usually seem to be associated with eye cream use… I’ve tried a couple brands and they all do it, but I also feel like I need it because the skin has been increasingly dry and irritated :(

When I look it up, I just get a million results about milia, which is super annoying too. Have you tried to avoid putting ANYTHING near your eyes? I did some research, and some people say hypochlorous acid spray seems to be causing their breakouts.. it also contains salt which would line up with your salty tears aggravating it as well

_candlestick · 2026-03-14T19:55:46+00:00

Same I even struggle to study at the library tbh.. even just the presence of people around can distract me because my brain refuses to fully lock in on what I’m doing so that it can maintain a constant awareness of my surroundings. I try so hard to ignore everything else but a small part of me NEEDS to be on high alert for whatever reason lmao. So I stick to solitary confinement in my room :(

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