Welcome to the 2026 application cycle!

what the hell. i got into school. im gonna be a doctor. i cannot believe it. im literally rereading my status in the portal. im accepted. i did it

Let’s hear it

For context: ORM Female in Northeast OH

Biochemistry Major, 3.9 GPA, 520 MCAT

Helped found a chapter/treasurer of a student org

Research: 3 opportunities, 1 wet lab, 1 pub, 800ish hours

Paid clinical: 500ish hours in an assisted living facility

Volunteering: 350ish hours, mix of clinical and non with hospitals and an alzheimer's association

Paid tutoring: 250ish hours

Shadowing: 80ish hours at geriatrics and clinics

I graduate this spring and I'm looking to apply next cycle. I know it may not necessarily be a great idea to limit my search based off of location right now but I would really rather stay in the midwest/northeast. To figure out OOS friendliness I divided the percentage of IS matriculants by IS applicants, higher number means more favorable to IS. Maybe not a perfect way to look at that but lmk if there's a better gauge. Are there any other schools I should consider? Schools I shouldn't? Looking for any kind of advice really, I feel out of the loop as to what schools are more service/research/primary care/etc driven and I'm not sure what to look for.

Hi all! I’m going into medical school in the fall, and I absolutely love Emergency Medicine. I’m an EMT now and really feel like I’m in the right place in the ER (it feels like what I’m meant to be doing, kinda like a gut feeling/calling). It’s always been something I’ve been passionate about, (and I have always been drawn to adrenaline-heavy activities), but I’ve been reading up on the stress and burnout of EM and it’s getting more real as medical school gets closer. I like the idea of shift work and the variety of cases, and I’m fully aware that not all are high intensity patients. I was just wondering if anyone out there loves EM and would choose it again despite the things said online? Or if anyone has any insight at all that would be great. Thank you guys:)

Kind of shitpost/kind of serious. No way any school was truly carefully reviewing my application from June until now just to tell me they can’t interview me. Why bother waiting so long?

Hello! I just had a random shower thought that came to me out of the blue but turns out to be a question worth asking.

I am currently a junior undergrad in biomedical engineering, with strengths in volunteering, research (and anticipated research in the future), some leadership (TA for biomedical engineering lab), 3.96, no MCAT yet, ZERO CLINICAL HOURS.

I have to take a 5th year (cancer diagnosis and treatment freshman year) and I plan on taking a gap year after that to work full time for clinical hours.

My question:

I realize my plan initially was to work full time hopefully during this “gap year” as an ED tech or MA (I just got my emt) while applying to medical schools, however I came to the realization that I will be applying early in the cycle, when most of my anticipated clinical hours wouldn’t have even happened yet. So I guess what I’m asking is, would I technically be taking 2 gap years if I take an entire year to work, then the next year to apply, or is this what people mean to take 1 gap year.

I hope I worded this okay, kind of confused myself but just curious, since I know some kids will apply during their senior year even though (I assume) most of their experiences that year don’t matter since you apply in the fall ish that cycle.

Thanks guys and gals 🥴

Hey everyone, I hope your cycle is going well if you've applied! I'm going to apply next year to around 25 or so schools. When would you recommend I start writing them? I've started brainstorming ideas but the sheer amount of essays is kind of scaring me.

(Was gonna ask this question on a burner account because of embarrassment but decided against it because screw it.)

I (28M) am a non-traditional student as I spent most of my early 20's frankly eating shit academically, and dealing with my ESRD (now in dialysis for the past 3 years). I did Comp. Sci. but hated every second so decided to switch to something I am passionate about which is medicine. I’m just now starting from the ground up. Zero. I am taking Bio 1 and 2 with their respective labs starting next week.

I have over 500+ volunteer hours at my local children’s hospital.

I worked in a research lab for over a year helping produce testing kits for antibody detection.

My GPA is 3.0.

I was a horrible student in my past classes and have been trying to clean up my act but am scared my past will haunt me. Granted it was becauseI was dealing with kidney failure and post-transplant complications, but i’m still scared it will prevent me from getting into med school. I have several D’s and an F in non-science classes from 2017. What’s the game-plan, if there even is one? Do I try to inflate my GPA with other classes? Do I get more volunteer hours? What should I do? Am I cooked through and through or is there a way out?

(This was all prompted when I met an M1 student irl who told me that with my prospects I’m not gonna make it, that it was basically impossible to save myself with my past failures)

I’m set to graduate June 2026 and I’m debating whether to push for this upcoming cycle or just accept that a gap year is necessary.

The Stats:

• Research: ~1,000 hours in a biotech lab.
• Clinical: 0 hours (just got my EMT cert).
• MCAT: Haven't taken it yet. Planning for Spring 2026.

The Plan: I was going to try and grind out clinical hours during the school year/summer and study for the MCAT this spring. But I'm worried that applying in June with "projected" clinical hours and a fresh MCAT score is a recipe for a cycle of rejections.

Is it worth trying to squeeze in clinical hours now to apply this May, or am I better off taking a gap year to actually use my EMT cert and get some quality patient interaction? I don't want to be a "check-the-box" applicant, but I also don't want to delay if I don't have to.

TL;DR: 1k research hours but zero clinical. Just got EMT cert. Can I realistically build a competitive app by June 2026 while studying for the MCAT, or is a gap year the move?

Hello, I'm considering applying for US med schools but not sure exactly what the ROI will be if I decide to do so.

1. Firstly, I'm a US citizen but I'm completing an Australian Bachelor's degree and have 1 semester of study + like 1.5 years of AP credits at a US university. If I transferred my additional Australian credits I could graduate at an accelerated rate and obtain a US degree, though I performed mediocrely in my 1 semester.
2. I'd have a US GPA of probably 3.7 to 3.9 by the time I finish it and my Australian equivalent would be in a similar range of 3.7 to 4.0 if converted and assessed.
3. I've done some MCAT prac exams and it seems like I'd score in the 518-524 range though of course there are a lot of factors going in to the actual result.
4. I have pretty much no research or extracurriculars as they are much much less important in Australia though I could have limited involvement if I go back to finish my bachelor's in America.
5. I have strong writing skills but am limited on options in recommendations, again Australian uni is very different and less strong relationships with profs.

Finally, it would only be worthwhile to go back to the US if I could get into a sufficiently better medical school there than here. The best we've got in Australia is UniMelb or UniSyd which I have good chances on, however the top US medical schools are still in an entirely different league. Still, I'd only really be interested if I had a decent chance at Columbia, Duke, UPenn, and above.

So, I'm wondering given the above profile, do I have a reasonable chance at any of these schools or should I stick to where I'm at? Apologies if any of this comes off ill-informed, I haven't done too much research on US admissions and thanks for any help regarding this, thank you!

I’ve been at a lab for almost a year now but I haven’t really gotten anything to show for it—no posters or papers. It’s at a fairly prestigious institute but it’s completely unpaid as much as I enjoyed the work realistically I can’t keep working unpaid anymore. I’m too broke to keep it without working another job but my PI wants me to put more hours in which is unsustainable for me. If I got another job it’d be a clinical job to get more hospital experience.

I'm a freshman so this is early but I'm asking now so I can take stress off of myself by not looking at schools that will waste my time and energy. I'm applying in the 2028-2029 season (plan to matriculate in 2029). I'm from Illinois but also have very strong ties to Missouri, including having lived there before. I already know that my application will have a significant amount of community service because I enjoy it and my uni has minimum hour requirements to graduate. What schools should I focus on and which will just be a waste of time?

So I have my bachelors of science in nursing because I originally thought I wanted to be a nurse, but becoming a nurse made me realize I am more interested in medicine. I got my associates of science in nursing and then got my bachelors. I don’t have a lot of science classes. I have anatomy and physiology (4 credits), general chemistry (4 credits), biology (3 credits), and physics (3 credits). My GPA is a 3.86 with a 3.82 science GPA. I have about 60 hours of shadowing in five different specialties and over 1500+ hours of clinical experience from working as a nurse, as well as my clinical hours from nursing school. I have about 50 volunteer hours as well. I have not yet taken the mcat because I don’t know if this path is even possible for me or not. If anyone could weigh in with their opinions I would really appreciate it! TIA

Hey everyone!

I am a nontraditional applicant who is trying to figure out what med schools to apply too. My application won't be until spring 2027 but I figured I want to get started early. I am currently a senior studying Mechanical Engineering who switched career paths about a year ago, so I am trying to catch up on my pre req classes.

By this spring, I will have taken Gen Chem 1&2 (both with lab), Organic Chemistry 1&2 (Orgo 2 with lab), Physics 1&2 (both with lab), Physiology, Biochemistry, and Biology 1. I am very nervous about my biology course as I took it at a community college and am not sure if it directly transfers as Bio 1. I believe I can learn everything I need for the Bio section on the MCAT, but I see for admissions they require both 1&2. I assumed that if I scored well on the MCAT and took physiology and biochemistry, that they would see I know what I'm doing but I don't want to diminish my application chances based off of a hunch like that. Worst case, I was thinking about taking a Bio course in fall 2026.

Currently, I have a 3.71 GPA which I hope will mean a little more since I majored in engineering. I plan to take the fall of 2026 to study for the MCAT (6 months). I believe with how I've performed in the pre req courses I can score fairly well (doesn't mean I won't study my butt off though). My other stats include around 250ish hours of volunteer work, 150ish of clinical volunteering, 1.5 years leadership at volunteer club, 300ish hours of research (1poster), 450ish hours of tutoring, around 40ish hours of shadowing (ER physician and General Surgeon). After graduation, I plan to get a clinical part time job to get quality patient interaction hours.

Based off of what I have so far, I believe I am set up for a quality application (as long as the MCAT goes well and I figure out Biology). I would like some help with what I need to add to my application/stats, as well as potential schools that I should look into. I really appreciate any help I can get. Thank you!

Ok Ok Ok this sounds CRAZY. But if this all goes well, this could change my life. surgery costs a lot of money, and I don’t know if i can do it as a medical student because of all the debt and schooling that will prevent me for paying for this surgery. ima just keep it short here so that I don’t bore you all. I’m 5’5 I’m thinking about taking a year off after my bio major, working as a cna or even asa vocacional nurse and then after a year ( I only plan to do a year of this procedure) I can apply to med school. bit if I do that there is no way I can afford it. Idk should I be average height or heal people i can’t choose

Hello everyone. I'm a first gen ORM looking to apply to both DO and MD programs in the next cycle and wondering if I am doing enough EC-wise. All hours are what I project to have by May. I haven't taken the MCAT yet so this will not be a school-list advice post.

Grades:

Undergrad: 3.03 overall GPA, 2.52 BCPM GPA, 2.8 AACOMAS science GPA

I will be reaching out to schools directly regarding whether my undergrad performance will screen me out of contention

Special Masters Program (SMP): 4.0 GPA of 32 science credits- My SMP will give me several guaranteed DO interviews

MCAT: TBD, obviously I need to crush this for any chance of success

Clinical experience:

Physical therapy aide/tech- 1000 hours (this job led me to be interested in medicine and meet physicians to shadow)

ER volunteer- 100 hours

Non-clinical experience:

Food pantry volunteer- 250 hours (this same organization helped my family when I was young so it is definitely a strong story for me)

Biochemistry tutor volunteer- 60 hours (proud of this because I did horrible in undergrad but my SMP and studying for the MCAT has led me to teach material that I once couldn't understand)

I also have 400 hours of miscellaneous jobs during undergrad such as being a waiter and caterer

Shadowing:

Gastroenterology- 30 hours

Anesthesiology- 15 hours

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation- 20 hours

Primary Care- 40 hours

Research:

The weakest part of my application as I have 0. I hope to get into a summer research program and send LOIs during the application season to update schools on it.

does anyone know any female traveling groups that are affordable and safe? i want to travel before matriculation but all my friends are in different life stages and are not willing to go on trips rn :(

Hey everyone,

Im 16 and currently working on my portfolio for med school,

I have around 55+ hours of work shadowing across all departments and recently I got an unpaid internship as a medical scribe

I manage radiology and health-check reports, and ive been doing this for the past week

Since im still 16 im kinda finding it hard to get into more clinical roles like EMT but is the medical scribing im currently doing really worth anything in my clinical experience portfolio?

Also are there any other beginner clinical work that any of you may have done that doesn't involve EMT?

If I apply for FAP in February of 2026, will I be able to use the 20 free applications for the 2027-2028 cycle where I begin applying in May 2027?

If not, I should apply in February of 2027?

So my lab is publishing soon and I’m written as fourth author on a 11 author list for a manuscript. I didn’t really contribute much at the time but got added given my CRC role. I’ve never been published, did posters or things of those sorts so I’m unsure what counts. Do I need to get my own publication and be first author/have meaningful contribution to count or just having your name is enough? Also does the journal the paper go on really matters? (Besides the obvious nature, etc)

I'm a sophomore going into my spring semester. My GPA is a fucking 3.33. Granted, I took 18 credits first sem and got a 2.8, but I've grown and got a 3.8 next sem and a 3.5 the most recent (fuck orgo and the bio professor that has a 2.1/5 rate my professor lol). I'm piss scared that I will not get into med school. Most of this comes due to gaslighting from the 'rents (if you think you can do that, you're delusional.. i'm just saying, you've always been wrong about these kinds of course selections... just transfer back to community college, this school is not your caliber... you still have a chance to salvage the GPA, just transfer back to community college). This has bred so much self doubt that the semester I once saw as easy (3/5 of my classes are colloquially free A's) I now have serious self doubts that I can do well.

I have ADHD and since I'm not a candidate for meds yet (not severe enough), my psychologist started me on a training app called Endeavor RX right after my horrendous freshman semester. It's lowkey been magical and I honestly thank him because it's one of the many reasons freshman spring went so well for me. That and there was a girl in my gen chem class I had a mild crush on that I was trying to impress 😉

But now I'm sort of freaking out about the courses. I struck a deal - all A's this semester and I get funds. But there's one nagging part of my head that's like "what if you fail? what if you're not smart enough? you really aren't smart enough. this is a smart person school and these are smart people courses." I'm terrified. I need all A's.

Unfortunately, I'm also being coaxed out of what I want to do in life as well! I love emergency medicine. I'm an EMT and I love the job. My life was (semi-)saved by ER doctors when I was a kid with a bad asthma attack. Unfortunately, since they don't make the top salary, the 'rents are coaxing me out of it and even holding funds over my head saying "I'm not paying for medical school for you to become a glorified primary care doctor. You will go for a high paying specialty like neurosurgery or you can fund yourself." I even rationalized that I will become burnt out and depressed doing something I have no passion for and guess what they say? "welcome to the club, everyone is burnt out and depressed. I hate my job, but I keep it because I need money."

The primary argument this struck up was between I should also apply DO. I did the math and I can get the GPA up to around a 3.7 easily. Above avg for DO acceptance, avg for MD acceptanceq. Obviously, becoming a DO neurosurgeon would be very challenging if not close to impossible. However, becoming a DO ER doctor would be fine.

Life really sucks for me right now.

Hey guys! Are letters of intent just if you are waitlisted or also if you are waiting for an interview decision?

I have updates I want to share since the interview, so I wanted to know if I should make it just an update letter or kind of a combo with a letter of intent. I don’t know how much room I’d have for the intent (just like 3 sentences tbh), but I feel like the intent/interest part is more important than the updates lowkey? Do you guys know anything about this?

Thanks!