Pre-Med Students Grapple with Admissions
12 posts across 3 communities since Jul 2026; 75% from r/premed.
“hello, i want to get into the ucs for pre-med and i have a question about my major choice. i'm an in state applicant and my stats are okay: 4.5 3.9 but i took 5 aps and all honors and a few dual enrollment in high school. to be fair you cant take any aps in 9th grade at my…”
“I’m applying to really competitive biomedical PhD programs (UCSF, Columbia, UChicago, etc) and I have great experience, strong letters, and two publications. The one downside of my application is that my undergraduate gpa is a 3.46 studying neuroscience and bioinformatics at a…”
“Hey guys, So i know it is too early, but I still wanted to know my chances. I am a junior currently at UCR. I am thinking of taking a gap year. GPA: 3.4 cumm, 3.2 sci (ongoing) Major: Chemical Engineering with Neuroscience Minor MCAT: going to take next year. Research: 650…”
Aspiring medical students are voicing concerns about admissions criteria, secondary essays, and the overall competitiveness of the application process. They seek advice and share experiences related to program selection and overcoming adversity.
SOURCES (12)
“I’m applying to really competitive biomedical PhD programs (UCSF, Columbia, UChicago, etc) and I have great experience, strong letters, and two publications. The one downside of my application is that my undergraduate gpa is a 3.46 studying neuroscience and bioinformatics at a mid-level private university.…”
“Hey guys, So i know it is too early, but I still wanted to know my chances. I am a junior currently at UCR. I am thinking of taking a gap year. GPA: 3.4 cumm, 3.2 sci (ongoing) Major: Chemical Engineering with Neuroscience Minor MCAT: going to take next year. Research: 650 hours, 1 presentation, and 1 possible first author publication. (9 months, ongoing) Clinical hours: 0 Shadowing: 0 Scholarships: I have won around $8K in local community based scholarships. Non clinical volunteering: 800 hours”
“I’m 27 with roughly a 3.01 cumulative GPA and a 2.32 AMCAS science GPA. I graduated from UCSD with a B.S. in Global Health and have several Fs/poor grades on my transcript. I’m have an certification EMT (have not been able to find a job since I got it) and have healthcare experience, including ER scribing and public health work. I haven’t taken the MCAT yet, but I’m planning to take it in 2027. If you were in my position, what would you do to become a competitive medical school applicant? I’m fr”
“hello, i want to get into the ucs for pre-med and i have a question about my major choice. i'm an in state applicant and my stats are okay: 4.5 3.9 but i took 5 aps and all honors and a few dual enrollment in high school. to be fair you cant take any aps in 9th grade at my school and in 10th grade people can only take 1 or 2. my ecs are not that great, president of a service club, a paid internship (not really medical related tho), a healthcare equity program at davis, NHS ] those are the on”
“Just how strict is UCR on accepting people with IE ties? I’m from SoCal and have ties in LA and OC but not the IE. Will my 514 MCAT do anything or is it as hard as they say it is for non IE residents? submitted by /u/LeastPresence3958 [link] [comments]”
“Is it a bad look to not get close to the character count for additional/optional essays? I am planning to write the Albert additional question about why I want to go there, but idk if I have 3000 characters of good writing about that. Also, are other people answering this question or leaving it blank? submitted by /u/Responsible-Mix4804 [link] [comments]”
“I'm looking for some clarification on this prompt. Is it similar to gaps in undergrad or low gpa/scores? Or is it asking what obstacles have you faced? Not sure.... submitted by /u/camkato [link] [comments]”
“I’m completing my UCR secondary and they ask: Do you wish to be considered a disadvantaged applicant by any of your designated medical schools that may consider such factors (social, economic or educational)? When filling out my UCSD secondary they asked: Do you consider yourself to be a member of a group that is marginalized in a way that systemically affects access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacte”
“I have max 250 words to do it. I went through a lot of shit in my life that I'm super proud to have overcome, but it's hard to bring up any of it without sounding like I'm throwing a pity party. Anyone got tips for that? I focused on the getting over it part, but even still it reads like I think I'm a kicked puppy. submitted by /u/Colander767 [link] [comments]”
“What experience has least prepared you for a career in medicine? (250 words) What is your greatest accomplishment? Why wasn't it greater? (250 words) What one word best describes you? Elaborate with one additional word. (2 words) Everyone goes through adversity that they're eventually able to overcome. Describe an adversity that you haven't been able to overcome. Why haven't you been able to overcome it? (250 words) There will be times in medical school when you will have to proc”
“Haven’t found any specifics information on what the program entails, what it’s looking for, etc. just kinda vague submitted by /u/Medcup [link] [comments]”
“How necessary is it to get close to the 3000 character max for the Einstein secondaries? Most of my answers are around 1250-1500, and when I try adding more information it just sounds like unnecessary fluff. Will it look like I'm not that interested in their school if my secondaries don't reach 3000 characters? submitted by /u/AggravatingSun512 [link] [comments]”