(00:00) — From physics to premed: Riley describes deciding to pursue medicine at the end of sophomore year after shadowing in medical physics.

(03:37) — Patient transport as a first clinical role: what it taught him about hospital environments and patient interaction.

(04:54) — Staying in the physics major: why switching wasn't necessary and how he fit in prerequisites.

(08:24) — Building the premed timeline late: summer courses, goal-setting by semester, and the gap year decision.

(16:02) — The hardest part of applying: managing secondaries, imposter syndrome, and the waiting game.

(22:23) — Three interviews, three acceptances: what Riley attributes his success to.

(25:46) — Interview prep without sounding scripted: the three-theme framework and how to make it feel like a conversation.

(31:27) — Choosing between schools: how to go beyond the marketing and talk to real students.

(35:47) — Advice for mid-college premeds: taking it one day at a time and celebrating smaller wins.

Riley didn't walk into college planning to become a physician. He was drawn to physics, considered medical physics, shadowed in that field, and only pivoted to medicine at the end of his sophomore year — after a mentor asked whether he'd thought about becoming the doctor in the department instead. What followed was a deliberate, practical process of building a premed application without abandoning the major he actually loved. He stayed in physics, added prerequisites alongside his existing coursework, and leaned into what made his background unusual rather than trying to blend in with the typical biology-major applicant. The result was three interviews and three acceptances. In this conversation, Riley and Dr. Gray cover the real mechanics of that process: how to find shadowing when you have no network, what patient transport actually teaches you, how to prepare for interviews without scripting yourself into a corner, and how to choose between schools once you have options. It's a practical, grounded conversation for any premed who feels behind or wonders whether their non-traditional path is a liability.

What You'll Learn:

- Why staying in a non-biology major can strengthen rather than hurt your application

- How to build a shadowing network from scratch using a referral approach

- What patient transport does and doesn't offer as a clinical experience

- How to prepare for medical school interviews without sounding rehearsed

- How to evaluate medical schools beyond rankings by talking to current students