The Premed Perspectives

For the Season 5 finale, Viji sits down with her favorite Tiktoker, Amanda Braddock, also known by her Tiktok handle @hugewormgirl.med. Amanda just completed her first year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine. In this episode, she discusses deciding between pre-PA and pre-med, the types of activities she was involved with in undergrad, and her application journey. Amanda also shares how she adjusted to medical school during the pandemic and explains different medical school structures/curriculums. 

Viji and Amanda also discuss social media, specifically how Amanda got into Tiktok and how she manages her large social media account with medical school. Amanda talks about how she likes to keep her account casual and honest to help humanize medical school, and she shares tips to students to mitigate anxiety and stay sane throughout the application and medical school process.

This week, Lasya sits down with Shubhangi Sharma, an OMS1 at Campbell University of Osteopathic Medicine. She discusses exactly how she accomplished clinical hours, competitive stats, meaningful experiences, the MCAT, and application process all before she applied to medical school leading up to her senior year of undergrad. She breaks down her four years in undergrad and explains exactly when she did everything needed for the application process. She also discusses how disruptions due to the pandemic impacted her process. Give this episode a listen to figure out how you can plan your undergrad or premed experience based on when you want to matriculate to medical school! 

This week, Lasya sits down with Rose, who is an M1 at University of Michigan Medical School. Rose completed her premedical experience at Harvard. She reflects on Harvard’s competitive premed environment, and she explains how she was able to find the strength and support to get through that. She also explains how she ended up matriculating to UMich Med, and how she is enjoying the support and opportunities that the school has to offer. Towards the end, she talks about what medical school is like when comparing it to undergrad.

This week Ambika and Viji sit down with Dr. Munir, a board certified cardiologist. Dr. Munir talks about his many fellowships in Peripheral and Structural Heart Disease, Interventional Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Diseases and Critical Care. He also discusses how he is a fellowship program director. Dr. Munir talks about transitioning from an overseas med school into American residencies. Listen to this episode to learn more about the cardiology lifestyle and what Dr. Munir looks for in a candidate!

This week Lasya sits down with Maya Hammoud, a medical student at the University of Michigan. Maya’s path to medical school was not an easy one - she applied to medical school with 0 gap years but lacked a lot of really crucial elements from her application. As a result, she received 0 interviews; however, she did not let this disappointment hold her back from pursuing her dream.

After immense reflection, Maya pursued post bacc classes, clinical experiences, and other valuable ventures which resulted in her receiving 7 interviews and her acceptance to her dream medical school in her second application cycle.

Listen to this episode if you want to hear about what Maya changed in order to have a successful second application cycle!

This week, Lasya sits down with Dr.Siri, MD, who is an Emergency Medicine physician. They discuss her journey to emergency medicine and why she decided on pursuing this field. She reflects on how much she loves what she does, but she also discusses how she manages her rigorous work with her fun life. Finally, she touches on the subject of women in medicine and what it is like to be in a male dominated speciality.

Make sure you check out her Instagram @heyitssirimd, as she posts a lot of interesting content regarding medicine and her life on there!

In this episode, Viji sits down with @dpt.steph who is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the host of the All Things Physical Therapy Podcast. Dr. Stephanie shares what inspired her to become a physical therapist, and she describes the application process for PT school as well as the structure of PT school. Viji and Dr. Stephanie also discuss the “doctor debate” regarding physical therapists. 

In addition, Dr. Stephanie provides a comparison between the fields of physical therapy and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). She also talks about her experience working on the frontlines during COVID-19 pandemic and shares tips for success. 

A lot of information in this podcast, so definitely give it a listen if you’re interested in physical therapy! 

This week Lasya sits down with Marlee Mason-Mareddy, a medical student and admissions committee member at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

They discuss how to make sure you apply to schools that fit your goals, how admission committees make their decisions, the most common downfalls that applicants exhibit, and what makes an extremely successful applicant.

If you plan on applying to medical school, make sure to listen to this episode to listen to the valuable insight Marlee shares about primaries, secondaries, interviews, and so many other parts of the medical school application process in order to maximize your chances of admission to your dream medical school!

This week, Esha sits down with her cousin Dr. Naeha Gupta! Dr. Gupta is a board certified dermatologist. She discusses tips and tricks on how to match into such a competitive residency and how to make connections and network. She talks about how she was able to start working towards the residency early and how she was able to make connections without having any family members who are doctors. She also discusses her work life balance as a resident and now physician. Listen to this podcast if you are aiming for a competitive residency for advice on how to secure your spot! 

This week, Lasya sits down with Heena, the incoming medical student behind @scrubsandchaiii on Instagram. Heena, who applied to 28 medical schools, breaks down the entire medical school application: letters of recommendations, activities section, and personal statement. She explains how to ask for letters of recommendations, how to pick and write robust activity descriptions, and a how to craft a compelling personal statement which answers the question "why do you want to be a doctor?". Whether you are applying to medical school in this application cycle or a following one, be sure to give this episode a listen!