The Premed Perspectives

Optometry 

For this week’s podcast, Viji sits down with her older sister Sree! Sree is currently an M1 at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences. They discuss Sree’s unique route to entering med school.

We had an episode on direct med programs, but in this episode, Sree sheds light on early assurance programs which are slightly different. The requirements vary by program, but generally these programs give high-achieving undergraduates an early med school acceptance. 

Listen to this podcast to find out more about these programs and whether they’d be the right fit for you!

As a premed, you participate in so many different extracurriculars. Sometimes, it is hard to convey your experiences and passions towards them. This week Pooja reflects on her undergraduate experiences outside of medically related actives. She emphasizes the importance of how to explain “why medicine” during interviews through interweaving your past experiences into the very loaded question. Listen to this podcast if you want to ace any interview!

This week Viji sits down with Malcolm Chapman. He is an MD/MBA student at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Throughout his undergrad and med school experience, he has participated in a variety of meaningful activities which helped him to get to where he is today.

In this episode, Malcolm talks about his experience with mentorship and helping underserved communities. He also describes what motivated him to pursue a dual degree in medicine and business.

Check out his Instagram: @theblackchap and his TikTok: @docchap

This week Lasya sits down with Clara. She is an M1 at Case Western Reserve University. To get to this point she has participated in many different experiences. Throughout her undergraduate experience she not only had the courage to pursue medicine, but she also interned at one of the most prestigious business companies in the world.

In this episode Clara describes how she was able to blend her passion for business and medicine, and how you, too, can explore your different interests. She also explains how she was able to experience so many different activities in merely 4 years, so she was able to apply to medical school without a gap year. 

Check out her Med Instagram - @the.medisun.blog

When pursuing a health-care profession, shadowing and volunteering are essential experiences. Due to the pandemic many of those opportunities have been discontinued, but Club Med offers virtual shadowing and volunteering opportunities with certification. 

They provide experiences such as learning about case studies and watching procedures, which are presented by numerous physicians. Club Med has 50,000 members, and they hope to help you on your journey to medicine. Listen to this week's episode to learn more about this program! 

The link to all of their opportunities - https://linktr.ee/clubmedshu. 

This week Viji, Ambika, and Lasya sit down with Sri Gopal (@sribtscrus). She discusses her difficulty in choosing between pre-med and pre-PA. We highlight the importance of clinical experiences in any pre-health path, and she discusses how she became an EMT!

Lasya sat down with @medschoolwithmil this week. Miloni Shah graduated from the University of Michigan, and she is now a second year student at Wayne State School of Medicine.  We discuss how Miloni showed her passion for women's health while applying for medical school. We discuss so many aspects of the process: double majoring in non-traditional majors, being a birthing dula (gaining clinical experience), and how she managed to matriculate into medical school straight out of undergrad. 

Shadowing and clinical experience are extremely important experiences when applying to direct meds or med school. This week Lasya and Ambika discuss their experiences shadowing and being medical assistants, while explaining how you can secure these positions and make great connections and memories.