The Premed Years

By Ryan Gray

If you're struggling on your premed journey, trying to figure out the best way to study for the MCAT, or trying to understand how to best apply to medical school, the award-nominated podcast, The Prem... more

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How many episodes does The Premed Years have?

The podcast currently has 684 episodes available.

Best of The Premed Years

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: 634: How to Keep Going After Your MCAT Score Refuses to Budge
(00:00) — Growing Up Around Medicine: Hallie describes having two surgical physician associate parents and knowing from childhood that medical school was her path. (04:24) — Division I Fencing Meets Premed: How training at 5:45 a.m., attending class, and working overnight ER shifts defined her undergraduate years. (07:52) — Deciding to Delay, Not Quit: Why Hallie chose two gap years over dropping fencing, and what the full college experience cost her timeline. (09:03) — The MCAT Sucker Punch: Three attempts, one void, 28 full-length practice exams, and a score that moved less than one point. (12:17) — What She Got Wrong About MCAT Prep: The difference between checking off practice tests and actually diagnosing your mistakes. (17:00) — Applying Broadly and Going DO: How she decided to apply to over 40 schools, what happened on the MD side, and why she ultimately found the right fit. (22:43) — DO vs. MD and Orthopedic Surgery: What she knew early about the match landscape for competitive specialties, and how she processed the disappointment. (25:29) — Building a Research and Networking Foundation: Starting research at 19, scrubbing into ORs outside her rotation, and why genuine interest beats strategic positioning. (35:39) — Rewinding to the Application Mindset: Reflecting on what the MD rejections really meant and how her perspective shifted once she was inside medical school. (38:56) — Final Words for the Premed Who Is Stuck: What Hallie would say to any student on their 27th practice exam who is questioning whether to keep going. Hallie took the MCAT three times, voided it once, and logged 28 full-length practice exams before applying to medical school — and her score barely moved a single point. In this episode of The Premed Years, she talks honestly about what went wrong in her prep, what she eventually understood about quality versus quantity in studying, and how that same lesson came back around when she hit Step 1 in medical school. A Division I fencer who worked overnight ER shifts between tournaments, Hallie built a strong application in every dimension except the one score that gatekeeps the process. She applied broadly to both MD and DO programs, processed real disappointment on the MD side, and found her footing at a DO school where she is now in her clinical years with orthopedic surgery in her sights. She also gets specific about what she is doing right now — walking into orthopedic ORs on her own time, introducing herself to every member of the surgical team, and building relationships with genuine interest rather than calculated positioning. This episode is for any premed who is putting in the hours and not seeing the results, and who needs an honest conversation about what it actually takes to get to the other side. What You'll Learn: - Why taking more practice tests without deep review is one of the most common and costly MCAT prep mistakes - How to honestly assess whether you understand a concept versus whether you have simply seen it before - What pursuing a competitive surgical specialty as a DO student actually looks like in terms of preparation and match strategy - How to build meaningful relationships with attendings and residents before your official surgical rotations begin - Why the reasons you choose medicine matter as much as the credentials you build to get there
September 02, 202645min
Number 2: 635: Two Interviews, One Acceptance, and a 500 MCAT
(00:00) — Welcome and Early Roots: Kelsey describes growing up in a family of healthcare professionals and how watching her father's relationships with patients shaped her interest in medicine. (02:04) — Music vs. Medicine: Kelsey explains why she seriously considered a career in musical theater and how she decided she did not have to give up music to pursue medicine. (07:28) — Planting the Premed Flag: When Kelsey started singing the national anthem at medical conferences in high school and realized she could combine both worlds. (08:44) — The Hardest Part of Being Premed: Kelsey names information overload — not coursework — as the biggest challenge she faced as a premed student. (11:01) — MCAT: A Big Beast: How a weak foundation in basic sciences and unclear study strategies made the MCAT especially difficult for Kelsey. (15:25) — Taking the MCAT Twice: Kelsey's decision to retake after a 500, why she only gave herself a month to prepare, and what happened when her score went down instead of up. (19:10) — Applying MD and DO: Her strategy for casting a wide net across both application systems and her father's perspective on the MD versus DO question. (21:48) — Waiting for Interviews: What it felt like to wait months for a single invite and how she prepared for her first real medical school interview. (25:06) — The Acceptance Call: Kelsey recounts exactly where she was and what she heard when she found out she got in. (31:07) — DO and Dermatology: How Kelsey is thinking about pursuing a competitive specialty as a DO student and what mentorship from DO dermatologists has taught her. (35:17) — What She Would Change: Kelsey's honest reflection on filtering noise, trusting her instincts, and following what actually resonates. Kelsey is a current medical student who took the MCAT twice, watched her score drop on the retake after already submitting applications, and still got into medical school in that same cycle. In this conversation with Dr. Ryan Gray, she walks through what that experience actually felt like — the self-doubt, the tears, the waiting — and what kept her moving forward. She grew up in a family of healthcare professionals, spent years seriously considering a career in music and musical theater, and ultimately found a way to bring both into her life. That same instinct to follow what resonates, rather than what the internet says to do, runs through her advice on MCAT prep, application strategy, and choosing a specialty. Kelsey applied to both MD and DO programs, received two interview invites, and accepted her offer from a newer campus attached to an established DO program. She is now pursuing an interest in dermatology and has found mentorship from DO dermatologists who have helped her see that the MD versus DO distinction matters far less than board scores, clinical performance, and who you are as a person in the room. What You'll Learn: - Why resource overload — not the science content itself — is one of the biggest obstacles premed students face today - How to approach MCAT prep by understanding your own learning style before choosing any resource or course - What it looks like to stay in an application cycle after a retake makes your score worse, not better - How to think strategically about applying to both MD and DO programs in the same cycle - Why pursuing a competitive specialty as a DO student is possible, and what matters most when making that case
September 16, 202641min
Number 3: 630: From Nigeria to Stanford Med: Applying Late and Going 3 for 3
(01:57) — Father's passing at 13: the moment that pointed toward medicine (03:22) — Growing up in Nigeria with no doctors in the family (05:07) — Applying to med school in Nigeria and not getting in (06:53) — Leaving home at 17 on a scholarship to study in the UK (09:04) — Being premed in the UK with no advisor who understood US requirements (10:32) — Why US medical school was always the destination (16:17) — Researching which US schools she was eligible to apply to (19:06) — Building the application largely on her own (22:26) — Why she stopped comparing herself to other applicants (26:38) — A family loss mid-cycle and a collapsing timeline (28:13) — Deciding to apply anyway instead of waiting a year (29:49) — Submitting her primary early while prepping for a late-July MCAT (31:45) — Secondaries submitted on the deadline — the honest account (33:57) — First interview invite, roughly a month after her last secondary (38:41) — Three interviews, three acceptances (39:37) — Choosing a school: full funding and research access (40:08) — Final words for premeds navigating this without a roadmap Ore grew up in Nigeria, lost her father at 13, and left home at 17 on a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom. From her first year of undergrad, she was researching US medical school requirements and treating herself like a premed in the US — even when her advisors had no idea what she was talking about. She came to the United States for her master's in public health, worked to cover her living costs, and applied to roughly ten schools — the only ones she was eligible for given her background. Her aunt passed away mid-cycle. Her secondaries went in on the deadline. She had no US prereqs and no premed advisor who had seen a path like hers. She received three interview invites and three acceptances. In this conversation with Dr. Ryan Gray, Ore walks through every major decision she made — how she chose which schools to apply to, how she balanced her personal statement with MCAT prep, why she moved forward instead of waiting a year, and how financial aid shaped her final choice. She is direct, practical, and honest about the parts that did not go according to plan. What You'll Learn: - How to identify which US medical schools you are eligible for when your prereqs were completed outside the United States - Why submitting your primary early matters even if your MCAT score is not back yet - How to think through the decision to apply in a difficult cycle versus waiting a year - What it looks like to build a competitive application without a premed advisor who understands your specific situation - How to stop comparing your application to others when your path has been genuinely different
July 29, 202646min
Number 4: 628: From Nigeria to D1 Athlete to Med School: Dami's Nonlinear Path
(00:00) — Welcome and framing: What this conversation is for and who Dami is (00:40) — Growing up in Lagos: How health inequity planted the seed for medicine (02:16) — Medicine vs. public health: Why exposure shapes the choice (04:49) — Athletics first: Arriving in the U.S. and finding track and field before premed (06:13) — Picking a college for D1 throwing, not for premed academics (07:07) — Student athlete as a premed: biology major, math minor, Division I track (09:29) — Premed attrition: Watching classmates — and fellow Black students — drop off (13:48) — Organic chemistry and the weed-out debate: What hard courses are actually for (19:35) — Staying the course: The internal drive that outlasts discouragement (21:05) — The master's decision: Human nutrition at Columbia and what drove it (24:54) — A family health crisis and the choice to pause the application timeline (25:47) — Youth counselor in a juvenile detention center: Two years of meaningful work (27:19) — Clinical hours and COVID: Knowing when enough experience is enough (30:38) — MCAT attempt one, attempt two, and the lesson between them (32:01) — Applying to medical school: school count, MD only, and the DO question (33:09) — Building application support through podcasts, YouTube, and near-peer mentors (34:43) — The hardest part of the process: waiting after interviews (35:17) — Four interviews, two acceptances, and choosing Albany Medical College (37:38) — The first call after getting in (38:35) — Final words for premed students who feel behind or off track Dami grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and immigrated to the United States at 13 to start high school. He became a Division I shot putter and discus thrower, earned a master's in human nutrition, paused his medical school timeline to care for a sick parent, and spent two years as a youth counselor in a juvenile detention center before receiving two medical school acceptances. In this conversation with Dr. Ryan Gray, Dami walks through every major decision point on that path with honesty and specificity. They talk about what premed attrition actually looks like from inside a cohort, why organic chemistry gets blamed for something bigger than one course, what it means to take the MCAT twice and apply when you are genuinely ready, and how to build an application that reflects a life that did not follow a straight line. Dami also shares how he found support — through podcasts, YouTube, near-peer mentors at Columbia's medical campus, and a friend applying at the same time from across the country. This episode is for any premed student who has looked at their timeline and wondered whether the detours are going to count against them. What You'll Learn: - Why watching premed classmates drop off is one of the hardest parts of the process — and how to stay focused when it happens - What organic chemistry and other demanding courses are actually training you to do, and why making them easier is not the same as making the process better - How to decide between applying now and taking more time, including what a master's program or meaningful gap-year work can add to an application - How to build a support system for the application process when you do not have a dedicated premed advisor at every step - Why the internal drive to become a physician has to come from within — and how that conviction carries you through a nonlinear path
July 01, 202643min
Number 5: 624: From 506 to Navy HPSP: A Reapplicant’s Reset
(00:00) — Welcome and origin spark: Kiki’s path starts without an “aha” and a teacher’s nudge changes everything. (02:24) — First shadowing, open-heart: A six-hour quadruple bypass leaves her captivated. (03:48) — Type B and present: Owning a goal without over-planning in high school. (04:29) — Balancing D2 hoops and premed: Small-school community and time management pay off. (07:19) — Burnout and a late college switch: Signing in July and embracing a non-linear path. (08:55) — Making premed work: Professors, small classes, and athlete study groups. (10:03) — The grind of student-athlete life: Exhaustion, rigid schedules, and living by the calendar. (11:38) — What gave way: Long-distance friendships and less family check-ins. (13:24) — First app cycle misses: 506 MCAT, six-week prep, content over practice, and low volunteering. (17:17) — Reapplicant moves: Earlier timing, pharmacy tech year, and next-day secondaries. (19:54) — Widening the net: Adding DO schools and securing acceptances. (20:53) — Discovering HPSP: Out-of-state sticker shock leads her to the Navy. (23:39) — Parents’ buy-in and commissioning: From doubts to pride; acceptance to October commissioning. (26:16) — Military match realities: Deployment risk and the “assignment” mindset. (30:29) — Final takeaway: Keep trying—“what’s meant for you won’t miss you. Kiki didn’t have a dramatic origin story—no early illness or single defining moment. A high school anatomy teacher’s question and a mesmerizing first shadowing of a six-hour open-heart surgery nudged her toward medicine. She kept living fully as a type B student who played Division II basketball, learning time management the hard way: rigid schedules, constant travel, and studying through exhaustion. In this conversation, Kiki unpacks being a reapplicant after a 506 MCAT and limited volunteer hours, what she fixed the second time—earlier timing, practice questions over rereads, quick secondaries—and why she initially applied to only two schools. She explains how medical transport and later working as a pharmacy technician broadened her clinical lens. When out-of-state tuition topped $80,000, she took a hard look at Navy HPSP, did her homework beyond recruiter promises, and chose the scholarship—even after getting off a local waitlist later. Kiki shares how she reframed setbacks, how much community mattered, and what realistically concerns her about the military match: deployment and accepting “assignments.” Her closing message to premeds is clear and steady—keep doing the work, stay intentional, and trust that what’s meant for you won’t miss you. What You'll Learn: - How a D2 athlete built time management without sacrificing premed - What went wrong in her first cycle and how she changed it - Why she chose Navy HPSP and how she evaluated the trade-offs - Ways transport and pharmacy tech roles expand clinical exposure
June 01, 202635min