Taking the MCAT can be a nerve-wracking experience. In fact, many students develop significant test anxiety as a result of the MCAT’s role in the medical school admissions process. If this scenario describes you, here ... Read more
Anubodh “Sunny” Varshney
Updated June 26, 2022 by Anubodh “Sunny” Varshney
Two days before interviewing at the medical school I now attend, I couldn’t get out of bed. At the nadir of my eighth major depressive episode in eight years, I seriously considered whether I could ... Read more
Emily Forest
Updated August 11, 2025 by Emily Forest
Recognizing the connection between lab work and surgery What surprised me the most during my medical school journey was that it was primarily lab work, not my surgery rotation, that taught me I was not ... Read more
Michael Mehlman
Updated June 26, 2022 by Michael Mehlman
A friend of mine studied film in college and subsequently found himself working as a cameraman for a documentary television program about the lives of EMTs and ER physicians. He experienced some very tense situations, ... Read more
Ryan Hickey
Updated June 26, 2022 by Ryan Hickey
Central to the skillset of every physician is the differential diagnosis; this is the process by which new patients are evaluated to establish the most likely diagnosis. Similarly, the first clinical year of medical school ... Read more
Brent Schnipke
Updated February 28, 2019 by Brent Schnipke
The path to becoming a doctor can feel daunting. For those of us that don’t come from a medical family, it can be challenging to navigate what all you need to do to be a ... Read more
Megan Riddle
Updated June 26, 2022 by Megan Riddle
One of the most important phases of the application process is your interview. It’s your chance to demonstrate your communication and interpersonal skills, judgment, maturity, and the qualities that are important for a future physician. ... Read more
AAMC Staff
Updated June 26, 2022 by AAMC Staff
Reposted from here with permission. “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”–attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. In December of 2014, one week after the non-indictment ... Read more
Suhas Gondi
Updated June 26, 2022 by Suhas Gondi
Central to the skillset of every physician is the differential diagnosis; this is the process by which new patients are evaluated to establish the most likely diagnosis. Similarly, the first clinical year of medical school is like ... Read more
Brent Schnipke
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brent Schnipke
Post-baccalaureate or “post-bacc” programs, for short, are often discussed among pre-med students. While post-bacc programs can benefit students with many types of backgrounds, they are not for everyone–and knowing this ahead of time is important, ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brian Wu
While getting accepted into medical school is more difficult than ever in America, there are some particular challenges facing would-be medical students from certain ethnic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented on medical school campuses across ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated August 31, 2022 by Brian Wu
One of the continuing challenges for medical schools both here in the United States and around the world is to find ways to select the students who will have the best chance of successfully completing ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brian Wu
We all know medical school interviews are important. But did you know, according to a survey of medical school admissions committees conducted by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), interviews are the most important ... Read more
Suzanne M. Miller, MD, FACEP
Updated June 26, 2022 by Suzanne M. Miller, MD, FACEP
It might actually come as a surprise to many would-be medical students that gender is an issue that still affects those who are training for a career as a doctor. After all, there are more ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brian Wu
By Michelle Finkel, MD Whether you are a candidate for medical school, residency, fellowship, dental school, or post baccalaureate programs, you will cringe when you read the following true story: A well-meaning candidate I know ... Read more
Michelle Finkel
Updated June 26, 2022 by Michelle Finkel
Updated December 1, 2021. The article was updated to correct minor grammatical errors and to update formatting. Medical school, for some, remains the ultimate “glass ceiling” — the unseen yet unbreakable barrier that stands in ... Read more
Coalition for Disability Access
Updated June 26, 2022 by Coalition for Disability Access
In 2014, the American Association of Medical Colleges announced that the MCAT 2015 would be the first of a new kind of admissions tests to assess the fitness of students to enter into medical school. ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brian Wu
Stephen Aichele, PhD, is a research scientist in Switzerland in University of Geneva’s Psychology & Educational Sciences Department. Aichele received his bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from University of California, Santa Barbara (1994), followed by a ... Read more
Juliet Farmer
Updated August 31, 2022 by Juliet Farmer
For most pre-meds taking the MCAT, the CARS section proves to be one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and admission to the medical school of their dreams. The CARS section is a highly ... Read more
Nick Zehner
Updated June 26, 2022 by Nick Zehner