u/AdmitMD-Consulting

Hey everyone,

We’re excited to be taking over moderation of r/medschooladmissions and wanted to introduce ourselves and share what we have planned for the community.

Who we are:

We’re a team of admissions professionals at AdmitMD who have worked with hundreds of applicants through every stage of the process, from building school lists to interview prep to navigating waitlists. We know how stressful this process can be, and we want this subreddit to be the most helpful, honest, and supportive corner of the internet for medical school applicants.

What’s changing:

1. New rules focused on keeping the community respectful and useful

2. Post and user flairs so you can find what you need faster

3. Weekly threads for stats, decisions, and general discussion

4. A resource wiki with vetted guides and tools

What’s not changing:

This is still your community. We’re here to keep it organized and answer questions, not to turn it into an ad. Any resources we share from AdmitMD will be clearly labeled.

A few asks

1. Read the rules before posting!

2. Be kind to each other, this process is hard enough

We’re glad to be here. Drop any questions or suggestions in the comments, we mean it.

Good luck this cycle!

— The r/medschooladmissions Mod Team 🩺

https://preview.redd.it/fjqyegmniexg1.png?width=1480&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f3188bbc26f24c30a2ef42322d6e0884dcdff2e

This comes up every year in this sub and the advice is all over the place. Some people say always take the guarantee. Some say always go to the better school. Neither is right universally, and the reasoning behind most of these takes is shallow.

I have served in medical school admissions for several application cycles. Here is what actually matters.

First, look at the residency match data for the affiliated medical school. Not the program website. The actual match list over multiple years. Where are students ending up? Are competitive specialties represented? Dermatology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, ENT? Some BS/MD affiliated schools have strong match outcomes across the board. Others do not. If you have any interest in competitive fields, this matters more than the guarantee.

A guaranteed medical degree is not the same thing as a guaranteed outcome.

Second, if you are choosing a BS/MD primarily because you are scared of the MCAT, that is not a good reason. Students who earn BS/MD acceptances are the same students who perform well on the MCAT. You are capable of the traditional path. Bet on yourself.

Third, think seriously about what a rigid 6 or 7 year structure costs you. Limited major flexibility, reduced study abroad, little room to deviate from the timeline. At 17 that sounds fine. At 20, after your interests have developed, it might feel different.

The BS/MD is the right call for some students. Specifically, students who are genuinely certain about medicine based on real clinical exposure, flexible across specialties, and thrive in structured environments.

It is the wrong call if you are choosing it out of fear, without looking at match data, or because it lets you avoid challenges you are capable of handling.

I wrote a full breakdown on this topic exploring it in depth on my blog. You can read the full article here.

https://preview.redd.it/p2gocom88cxg1.png?width=1480&format=png&auto=webp&s=d971266d50e60c0743ba283fc09e549ecc406291

I spent years as a voting member of a medical school admissions committee. I've reviewed thousands of applications. And every cycle, I watch the same thing happen. Applicants submit before they're ready, burn a cycle, and then spend the next year trying to dig out of a hole that didn't need to exist.

Before you hit submit this cycle, you need to understand what a failed application actually costs:

-A second cycle can run $20,000 to $40,000 when you factor in fees, retakes, and post-bacc work. If an SMP is involved, you're easily into six figures.

-Every year you delay medical school is a year you delay attending income, loan repayment, and retirement investing. The financial hit compounds.

-Re-applicants aren't evaluated as fresh candidates. Committees ask why you weren't accepted before. If the answer isn't obvious and compelling, the result doesn't change.

-The psychological toll is real. Confidence drops. Anxiety increases. Interview performance suffers. It's harder to recover than most people expect.

The "I'll just apply and see what happens" mindset is one of the most expensive mistakes in pre-med. There are no miracles. There is no Reddit post where someone's story becomes your strategy.

If you're applying this cycle, or deciding whether to, I wrote a full breakdown of everything you need to think through before you submit.

Read the full article here.

https://preview.redd.it/5mdfyrwx7cxg1.png?width=1480&format=png&auto=webp&s=dddbcd24f6b1cb77325e0dd1501225e778008b79

I spent years as a voting member of a medical school admissions committee. I've reviewed thousands of applications. And every cycle, I watch the same thing happen. Applicants submit before they're ready, burn a cycle, and then spend the next year trying to dig out of a hole that didn't need to exist.

Before you hit submit this cycle, you need to understand what a failed application actually costs:

-A second cycle can run $20,000 to $40,000 when you factor in fees, retakes, and post-bacc work. If an SMP is involved, you're easily into six figures.

-Every year you delay medical school is a year you delay attending income, loan repayment, and retirement investing. The financial hit compounds.

-Re-applicants aren't evaluated as fresh candidates. Committees ask why you weren't accepted before. If the answer isn't obvious and compelling, the result doesn't change.

-The psychological toll is real. Confidence drops. Anxiety increases. Interview performance suffers. It's harder to recover than most people expect.

The "I'll just apply and see what happens" mindset is one of the most expensive mistakes in pre-med. There are no miracles. There is no Reddit post where someone's story becomes your strategy.

If you're applying this cycle, or deciding whether to, I wrote a full breakdown of everything you need to think through before you submit.

Read the full article here.

https://preview.redd.it/fssuj1jj7cxg1.png?width=1480&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d9a477de5014f01234f9ac5cbd446cc2fcbff47

I spent years as a voting member of a medical school admissions committee. I've reviewed thousands of applications. And every cycle, I watch the same thing happen. Applicants submit before they're ready, burn a cycle, and then spend the next year trying to dig out of a hole that didn't need to exist.

Before you hit submit this cycle, you need to understand what a failed application actually costs:

-A second cycle can run $20,000 to $40,000 when you factor in fees, retakes, and post-bacc work. If an SMP is involved, you're easily into six figures.

-Every year you delay medical school is a year you delay attending income, loan repayment, and retirement investing. The financial hit compounds.

-Re-applicants aren't evaluated as fresh candidates. Committees ask why you weren't accepted before. If the answer isn't obvious and compelling, the result doesn't change.

-The psychological toll is real. Confidence drops. Anxiety increases. Interview performance suffers. It's harder to recover than most people expect.

The "I'll just apply and see what happens" mindset is one of the most expensive mistakes in pre-med. There are no miracles. There is no Reddit post where someone's story becomes your strategy.

If you're applying this cycle, or deciding whether to, I wrote a full breakdown of everything you need to think through before you submit.

Read the full article here.