PERFECT Stats Were Not Enough to Get This Student In | Application Renovation S4 Ep. 11

[@tiredgamer242]

For those who are saying he's not passionate enough, I strongly disagree. He must have worked so hard for those stats and to not get in anywhere must be so draining and tiring. He just needs some direction and some hope. He does seem to check off boxes, but it takes time to build the stats he has, so I'm sure he was backed into a corner to quickly build some hours. Hope he learns from it, but I doubt he's not passionate. He's just tired from the grind and that's human.

[@JashimRules]

I think what they mean is that he didn't articulate his passion for medicine effectively and stuck with generic instead of really specific, personal reasons.

[@AlphaNumeric123]

Getting good stats doesn’t mean you know what it’s like to be a doctor. If you don’t know what it’s like, who could you know you want to spend 10 years and take on a quarter million dollars of debt? Non-premeds get good stats. Stats aren’t a indicator you want to be a doctor. A lot of people want to get into medical school, as opposed to wanting to be a doctor.

[@maliaahmed6046]

@@AlphaNumeric123 yes but it serves as one of the many possible indications that’s someone is willing to put in the work to get in. Yes it’s not the only factor but no one said good stats is equivalent to knowing what it means to be a doctor, just that it is draining and he’s already disappointed which could be why he doesn’t seem passionate even though he is

[@AlphaNumeric123]

@@maliaahmed6046 he seems very nice, like a great guy, but you need clinical experience to prove those grades mean you're passionate. So yeah, I agree you need to grades to show you're willing and capable to put in the work, but grades/stats ALONE don't prove that. Grades and clinical experiences together though--then you're undeniable! My gut reaction is that he is passionate to become a doctor, but how can you know?

[@PrettyBaby293]

To be fair he’s Asian….their parents basically force them into certain professions and they are forced to study for long periods of time…that takes dedication yes, but not because they wanted to put the dedication in, instead because their parents make them (not all btw)

[@bernadineguimary1062]

He has a really humble and pleasant attitude. He’s going to go far in life!

[@icadoriogorgeousiano9454]

I guarantee if he had a 4.2 GPA and a 545 MCAT he would get in.

[@becomingdoctorkal]

hahahaha

[@miriamgonczarska613]

😂

[@nbveneno9452]

Nah idk thats pretty average these days man

[@freetvathome]

LMAOA

[@jessicanguyen5158]

😂

[@andreapalma7570]

So it’s been a year, would love an update on this guy? He definitely put all his apples into the grades and scores. So hopefully he actually got some good clinicals and a solid story and feel for what it’s like to be a doctor. It’s so hard to “do it all”. But it’s obvious that solid clinicals are the gold standard of getting into med school.

[@ThomasParrish]

wow 528 and 4.0 with just one interview is WILD, wish him the best

[@Norie1115]

This might be one of the cutest episodes. I had fun listening to it and see how a young person learn from an experience like this. To make you feel better, I hid under a table when my personal statement was being read out and critiqued by my peers on how bad and embarrassing I worded my primary.

[@ThirteenKidsLater]

Did you make it into med school?

[@HadSomeHelp]

This guy is a fucking champ. Mad props to him and best of luck. The world would be privileged to have him as a physician.

[@zanmar6764]

What a humble person.He will be a great successful doctor .

[@yashtrivedi2671]

such a nice guy, my heart goes out to him. hope he is successful in the future

[@elitenemysis6633]

Yep. That’s what I want from my doctor, to be nice.

[@blackflower6635]

@@elitenemysis6633 what else you want from this kid that you want to see in your Doctor?

[@jumbo9301]

@@blackflower6635 he’s probably a genius. I think I’d want my doctor to be smart most of all

[@雪底下]

@@jumbo9301 would you want a genius as a doctor, but they can’t be compassionate or empathetic to you? Where they’re a jerk and rude? Or would you like someone with a 3.6 GPA with a 510 MCAT who is someone you enjoy talking to, who you feel safe divulging your secrets to?

[@mohanr7274]

It is just his race. If he were a Hispanic, I bet, with these stats he would have landed min 10 interviews

[@kenjido733]

I truly feel for him. I wish him all the best in his applications. There is no way he won't get in his future attempts once he has the right story to tell. Stats like those are incredibly hard to achieve.

[@ashoksen5460]

My daughter has a 3.9 GPA and 518.. two cycles she got just one interview last cycle.. I know she didn't get a chance doing much volunteering hours and clinical as none of the places wanted anyone to come near due to COVID-19.. however she is trying her best to cover up the volunteering and clinical hours gap this time around.. she also got her EMT certification and got substantial volunteering and scribing hours. Hopefully these kids can get in this coming cycle.. good luck to him

[@sw1519]

Just so you and her both know, just having your EMT isn’t enough. I recommend a job as an ER tech because you get so much interaction with physicians (creating shadowing ops, LOR ops, etc.) Clinical hours are so important but networking is great too!

[@wynsday]

maybe it’s her activity descriptions or essays?

[@ashoksen5460]

@@sw1519 Thanks.. she got her nremt certification and have about 100 volunteer hours working as EMT.. about 1000+ hr scribing and 200+ volunteer hour as clinical volunteer.. hopefully she can make it this time... it's kind of frustrating for her.. the process is so unpredictable.. even her profs (from top Texas school) called up the med school last time but unfortunately it did not work

[@dskim24]

It's a rough process. Keep in mind the end goal of these hurdles. They want to see demonstration of commitment to experiences in _or adjacent_ to health care and comfort with people who are sick. It can be a grueling scramble to build a strong candidacy. Successful applicants were creative; working at needle exchange, staffing crisis hotlines, contact tracing, etc. It took me two cycles to get in. Your daughter's stats are incredibly strong, she'll be fine with good ECs and a carefully done application that's submitted early. Good luck!

[@blackflower6635]

I feel the pain of your daughter. My heartfelt wishes for her. It is not the lack of extracurriculars or clinical experience that is handicapping your daughter but your race. Plenty of people get into Harvard, UCSF (full tuition merit scholarship) etc with 3.4 gpa and 510 mcat and crappy extracurriculars. So, please tell her to stay strong and ensure her that the problem is not with her app.

[@kevinnguyen4055]

Next episode: Nobel prize-winning premed who cured malaria and prevented a genocide in Africa gets rejected

[@goddaniel9478]

😂

[@Taylor-ex8nl]

I know it's beside the point but I can't even wrap my head around how someone can be sharp enough to get these stats but let all the other things fall to the wayside. Hopefully he has success in the next cycle!

[@peanut4745]

Same

[@jaylaughlin7920]

I know so many high IQ people who are challenged in personal interactions. Would you want Sheldon on Big Bang Theory to be your physician?

[@fqproductions]

I think this is kind of reflected in the CARS score disparities we often see with these STEM majors. So many students who kill it in the STEM sections of the MCAT often completely bomb the CARS section. Many of these students seem to have a hard time reading in between the lines and understanding the not so obvious aspects to stories/writing in general. And this gets reflected in their personal statements and EC descriptions by said descriptions being bland and straight-to-the-point. This is why Dr Grey stresses the importance of telling your story in a way that is more than just a description of life events, but rather a compelling story of what inspired you.

[@jaylaughlin7920]

@Bob Clanton I agree with respect to Sheldon Cooper. My comment wasn’t directed at the student who, by the way, reminds me of Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, who was a physics major (He wrote - Intern: A Doctor’s Initiation…) Jauhar had a similar story of being a brilliant student but wandered with regard to career choice.

[@ania5038]

That's the beautiful paradox of being a good student, the ones that tend to excel in a focused specialty, also tend to let everything else slide. I've only seen a few superhumans able to do the insane juggling act of volunteering, working, advocating, shadowing, researching and studying at the same time lol

[@medicalchalupa9928]

He’s getting in next cycle. He didn’t explain why he chose to hop around. If he explains it as needing experience in various jobs to understand where he feels like the the largest resource to humanity, then he’s in. I have my reasons for scribing and I have my reasons for why scribing made me want to be a physician. I got to see every single job in a hospital and how it comes together to form a beautiful system

[@happytobehere-o4j]

I really respect Dr. Gray but I think his critique of the student as a tutor missed the mark a little bit. I think it’s fine to enjoy tutoring and for that to be an initial interest that continues to develop along your why to medicine. There a plenty of physician educators who are crazy dedicated to medical education, and if that is such a huge part of his story, why not MENTION it as an initial experience, and then layer it with the core which is all his future clinical experiences that he will get? I just think that he kinda shot him down a little bit instead of investigating further as to why education was important to him. :( If he gets clinical experience and has a strong physician mentor and really makes sure this is what he wants, he will get in! His future looks bright!

[@Anniefawesome]

I think they would say, "oh why aren't you a science teacher then? You clearly love it and you would help many more people." (I've dealt with that.)

[@happytobehere-o4j]

@@Anniefawesome yeah of course, but then you talk about all your clinical experiences and how you envision education fitting in with your clinical practice. It can work. But I would totally expect some push back haha classic medical school interview tactic

[@sophiegray6544]

Honestly I think he just didn’t have enough experience to explain why he wants to be a doctor specifically and not just help people through teaching. I also have 500+ hours of tutoring and while it has solidified my desire to help people, I wouldn’t say that it has changed my perspective of medicine and why I want to be a physician because tutoring really is completely different from interacting with patients.

[@zainnnf]

I think he just wanted him to hear why schools rejected him instead of sugar coating it

[@AlphaNumeric123]

Yes mention it, but don’t dwell on it as a reason why you want to be a doctor. Dr Gray was saying he needs more clinical experiences to more convincingly say why you want to be a doctor. Not that it’s bad, but that students overly rely on these types of experiences when they’re lacking true clinical ones

[@joseliinbabee]

i never comment on these but i loved his personality so much :)) I wish him luck next cycle

[@alphaa.9151]

Same, I think he’s a nice person

[@mohanr7274]

​@@alphaa.9151but wrong race to get interview calls

[@davidsoto4394]

Sometimes the standards that medical schools have seem unreasonable. If a student has good grades, good clinical experience, does well on the MCAT, and a good essay what more do they want from these students. These students are human beings not robots and not computers. No student is perfect. I am sure that nobody on the admisions comitee was a perfect student.

[@BoxOfCurryos]

Money!

[@eliott970]

​@BoxOfCurryos every student will meet the criteria with grades, hours and Mcat score. Think people need to find more ways to standout than just fitting the mold above

[@BoxOfCurryos]

@@eliott970 nobody needs to “stand out”, the only ones who need to distinguish themselves are people who would be bad candidates for practices medicine and they only way to weed them out is to increase medical school admission rates, because guess what…. Most people cannot handle the rigor of medical school and would drop out. If we go the capitalist route, it would be beneficial to both parties. (Students who will become doctors and the schools themselves). The only thing these premed flaming hoops do is favor the rich over the talented

[@mohanr7274]

​@eliott970 did you care to read what you wrote? Every student will meet Grades, MCAT and clinical Hours criteria? It this some kind of a joke to get 4.0 GPA + above 525 MCAT?

[@Irivne_life]

Thank you bro, it takes a lot of strength and courage to show your mistakes to the world for other people's benefit.

[@skyllarkuppinger6751]

You misunderstood what he was saying with the tutoring thing. He wasn’t saying he realized he wanted to HELP PEOPLE, he was saying he realized he liked WORKING WITH PEOPLE aka not being by yourself in a lab all day. His previous path of wanting to be a researcher IS ALSO HELPING PEOPLE. so yeah it’s not about helping people, because as a researcher you also help people. But yeah he should’ve taken a diff approach with the essay.

[@xniks101x]

I like him a lot. He will make a good doctor and he clearly has a lot of experience working with people. I disagree with Dr gray about tutoring not belonging in a PS. I didn’t put it in mine but if it was a contributing factor to why he wanted to be a doctor, I think it’s fine he just didn’t convey how it related to his desire to be a physician.

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

Premeds have it so hard year after year. My personal statement sucks compared to his. Thank God I was accepted some how.

[@cardiabifida]

Just hire a consultant to help revise his application + more clinical exposure. Ultimately his application doesn't answer the "why medicine" to me. I'm sure he's a great kid but 1-2 years to round of his application and he'll be able to get into a good program. When I read applications and people say "I want to help people - that's why I want to be a doctor" , I'm thinking... then why not a nurse, PA, firefighter, teacher, etc. everyone helps people in different capacities but why medicine - why a doctor. This kids app and PS doesn't convince me enough that he's passionate about the job.

[@jirei808]

I would also argue that virtual shadowing takes a lot more effort than just "sitting on the couch for an hour"--especially if you want to get something out of it other than a "checkbox".

[@karimarie5732]

I like this young man’s personality but it seems that he had difficulty relating his why because he truly hasn’t had enough experiences to prove to himself why. Dr. Gray is right in showing him that and encouraging him to get more experience in the medical field before applying again. I wish him the best.

[@sharimillangue7030]

He must be tired from all the stress and studying! I wish him well! Maybe he needs more time to get clinical experience and revise his statement...Good luck with your future! HAPPY REVISIONS & GETTING CLINICAL EXPERIENCE!

[@RedRaiderLobo20]

Dude, if you come back to this, work on what he tells you to. I’m a resident at Shands, and I’d love to have the opportunity to teach you on wards. Best of luck!

[@robwes9227]

Gray was ruthless on this one.

[@corgiman101]

im travelling during my reapplication cycle. Might tank my application bc “im not consistent” but idc. I want to be a doctor, and its ridiculous that taking the time to do something i enjoy is enough for them to say “you must not be serious enough”

[@karenhardie1132]

Family member had great grades, MCAT. They wanted to see more boots on the ground with medical experience in the medical field. Told her to get more job experience and apply again when she got that.

[@kazihossain1370]

Interesting how tutoring a science subject is considered irrelevant to wanting to become a doctor in the face of application committees. Anyone have any thoughts about this particularly?

[@Emicks11]

I thought about this too and I don't think he went deep enough. At 31:06 Dr. Gray had a great point and the student could have made it more personal.

[@saysHotdogs]

this doesn't make any sense to me since I know from experience that one of things you have to know how to do as a tutor is communicate effectively and in the simplest terms possible. Seems pretty vital to patient care.

[@roberteichner3021]

I know I’m late but it’s not the fact that he was a tutor it’s a fact that he spent a majority of his time being a tutor which doesn’t correlate to wanting to be a physician also his lack of shadowing in person and clinical experience kind of shows that he wasn’t really focused on being a clinician rather more a researcher and academic if that makes sense

[@saysHotdogs]

It’s not irrelevant at all. I tutor for my university and the pre meds who tutor alongside me are getting interviews coming out the butt. One guy got like 3 acceptances. There is a huge reason why this guy couldn’t get into med school and it has almost zero to do with his personality or work.

[@mohanr7274]

​@@saysHotdogsHis race?

[@squiggs1002]

He is getting in next application cycle- needs to apply to wider variety of schools after fixing the issues in his application. Ivy league and UC schools (as a non Cali resident) are such long shots that I would consider them extras to your main core of schools you are applying to- which should be around 20 even with great stats.

[@thebeatles9]

he got rejected because the med schools wanted to give him a gap year to make him realize some things he didn't put in his app. at no point does anyone question that he wont be an amazing doctor.

[@sebucwerd]

Admissions committee members are going to hell. There is no denying it.

[@ebay822]

Hey hope you got it? How did you do can someone provide an update for him? Did he finally get in with those amazing stats...

[@urbantreasurehunter4447]

Ive been waiting for this episode ever since Dr. Grey teased it in a prior video.

[@TheDermit123]

I am confused on why the question of why wasn’t he getting clinical experience when there is a global pandemic that has made it more difficult these past few years. Also how does he not have enough clinical experience if he has 600 hours? I thought 200 hours is average??

[@chloebenjamin5599]

I think the red flag is that he started his clinical experience too close to the time he applied

[@samreetatwal2266]

Hours is not the issue. It is the timing and consistency. He projected his clinical activities to end during the application cycle. Schools like to see an activity done for more than a couple months.

[@GinnyCassandra]

He started a few months before applying, and he finished it in October , basically shows he’s just checking off a box

[@fqproductions]

Is 200 hours really the average? That’s nothing.

[@alphaa.9151]

600 hours is enough but he ended his scribing so abruptly, he should’ve continued until his projected start in med school considering this is his only clinical experience. It won’t convince adcoms that he really wants to go to med school. His decision to go to France and teach is a great experience but he should’ve prioritized clinical experience. Just my opinion.

[@joaquinvazquez43]

I am stunned! 528! In the MCAT! Less than 200 people have even gotten that score. WTHHHH

[@Mayassworld]

Yeah he is literally the definition of EVERYTHING Dr.Gray says NOT to do 😂😂😭 Hopefully he watched alot of these videos and buys the books. I wish him lots of luck in his next application cycle 💕

[@shivmirani748]

Yeah that’s mind blowing. I mean if he had an even average or slightly below average application he’d have gotten many more interviews.

[@alexispierre333]

I like him, he will be an amazing doctor!

[@jessicarivera4302]

Dr. Gray, what lawyer wronged you? How did the legal system fail you because you've taken jabs at law school/students/lawyers before and it cracks me up. You and Dr. Wright jokingly teased me on a Q&A episode for transitioning from law to medicine so I feel someone did you dirty😂 law school isn't that horrible people! I promise.

[@LURKER121]

He’s a prime example of the “im smart so I might as well become a doctor” med student that you read about 😂 but those statssss 🔥🔥🔥 what’s his name, I need a study buddy 😭😭😭😭

[@alphaa.9151]

Hmmm.. I’m still not convinced of his motivation for pursuing medicine, & his personal statement needs a LOT of work… But those stats are just 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I wonder if he tutors for the MCAT 😅

[@Beck-Stein]

I had a 2.3 gpa and 480 mcat. I easily got into the Caribbean. No interview either.

[@miriamalonso3959]

How does that path work in ultimately practicing medicine in USA?

[@miriamalonso3959]

Also cost?

[@Beck-Stein]

@@miriamalonso3959 horribly. Very expensive as all the schools there are for profit. Only 43% match! Almost all matches are in primary care. The match could be in the usa or europe or who knows where. It’s very bad. No one respects you cause who the hell knows st george or ross? No one. Embarrassing to hang your degree or even talk about “med school.”

[@sharimillangue7030]

I am jealous of your stats! GOOD JOB!

[@sethg28]

He will be a phenomenal doctor

[@vancekeys]

Long-time viewer of the channel. Love your stuff. Request: could you rewrite or show rewritten extracurricular experience blurbs/personal statements to show what you think "shows you who we are"? As a perspective pre-med, I think the critiques are amazing, but they do leave me wondering what that authentic, non-salesman-type writing would look like. Or even just say what a non-sales-like version of what they wrote would sound like. I get why the sales pitch is wrong, but I wish I knew what it was supposed to sound like.

[@CR-bs1tl]

I had a 3.997 in the hardest biology major at let's just say a very very highly ranked university. I also got a 521 on the MCAT which was 99th percentile that year. And then I got rejected everywhere two years in a row.

[@TheLegend-mu6zg]

Is it possible he just got unlucky? At the end of the day no matter how much you do getting in to med school is a probability and not a certainty. Would I be wrong in saying that some people are bound to just get really unlucky?

[@myartworkchannel]

"Your personal statement is why do you want to be a doctor, not tell me everything that you've done since you were born" lmao.

[@TJ__23]

his application and writing don’t seem that bad

[@rahulk9684]

How much of a role do you think publications play? For instance if he was passionate about that epigenetics lab and received 2-3 publications in a reputed journal could it have played a significant role?

[@sebucwerd]

Most schools do not give a fuck about research. It's about how many sheets you folded.

[@venkatachengalvala4289]

It could have helped, but the main focus is on clinical experience. He is clearly a passionate, kind individual; he needs to show that he's especially interested in medicine through his experiences. Though luck of course plays a factor.

[@Lichenroc]

If this is the case why even have stats when being good at creative writing is all you need to be a doctor.

[@krishnancom]

Yeah it’s incredible how much emphasis the US system places on emotional writing. Competency through hard work is discounted.

[@MohamedAhmed-wc3pw]

@@krishnancom facts it's so dumb

[@saysHotdogs]

bullshitting is 9/10ths of success in this country. That's how con artists become presidents.

[@Russianboyz95]

Stats are only useful until a certain threshold. After that they kinda stop mattering. The point of stats is to demonstrate academic competency, but once you've demonstrated that adcoms will turn to other components of your application to get an idea for what kind of a person you are, your motivations for medicine, maturity, etc. which are equally, if not more important.

[@corgiman101]

yeah no one wants tosay this but its true. I find narrative writing pretty unprofessional and it is in most other fields but i have to do it for medical school applications

[@thejavilan7992]

nah.... this some actual nonsense.

[@kaylabrock9013]

he definitely comes off as I'm smart so ill go to med school. he has an interest in medicine but that doesn't mean becoming a doctor. he definitely began to read off as a checklist applicant. remember people stats arent everything, people have to see you are actually a good person

[@claus1225]

The top med schools have a checklist too. the first things they look is gpa and mcat. they wont even bother reading your personal statement if the numbers dont make the cut.

[@oanochie]

Yeah but passion for medicine keeps you through medical school and residency. Because it’s mentally tough. There is a reason why 400 doctors commit suicide every year-highest of any profession.

[@sebucwerd]

@@oanochie It's going to get worse, as medical school adcoms are more interested in how many sheets you've folded than whether you can stop the bleeding.

[@Scarlitcorpse]

How do they respond to putting high-school and vocational trade(nursing and phlebotomy)internships and clinical experience on the application?

[@imranrashik7234]

Maybe he did not apply broadly enough to schools. Applying more broadly might have helped him along with applying to DO schools. His application looks amazing!

[@peruanojavi]

I very much agree with many aspects of what Dr. Grey teaches but I do not agree with his very shallow and narrow view of what the personal statement is (his book may say differently but I am basing my opinion on what he said in this video). He narrows down the personal statement into “why do you want to become a doctor” although this a very big aspect of this section, it doesn’t stop being a PERSONAL statement, it is a section for you to convey further who you are as a person just as much as “why do you want to become a doctor”. That being said I see no wrong doing with adding things like tutoring to the personal statement, however his wording and how it came across is what got him so many rejections.

[@jessicarivera4302]

Its not just Dr. Gray who narrows it down to "why do you want to be a doctor." I've been to medical school fairs, webinars, and spoken directly to directors of admissions and they all said the exact same thing. He isn't just making this stuff up to what he THINKS we should write about. He has gathered all this info from the people reading our applications and it came down to the personal statement needing to be about "why do you want to become a doctor." It's definitely backwards from the usual personal statements we are used to writing for other kinds of applications but he definitely isn't being shallow about it. He's simply conveying the message of what medical schools want to see.

[@peruanojavi]

@@jessicarivera4302 I don’t believe who you are as a person and “why do you want to become a doctor” are separate entities. You cannot explain why you want to become a doctor without explaining who you are as a person and who you are as a person is a collection of all your experiences (ex. Tutoring, scribe, shadowing etc). As you answer the personal statement prompt of “why you want to be a doctor” you can not exclude the experiences that shaped you as a person ultimately pushing you towards medicine.

[@jessicarivera4302]

@@peruanojavi I absolutely get that! This was completely new to me not too long ago and I questioned it the way you are now. I think the activities section and the stories you tell there is what's supposed to show who you are as a person. Your activities show who you are as a person without using a sales pitch in every one of them and showing through a personal story you had with someone in those activities. Again, it seems backwards but if literal admissions directors/committees are saying the same exact thing dr. Gray is then I am absolutely not risking my chances and will follow the approach he advises us to follow. He's done the hard part for us by spending years talking to school committees about what they want to see in applications.

[@flip2863]

@@peruanojavi All the experiences are already listed in the 'activities' section. Restating them again in the PS is usually wasting space unless you are adding more context or details. Many students write their PS as a 'narrative' version of their resume and its not very compelling to read. I do agree that Dr. Grey's idea of a personal statement is limited. You can literally write about anything you want as long as it explains why you want to go to medical school.

[@renny9538]

Do you interview students for medical school? Have you been through the process? Lol premeds who have never gotten in have them most to say. Take advice that he has gathered from the horse’s mouth and get into school.

[@rlbnll123]

506, 3.22 cumulative, 3.8 science, applied Jan 2024 for 2024 matriculation. 6 interviews, 3 acceptances, 2 waitlist, 1 pending. It’s more than stats…it’s your story, it’s having interpersonal communication skills for the interview. The only prep I ever did for interviews was “what programs does the school have.” And honestly, everything else is being yourself, speaking truthfully and not pretending to be someone or anything you’re not. I felt each interview was easy tbh and felt each one went well afterwards. Not saying this to boast, but if you lie in your experiences, it’ll show in your interviews. Just be you…my thought process going into interviews was that they obviously like something about me…so just show them more of me. Keep shit simple. Another tip, use every character when writing your stories. And make sure you keep the stories personal. The issue with this poor dude is that he lists experiences and resume like descriptions or goes on to list the experience of the dr he shadowed. Instead, he should have written about personal interactions or expanded on what he did personally after having been inspired and told he should be a good listener etc, then he’d have a stronger story. At the end of the day…so long as you apply to schools still accepting apps, it’s never too late; be yourself in your apps and interview and the odds are in your favor. Obviously applying earlier will increase your odds of your stats are ok and have some good stories. But, If I can do this, so can you guys

[@rk-jc9se]

Show us your app. Interested in your writing because your style here is not great and add to that, no paragraphs, poor punctuation.

[@ramongutierrez-gq4cq]

@@rk-jc9senot about punctuation or grammar not applying for a PhD in English. Just be you! Simple and humble and show who you really are and its up to them if you fit there profile for a doctor.

[@tonyconiglio6941]

It's just not justifiable that you were admitted over him. This is all BS. He didn't lie about his experiences. He didn't lack experience. "He just listed his resume like a resume" is not a reason. The medical community needs to be called out on this.

[@user-br3xs6hz2b]

Incredible stats wow!

[@bitario723]

This guy could be the next nobel peace prize winner, but no school will accept him.... it's like trying to get a job nowadays

[@kathleenchrist7651]

Plus many organizations allowed in person volunteering during the pandemic.

[@adalidsalgado4230]

so think he just doesn’t know how to put his thoughts into words on paper

[@adalidsalgado4230]

I*

[@jackiele5019]

He couldn’t show his understanding of medicine via his activities. You can’t say you want to be a physician with only one last minute clinical activities. Adcom could question why is he spending time with his French hobby yet does not have time for clinical activities. I would not interview him even prior to reading his personal statement.

[@TheBhopali1]

He should study aboard ( India or Caribbean )& then come back and be the most successful knowledgeable physician 🎉❤🎉

[@blackflower6635]

For those who say that he is not passionate enough , how better else you can show your passion than scoring 528/528 and 4.0/4.0? He is not acting in romantic scene in a Hollywood film for heaven’s sake !! I do not understand why the medical schools ask why an applicant want to become doctor? Should there be any reason for it? Do we ask engineers, lawyers, teachers why they want to become one? Another stupid question by the medical schools is why are you applying to our school? Because of our stupid admission process, we are forcing the students to apply typically to 30 schools. Every school knows that, why is such a naive question ? They ask all these stupid questions because they can do anything they want, reject highly qualified Asians and accept mediocre students from preferred races and yet fool the public that they are some Gods. As I mentioned in another post, one Hispanic illegal immigrant with 502 (50th percentile) accepted by UCSF and waitlisted by five more colleges from top 10. But, not even one school gave admission to this wonderful kid. How atrocious this could be? Colleges should be forced to release the entire application of all the applicants and the exact reasons why the schools accepted/rejected every applicant. That will put some pressure on them to behave themselves and we can make an honest conversation. I think that Mr. Edward Blum should take this perfect case of discrimination to the court and fix the comical admission processes we have in this country.

[@oanochie]

Well you need passion for medicine, because you deal with people’s lives-they tell their most personal experience to you, you have to advocate for your patients, you need humanity in medicine not just science. Patients appreciate such doctors because they have excellent bedside manners and see what the patient is not even telling them while interviewing the patient. You see death and dying, suffering, empathy for human suffering is essential to become a physician. Someone who gets perfect grades with perfect stats but no interpersonal or empathic skills will be perfect as a robotic scientist iv researcher working in a lab discovering cures for diseases, BUT NOT A PHYSICIAN. I say this As a Physician myself!

[@sebucwerd]

You are utterly correct, Black flower. The Adcoms are so disgustingly beyond the pale. SFFA v. Harvard will hopefully put these racists in their place. When these crazed ideologues subsequently ignore the law, hopefully they get sued into oblivion and can be held personally liable.

[@squiggs1002]

@@oanochie As a physician you should know there are many specialties which do not deal with life or death issues or where bedside manner is not that important since there is minimal patient interaction. You make it sound like everybody accepted are these incredible passionate people with so much empathy and interpersonal skills. When I look around at my classmates- I say ok... not really. Some are you describe, most are not that different probably from the guy in the video, they just know how play the game better during the application and interview process. Guarantee this guy gets in next cycle when he figures out the "application game" even though his passion or whatever you want to look at will be exactly the same.

[@javadabaron81]

Passionate bc you did good on a exam? Just no

[@tonyconiglio6941]

@@javadabaron81 He didn't just do good, he got a perfect score on an insanely hard and well-designed test.

[@mohanr7274]

It is just his race.. if he were a Hispanic or white applicant, with these stats, he would have bagged atleast 10 interviews

[@tonyconiglio6941]

Right I am an old crusty white dude and even I am admitting this here. Totally unjustifiable.

[@jumbo9301]

all he has to do is rewrite his ps maybe work as an ma and he will get at least interviews from t20

[@Mwe_244]

Dang! He needs to be my study buddy. LOL!

[@xan8123]

If even he can’t get in with those stats, then wtf is the point?

[@edhcb9359]

I love all the comments on here from “B” students doubting this applicant’s motivation and dedication to becoming a doctor.

[@LilJbm1]

Excuse me? From a medical student who didn't get a 4.0, a 3.92 but I guess I'm a "B" student, I do doubt this person's motivation to become a doctor. Not because he might lack the motivation, but because what he wrote in his application and how he spoke in this was very haphazard and unfocused. I don't know who this guy is other than an ivory tower intellectual disconnected from reality.

[@edhcb9359]

@@LilJbm1 Wow, triggered much? 😂

[@LilJbm1]

@@edhcb9359 Very funny response. Not really just funny how ridiculous your comment was and wanted to inject you with some reality. I have no reason to care since I've already got my own thing going on and been there done that with the pre-med game. Your snark is just unhealthy.

[@edhcb9359]

@@LilJbm1 My original post was about “B” students yet for whatever reason(Read: Insecureness) you chose to be offended on behalf of all the B students. Good for you big guy!

[@flip2863]

You show dedication through experiences which he failed to do. Once he fixes his ECs he'll be able to go to whatever school in the country he wants to but he didn't prove he was interested in or dedicated to medicine. Schools noticed that.

[@jlau5634]

Even though he decided late to be premed, his Activities were still quite lite

[@patrickj.7782]

How can I get in touch with you Dr. Gray? 😭

[@samreetatwal2266]

He does live Q&A sessions on IG

[@jlau5634]

What was his app list?

[@moneyandfreedom7]

He only got 1 interview, but How many schools did he apply to? @MedSchoolHQ I would have liked to see a little more context.

[@MedicalSchoolHQ]

21, it's in the video at 43:12

[@icadoriogorgeousiano9454]

All you need is a high enough GPA and MCAT score and you will be admitted to med school for sure. If you had a 5.0 GPA and a 550 MCAT then no med school will reject you.

[@oanochie]

It’s simple. Writing a PS: what are you passionate about in life and how does that relate to why you are pursuing medicine? Any smart guy with perfect scientific stats can be a PhD or Engineering student? But medicine requires sacrifice-working long hours, little pay, sleep deprivation, making life or death decisions, seeing the very sick people at their worst, being surrounded by death and dying daily. What will keep you going is your passion for helping the sick, your empathy for human suffering. Otherwise you will great student with perfect grades but hate your clinical rotations and burn out in residency and drop out! Because take it from me as an actual Physician, it is not a rosy path. 400 doctors commit suicide every year. Burn out is very high. Guy strikes me as I’m Asian and have good grades and my family expects me to be a doctor, engineer, or scientist. Doctors get paid a lot of money so I guess I can do it kind of person. I would not accept him into med school.

[@Khafarman]

I agree. Contrary to most of the comments here, I believe he does not seem to have a passion for medicine, but rather, he has ulterior motives. He’d make a good science teacher though!

[@tonyconiglio6941]

After seeing this, the state needs to take away the power of med schools to decide who they admit and make it just raw MCAT scores like France.

[@tonyconiglio6941]

"You're just checking off a box" "You're making a sales pitch on the sales pitch section of the application." THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE DOES. The lack of regulation just allows admissions committees to be capricious and sadistic, which all bureaucrats enjoy. The fact is it's not defensible that this kid was not admitted to many schools. It just is not defensible.

[@emilionarvaez1415]

Apply D.O. next cycle, youll get into Chicago COM or Edward Villa. Youll be fine.

[@emilionarvaez1415]

God damn, straight A student these admissions committee are crazy 🤣.

[@harrisonzhu3300]

They’re rejecting him for him. No matter how smart you are if your heart isn’t in medicine, you won’t make it.

[@sebucwerd]

The notion that professional success is just about having your heart in something is silly and imature.

[@harrisonzhu3300]

@@sebucwerd this is especially so for medicine but relevant to other professional fields. If you don’t care about it, you won’t succeed. Simple as that

[@sebucwerd]

@@harrisonzhu3300 Passion is developed through dedication and hard work, not a priori ratiocination

[@harrisonzhu3300]

@@sebucwerd yeah I’m not disagreeing that passion is developed through experiences

[@squiggs1002]

lol- want to make a bet that he will get in the next application cycle after he figures out the application game even though his heart will be just the same?

[@abdullahnizar6784]

this genuinely one of the worst applications I have seen other than the stats.

[@nemomemo5191]

Kids with stats like these think they don’t need anything else. I have a friend like that. He was 3.9 and 520 but the guy was a robot

[@LURKER121]

I can already see the bitter applicants with good stats and zero depth turning this into a race war 😭

[@sebucwerd]

Zero depth /personality is what entitled racists who want to walking into medical school through affirmative action call high stats folks

[@FunFacts425]

His lying. Bro lacks passion😂.

[@steinervision7643]

Great student, just needs to adjust his next application a bit. Get some more clinical experience!!

[@Sulbee]

If you tutored, you'd understand that your context of tutoring is completely bull. That makes you come up as a judgmental person seemingly knowing WHAT IS RELATED to aspiration of becoming a physician or not. Learn to be respectful of other people's choices and perspectives before you bring them on the show and derail them.

[@OO-kz4lj]

get a job that will give you clinical experience and volunteer whenever you have the time. Do this for a year and then reapply, hopefully, you will get more interviews and acceptances!!!

[@TheMrSSS]

Which

[@OO-kz4lj]

@@TheMrSSS EMT, Scribe, CNA, sonographer. They require certification but you can get it in a few months.

[@OO-kz4lj]

@@TheMrSSS You can volunteer in a hospital, food bank, etc. Just do it long-term. Maybe work 5 times a week and volunteer once a week for balance.

[@bitario723]

It seems like this guy plays a game of reverse psychology with these kids. I don't get it. Why don't you provide an example of an ideal application, reacting the name of the ideal application?

[@sail2temporary]

Real reason he got rejected: He's just another Asian applicant with perfect stats and was discriminated against. So he realized later in his college career he wanted to become a doctor which happened to coincide with a global pandemic when in-person volunteering in a hospital was literally FATAL. You would think me school adcoms would understand this point. But no. If this guy ha ZERO clinical experience I could understands the rejection. But this is absurd. He would make a great pathologist at the very least. I'd rater have this guy with "no passion" be my doctor than some "passionate" bullshit artist who wanted to be an MD since his time as a sperm with a 3.6 GPA and a 510 MCAT who volunteered four years in a row an never had to support himself tutoring because his parents have money and could afford to o so.

[@jasminebrown7935]

Oof

[@martinbuggard6672]

Actually bs

[@E24-t6g]

You didn’t even watch the whole video it was JUST posted

[@martinbuggard6672]

@@E24-t6g two times speed is a thing

[@martinbuggard6672]

@@E24-t6g I agree that there are some sketchy parts of his app, his personal statement was not well thought out, but 528 and 4.0 in a physics major should at least get him into one of his state schools

[@E24-t6g]

@@martinbuggard6672 ah okay I agree. I mean his states were perfect so you can’t even say its because his stats weren’t high enough for an Asian or whatever else excuse. Truly unlucky but I haven’t even started watching the video maybe he only applied to top schools?

[@Iiiiii830]

I think his personal statement was the major issue.

[@Jay-ic5kb]

Ethnicity means alot since most schools have affirmative action and quotas so no matter what you do it's a done deal. Sorry 😞

[@javadabaron81]

So let’s ignore that he basically has little clinical experience and how he gave a weak reason why he wants to be a doctor.

[@compositeur8455]

Isn't he non white

[@wearevengeance7824]

Tutor me bro ! I’m a gator 🐊

[@8beautylover8]

These videos always attract bitter racist med school applicants...crazy how some people want to become doctors with that mentality

[@elyo4926]

Yeah it’s concerning considering they will be responsible for the lives of POC.

[@8beautylover8]

@@elyo4926 just goes to show why they didnt get in in the first place…cruel and hateful

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

Unfortunately that's just the philosophy of conservatives and republicans, who make up almost half the country. Instead of asking how they can be better as people, or how we can be better as a country, they like to scapegoat minorities, such as blacks, mexicans, and muslims, and pretend they are the cause of all their problems. That's why Trump won in 2016 after spewing nothing but hatred for the whole campaign. Trumpism/conservatism/republicanism is not new. This appalling philosophy has existed forever - especially amongst Europeans, hence slavery and antisemitism.

[@8beautylover8]

@@thefenerbahcesk4156 😞 and to see one black/latino/muslim excel is a threat to the majority. humanity is doomed.

[@daveyjones3016]

For real. They're the same ones saying we make everything up on racism in America we face for generations yet will say they're the victims of racism when THEY fail at anything.

[@ethantaylor5290]

This guy is the textbook definition of a non-playable character. God bless him; he'll be a great scientist.

[@saramovsesian7497]

He sounds like the guy at the corner from 7/11. Sounds so not interested and bored…. Stats don’t matter at some point, he has 0 personality

[@eknoorsandhu2349]

Huh? Dude is awesome

[@jlau5634]

Dr Gray, this guy has terrible soft skills.

[@chloebenjamin5599]

Why do you feel that way?

[@bleepbloopbleh]

He cannot comnunicate

[@dragonfly8485]

Clearly MCAT + GPA isn't all you need.