The Premed Years

(00:00) — Foster care and a chaotic start: Zach describes growing up with parents struggling with addiction and violence, and not realizing his upbringing was unusual until middle school.(03:51) — The cycle of skipping school: How failing grades and absent mentorship led Zach to believe he simply was not smart.(07:03) — A Greyhound bus to Indiana: The impulsive decision to move in with his grandparents that Zach calls divine intervention.(11:34) — Bomb squad school and the first confidence breakthrough: Finishing one of the military's most challenging training programs made Zach realize he could learn anything.(18:21) — A 4.0 in engineering and a pivot to medicine: How straight A's in calculus rewrote the story Zach had told himself about his own intelligence.(22:00) — Finding mentors without a network: Using a university premed committee, a podcast, and Student Doctor Network to build a roadmap from scratch.(29:06) — Applying with a below-average MCAT: How Zach earned three MD acceptances despite a 504 score by checking every other box.(33:34) — Choosing a brand-new engineering-focused medical school: Why he turned down a flagship state program for a full-ride scholarship at a school that matched his goals.(36:39) — Falling in love with the OR and struggling to choose a specialty: Every rotation felt right until he had to commit.(39:57) — Surgery to anesthesiology: The moment with his newborn that reordered his priorities and pointed him toward a different career path.Zach grew up in the foster care system, raised in a trailer park by parents whose addiction and violence made stability feel out of reach. He failed classes, nearly dropped out of high school, and swore off college entirely — convinced he simply was not smart enough. A spontaneous move to his grandparents' home in Indiana changed his direction. He finished high school, joined the military as a bomb disposal technician, and discovered through that training that he was capable of more than he had believed. Years later, straight A's in electrical engineering confirmed it. By the time he decided to pursue medicine, he had clinical experience as an EMT, a military career, a 4.0 GPA, and no physicians in his personal network to call on. He navigated the premed process through a university premed committee, a podcast, and a lot of cold emails to find shadowing. He applied broadly with a 504 MCAT score and earned three MD acceptances. He chose an engineering-focused medical school on a full-ride scholarship, completed a general surgery intern year, and ultimately transitioned to anesthesiology after a moment at home with his newborn made his priorities clear. This conversation is for any premed student building their path without a blueprint.What You'll Learn:- How to use a university premed committee as a structured roadmap when you have no built-in mentors- Why a below-average MCAT score does not automatically close the door if the rest of your application is strong- What nontraditional experiences — military service, EMT work, engineering — actually do for you in interviews and on paper- How to evaluate medical school options when your goals do not fit the traditional mold- Why resilience built outside the classroom can be a genuine advantage in medical training

(00:00) — Growing Up in Brooklyn: How watching his grandmother receive care for type 2 diabetes at a Brooklyn hospital first sparked Stevie's interest in medicine at age 11 or 12.(00:23) — From Sports Dreams to Science Classes: Stevie describes exploring basketball, music, and writing before biology classes and a lost USB drive helped redirect him toward medicine.(00:58) — Nearly Flunked Out: Stevie opens up about receiving multiple dean's warnings freshman year of college, living at home, and carrying the "premed persona" without knowing the actual steps required.(01:33) — Fear of Finding Out: Stevie explains how fear of learning what it would take — not laziness — kept him from attending premed advising meetings and reaching out to physician mentors.(01:57) — The Fraternity GPA Requirement That Changed Everything: How a GPA minimum for joining Alpha Phi Alpha became the unexpected catalyst that got Stevie's grades moving in the right direction.(02:33) — Graduating at a 2.5 and Planning the Rebuild: Stevie describes taking six post-graduation courses, retaking the MCAT from a 495 to a 509, and what the advisor meeting that laid out his blueprint actually felt like.(03:06) — The Linkage Master's Program at SUNY Upstate: Stevie explains how applying to medical school, getting rejected, and being offered a funded one-year linkage program led him to a 3.99 GPA and automatic matriculation.(04:07) — Transition to Third-Year Medical School: Stevie reflects on how his master's program foundation, his history of struggling, and a shift in academic pride prepared him for the volume and pace of medical school.Stevie graduated college with a 2.5 GPA, came close to flunking out freshman year, and had no clear roadmap for getting into medical school. In this episode, he walks through exactly how he turned things around — not in a single dramatic moment, but through a series of smaller, staggered goals that compounded over time.He talks honestly about the fear that kept him from attending premed advising sessions and from reaching out to physician mentors in his fraternity — fear not of failure, but of finding out just how far behind he really was. He describes how a GPA requirement for joining Alpha Phi Alpha became the first concrete goal that got his grades moving, how six post-graduation courses raised his cumulative GPA only to a 2.8, and why he pivoted to a funded one-year linkage master's program at SUNY Upstate rather than continuing to chip away at an undergraduate transcript that had too many credits to meaningfully change.Stepping back from the specifics of his path, Stevie and host Ryan Gray also dig into the psychology of the long premed road — why fixating on a distant goal line creates burnout, how delayed gratification plays out differently when you have already experienced real academic failure, and why gap years and nonlinear paths are increasingly recognized as assets rather than red flags by medical school admissions committees.What You'll Learn:- Why fear of learning the requirements — not lack of motivation — is what keeps many struggling premeds from seeking help- How staggered, short-term goal setting can rebuild academic momentum when a cumulative GPA feels too damaged to fix- What a linkage or pathway master's program actually looks like, how the SUNY Upstate program is structured, and why the MCAT matters more than additional post-bacc coursework at a certain GPA floor- How a 495 MCAT became a 509 and what Stevie did differently the second time- Why lived experience during gap years can strengthen a medical school application rather than weaken it

(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

(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

(00:00) — First Spark: How a hospital shadowing program in high school shifted Justin's view of medicine from negative to hopeful.(00:27) — Immigrant Family Expectations: The doctor-lawyer-accountant conversation that narrowed Justin's focus and why he's grateful for it.(04:34) — Choosing Seton Hall: Why staying close to home and picking a smaller school turned out to be the right call for staying focused.(10:22) — Collaboration Over Competition: How studying alongside classmates pursuing PT, PA, and med school kept Justin on track without the cutthroat dynamic.(16:20) — MCAT Rescheduling Spiral: The honest account of pushing back the MCAT four or five times and what finally made Justin ready to sit for it.(21:52) — Checking Boxes vs. Meaning: Why running around doing every premed activity left Justin with experiences he could barely remember by application time.(23:39) — Applying Late and What It Cost: Submitting two months after applications opened, what that felt like in real time, and how it still worked out.(32:50) — TikTok Origin Story: The mall conversation about Washington, DC that accidentally launched a multi-million-follower social media presence.(35:19) — Social Media vs. Medicine: The pressure to quit one or the other, and how Justin reframed content creation as a hobby rather than a competing identity.(38:52) — Dad's Long-Term Question: The family conversation that settled the debate between full-time content creation and medical school.(42:23) — Closing Advice: What Justin would tell any premed trying to balance a public platform with the demands of the path to medicine.Justin was a freshman in college when a friend's embarrassing geography gap turned into a TikTok video that got 100,000 views overnight. By the time he applied to medical school, he had millions of followers across platforms. He also submitted his application two months late, rescheduled his MCAT four or five times, and took a gap year he never planned on taking. In this conversation, Justin walks through the full arc of his premed path — from a hospital shadowing program in high school that flipped his negative view of medicine, to navigating an immigrant family's expectations, to figuring out that checking off every premed activity was producing experiences he could barely recall when it came time to write about them. He talks honestly about imposter syndrome in his first year of medical school, the time management shift that made studying feel less like punishment, and how he handled the very real pressure from people on both sides — doctors warning him that social media would hurt his career, and followers telling him to drop medicine entirely. His answer to both was the same: stay true to what you actually want.What You'll Learn:- Why rescheduling the MCAT repeatedly is not a strategy, and what finally made Justin commit to a test date- How a smaller undergraduate institution can sharpen focus rather than limit opportunity- Why submitting a medical school application late has real consequences, even when things ultimately work out- How to hold a social media presence and a premed identity at the same time without letting either one define you completely- Why a gap year you did not plan for can become one of the most valuable parts of the path to medical school