Lakshmi Meyyappan – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Lakshmi Meyyappan

Public Health (major)

Business, Music (minors)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

I have several favorites!
PHYSIOL 201: Introduction to Human Physiology – Dr. Rust is a fantastic professor and it taught me so much about how the human body works. She prioritizes students truly understanding the content, rather than just memorization.
PUBHLTH 370: Public Health Biology and Pathophysiology – Dr. K is an amazing mentor, and this was a great class that combined more epidemiology/medical based knowledge into the broader population health level scale.
STRATEGY 445: Base of the Pyramid: Business Innovation and Social Impact – Professor London has decades of meaningful experience in the Peace Corps that he shares with the class, and it taught me how business can be used as a positive means to solve a lot of global issues: including poverty, access to healthcare, economic development and more.

When/How did you study for the MCAT: The first time I studied for the MCAT was around December 2020 through my test day at the end of May 2021. I was taking a 16-credit course load in the Winter of 2021, which for me worked out since my classes were all virtual and I had cut down on my other commitments. I made an extensive schedule and wanted to stick to it as best as I could, since I self-studied and didn’t use any courses. My first 1.5 months were spent on content review, where I used the Kaplan books. From there, I transitioned into using UWorld, Anki (I used the MileDown decks), Blueprint’s FL exams, and did AAMC content the last 4-5 weeks. I ended up completing all of the AAMC content except half of the CARS material (which I would not recommend – definitely use all of the AAMC material before your exam). I was living at home the semester I studied for my MCAT and generally felt burnt out by the end of my studying, since I was studying concurrently with school in January-April, and transitioned to full time studying for all of May. On test day, I ended up dropping about 10 points from the score I had gotten on the fourth AAMC full-length I took a week previously, and knew that I wanted to retake the exam. While I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else, if it does, give yourself some grace and time to reflect! It felt like the end of the world for me, and I couldn’t imagine having to study for the exam again since I wasn’t in a great mental headspace while studying for it the first time. I decided to sign up for my second test date in early September of 2021 because I wanted to take it relatively soon while the content was still fresh in my mind. I was interning full-time at a healthcare consulting firm that summer, so I spent my early mornings and most weekends from early July through the end of August studying, but also gave myself flexibility to prioritize my mental health and do things outside of work/studying. I focused more on strategy rather than content review, since that was a weakness I noticed on my first exam. I also tried to build up my stamina, by doing 40-60 questions at a time, so I would feel less fatigued on test day since that was another issue I encountered the first time around. I used Anki, Altius FL exams, and redid the AAMC material in preparation.

When did you take the MCAT:

I took the MCAT twice: the first time on May 28, 2021, and the second time on September 3, 2021.

What was your pre-med experience:

My pre-med experience overall was tough, but very joyous and rewarding! I spent my freshman and sophomore years completing all of my pre-med classes, which looking back on my college experience was definitely the hardest years both academically and personally. Building off of my previous response, taking the MCAT twice was the biggest hurdle I experienced in college. At the time, I only knew one person (who was also a PMH alum!) who had retook her MCAT, and it made me feel like I did something wrong or wasn’t good enough since a majority of the people I knew only took it once. I definitely had to put a lot of faith in myself and determination that I could do better.

I got to explore more of my passions and subjects I was interested in my junior and senior years, where I took public health, business, and music classes, which showed me how many ways I can make an impact on the healthcare system. I believe taking classes outside of the traditional STEM courses not only gave me a broader view of the world, but also gave me principles/knowledge that I can implement into my life currently and future as a physician. While I stood firmly in the idea that I wanted to go to medical school, taking the time and opportunity to explore other fields and get involved in clubs/organizations that I was passionate about is what made my pre-med experience so great.

What are your plans after graduation:

I will be working on medical school applications and moving to Chicago to work in management consulting, as a Business Analyst at McKinsey! I wanted to explore more of the business side of healthcare before going to medical school, since this is an area of interest for me, and thought consulting would be the perfect way to do so.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Don’t be afraid to keep an open mind and try new things! I also believe that your undergraduate experience will be much better if you do things that you’re truly passionate about, rather than what you think might look good on med school apps. Lastly, take the time to have fun and explore Ann Arbor! Being pre-med can be very time-consuming and stressful, but having a balance between school and your friendships/social life will make your experience much more enjoyable 🙂

Schedule:

Nick Pfeifer – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Nick Pfeifer

Psychology (major)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

I have several favorites:
Psych 353: Social Development
Psych 457: Emerging Adulthood
Psych 211 (Working with Preschool Children) 🙂
Favorite STEM class: Chem 230 (with Dr. Gottfried)

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

I studied my senior year first semester because I was part-time and then continued studying over winter break. However, studying for the MCAT is its own class, and you must dedicate the time to it like you would any other course, which is why my semester still felt as though I were full-time.
I purchased a subscription to Blueprint MCAT, which worked really well for me. Based on when you plan to take it, they formulate a schedule for you. There are a bunch of lesson videos, practice questions/passages/exams, and other resources to take advantage of. I know that such subscriptions may not be feasible for everyone, which is why you should do your research on what may work for you. Definitely purchase the AAMC practice exams and take those closer to your test date.

When did you take the MCAT: January 2022

What was your pre-med experience:

I came into Michigan knowing I was pre-med, and I have never wavered from that during my time here. However, when I think back on my time at Michigan and reflect on this prompt, I cannot think of much. In fact, pre-med is one of the last things I would say to describe my experience.
Yes, academically, I am pre-med, but I am really happy to be able to look back on my years as having not been defined by focusing on my future in medicine. I joined what I knew I was passionate about, and now I have lifelong friendships and cherished memories to attest to that. That is what I will remember.
Of course you should keep the bigger picture in mind (aka applying to med school) to an extent, but undergrad does not have to be and should not be defined by your pre-med identity. If I weren’t pre-med, I firmly believe that I would still be involved in most everything I am now.

What are your plans after graduation:

My plan is to return to Cincinnati and work at the Children’s hospital as a CNA while I apply to med school this coming cycle. I also hope to travel a lot!!

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Do not choose a science major unless that is truly what you are interested in. It may prepare you a bit more for the mcat and med school, but majoring in what you are passionate about will shine through more on your application and in your interviews.
Undergrad is a time to explore before having to dive head first into all things science.

Same thing with activities. Do what you are passionate about, not just because it will look good on your resume or because you think it screams “I want to go to med school.” Always reflect on your experiences and start to think about why you want to go into the field of medicine.

Lastly, enjoy undergrad! It’s such a cliche, but it flies by so much faster than you think. Enjoy every second. Med school can be stressful and overwhelming, but at the end of the day, we are all living our lives, so live it!

Schedule:

Caitlin Alindogan – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Caitlin Alindogan

Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) (major)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

Psych 111! This class made me major in BCN. I loved the broad topics of psychology that we explored in this seminar, and Dr. Shelly Schreier was an amazing professor and explained the content clearly with many examples, as opposed to definitions.

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

I studied for it May-August 2021 the summer after my junior year, and took it the first week of my senior year (September 2021). I initially thought about delaying it until January since I wasn’t feeling ready, but I am glad I went through with it anyways because having the summer to study without worrying about other academics was beneficial for me. The semester before I studied, I took classes that somewhat lined up with mcat content review (Biochem lab, tutored for Chem 130, Psych 449, Bio 225) so by the time I went to study for the mcat I was already well-versed with the content, and began practice exams/questions a month and a half after. I used Kaplan books and their practice exams, anki decks I found from reddit, and the AAMC prep material (the full package option). I also used Jack Westin to prep for CARS passages.

When did you take the MCAT: September 2021

What was your pre-med experience:

Coming into U of M I wasn’t actually premed – I was a nursing student. After the first semester in nursing I realized I like the diagnostic process of medicine in addition to the care-taking process, so I switched the premed the 2nd semester of freshman year. I was a bit lost at first but found my way eventually, by speaking with many counselors and pre-med friends who helped me on my journey. Personally, I had a lot of fun during my premed experience here at U of M, due to the variety of activities that I partook in, including research, being a CNA, Clinical Support Assistant (similar to medical assistant), tutoring, and volunteering. I will admit that premeds here make a competitive environment, but I just minded my own business and did my own thing, which turned out perfectly! I was definitely fortunate enough to have friends and family to support me on this enduring process.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Pre-med classes are hard but remember to take care of yourself! AVOID BURNOUT! You are only in college once so make sure not to miss out on college experiences and doing fun things on campus with friends. Make sure to have that work life balance established, as it will be important to have this in your future career as a physician as well. As for academics, many of the classes are memorization heavy so it’s always a good idea to study content on a weekly basis, not just cramming before an exam. For extracurriculars, it’s important to try many different things to see what you like/what sticks with you. That way you aren’t just checking things off a list, but enjoying activities along the way. Personally, I found my clinical experiences to be the most fulfilling of my activities and I will be writing a lot about them in my application so definitely get started on this as soon as you can.

Schedule:

Elizabeth Lee – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Elizabeth Lee

Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) (major)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

I have several favorite classes:

Psych 424/426: Senior Honors Research: This course is a program for students completing an honors thesis. It was one of my most rewarding experiences in college. Although writing an honors thesis can initially be intimidating, you will receive guidance from the program director (my year was Dr. Lustig) through workshops, and support from your lab mentors. If you are looking to learn more about designing your own research methods and hypotheses, interpreting results, and improving your scientific communication skills, I highly recommend doing a thesis.

Psych 314: Positive Psychology: In this course, I learned about the science of what makes life worth living and practices that promote human functioning. Dr. Park does an excellent job at combining theoretical knowledge with practical application to our daily life. She brings energy to the class and emphasizes the importance of incorporating class material to ourselves.

Chem 230: Physical Chemistry: I enjoyed this course because it pushed me to continuously use problem solving skills. I not only learned about chemistry concepts, but also applied them to new question sets. Dr. Gottfried is an incredible professor. The course is very clearly organized from the flipped classroom style to the lectures that are broken down into digestible and intuitive segments. I found this class rewarding because it was challenging, yet allowed me to develop critical thinking skills.

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

The first time I studied for the MCAT was second semester junior year. I took the exam in June. I used the Kaplan books for content review, UWorld for practice problems, and the AAMC bundle. For content review, I found it helpful to review multiple subjects within one day, so that I would be used to switching between patterns of thinking, much like during the MCAT. After taking the exam, I found that I spent too much time on content review and needed to improve on tackling questions and applying concepts. The second time around, I spent more time doing practice exams. I created a spreadsheet of concepts I missed on each problem set. Since I identified these concepts as my weakness, I made sure to review them daily, with an emphasis on those that I missed more than once. I took my second exam in January. Since I had winter break free from classes, I spent the 2-3 weeks before the exam taking practice tests every other day or every three days (spend one day on practice exam, one day reviewing what questions I got wrong and why, and one day reviewing concepts/doing practice problems. The last two days can combine into one day, depending on the amount needed to be reviewed). I did this to build endurance and practice on timing. I would like to note that before studying for the second exam, I gave myself time where I completely set aside MCAT materials. I found it important to approach the second exam with a clear mind and avoid burn out.

When did you take the MCAT: June and following January

What was your pre-med experience:

My pre-med experience was filled with challenges and achievements. Looking back, the challenges such as courses, time management, and figuring out my academic interests were necessary for developing the life skills and passions I have now. They made my pre-med journey rewarding and satisfying. I was fortunate to have support from my advisors, mentors, and family/friends. One of the best decisions I made in college was pursuing a major in BCN. It allowed me to explore concepts related to medicine in an interdisciplinary fashion, and One of the most important lessons I learned was to pursue the field of medicine, you have to figure out why it is meaningful to you

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Don’t be afraid to explore your interests. The best path of being not just a pre-med but a college student in general is figuring out what sparks your passion. You will encounter challenges. Remember that there are resources around you that are willing and wanting to help out (i.e. academic advisors, friends, Pre-Med Hub, etc). It is easy to fall into the trap of worrying about your classes, extracurriculars, and whether you’re “cut” to be a pre-med. It may be cliche but the stressors are temporary–your future will work out one way or another as long as you put in your best effort.

Haitong Yu – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Haitong Yu

Neuroscience (major)

Applied Statistics, Business Administration (Minors)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

My favorite class is HONORS 233 and the title is what is cancer. This interdisciplinary class looked at cancer through natural science, social science, and humanities. I liked this class the most because this is my first exposure to a chronological disease through a class and I was able to understand healthcare from different perspectives. I not only learned why is cancer considered a detrimental diagnosis, but I also learned what does having this disease mean for the patients and how oncologists can make them feel better or at least try to be supportive and by their side when they needed it the most. This class got me interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field as I was able to watch documentaries about doctors fighting cancers as well as reading diaries by cancer patients.

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

I studied for the MCAT for three months during the summer of my junior year (May-July)

When did you take the MCAT: July 30th, 2021

What was your pre-med experience:

My pre-med experience at Umich could be described as bittersweet. From going into college wanting to pursue psychology as my major to becoming interested in pharmacy and finally settling on pre-med, the first year of college has been a lot of exploration for me. Pre-med is never easy and there are always stressful times (whether it is trying to figure out how to draw a mechanism for orgo or scratching my head for a magnet question for physics). However, I am glad that I pursued this path because I got to join Alpha Epslion Delta, which is a pre-health honors society where I got most of my career opportunities and also pre-med hub, where I can help fellow pre-med students who are having doubts or questions about pre-med. I am appreciative of all of the people I met throughout this difficult journey and I also want to give myself a pat on the back for sticking with pre-med, since I realized medicine is the career I want to pursue to help people in alleviating their physical and psychological pain to the greatest extent.

What are your plans after graduation:

I plan to work for Boston Specialists, a gastrointestinal clinic as a gap-year medical assistant for one year while applying for medical school.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Schedule:

Sara Trumza – Exit Ticket

Posted on August 27, 2022August 28, 2022 by Pre-Med Hub

Sara Trumza

Neuroscience (Major)

Entrepreneurship, Italian (Minors)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

Urban Entrepreneurship

In this class, my group and I were able to develop an idea that brought increased healthcare access to citizens of Detroit. I learned a lot about the intersection between healthcare and business, and it was very interesting to see how these two intertwined. The class also took a day-trip to Detroit to see the community and learn more about the city, which was super cool.

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

Kaplan books for content review, made ANKI cards with the content review material, used uWorld practice questions, and lots and lots of practice exams!

When did you take the MCAT: May 2021

What was your pre-med experience:

Being a student at Michigan has been an amazing experience, but being pre-med has definitely had its challenges. Having minors in entrepreneurship and Italian definitely diversified my schedule, which gave me different perspectives on various topics.
I had a challenging semester when I transferred to Michigan, but I kept my hopes up about continuing my pre-med education. Overall, my pre-med experience was incredibly insightful, and it was a journey that truly inspired and confirmed my desire to go into medicine.

What are your plans after graduation:

I’m applying to medical school this cycle! In my gap year, I will be working as a medical assistant and interning for the Program of Multicultural Health at Michigan Medicine.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Look for a supportive community of people who can relate what you’re experiencing as a pre-med. It can be so incredibly helpful to have people to talk to who understand your struggles and share the excitement of your achievements. Also, these 4 years truly fly by so look for activities you’re genuinely interested in. There is no point in doing something solely because you think it will look good on an application if you’re not enjoying it. It’ll be more worth it to engage in extracurriculars you’re passionate about – that is what will shine in your application.

Keep an open mind about your experience as a pre-med. The journey comes with lots of unexpected setbacks and challenges, so it’s important to be flexible in order to overcome any obstacles.

Being pre-med, especially at Michigan, can often seem daunting but keep going and push through the tough times! It will be worth it in the end!

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