Savvy PreMed

November 3, 2023

Five Rules Every College Student Should Break

You’ve probably heard some unwritten rules about what college students should or shouldn’t do to be successful. But what if I told you that following these rules could actually hurt your chances of getting into your dream job or graduate school? In this blog post, I’ll reveal 5 rules that every college student should break, based on my 11+ years of experience helping people get into college and graduate school. These rules will help you create your own path, showcase your strengths, and have more fun along the way.

November 10, 2020

COVID-19's Legacy: Predictions for the 2021-2022 Medical School Admissions Cycle

The Savvy Premed

Canceled MCATs; online coursework; in-person shadowing restrictions; virtual interviewing - COVID-19 undoubtedly shifted the medical school admissions process in 2020 and created unprecedented challenges for pre-meds. But how will it impact medical school admissions moving forward? What will COVID-19’s legacy be in the 2021-2022 cycle?

August 25, 2020

Medical School Admissions Requirements 2020-2021

The Savvy Premed

You’ll need to meet all the prerequisites to be considered for admission, but you’ll need to go above and beyond to stand out and ensure your chances of getting in. Since you’ll have to go above and beyond, we want this post to do the same thing. We’ll give you all the requirements, BUT we’ll also provide tips and tricks for separating you from the countless other eligible applicants.

March 27, 2020

5 Bold Coronavirus Predictions: What Will Happen to Med School Admissions in 2020?

Ryan Kelly

5 Bold Coronavirus Predictions: What Will Happen to Med School Admissions in 2020?

June 25, 2018

What Separates the Typical from Stand-out Pre-Meds

Rob Humbracht

One of our core philosophies is based on a question that most pre-meds aren’t asking before they apply to medical school.“Why should medical schools accept you? What makes you stand out?”

May 2, 2018

Every Question You Have About the AMCAS

Ryan Kelly

The race begins! The AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) opens tomorrow, and if you’re not one of the first few to fill it out in the hours that it opens, you will never fulfill your dreams of becoming a physician.

May 7, 2018

Don't Hurt Your Odds 05/07/18

Ryan Kelly

My friend begins every trip to Vegas at the roulette table, throwing down a chunk of chips on black or red. “Let’s just see what happens,” he says.

November 5, 2018

Top 6 Reasons Reapplicants Didn't Get In And What to Do About It

Ryan Kelly

Join the club. If you’ve been rejected from medical school, that makes you normal. 60% of applicants DON’T get in. The people who get in are the unusual ones.

November 26, 2018

How to Be Pre-med While Still Being Yourself

Ryan Kelly

Pre-meds have a dilemma - they need to be both qualified and distinct as a candidate, but those two things can feel contradictory, or at least mutually exclusive. How can you be both at the same time? How can you avoid the “boxy” fate of so many pre-meds?

October 22, 2018

6 Tips for Getting into an MD/MPH Program

Ryan Kelly

Milli Desai is currently a third year medical student at UC San Diego.

May 31, 2017

Red Hot Ways to Show Your Medical School Fit

Ryan Kelly

In the late 1980s, Flea and Anthony Kiedis--the two founders of Red Hot Chili Peppers--were having a hard time finding a drummer. The band had already met with some success, releasing three albums, the last of which had climbed to number 148 on the Billboard charts. The original drummer quit after a drug overdose claimed the life of his close friend and lead guitarist. The next two drummers were both fired, one for chemistry and the other because he couldn't stay sober. The Chili Peppers needed a drummer, one who not only could play the drums but would fit with the band.

February 6, 2017

A Research Manifesto: How to Make the Most of Your Pre-Med Research Position

Arvin Wali

A ‘manifesto’ is a published declaration of someone’s intentions, motives, or views. Although often associated with radical politics and revolution, manifestos can be written to capture the spirit of any group or movement. Why does research need a manifesto?

February 27, 2017

3 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your Pre-med Research Position

Ryan Kelly

Quit your research?! What pre-med in their right mind would question their coveted research position, let alone actually quit? The word ‘quit’ is not typically part of a pre-med’s vocabulary, and the last thing you want is to be viewed as weak or non-committal.

February 21, 2017

5 Strategies to Get the Most Out of Your Scientific Research Position

Arvin Wali

‘Parameters.’ ‘Controlled environment.’ ‘Following protocol.’Let’s be honest - these words don’t exactly instill feelings of growth and independence. Early in your research career, it’s normal to become a tad disenchanted by the lab.

September 9, 2016

The 5 Necessary Factors for Getting Into Medical School

Rob Humbracht

Getting into med school is simple. Just get A’s in all your classes, ace the MCAT, devote hundreds of hours to community service, take lots of leadership positions, get published in a leading medical journal, and learn to speak and write about your accomplishments eloquently. Ta da. You’re in.

August 22, 2016

The 10 Biggest Myths About Getting into Medical School (Part 2)

Ryan Kelly

In our first installment, we broke down myths #1-5 in an attempt to decode the cryptic and overwhelming medical school admissions process.Now we’re back to complete the top ten and put an end to the rumors once and for all.

August 15, 2016

The 10 Biggest Myths About Getting into Medical School (Part 1)

Ryan Kelly

In our work with pre-meds, we hear all kinds of crazy claims. About 95% of the time we hear one of the above phrases, what follows is false. No, you don’t need 400 hours of shadowing to get into medical school. No, it doesn’t help to finish college in three years. And when you get a rejection letter, you shouldn’t call the medical school and plead to be given a second chance.

October 10, 2016

4 Lessons Professional Basketball Can Teach You About Getting Better Grades

Ryan Kelly

I never expect much from announcers. Occasionally I turn on ESPN before a basketball game to find a talking head unleashing such golden nuggets of wisdom as, “This team is really going to have to score a lot of points in order to win.” I think to myself, “I wonder if the players know that they’re supposed to score more points than the other team. I bet they would win if they knew that!” If only basketball were so simple.

September 23, 2014

Which major is most likely to get into medical school?

Rob Humbracht

In part 1 of our discussion of college majors, we discovered that you don't have to major in biology to get into medical school. So if we don't have to major in biology, what should we major in? Let's start by examining the data about which majors have the highest acceptance rates to medical school, along with some hypotheses about why indeed this may be so.

September 13, 2014

Do I Have to Major in Biology if I Want to go to Medical School?

Rob Humbracht

What should I major in? It's one of those personal questions like, "Which person should I date?" that no one can answer for you. Sure, others can give you advice. "Your boyfriend's breath smells like cheese" or "That person is a total jerk." But in the end, it's your decision to make. What you major in is how you spend a significant chunk of your college life, so it's important to your happiness to (try to) get this question right.