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The Premed Years

The Premed Years

Ryan Gray 640 episodes Latest Jun 10, 2026

The Premed Years is an award-nominated podcast that guides premed students through their journey to medical school. It features interviews with admissions committee members and directors, as well as inspirational stories from successful applicants. The podcast covers topics like MCAT study strategies, medical school applications, and personal development. It is available on major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Episodes

626: Coming Off the Waitlist in June: One Premed's Honest Reckoning Jun 10, 2026 43:26 (00:00) — Family in medicine: How a neurologist mom and a sister in pediatrics shaped Justin's early interest(03:28) — The chemistry PhD question: Why lab research pushed Justin back toward medicine(07:14) — Duke and the premed decision: Choosing a school and a major with med school in mind(09:40) — Applying straight through during COVID: The stress of a compressed timeline and limited clinical ac
625: BSDO Over MD: Why Riya Chose the Osteopathic Combined Program Jun 5, 2026 33:35 (00:00) — Pre-k graduation and "I want to be a baby doctor": Where the idea of medicine first appeared for Riya.(01:07) — Seventh-grade biology and Hashimoto's thyroiditis: The classroom moment that made medicine feel like a real possibility.(02:24) — Hospital volunteering in high school: First clinical exposure, patient interaction, and what sparked genuine interest.(04:57) — Discovering combined
624: From 506 to Navy HPSP: A Reapplicant’s Reset Jun 1, 2026 34:25 (00:00) — Welcome and origin spark: Kiki’s path starts without an “aha” and a teacher’s nudge changes everything.(02:24) — First shadowing, open-heart: A six-hour quadruple bypass leaves her captivated.(03:48) — Type B and present: Owning a goal without over-planning in high school.(04:29) — Balancing D2 hoops and premed: Small-school community and time management pay off.(07:19) — Burnout and a l
623: Second-Time Applicant: COVID Delay, Perspective, Acceptance May 20, 2026 42:41 (00:00) — Ear cleaning origin: A childhood earwax ritual lights the first spark for medicine.(01:25) — Writer first, then premed: Entering college for writing before finding patient care through EMT work.(02:10) — EMT on campus: Deescalation, student calls, and heavy mental health moments.(03:27) — Suicide hotline: Human-to-human conversations that clarified her desire to be a physician.(04:10) —
622: From 495 MCAT to Med School via a Bridge Program May 13, 2026 36:41 (00:00) — Welcome and setup: from premed dropout to med student(00:47) — Corporate grind sparks the spreadsheets vs patients question(01:30) — Rewinding to undergrad premed and the 495 MCAT during COVID(03:15) — Finances and first-gen pressure push him off the path(04:35) — Articles, AI, and volunteering rekindle interest in medicine(06:10) — Leadership draw: why physician responsibility appealed
621: Balancing 21 Credits and a Paycheck: Making Premed Work May 6, 2026 41:13 (00:00) — Early spark for medicine: Jasmine’s childhood curiosity and desire to help takes root at age four or five.(02:40) — High school split focus: AP sciences vs. seven-hour show choir and a one-week summer health program.(03:55) — Choosing Howard: Proximity to a hospital/med school and an open-door culture sealed the decision.(05:15) — Major, minor, and momentum: Biology major, chemistry mino
620: Four MCAT Retakes and Still Standing Strong! Apr 29, 2026 46:47 (00:00) — Avoiding medicine to committing at 22: Sports injuries, engineering Cs, and a hospital trauma that made medicine click.(03:06) — Doubting smart enough: Imposter syndrome, scraping through chem, and possible ADHD.(06:50) — Growing up around violence: Valuing life early and pushing through school and sport.(08:50) — Living in the moment: Lists, weekly survival, and triaging tough neuro top
619: Targeted List: 12 Schools, 2 Interviews, 2 Acceptances Apr 22, 2026 38:16 (00:00) — Family roots and Flint crisis: Medicine in the house, art dreams, and volunteering during Flint’s water crisis point Omar toward health.(02:00) — Why physician, not just public health: Leadership and impact pull him to the MD path.(03:30) — Mentors and mission work: Seeing overseas service in Sudan clarifies what medicine can do.(04:55) — Did family help? Inspiration, yes; U.S. applicati
618: Mission Fit Over Metrics: What This Dean Looks For Mar 25, 2026 01:00:17 (00:00) — Meet Dr. Leila Amiri + her route from peer advising to admissions: How a peer advising job led to a career shaping medical school classes.(03:20) — What’s stayed the same—and why the “black box” persists: Core expectations endure while parts of the process remain opaque.(05:07) — Transparency hurdles: politics, misreads, and legal fears: Why some schools don’t publish every detail of the
617: Five MCAT Attempts, No Plan B: Maya’s Path to Med School Mar 18, 2026 46:10 (00:00) — Opening and early spark: Maya recalls childhood, cultural expectations, and her mom’s cancer shaping her why.(03:05) — High school full circle: Research at Dana-Farber and reading her mom’s records makes medicine click.(04:26) — ER simulation at Midscience: Realizing she could do this for real.(05:38) — MCAT dread and doubt: Nights staring at the ceiling, wondering if this path is for he
616: Inside DO Admissions: What the Osteopathic World Wants You to Know Mar 11, 2026 48:11 (00:00) — Welcome and origin story: Kyle’s path into med ed without being a physician(00:46) — Early admissions work and philosophy: get students into—and out of—med school(02:58) — What AACOM’s VP of UME Services does: support across 71 DO locations(04:48) — Admitted-to-M1 is hard: student services and reps supporting the transition(05:12) — Time in the DO space: Marian start and osteopathic focu
615: Why His Application ‘Made Sense’—and Scored 16 Interviews Mar 4, 2026 35:20 (00:00) — Late to medicine: Chris didn’t consider being a doctor until college, shaped by early family experiences with inadequate care.(01:20) — Struggling student to UC Davis: He describes a nontraditional path and surprise at earning a single college acceptance.(02:50) — “You won’t amount to much”: A sixth-grade dismissal and falling in with the wrong crowd set the stage.(04:40) — Misdiagnosed

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