The Passion Behind the Medical Application

The medical school admissions process feels confusing for a reason: it is part academics, part storytelling, and part long-term planning. We sit down with our NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine team at Arkansas State University, plus a current second-year medical student, to give you a clear map of what matters and what doesn’t as you move from premed to medical student.

We talk about the biggest misconceptions we hear from applicants, including the idea that admissions only cares about your science grades. Yes, prerequisites matter, and we spell out the core hard-science coursework many med schools expect. But we also dig into what actually strengthens your application: meaningful clinical exposure, shadowing, volunteering, community involvement, and the kind of self-reflection that turns a personal statement into something real. If you are considering a DO program, we also explain why being able to answer “Why osteopathic medicine?” can change how your materials land.

Then we get practical about the MCAT. We break down what the MCAT tests, why schools use it to standardize readiness across different colleges, and how holistic review keeps the score from becoming your entire identity. We also explain the Freshman to Physician pathway at NYITCOM at Arkansas State and Henderson State, including how mentorship, a defined block of courses, and GPA expectations can create an MCAT waiver for qualifying Arkansas students. We close with a realistic application timeline for rolling admissions and the advice we wish every med school hopeful heard earlier: use your resources, find mentors, and make sure your “why” can carry you through a demanding career.

Subscribe for more med school admissions guidance, share this with a friend who is stressing about the process, and leave a review so more premed students can find the show. Follow us on @arkansasstatemedianetwork.

Transcript

Welcome And Goals

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Hi, I'm Casey Pierce. I'm with NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, and we're proud to welcome you to the Premed Playbook as part of the A-State Media Network. I'm joined by some of my colleagues from NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University. We're a medical school that operates here on A-State's Jonesboro campus, and we've created this podcast to try to give some insight to medical school hopefuls. I'm joined today by Ms. Jennifer Wharton, our associate director of pipeline programs, by Dr. Derek Dixon, our assistant dean for student administration, and also to give you the perspective of someone who recently successfully applied to medical school. We're joined by student Dr. Jenna Holliman. Jenna is a second-year medical student in our program. So thanks everybody for joining me today. Guys, the medical school admissions process can feel pretty daunting. There's a lot to it, it's a lengthy process. And we just want to provide some insight to

Stress And Gap Year Reality

SPEAKER_00 1:05

med school hopefuls today on to help them navigate this a little bit better. Jenna, let's start with you. You just went through this process a couple years ago. Was it a stressful process for you?

SPEAKER_03 1:16

It was absolutely a stressful process. Um I had taken a couple of years, uh, gap years after graduating from undergrad. So during that time, I was working and trying to figure out how to study for the MCAT and then do all the applications in a timely manner. There's a lot more writing than I thought there was necessarily gonna be with secondaries and um just finding out personal statements and then doing a lot of self-reflecting too. So it definitely took a long time. It was a stressful process, but I made it here today. So I'm very thankful for all that time that I spent doing it.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

And now you can speak to that experience as we continue this conversation. Jennifer, I want to start with you. For students looking to apply to medical school, there's a ton of information out there. It's on Reddit, it's in Google searches, it's all over the place. Some of it, I'm sure, is good, some of it maybe not so much. But from the perspective of someone who is involved in the admissions process, uh, what's maybe one uh misconception and what's one thing uh med school hopefuls absolutely need to know early on?

SPEAKER_02 2:16

I think one thing that would be really helpful to know early on is that you can actually start your medical school application very early in your collegiate career. You can start working on volunteering, you can start working on your experiences, uh, shadowing opportunities, following uh different healthcare professions just to get a new perspective, to understand a little bit more about the profession outside of what you see on TV. And I think that going ahead and having those experiences early on can be really beneficial for you when it comes time to complete your application, but it also keeps your passion going for the

Start Early With Real Experiences

SPEAKER_02 2:55

healthcare careers, um, especially when it comes to becoming a physician. It is reminding you of your why. Why do you want to pursue this career and why is it important? And how do you hope to impact your community?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

And the other piece of that, is there a misconception that you think people, I mean, I think you may have given that just in the the place at which you get started. It's not really a point A. It's kind of a, it's part, it's just part of your journey. Is that what you'd say?

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Yeah, absolutely. I think that um it it really is just a part of your journey. And one of the um, I think probably to answer the misconception piece of it that we see is that people think that we're only wanting to see you as a student. And what does it look like when you're only taking your biology classes or your chemistry coursework? Um, we have a lot of people who can go through coursework and do really well, but we want to see who you are as a physician. Um, and that means a lot more than just what you're book learning, but that's who you are for uh the community that you're gonna be a part of, as well as who you are as an individual.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

And that plays into a lot of the missional element of our school, which we're gonna talk about on some further episodes, but we want to stay focused specifically on the admissions element. Dr. Derek Dixon, uh, our dean of students who uh supervises our student administration staff, and you're kind of uh oversee the entire process for our campus. I want to ask you the same questions that I posed to Jennifer. What are some things that students need to know? And what's maybe something that you hear people say that uh needs maybe a little bit of correction or miss uh or re-redirection?

SPEAKER_01 4:31

I think one of the things that's very important for students to understand, especially when they are seeking to apply for our program, is that it's very important to understand the why in terms of why osteopathic medicine is important to you. I think that I know that there's a lot that goes into applying to medical school and you have multiple schools that we're that you're applying to, it's easy to just have just one set core pieces of material that you're submitting. But when you're sitting in front of osteopathic institution, medical institution, it's important to understand why that philosophy fits into what type of medicine and what type of physician you want to be. Um and so that's one piece that I would always add to students to infuse that into their materials, shadow someone that comes from that specific background. But one of the misconceptions that I think that is um also very prevalent, especially for the populations that we're we're hoping to serve, and just thinking about when you talk about the mission elements that we're gonna get into in further episodes. But I think it's very important for individuals to know that a lot of times people assume that medicine is out out of their range or far-fetched, or because of where I'm from, that's not something that's obtainable for me. And we need students to start understanding early on that it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what your start is, as long as you are building these pieces along the way, metals medicine is absolutely something that's attainable to to you and you can impact your community.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yeah. Very good, very good advice, very good sector. Jenny, you're nodding a lot. Is there anything that you want to uh build on or add to that that what they've said just from your personal experience going through the process?

SPEAKER_03 6:16

I think definitely having that experience kind of shadowing and being in the medical field. I worked in as an ER scribe and a medical assistant that kept me involved uh in the medical field while I was trying to apply and make sure that this is what I wanted to do. Um, so those were great opportunities for me to be able to continue searching for that why, continue being passionate, and then staying involved with my communities too, um, always making sure I was volunteering because I just really was passionate about it as well. Like not trying to tick off check boxes on an application, but really honing in on something that I was passionate about that I could also talk about in interviews as well. So I definitely agree with everything that they said. It's a long process, it's a hard process, but as long as you have the people that support you and you're passionate about what you're trying to attain, you can definitely succeed.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Awesome. Um, there, you you all, you both mentioned some things that you look for specifics, you

Prereqs That Schools Expect

SPEAKER_00 7:10

know, and it's both in the classroom and outside the classroom. I want to draw specifically to the classroom. There are some hard prerequisites that I would say our prerequisites from a coursework standpoint are going to be similar to most medical schools. What are some of those that uh students have to have as far as those hard sciences?

SPEAKER_02 7:27

Yeah, our hard sciences that you're required to have are two semesters worth of biology with the lab, two semesters worth of general chemistry with the lab. We want you to have organic chemistry one with the lab, and then also organic chemistry two with the lab. Um, in addition to that, we also want you to have physics one and two uh with the labs with those as well. And um there are some uh additional courses that can be really beneficial, things like if students have the opportunity to take biochemistry, if they have the opportunity to take genetics, uh, we do see students having a little bit uh easier time to absorb more information as a medical student if they have those under their belt as well, even though they are optional courses.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

That Jenna, your undergraduate degree was in biology. And speaking before we got rolling today, you said that that was a very wise decision for you because of the that science, that base, that foundation that it provided for you once you got to medical school. Is that right?

SPEAKER_03 8:28

Absolutely. Yes. It definitely helped me be able to follow a pathway um to kind of tick off some of the requirements that are needed necessary to be able to go to medical school. Um, but it also opened up opportunities to be able to do other aspects of that are opportunities at my school as well. So it was helpful to be able to check those boxes. Um, but I also really enjoyed learning them, maybe not organic chemistry, that one I didn't love as much, but um, general chemistry and all the biology. Like I was very passionate about those. So I ended up choosing biology as my major. And then I actually um did a public health degree as well underneath that. Um, because I also wanted to be able to learn more about how I can serve different communities and the aspects that go along with it too.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Yeah. You said it's hard. It's supposed to be hard, isn't it? It is supposed to be hard, yes. And Dr. Dixon, speak to that too. I mean, the you you said it, it it's it's possible we see students come through that are very successful, but it is going to challenge students.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Yeah, it it medical school is hard. I I say that in orientation because there's no other way to sugarcoat it. It's a hard process, but it's not impossible. And I think that outlining what what Jenna and Jennifer outlined in terms of the coursework that you need is more than just the science. It's also building up your stamina. And I would encourage students that when you're going through your undergraduate space, I would, I would stray away from taking one hard course and surrounding it by a whole bunch of easy classes, if that makes sense. I would create now within within reason, we want to make sure you're not overloading yourself. But the more you can have those rigorous courses kind of stacked among each other while you're going through your undergraduate space, you're building up that academic rigor and that and that um you're you're building up that stamina that you need because when you get into that first year of medical school, it's gonna hit you really hard. And if you're not used to being able to work at that level and at that pace, then it can be a major adjustment to you as opposed to if you're taking those courses where outlined and you're putting them

Building Rigor And Study Stamina

SPEAKER_01 10:35

to the point to where it's really challenging you along the way, you build up that stamina.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Yeah, I've heard kind of an analogy of you know you got to prepare a long time to run a marathon. And medical school is a marathon uh to some extent. So you need that undergrad uh coursework and preparation to help you build up to where uh you're in shape from an academic standpoint to be able to do that. Is that fair?

SPEAKER_02 10:58

Absolutely. I think that as you're moving towards the goal of getting ready to apply to medical school, the more that you can do to um start preparing for the rigor that it takes to make it through medical school, um the more you're setting yourself up for success. So whether that's finding um different study methods, whether that is finding different resources, whether that is reaching out and finding a mentor who's in the field, then all of those things are gonna be helpful for you.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Awesome. So the biggest piece I think probably that uh gets talked about in the pre-med process is the MCAT, uh the admissions test that all all medical schools generally uh overarchingly require students to take. Um we're gonna talk about the the role that that plays into the admissions process, but I think there's probably some background for people, and maybe we'll start with our person, the one person in this room that has taken an MCAT. Um, so

What The MCAT Actually Tests

SPEAKER_00 11:55

what is the MCAT exactly?

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Um, well, so the MCAT is a very long exam uh that you sit for that uh encompasses a bunch of different of those kind of prerequisites that are necessary um that you take in undergrad.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

So it's testing you on those hard science uh subjects to make sure you have a base knowledge of them.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

Absolutely. And then there's also a component of kind of the um the reasoning and understanding of uh critical thinking in different written requirements. Um so there's that section of it as well. So you've got biology in there, genetics, psychology, um, then the cars section that's that reasoning and understanding, critical thinking, um, and then several other subjects as well. It has been a little bit since I've taken it. So thank goodness. But uh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

How long do you have to complete that exam? Is it a lengthy one? You know, we talk about our board exams in medical school. I think those are eight-hour exams that you're gonna get to take, I believe, this summer for the first time. How does the MCAT compare to that?

SPEAKER_03 12:55

I believe it's similar um in terms of the time frame. It's about just as long as that, I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

So so, you know, you hear just a hard score, like how heavily that weighs into a person's ability to get into medical school. Um so in relation to personal statement, personal experience, those things we hit on, how heavily does the MCAT weigh, or do you guys think it should weigh in some situations?

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Um sure. So for speaking for our institution in particular, the MCAT does play a piece in the application process. We wouldn't ask a question if we didn't need to have an

How Admissions Use MCAT Scores

SPEAKER_02 13:35

answer there. Um, but we also know that that's not the whole story. Um, there are different factors that go into taking a standardized exam. Um, and we do tend to see uh some correlation with how well students do in medical school, especially when they're first starting. But after that, moving forward, um there's kind of pros and cons to individuals, whether they've done really excellent in medical school. Um when you're looking at their application, that's always a good thing to see. But also we want to know who you are as a person. So we really take that holistic review of an application. So it is a piece of it for us. Um, but I wouldn't say it is the driving factor for our institution.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Doc Dixon, build build on Jennifer's comments. And I know you have perspective on that. I've heard it say that it kind of levels the playing field. It gives you, you know, students get such different coursework depending on where you go to undergrad, that that test can give you an idea of exactly what they got from a preparation standpoint. Is that fair and accurate?

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Absolutely. You actually hit exactly on what I was saying. You know, we have students that come from all over the country, institutions from all over the nation, and they are taking coursework through the lens in which that institution feels as though that information should be presented. And so it's different depending on what space you're in. But what the MCAT is supposed to do is it's supposed to create a space to where we can standardize your knowledge no matter where you went for undergraduate education. And then when you have that standardized score, now I can compare that based on other um students that are in the pool to gauge how their their ability to be ready for medical school.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

So let's focus

Freshman To Physician Explained

SPEAKER_00 15:20

specifically on NYITCOM and Arkansas State University. Uh again, I mentioned at the outset, our medical school sits on a large undergraduate university. Uh, we were founded through a public-private partnership with that university. And last August, we announced a pretty unique program with a state. We also have that in place with Henderson State University, which is also part of the Arkansas State system. But through this program, we call it Freshman to Physician. And I'll let Dr. Dixon and Jeffrey, you guys, um, tell the parameters of it, but the big component about that does center around that MCAT gauge that we were talking about. So um either one of you take that, I'll take that and run with uh help explain us what the freshman to physician is and and why A State and NYIT and also Henderson have joined in this uh partnership.

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Absolutely. So this is really a unique opportunity, and I'm so glad that we get to be a part of it. Um, but what we are encouraging uh students to do, if they know that they want to become a physician, they are a dedicated pre-med major, we're encouraging them to apply for this um opportunity. And really what we do is we identify students after their first semester at either Arkansas State University or Henderson State University. And what we do is they have an application. They fill out an application to be part of this freshman to physician pathway. And what we as an institution do is support the um student along with our Arkansas State counterparts to set them up to be a very successful medical student down the road. So we are looking at opportunities for mentorship. We are looking for opportunities for more hands-on and immersive experiences for these students. And really, we are helping guide them uh from day one as part of this program to be very resilient individual and be very focused on what does it take to be a good physician outside of just uh academics, but also uh a whole wholehearted scientist is really what you are. So everything from um academic tutoring to working with research opportunities and down the way, I think that it's a really unique opportunity that we offer at the end of their time at their undergraduate institution. We're gonna be welcoming them into the next class of physicians here at NYIT. And it's just a really unique and amazing opportunity for students, especially um for those of us who are from the Delta, that's not something that we have seen. And we're really honored, honestly, to be uh offering that to students.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

And the big part of that I want to reemphasize over. So students that come through this program, if they meet certain parameters, uh specifically GPA, undergraduate GPA, and we know that they get that hard science base, that they do well in those hard science classes, we will not require them to take an MCAT to come into our medical program. Is that right, Dr. Dixon?

SPEAKER_01 18:21

Yeah, that's accurate. Just kind of give you some background. Um, academic affairs, who is amazing here. I I love our academic affairs department. They have an extensive amount of data that they've been tracking throughout the time in which we've been here. And about a year or so ago, they realized that they saw a correlation between students who have a core set of classes that are in the hard science areas that if students have taken these classes, they're more likely to be successful here. And that doesn't matter what your MCAT score is or where you're from, what your undergraduate institution, if they have that block of courses, then they're they're usually successful. And so we took those classes and then we created this kind of an agreement that we started to go out and work with undergraduate institutions to say that, hey, can we create a pathway that if we know that students coming into college, if they're gonna, if we can foreshadow and know that if they have these classes, then they're gonna do do well with us, then let's go ahead and not only cultivate that from the time they get to campus, but also build and mentor them along the way, like Jennifer said. And so for those students that enter into the pathway at A-State or at Henderson, they have about 60 credit hours that we know that's a part of that block. And students that maintain a 3.5 GPA throughout their um throughout their undergraduate experience,

MCAT Waiver And Access Barriers

SPEAKER_01 19:45

they don't they they get a waiver to not have to take the MCAT and they can transition directly into our program. And we can be comfortable with that because we are able to work with the undergraduate institution to do a deep dive into their curriculum so we can know more specifically about what the students are are receiving. And that's critical because I feel like a lot of times the MCAT, while it is very variable, we're not saying that it's not a valid test. So I don't want to discredit it. We we know that sometimes it can be a barrier to students that may not have had the academic development coming from communities similar to what we're producing. They may not have had the resources to take a prep course or they may not have had as strong of a high school foundation. This is a way for us to look at them at the undergraduate level and reward them for the work that they're doing while they're in undergraduate education.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

Yeah, those MCAP prep courses can boast your score, but those cost upwards of two, three, four thousand dollars is accurate. So for students that may not have that have the ability to and um and the they have the ability to do well in medical school, but if they don't have the funds to take that course, it may prevent them from getting the opportunity that we're trying to provide. Is that accurate? Yeah, in a lot of ways, absolutely. So, Jenna, would you have welcomed an opportunity like that?

SPEAKER_03 21:07

Oh, a hundred percent. That would have been so nice.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Did did you take an MCAT prep course?

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Um, I did. I did take one, yes. And I think it was very helpful, but um it definitely cost a lot of money and it was a lot of extra time. I think I would have appreciated that my curriculum that I did in undergrad was set up to help me actually be able to succeed in medical school. Um, because every single one is different, so you never really know. So, like they said earlier, that is why the MCAT is kind of there to help consolidate that. Um, but I think it'd be wonderful if the medical schools looked at the undergraduate curriculum and said, this is exactly what we need our students to know when they come to our school. And so by supporting it, you know, not having to take that MCAT would have been really nice because then it's also less expensive because it is a it is a cost as well. And then you don't have to take those prep courses. So I think it would have been very nice to have that as an opportunity. So Very jealous.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

And in case I also just kind of add there, we're not creating a space in which we're making it easier to get into medical school. We're not lowering the standard. The standard is still there because in order for you to be successful as a medical student, it's a rigorous process. And so we in no shape, form, or fashion are we indicating that we're lowering the standard for being for medical students. We're just understanding that sometimes barriers can be created that were unintentional. And we're trying to figure out how do we be a stopgap for that.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Right. To open that door.

Training Doctors For The Delta

SPEAKER_00 22:35

And, you know, we should probably point out that currently this is for students that are from Arkansas hometowns. Um, and the whole point in that is our medical school was created in partnership with Arkansas State University to help address the physician shortage in Arkansas and the greater Mississippi Delta region. So we've made that accessible to Arkansas students because we know overwhelmingly uh students that are from our state, from this area, are more likely to stay here and practice and serve those communities where our base and where our support and our partners are invested. Is that fair and well said, I guess?

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Absolutely. Absolutely. The students who are from the Delta, we want to give them the opportunity to study in the Delta and hopefully practice in the Delta. Um, I think that our students who are from Arkansas and from our surrounding states uh have a unique perspective on healthcare just because it's something that they've lived. They've seen what we have access to, what we don't have access to, and have a lot of great ideas on how they'd like to change that and improve it, not just for now, but anywhere that they're practicing.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

So if you'd like to learn more about the Freshman Physician Pathway program, uh I would Google it, look it up. The A State website in uhstate.edu is uh a place where they can find that information. I want to uh transition just a little bit. So we've talked a lot about kind of how you get there. Let's go to when you get there. What's the timeline for application? Uh, when do people need to start focusing on those specific tasks

Rolling Timeline And When To Apply

SPEAKER_00 24:10

that they need to do to, you know, when is our application cycle open? Just kind of walk me through that whole timeline cycle, if you would, Jennifer.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Yeah, absolutely. So our cycle looks very similar to a lot of medical schools in that we have a rolling application cycle. What that means is that our applications open in May and then they carry on throughout the year, throughout the next uh 12 months. And so, with that, um, a benefit is that you have some different points in time where you can um focus on getting different pieces of the application together if you don't have it all together all at once. One thing that I highly encourage everyone to do is do get it done sooner than later. There are a lot of individuals out there who have the dream to become a physician. Um, and the sooner you can get your application in our hands, the sooner we can review it as the admissions team. Uh, big key times are we start doing interviews in the summertime in July. And so having applications in uh that early, May, June, is a great time, but you can submit them throughout the uh application cycle and we'll start working on different um different interview uh signups.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

So when you say July, you mean basically a year out. So you would be applying in July 26th to start medical school in the fall of 27. Correct? And so on and so forth. Basically, you're a full year out from where that cycle starts of when you want to start medical school. Is that correct? Absolutely. Absolutely, yes. And Jen, I'm assuming that the process requires a little bit of patience, just like uh, just like any many application processes, whether it be a job, an internship, um I'm sure that was probably your experience.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Yes, it definitely was. I knew that you had to be a year out, and that's unfortunately why I, well, not unfortunately, I loved my two gap years, but I had gone into one gap year being like, oh, I'm gonna study for the MCAT, and I realized, wait a minute, if I'm studying for the MCAT in this gap year, that means I can't apply till I've taken it. And that takes another year. So there were two gap years, and I was fortunate enough to be able to take it, do pretty well, and then submit my applications and that rolling admission process that is kind of along with other medical schools, get an interview and be able to come here. So yeah, it's a lot of patients, takes a lot of work and a lot of resilience.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

So hang in there, applicants. Exactly. You can do this. We encourage you. We're gonna wrap up our conversation here

Final Advice And Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 26:35

in a minute, but I want to give each of the three of you an opportunity to um Jenna, we'll start with you. One piece of advice five, six, seven years ago, as you were uh really honing in on your decision to um to pursue medicine. What's something that you wish you that you know now, you wish you would have known then as you were beginning the application process?

SPEAKER_03 26:55

I think the biggest thing was just understanding that um there is no perfect applicant. We all have our own unique journeys and unique experiences that can be, you know, submitted for, you know, being coming a physician. That's what makes us all great and wonderful people. Uh so kind of staying true to myself, being passionate about what I was interested in, staying resilient amongst all the different timelines and all the different expectations from yourself or your families or anything like that. Um, those were kind of the big things that I think I would have liked to remind myself from five years ago. So and Dr.

SPEAKER_00 27:30

Dixon, is there anything specific you'd like to say to med school hopefuls? Maybe a word of encouragement or just something that they need to know?

SPEAKER_01 27:38

I think that is important for medical school hopeful hopefuls to know that when you are going through this process and you are building out, you know, potentially this as a career opportunity, it's important to know that, you know, medical school and being a doctor is something that you have to want to do. Like I think that a lot of times, you know, we may look at the the prestige or the power or the salary, and we like, oh, I want to do that. But if you don't have a passion for medicine or a passion for helping individuals, medical school usually weed out those individuals. And so you I would encourage individuals to really take time to do those shadowing opportunities to engage with the profession because we have some students that can come in and just, you know, go through it and and they don't necessarily have that strong passion. But for the vast majority of people, where you think about the career is so demanding and is so intentional and it's such a heavy responsibility that you have, you have to want to be here. We have students that may walk through the door with almost a 520 MCAT that didn't have a passion to be here, and they're gone in the first semester because they decided that this is not what their journey should be. And then we'll have a student that may have a lower MCAT that knows that this is their burning desire and passion, and they're able to pick themselves up and be gritty and keep fighting along the way because they want to be a part of this process. So I would just encourage individuals when you're going through that process of preparation, make sure you're pre make sure you're actually paying attention to to how it makes you feel and in your preparation.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

And I would add to that, we need doctors, we need you to be sure of that. It's very noble and uh it's and we but at the same time, as you're saying, as we've said, it's not easy. And we want people to be to be aware of that. But also the reason why we do things like this is to hopefully equip uh students better as they attack this process. Jennifer, I'm gonna give you the last word. One uh one takeaway, one thing you'd like medical school hopefuls to know.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Um, one thing I would like medical school hopefuls to know is that there are a lot of resources out there for you, and it is almost imperative that you use those. Um, you do not have to do this process by yourself. There's a lot that goes into it. Um, but you don't at any point in time need to think you need to be doing it by yourself. Reach out to your pre-med committee, reach out to your pre-med advisor and hopefully find a mentor as you're going through the process. Those are all things that are resources and easily obtainable. And in addition to that, I've yet to meet an admissions person who wasn't happy to answer a question. So always reach out to admissions as well. So those are uh my takeaways uh that I would love to see medical students um doing more of is utilizing the resources that are out there. And if you don't know what they are, be curious and ask.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Yeah. That is really good stuff. Jennifer, Jenna, Dr. Dixon, thank you all so much. I think

Where To Learn More

SPEAKER_00 30:45

this has been a great conversation that hopefully our pre-med students, our med school hopefuls will take away from. To learn more about NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, you can visit us at nyit.edu. You can also follow us. Our social media channels are all NYIT com A R, NYIT com A R on Instagram, on Facebook, on uh X to find out more about our medical school and see some of the exciting things that are happening day to day on our campus here in Jonesboro that are really impacting healthcare in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta and beyond. I'm Casey Pierce. It has been a pleasure to have you all today. We hope you'll tune in again as we uh provide more insight to pre med hopefuls through the premed playbook. So thanks so much for your time. We'll see you guys next time.