Show Notes
(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
More from The Premed Years
(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.
(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.
(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.
(00:00) — Born in India, raised in Canada: How early experiences with navigating healthcare planted the seed for a medical career. (03:03) — Canadian medical school odds: Why the stat-heavy, seat-limited system makes it one of the hardest paths in North America. (06:51) — First application cycle, zero interviews: What went wrong and what "being a perfect applicant" actually cost her. (09:02) — Second cycle, authentic essays, a few interviews: How honesty on paper moved the needle — but not enough. (15:29) — Ruling out India, weighing the US, Ireland, and the Caribbean: How she narrowed her options after two rejections. (19:05) — Researching Caribbean schools: Attrition rates, match stats, LinkedIn outreach, and a campus visit with her mom. (23:26) — The financial reality for Canadian students at Caribbean schools: Private loans, OSAP, and a scholarship that changed the math. (28:21) — First days at SGU in Grenada: The pressure of IMG status, 12-to-15-hour study days, and staying focused on today. (32:13) — The "Caribbean med school is a vacation" myth: Why the stigma is wrong and what the attrition numbers actually show. (37:53) — Adjusting to island life: Grocery runs as the only break, finding a study rhythm, and getting comfortable in a new environment. (41:57) — Words for students considering the Caribbean path: Why a different road is still a real road.
(00:47) — Grandfather's Illness as Catalyst: Shemiele traces her interest in medicine to caring for her grandfather in Jamaica and losing him to a stroke. (02:30) — Immigrating in Sixth Grade: How moving to the US opened up possibilities she hadn't considered growing up in Jamaica. (05:37) — Deciding on Medicine in High School: The shadowing experience that confirmed she wanted to become a physician. (09:49) — Approaching Graduation Without the MCAT: Why she didn't know the test existed and how she started piecing the process together. (13:57) — Quitting Her Job to Study: How she structured her MCAT prep during the pandemic and what made her feel ready. (16:42) — Building the Application from Scratch: Using online resources to learn how to structure a competitive application. (21:44) — Six Versions of a Personal Statement: What made the writing process so hard and how she finally got it right. (25:27) — Secondary Burnout and What She'd Do Differently: Applying to 17 schools, finishing only 10 secondaries, and the staggering strategy she wishes she'd used. (51:37) — Learning to Use a Mentor: What she didn't do during the application process and what she now tells the students she mentors. (57:10) — Run Your Own Race: Her closing advice for premed students who feel behind.