Show Notes
(00:00) — Welcome and setup: Dr. Gray frames a conversation about medicine, premed, and medical school. (00:38) — Puerto Rico at the center: Alysa names her roots and early love of learning from teacher parents. (02:26) — A stroke changes everything: Her father's hospitalization turns biology facts into real patient stakes. (04:12) — Choosing the path: Curiosity plus connection points her toward medicine and a biology degree. (05:11) — Puerto Rico med schools are US schools: Clarifying admissions and acknowledging resource gaps. (05:55) — Undergrad in Puerto Rico: No neuroscience major, so she pieces interests through research. (06:44) — Hurricanes, surgery, and support: Irma, Maria, hernia recovery, and scholarships shape college choice. (10:40) — First research doors: Finding neurobiology at UPR School of Medicine without formal premed advising. (13:35) — MIT summer opens horizons: STEP-UP and a mentor normalize the MD/PhD dream and provide resources. (16:07) — Doubts and stereotypes: Hearing MCAT myths, considering transfer, and choosing to stay. (19:54) — The hardest part: Navigating premed blindly without a true advising office. (22:04) — Finding guidance: Yale PATHS, MSRP-Bio at MIT, and relentless outreach to faculty. (27:58) — If DEI programs vanish: How to build community, start with accessible voices, and ask for help. (33:38) — MCAT pivot and gap year: A 502 score, ADHD-aware study changes, and group question sessions. (35:27) — The acceptance: The email, calling mom, and celebrating at a favorite Mexican spot. (39:00) — Instant family in med school: A tight MD/PhD cohort, Puerto Rican community, and Bad Bunny parties. (42:24) — Final takeaways: Honesty, introspection, intentionality, and nurturing community. Raised in Puerto Rico by teacher parents, Alysa learned early to love learning—and to lead with curiosity. A family health crisis in 12th grade turned textbook biology into lived experience when her dad had a stroke, pushing her toward medicine. As an undergrad in Puerto Rico, limited coursework and advising meant no neuroscience classes and little formal premed guidance, so she created her own path: seeking research at the UPR School of Medicine, leaning on student societies, and knocking on doors. Summer research programs and a mentor at MIT helped her see the MD/PhD route as possible and gave her access to resources she hadn’t had before. Along the way she faced stereotypes about MCAT scores, earned a 502 on her first attempt, and chose a gap year to rethink prep—designing ADHD-friendly strategies, studying with friends, and turning accountability into momentum.
We talk about building community when DEI programs are shrinking, using public platforms like this one to find mentors, and why collaboration beats competition. Alysa shares her acceptance moment, how her MD/PhD cohort became instant family, and the intentional, introspective work behind a compelling application.
What You'll Learn: - How a family health crisis clarified her path to medicine - Navigating premed without a dedicated advising office - Finding research and mentors through cold outreach - Rethinking MCAT prep after a 502 and choosing a gap year - Building community and rejecting zero-sum premed thinking
More from The Premed Years
(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.
(00:00) — 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.