Success Stories & Testimonials

Introduction

As Liam Cunningham admits, his undergrad experience was fairly standard. He was a biology major and he got a substantial amount of clinical experience at a cancer hospital. He also took a gap year in the middle of undergrad to work as a manager at a donut shop, as he was trying to figure out how to pay for college.

Problem

While Liam had a strong background, he still had a lot of concerns about the medical school application process. He shared, “I didn’t really know much about the application cycle. No one in my family, and none of my close friends, had gone through the process.” Liam was ambivalent about the time and investment to wade into the unknown, without some expert guidance. Compounding the problem, Liam admits that writing was not his strength.

Solution

Liam invested in an admissions consulting package from MedSchoolCoach. His physician advisor Dr. Adrian Diaz quickly demystified the application cycle and process. Moreover, his writing advisor Darlene Holt provided “incredible advice and really quick feedback.” Finally, the interview practice enabled Liam to feel much more comfortable before doing the real thing. 

Results

Out of the 22 schools to which Liam applied, he received 14 interviews and 7 medical school acceptances, including at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The latter two also offered Liam a full merit scholarship.

As Liam said, prior to working with MedSchoolCoach, “These were schools I didn’t think I had had a chance at.” Faced with an unexpected situation, a difficult choice, and multiple acceptances that excited him, Liam ultimately decided to matriculate to Washington University, his top choice.

Introduction

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 as a Biology major, Courtney Oliver took a gap year and worked as a medical scribe in an emergency department and as an ophthalmic technician in an ophthalmology practice. 

Problem

Courtney applied to medical school in 2018, but unfortunately, was not accepted. She lacked compelling experiences that would differentiate her sufficiently from other applicants.

Solution

Courtney initially invested in a Gold Package from MedSchoolCoach. She was paired with admissions consultant Dr. Harvey Katzen, who  advised Courtney to complete a graduate studies program to improve her application. She was subsequently accepted into, and attended, Georgetown University where she obtained her Master of Physiology and Biophysics. 

Armed with her Master degree, she then returned to working with Dr. Katzen on how best to strengthen her reapplication to medical school. Courtney worked closely with Dr. Katzen for personal statement and secondary essay edits, interview preparation, and general advising on her differentiation strategy. She also worked closely with MedSchoolCoach writing advisor, Rebecca Curto, who edited her secondary essays and guided her on how to best represent herself in her secondary essays. 

Results

Courtney reapplied to medical school and, this time, was accepted at three schools:  Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Drexel University College of Medicine. She matriculated to Drexel in 2022.

Reflecting on her success, Courtney said, “without Dr. Katzen’s help and guidance, I would not have received an acceptance from one of my top schools.” 

She offered this advice to future medical school applicants, “Signing up for MedSchoolCoach was an obvious choice because I needed clear guidance on how to improve my application and I did not have advisors in my life to guide me in this way. The advisors at MedSchoolCoach expect a lot from their students. However, the more effort the student invests into this process, the better the outcome will be for the student. Be prepared to work hard and you will not be disappointed with the results.”

Jonah and Stephanie came to MedSchoolCoach with dreams of attending medical school. As a couple, they wanted to at least be in the same city, if not the same school. Both graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and worked with their Physician Advisor, Dr. Aubrey Jordan, extensively through the application cycle.

Recently, they were both accepted into their first choice—Rush Medical School in Chicago!

“Through the supportive and collaborative assistance we received from our MedSchoolCoach advisor, we are ecstatic to have been accepted to Numerous allopathic medical programs and will be matriculating into our dream school in several months! We plan to spend the upcoming months Continuing our work at a local non-profit and enjoy our beautiful state parks. The advice that we would give to those looking to apply this cycle is not to allow any perceived odds discourage you from pursuing your dreams. May the odds be ever in your favor!”

We are thrilled to have supported them through the process and wish them all the best in the Windy City!

Mary was a part of an application cycle after taking two gap years to work. She was overwhelmed with the process of applying to medical school and needed special attention on her application. She signed up for our Complete Silver Package and ended up getting into UC San Diego School of Medicine!

He was a reapplicant to medical school and worked with Dr. Ryan Gillihan as his MedSchoolCoach Physician Advisor. Nikhil advises applicants to believe in yourself and trust that everything will work out.

“Just because you don’t get in the first time you apply does not mean you are not good enough, and it should just be motivation to improve yourself and present yourself better to show the schools that they should not pass up on you. My advisor helped me relax through the stressful process and gave me the confidence I needed to make sure that I did well.”

Nikhil was recently accepted to Texas A&M Medical School. Before he starts medical school in the fall, he plans to relax and spend time with friends and loved ones. He also wants to take a vacation to India.

Ashley came to MedSchoolCoach struggling with the USMLE Step 1. Hoping to improve her score, she signed up for our USMLE tutoring services. After tutoring and a lot of hard work, she came out with a phenomenal score!

Spencer came in struggling with his MCAT score. He spent over 40 hours with his MCAT Tutor, Ken, and came back with a 14-point increase on his MCAT score!

Asked about her experience with MedSchoolCoach, Priya says:

“The advisors at MedSchoolCoach were supportive every step of the way. Dr. Korgavkar was really helpful as I filled out my application and wrote my Personal Statement, and then secondaries. Writing for medical school applications is an art and takes a certain level of skill, and I feel that she really helped me develop that. She was also really encouraging during the waiting process and continued to give great advice as I interviewed. She was always prompt and easily available, and did a great job of both providing me with more information and with giving me pep talks and reassurance.”

After completing the medical school application process with MedSchoolCoach, Sarah says:

“I no longer had close access to a pre-med advisor while I was going through the process because I took two gap years. In addition, my GPA or MCAT were neither terrible nor great, so I wanted to have an extra edge to get into medical school the first time. MedSchoolCoach had extensive individual advising from physicians with admissions committee experience. I really appreciate the thorough job my advisor (Alice) did in reading my essays. On secondaries, Alice’s tips helped me get all the interviews I got.”

With an Ivy League undergraduate degree, a great MCAT score, and good grades, Sandeep thought he was a shoe-in for medical school. Unfortunately, he received no acceptances during his first application cycle. As a reapplicant, MedSchoolCoach helped Sandeep get into his first choice school!

Shanna signed up as a MedSchoolCoach student. In her video, she describes her experience with us and reviews our services. Although we do not want to provide too many spoilers, Shanna is now attending the University of Rochester School of Medicine.