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Hello SDN!
We hope that you are doing well and that the holiday season was spectacular! We at Asclepius have been spending time with our family and friends. But all play must have some work too and we've thoroughly enjoyed talking with all of y'all who're reaching out to us. We are always so impressed by the quality of folks represented here on SDN.
From our conversations, we wanted to make a little "gut check" protocol for you. It's been the major topic both for folks thinking about reapplications or those starting "fresh" in the process. Both groups want to know "should I apply this cycle?"
Four steps to know if you're ready to apply?
1) Do you have at least 150 hours in shadowing (national schools will require a min. of 250) or significant clinical patient-facing experience (preferably alongside physicians)?
2) Do you have a GPA or GPA + trend that reflects your current and best ability in an academic setting?
3) Do you know when you are going to be taking the MCAT? and/or do you have an MCAT score that reflects your best ability?
4) Do you have people, with academic and/or clinical experience, who can speak to your readiness to practice as a physician, readiness to learn as a student, and readiness to be a member of academic and professional communities? In short - do you have LORs?
If you can answer yes to all three, then you are ready to apply. At this point, you should begin serious consideration of your application branding and how your written materials will reflect that. If you answer no to any of these, then you still have time to make yourself ready, depending on the task. If you answer "no" to multiple of these, then you will need to be super active in getting ready or, in our honest opinion, you should reserve yourself for the 2027-28 cycle.
Hurdle 1:
If your hurdle is shadowing, then depending on your situation this can be a serious concern. Shadowing is more than following a doctor around and seeing that they interact with patients. It's about appreciating their place in the healthcare chain, their clinical practice site, and the team they interact with. The opportunity of shadowing is to encounter what the scope of medicine can really entail. The opportunity to watch a county ER is very different than a private plastic surgery clinic. Seeing these differences or diving deeply into one experience gives perspective that is crucial for whether you actually want to do medicine.
If you're an undergrad, then shadowing is often facilitated through pre-med programs and/or is relatively easy to acquire. That being said, you should be active in getting exposure to different specialties. During your shadowing, take mental notes or discrete physical notes and later make record of your experiences on a Google doc or equivalent. This will help with providing accurate hours for your application and also your "Why medicine?" prompts.
Now, for the non-trad applicants. For this group of applicants, shadowing can be incredibly difficult. While many medical programs are aware of this, they do not give as much leniency for applicants as might be expected or desired. For non-trads, many get physician shadowing by finding clinical volunteering opportunities (hospice being one that is popular). Likewise, occupational safety offices can be a source for physician contacts. These are some of many ideas and what is available to non-trads will vary in your area. Non-trads also find success contacting hospitals where local pre-meds shadow or academic medical centers. These are not available to everyone everywhere but always exhaust your options and account fully for what might be available to you.
If you're a non-trad applicant who needs shadowing time, then know that you will need to be relentless in finding opportunities. It is absolutely worth it!
A non-trad does not need a pre-med's shadowing hours amount, but at least 50 hours with attention paid is a strong foundation.
Hurdle 2:
If your hurdle is GPA, then you should seriously consider pursuing post-bacc coursework. We at Asclepius have experience with formal and DIY post-baccs including online coursework options that are accepted at any medical school. If you're interested in exploring these options, then you can schedule with us on our homepage.
Hurdle 3:
MCAT, MCAT, MCAT. You've probably heard of it.
If you are still needing to take the MCAT, then you should begin studying now. Everyone thinks they can score 515 with a three month study plan. Some people can, but the vast majority fall short.
Getting started early in your preparation gives your the best runway to launch into your best score. So often, we have consultations with clients who thought they'd be able to get in 4 hours of studying a day for three months, but ended up with a real avg. of 2 hours a day and underperforming on their MCAT. The universal thought is "I should have started earlier." The MCAT is a test which relies on pattern-recognition, critical thinking, and particular pieces of knowledge that must be known and recalled quickly.
We at Asclepius have specific recommendations outside of the AAMC resources, but it all depends on you and your plan.
The ideal MCAT situation is that you don't put yourself on a timeline but rather take the MCAT when you are ready and when your practice tests show the score that you want. This is a challenge with limited prep tests, but if you want to have an ideal MCAT, then take your time with it regardless.
Hurdle 4:
If your hurdle is LORs, then you still have time to get some. How this works will vary from person to person. For undergrads, you should have faculty connections that you can call upon or establish over the next few months. In this time, you'll also want to assemble medical LORs from physicians you've shadowed or worked with and other clinical figures ideally in a supervisory role.
For folks who are out of school, getting an academic LOR can be a real challenge. That being said, there are options including strategic community college work that can alleviate this issue. How far out of school you are also affects your situation. Reach out and schedule with us if you'd like to discuss your options.
Conclusion:
If you're planning to apply in 2026, then now is the time to get serious. The window for primary submission will come faster than you think, the MCAT will come faster than you think. Secondaries too.
Now is the time to start getting yourself into serious forward motion, so that you may catch the cycle wave momentum, stay ahead of the crushing deadlines, and coast into As.
If you'd like to start preparing your application or figure out if this cycle is right for you, then schedule a consultation with us directly on here or send us a message here.
We hope that you are doing well and that the holiday season was spectacular! We at Asclepius have been spending time with our family and friends. But all play must have some work too and we've thoroughly enjoyed talking with all of y'all who're reaching out to us. We are always so impressed by the quality of folks represented here on SDN.
From our conversations, we wanted to make a little "gut check" protocol for you. It's been the major topic both for folks thinking about reapplications or those starting "fresh" in the process. Both groups want to know "should I apply this cycle?"
Four steps to know if you're ready to apply?
1) Do you have at least 150 hours in shadowing (national schools will require a min. of 250) or significant clinical patient-facing experience (preferably alongside physicians)?
2) Do you have a GPA or GPA + trend that reflects your current and best ability in an academic setting?
3) Do you know when you are going to be taking the MCAT? and/or do you have an MCAT score that reflects your best ability?
4) Do you have people, with academic and/or clinical experience, who can speak to your readiness to practice as a physician, readiness to learn as a student, and readiness to be a member of academic and professional communities? In short - do you have LORs?
If you can answer yes to all three, then you are ready to apply. At this point, you should begin serious consideration of your application branding and how your written materials will reflect that. If you answer no to any of these, then you still have time to make yourself ready, depending on the task. If you answer "no" to multiple of these, then you will need to be super active in getting ready or, in our honest opinion, you should reserve yourself for the 2027-28 cycle.
Hurdle 1:
If your hurdle is shadowing, then depending on your situation this can be a serious concern. Shadowing is more than following a doctor around and seeing that they interact with patients. It's about appreciating their place in the healthcare chain, their clinical practice site, and the team they interact with. The opportunity of shadowing is to encounter what the scope of medicine can really entail. The opportunity to watch a county ER is very different than a private plastic surgery clinic. Seeing these differences or diving deeply into one experience gives perspective that is crucial for whether you actually want to do medicine.
If you're an undergrad, then shadowing is often facilitated through pre-med programs and/or is relatively easy to acquire. That being said, you should be active in getting exposure to different specialties. During your shadowing, take mental notes or discrete physical notes and later make record of your experiences on a Google doc or equivalent. This will help with providing accurate hours for your application and also your "Why medicine?" prompts.
Now, for the non-trad applicants. For this group of applicants, shadowing can be incredibly difficult. While many medical programs are aware of this, they do not give as much leniency for applicants as might be expected or desired. For non-trads, many get physician shadowing by finding clinical volunteering opportunities (hospice being one that is popular). Likewise, occupational safety offices can be a source for physician contacts. These are some of many ideas and what is available to non-trads will vary in your area. Non-trads also find success contacting hospitals where local pre-meds shadow or academic medical centers. These are not available to everyone everywhere but always exhaust your options and account fully for what might be available to you.
If you're a non-trad applicant who needs shadowing time, then know that you will need to be relentless in finding opportunities. It is absolutely worth it!
A non-trad does not need a pre-med's shadowing hours amount, but at least 50 hours with attention paid is a strong foundation.
Hurdle 2:
If your hurdle is GPA, then you should seriously consider pursuing post-bacc coursework. We at Asclepius have experience with formal and DIY post-baccs including online coursework options that are accepted at any medical school. If you're interested in exploring these options, then you can schedule with us on our homepage.
Hurdle 3:
MCAT, MCAT, MCAT. You've probably heard of it.
If you are still needing to take the MCAT, then you should begin studying now. Everyone thinks they can score 515 with a three month study plan. Some people can, but the vast majority fall short.
Getting started early in your preparation gives your the best runway to launch into your best score. So often, we have consultations with clients who thought they'd be able to get in 4 hours of studying a day for three months, but ended up with a real avg. of 2 hours a day and underperforming on their MCAT. The universal thought is "I should have started earlier." The MCAT is a test which relies on pattern-recognition, critical thinking, and particular pieces of knowledge that must be known and recalled quickly.
We at Asclepius have specific recommendations outside of the AAMC resources, but it all depends on you and your plan.
The ideal MCAT situation is that you don't put yourself on a timeline but rather take the MCAT when you are ready and when your practice tests show the score that you want. This is a challenge with limited prep tests, but if you want to have an ideal MCAT, then take your time with it regardless.
Hurdle 4:
If your hurdle is LORs, then you still have time to get some. How this works will vary from person to person. For undergrads, you should have faculty connections that you can call upon or establish over the next few months. In this time, you'll also want to assemble medical LORs from physicians you've shadowed or worked with and other clinical figures ideally in a supervisory role.
For folks who are out of school, getting an academic LOR can be a real challenge. That being said, there are options including strategic community college work that can alleviate this issue. How far out of school you are also affects your situation. Reach out and schedule with us if you'd like to discuss your options.
Conclusion:
If you're planning to apply in 2026, then now is the time to get serious. The window for primary submission will come faster than you think, the MCAT will come faster than you think. Secondaries too.
Now is the time to start getting yourself into serious forward motion, so that you may catch the cycle wave momentum, stay ahead of the crushing deadlines, and coast into As.
If you'd like to start preparing your application or figure out if this cycle is right for you, then schedule a consultation with us directly on here or send us a message here.
