2024 Matriculants
Name: Ashley Padilla-Veras
Major: Human Biology
Minor: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.77
Graduation Year: 2021
Matriculation Year: 2024
Q: Which school will you be attending?
A: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Q: What drew you to this particular health field?
A: I had the privilege of being a patient of my hero, Dr. Tapia. Frequent visits to his office for treatment drew me to the compassionate care he and his staff provided. It was there that my love for medicine first took root. Over time, however, my initial desire to pursue medicine evolved into a deeper purpose. Through participating in various programs focused on supporting underserved communities—communities like my own—I realized that my calling was to continue serving these populations through mentoring, research, and clinical work.
Q: What extracurricular activities did you participate in?
A: I participated in various research and outreach programs, including health literacy research for pediatrics at NYU, the C.A.R.E. program at Mount Sinai, and microbiology research at Cornell. I also contributed to the 'Let’s Get Ready' initiative, providing SAT and test prep support for high school students. Additionally, I was actively involved in clubs such as LMSA and PHMI, and volunteered at Mount Sinai during COVID-19, as well as with Black Health initiatives.
Q: How many hours on average did you spend studying for your courses per week?
A: I typically dedicate around 3 to 4 hours each day to homework, with additional time on the weekends, totaling approximately 20 to 25 hours per week.
Q: Did you use a test prep course? What resources did you use to prepare?
A: Yes, I used Jack Westin's and Kaplan's courses, along with Blueprint exams, UWorld, and AAMC materials.
Q: Did you take a GAP year? If so, why?
A: Yes, I took three gap years to prepare for the MCAT and complete two master's degrees—one in Science and one in Public Health—before starting medical school.
Q: What do you consider to be your strengths in your application?
A: I believe my application genuinely reflects my goals and personality. Every activity I participated in was driven by genuine interest, not just to check boxes. I was truly searching for my path. This authenticity is especially valuable during interviews, where passion naturally shines through and makes it easy to talk about what you love. My application tells the story of someone deeply passionate about medicine who also grew throughout her journey. I believe this transparency was key to my success.
Q: Did you apply nationally?
A: No.
Q: How did the Pre-Health Advising Office help you achieve your goals?
A: One of the most significant influences in my journey to medicine has been Kemile Jackson. From the moment I first stepped into her office, she believed in me and provided invaluable advice. She guided me on how to study, where to find resources, and recommended programs that aligned with my goals. As a first-generation student in medicine, navigating this path has been particularly challenging, especially when it comes to finding resources like shadowing opportunities. Having someone like Kemile to point me in the right direction and persistently encourage me to stick with my goals has been vital, especially when the road to medicine felt overwhelming.
Q: What advice do you have for future applicants?
A:
Be yourself, learn from your journey, and truly seek out what you love. Don’t pursue medicine if you are not truly passionate about it. Medicine is challenging, and only passion will sustain you. You’ll encounter patients on their worst days, face sleep deprivation, and experience stress, but when you truly care, nothing matters more than ensuring your patients are safe and well. Also, medicine is not about being smart, it’s about being disciplined and resilience. For those of you who failed an exam, or course, or have a bad GPA, don’t give up, if this is your dream, there’s space for you in medicine.
Cultivate empathy, not just as a doctor but from the very beginning as a student. Your journey starts as a pre-med, not just when you enter medical school or become a doctor. Begin training yourself from your first day in General Chemistry to become the physician you aspire to be. Remember, your classmates are your future colleagues, so be kind. Medicine is a collaborative effort, not a race or competition. And most importantly, have fun. Take your time—it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Take care of your health, spend time with loved ones, and make lots of friends. Support is incredibly important!
Name: Yuval Guetta
Major: Psychology- Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration
Minor: Chemistry
Overall GPA: 3.93
Graduation Year: 2023
Matriculation Year: 2024
Q: Which school will you be attending?
A: NYU Grossman School of Medicine- MSTP
Q: What drew you to this particular health field?
A: I started college with an interest in clinical psychology, but quickly shifted towards neuroscience after joining a lab at hunter. I then became interested in pursuing a PhD in neuroscience, but still wanted to care for patients clinically. Pursuing an MD-PhD will allow me to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders in the lab, which will in turn inform patient care.
Q: What extracurricular activities did you participate in?
A: Most of my time was spent in the lab, which was supplemented by my participation in the BP-ENDURE program, which prepares students for graduate degrees in neuroscience. Outside of research, I volunteered at Mount Sinai through the CARE program, was a mentor and ambassador for PHMI, was heavily involved with Hunter Hillel as a wellness intern, worked as a COVID-19 lab technician, and participated in summer research experiences at Vanderbilt and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Q: How many hours on average did you spend studying for your courses per week?
A: This definitely varied for me based on the time of the semester and my coursework. For my pre-med classes, I would spend about 5 hours per week studying during non- exam seasons, but the week of an exam this would increase quite substantially to about 10-15.
Q: Did you use a test prep course? What resources did you use to prepare?
A: I used Blueprint mainly for their practice exams, and supplemented that with Khan Academy videos and AAMC question packs and full length exams.
Q: Did you take a GAP year? If so, why?
A: Yes, I took a gap year to wrap up my research project at my lab. This allowed me to enhance my research experience, refine my application, and submit a manuscript before starting medical school.
Q: What do you consider to be your strengths in your application?
A: Longitudinal research experience, a cohesive narrative and clea reasoning for why I need both degrees to reach my career goals. I also think I was able to clearly explain my research and show my passion for the project during interviews and throughout my application.
Q: Did you apply nationally?
A: I applied mostly in the northeast.
Q: How did the Pre-Health Advising Office help you achieve your goals?
A: Nina and Kemile were incredibly helpful in ensuring that I was prepared for what the application process would require, and also with editing my personal statements.
Q: What advice do you have for future applicants?
A: Pick your extracurricular activities based on what interests you rather than what you think you “should” do! Having a cohesive narrative that emphasizes your interests and passions makes you stand out as an applicant and shows that you are serious about this path. For MCAT studying, don't waste too much time on content review. Start full length exams as soon as possible and target your context review based on questions you get wrong. Finally, surround yourself with mentors and peers who support you and from whom you can learn! This process is long and definitely not easy, so a support system of people who understand what you're going through is vital.
