Shadowing, Applying to Med/PA School, Medical Careers
How to Utilize Reddit as a Pre-Med Student
About Marissa
Marissa is a recent graduate of Clemson University where she received her B.S. in Health Sciences. During the summer of 2019, Marissa participated in the Atlantis shadowing program in Trento, Italy, and now works as an Alumni Representative with the company. She is currently applying to medical school where she hopes to become a primary care physician.
As a pre-med student, you will have many questions throughout your journey to medical school. This is totally normal since the process to get to medical school is rather difficult and not very straightforward. If you are like me, then you might not have any family members or friends in the medical field which may make you feel isolated during this process. Fortunately, there are entire communities that exist online where you can find all of the help and information you need.
The platform that I really want to highlight is Reddit. Reddit is a collection of forums for people to communicate and learn from. There are thousands of forums to choose from and subscribe to, all you have to do is search a keyword – arts and crafts, for example. As a pre-med student, this is a valuable resource. Since the second that I decided to pursue medicine, I have been using Reddit to study for the MCAT, apply to medical school, and prepare for interviews.
For the most part, I do believe that many pre-med students understand the importance of utilizing Reddit. However, I also believe that the Reddit interface can be confusing to understand, often deterring students from using it. Luckily for you, I have created a Reddit for dummies, where you can find all of the tips and tricks you need to properly utilize the holy grail of pre-med tools.
Understanding the different subreddits available
There are a variety of forums (more commonly known as “subreddits”) that are geared towards pre-med students, depending on your needs and interests. Listed below are a few of the subreddits I recommend you start with.
- r/premed – This is the main hub for pre-med students. This subreddit includes a variety of information that is useful to any student interested in medical school. For me, I used it to see which medical abroad program was right for me. It was through this platform that I was introduced to Atlantis, a 360 shadow abroad program that occurs during school breaks.
- r/MCAT – If you have any questions related to the MCAT, this is the place to be. Not only do they have information on different study materials, but they also discuss answers to practice questions and give further explanations to really make sure you understand the content.
- r/anki – Anki is a resource that students use to help study for the MCAT. It is very effective, but students often have difficulty getting used to the interface. This subreddit is a great place to learn how to use Anki so that you can be successful studying the MCAT.
- r/medicalschool – Here you can learn from current medical students and see what resources and information they recommend to each other to help you prepare in the future.
- r/medicine – Not as much of a resource, but this is a fun subreddit to learn from current physicians and other healthcare professionals as they share the latest advances and controversies related to the medical field.
The very important community information section
On each subreddit, there is a section that is known as community information. Here, you can find a variety of valuable resources. For instance, on the r/premed community information section, some of the resources available include current MD/DO medical school rankings, AMCAS GPA calculators, and medical school COVID-19 responses – to name a few. Additionally, they provide a glossary that defines important abbreviations and terms.
If you are accessing Reddit through your laptop, you can find the community information section along the right side of the page. If you are using your phone to scroll through Reddit, you can click the three dot icon on the upper right corner of your screen to find the community information section.
How this compares to Student Doctor Network (SDN)
Similar to Reddit, SDN includes a forum for students to learn and engage with. However, SDN’s forum is only useful for potential health professionals. Since Reddit is a platform for thousands of different communities, it tends to be more social between the two. In any pre-med related forum, you will find a fair share of memes and jokes that other students created. Scrolling through the more social aspects of Reddit is a great way to help decompress and make light of a stressful process.
Takeaway
At the end of the day, medical schools are looking for three main things: healthcare exposure, high academic performance, and specific core competencies. Reddit is a great way to reach out to other pre-med students for support during the application process. I highly recommend looking through the subreddits if you are struggling to find resources throughout your own pre-med journey. If you are looking for more in-person contact, there are programs such as Atlantis shadowing programs that allow you to work closely with a group of peers with similar interests. Ultimately, what you choose to pursue should be something that you enjoy. Taking the time to find the right support system is a great way to stay resilient during your medical school journey.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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