Hello family,

This journey is exhausting and I want you to know you’re not alone in feeling, at times, despair, elation, exhaustion, and anything in between. For better or for worse, as soon as you get an A, all those months of hardship seemingly vanish and it all feels worth it again. My stats should be visible on my profile but it’s definitely my activities that allowed me to interview at nearly every UC. The only advice I have for California applicants is to truly show longitudinal commitment to California and its population. I did so thru military service as a medic in the national guard but any multi-year commitment will skyrocket you, beyond GPA and MCAT scores (mine are good but not stellar). Diversity in medicine absolutely matters, but I understand as an ORM that it’s easy to tunnel vision into that whole discussion without pinpointing weakness in our own apps. I’m ORM but half Chinese with an immigrant mother. If you truly believe diversity matters, it will show in your application and be rewarded. Much love to you all.