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From plateauing MCAT scores, and having to retake, to breaking down days before exam day, all 70+ MedLife Mastery Mentors suffered the frustrations and disappointments that come with MCAT prep. Yet we ALL ended up getting 90+ percentile MCAT scores and are on our way to (or already in) med-school! Now we want to help you do the same!
If you're struggling with the MCAT, need some extra motivation, want to know how top scorers before you studied and learn their best strategies, this show is for you. You have what it takes to beat this exam. We’re here to make sure of that!
I had a passage on my MCAT that was talking about mass spec. And I looked at it, and I was like, oh, okay. Never learned this. Didn't bother studying it for the MCAT because it was pretty low yield. And instead of panicking, because I could have panicked, I just kind of went through it slowly and I didn't actually have to know anything about mass spec.
Mollie:And so I always tell students to do something fun, like, right before they go in. And so, like, before my test, I sat in my car and I, like, blasted High School Musical music.
MedLife Admin:Hey, future doctor. Quick reminder before we dive in. Did you know we've got a full library of free MCAT resources waiting for you? We're talking cheat sheets, checklists, practice passages, free courses, and more, all made by real top scorers. Head to medlifemastery.com/mcat/free and grab what you need.
Meghan:Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another Medlife Mastery podcast episode. My name is Megan. I'm one of the tutors here at Medlife and I am so so excited for today's episode because we have a fellow tutor on the call with me. Molly is with me today and that's really exciting because usually, we interview students who've just taken the MCAT.
Meghan:So today is a little bit special. I don't wanna spoil because Molly is going to introduce herself and share her journey and story and all the good things, but just to hype up how amazing Molly is, she has over six hundred hours of tutoring. She got an incredible five twenty one on her MCAT, so crazy ninety ninth percentile score and she is now a fourth year medical student. So she has been through the MCAT journey, she's been through a lot of med school and I have a feeling I'm going to learn immensely from her. Molly, welcome to the pod.
Meghan:Thank you. It's great to have you today. I wanna start with just a little intro for our audience. I mean, maybe some listeners have even had you as their tutor, which would be cool. But what do you think would be a good intro to share with listeners?
Mollie:Yeah. I think that's a lot of what I've done with med life. I started in 2021 as I was applying to med school, and I just submitted my residency application a few weeks ago. So that feels very full circle. God.
Mollie:And so I'm an emphor at Emory. I applied pediatrics, and we're just kind of waiting now to hear things.
Meghan:I feel like waiting is a very common word in the medical journey Definitely. So Whether you're like MCAT or waiting for med school or then I guess like residency applications. I was going to ask you like what's one word to describe where you're at right now. I don't know if waiting is the word or if something else.
Mollie:I think waiting is pretty good. Yeah. I feel like this year will be a lot, and I don't know where I will be next year. So it's exciting, but definitely waiting for a bit.
Meghan:That's awesome. How did you first get involved with Medlife? Were you did you have tutoring, or did you apply to be a tutor? Like, how did that whole process start for you?
Mollie:I did not have a tutor through Medlife. I was kind of looking into wanting to be a tutor at some point because I feel like I got through a lot during my MCAT journey and felt like I could help some folks. And then I kind of stumbled upon Medlife and applied and then have obviously stayed here ever since and I've really loved being a part of the team.
Meghan:That's awesome. I always laugh because I took the MCAT three times. So I have like maybe the non traditional tutor route of I was like not a testing natural test taker and the way I got introduced to even maybe the idea of being a tutor was because I was asked to come on this podcast as like a student guest and then afterwards tutoring came up. So it's always fun to hear how people get involved because every I've heard a different answer every time I ask someone.
Mollie:Okay. That's really fun. One of my former students, I saw that she did a podcast not so long ago, so that's pretty cool.
Meghan:Yeah. I know. It's fun to hear. I'm really hoping I could get one of mine on. I find you probably find this too, especially for students where you work with them for so many sessions like ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, you grow like such a relationship with them that there's just some people that I think their personality would be so perfect for like the public to hear, you know?
Meghan:Definitely. Yeah. I also wanted to ask, we're going to get into like MCAT tips and mistakes and all of that, but for maybe listeners that don't know you, what would you say is your tutoring style or like approach to working with a student?
Mollie:I I found out recently that I have over six hundred hours of tutoring, which is kinda crazy. And so I think over the years, just from working with so many students, I have I've, like, figured out kind of how to work with people differently, and I don't know that I have, like, one way that I work with people. And I always start by, like, asking a lot of open ended questions because everyone's journey is totally different and just kinda figuring out, like, okay. Where are we at? How burnt out are we usually on a scale of, like, eight to 10?
Mollie:And then, like, go from there. And I think I don't know that I have, like, one strategy for everyone because everyone is so so so different.
Meghan:Yeah. I really agree with that. I think the MCAT process in general, I think, requires a lot of fluidity whether you're on the student side or the tutor side of adapting over time because you change just naturally as a student and what your strengths are or your growth areas are. So I would agree with you that I think having fluidity and also people just learn really really differently. Mhmm.
Meghan:So it's hard to have like one thing. I try to be very like holistic. I do a lot of meditation and like confidence building with my students. So I try to do that no matter what, but I have some students where it's like they really love visuals, others that love talking things through and like flip classroom like it's really interesting to see and I learn through the process kind of of, oh, that's like a great way to teach or learn something because my brain maybe doesn't immediately go there, but then the students does,
Mollie:you know? Yeah. I have tried the meditating thing and my my brain doesn't shut down enough. And so I always tell students, I'm like, you could try this. Doesn't work for me.
Mollie:Here's what works for me. And then we, you know, we talk about some other things. And so it's kind of cool to find, like, what works for this person even in terms of, like, calming them down rather than, like, MCAT strategy kinds of things. So
Meghan:yeah. When you are starting to work with a student, what are your I know you mentioned asking about burnout, but kind of, like, where do you usually start? Or for maybe a student who's just starting out in their MCAT journey, what would you recommend thinking them thinking about if they're, like, really, really early into the process?
Mollie:I think one of the things and I don't usually catch people early enough in this process, but thinking about really, like, your timing and how much time you have and then when you're planning on taking your test. And I have had so many students who have been studying for years, and they are so burnt out by the end of that. And they have just been studying for hours and hours each day, and they're not getting anything done. And it just feels like they are driving themselves crazy, which, you know, it drove me crazy, and I didn't study for years. So I get it.
Mollie:But I think, like, before you start thinking about studying for the MCAT, think about that timing. And if you have someone to talk to who's taken it before, ask them how long. Because if you're studying full time, you do not need a year. That's too long. And if you are studying, like, bit by bit, think about, like, where you're gonna fit those things in and where you're gonna take your breaks and have things to look forward to.
Mollie:At the beginning of studying, when people have more time, I really like to get people to slow down, and I tell them to trust me. And, usually, it works. And so trying to get people to just, like, go really, really slow through things and really build a foundation and not worry about the content so much and that will just get there when it gets there and it's okay.
Meghan:I know. That's one of my mottos. I guess I should have said at the start of this that I am right now in kind of a funny space because I applied to med school, I deferred for a year in where I'm going. So this is my year of just working and that's it. Like I don't need to accomplish anything, I don't need to do anything, I can just be.
Meghan:But as someone that had to take the MCAT three times, I delayed my application cycle in order to retake it and I am like a type a, everything is planned, everything is scheduled. I graduated from college early thinking like I'll take like one gap year and be done, whatever. And the MCAT really humbled me that actually like it's okay and that I have time and like my whole life doesn't have to be figured out. So I agree with you that like slowing down feels counterintuitive, but that's like one of my favorite actually ways I feel like I've grown as a person from the MCAT is realizing like it doesn't have to be a race to finish all these, like, one to the next accomplishment. And, like, actually, I say this all the time to students, like, you have time.
Meghan:It's okay.
Mollie:Yeah. And it's really it's easy for us to say, and I I always say this to people too. Like, it's so easy for me here in this position to say slow down. And when I was taking the MCAT, I did not believe that either. Mhmm.
Mollie:So, like, I, you know, take that with a grain of salt. But I think I I was really, like, stuck for a while and, like, getting the same scores on MCAT, like, practice tests and actually met my now fiance and, like, didn't wanna study for the MCAT and was hanging out with him.
Meghan:And so I was like That's one one. I mean, that relatable.
Mollie:Right. Like, I was taking breaks, and it was great. And then things started improving because I was doing more things. And I wasn't studying less, really. I was just kind of focused on more things and, like, spreading myself out a little bit more in terms of the things that were important to me.
Mollie:And so it really does work to slow down. Mhmm.
Meghan:And I think be just intentional about your time. Like, I worked full time while studying and it wasn't, like, totally possible for me to get a good score. I just had to be more intentional about, like, how I budget my time. But for me, I always tell students like have a non negotiable in your day that's just for you. Like it can be a workout, it could be seeing a friend.
Meghan:For me, it's like yoga. I get my yoga in and like that was my it doesn't matter if I didn't finish my whole list like that was my non negotiable and it really helped me and my mindset say better and like perform better and I think like you have to say a whole person because the MCAT will come and go but it is easier to say now than it is like in the moment for sure.
Mollie:Definitely.
Meghan:That's the perfect segue then because I was going to ask you what you think kind of the most common mistakes are that you see with students which timing maybe and pace is one. But what are other common mistakes that you and all six hundred plus hours of scaring have encountered?
Mollie:I see I think the most common thing is seeing people really focus on content at the beginning and, like, trying to learn everything there is to learn for the MCAT, which is not really a possible thing to do and also won't really help you out. And I promise it gets better. Step one and step two are not like that. But focusing on content for so long, you actually don't get to build your, like, question strategy. And then by the time you know more things, you don't get the opportunity to kind of guess and, like, make those educated guesses and kind of use that part of your brain that isn't the content side of your brain.
Mollie:And so I think that's the most common thing I see is, like, really just focusing on the content and less on questions and then getting really, really, like, in this spiral of, well, why am I not doing any better? Because of the work in and then you're so burnt out and you haven't even really done, like, the bulk of the work yet. Mhmm. It's just been, like, time and energy.
Meghan:Yeah. I really understand that. I think everyone who takes the MCATs motivated and used to doing relatively well in school. And so the the and I had this too. My approach was, like, let me just memorize as much information as possible because like that's usually what you do in college to do well on an exam.
Meghan:But then like everyone would do well on the MCAT because I think every pre med is capable of like a super high volume on key set or flashcard set or whatever. And I usually tell students when they're learning content to like, I say targeted practice but that's just semantics of then practicing UWorld in like, okay, if you wanna stay in that content area, you can practice in that topic but like really pairing that at the start that you're not just studying flashcards all day because like as you're saying, it's just not going to get the strategy there.
Mollie:Yeah. And I think along those lines too, like, we all or a lot of us have come from these backgrounds of just, like, very intense academics, and there are just things that pop up on the MCAT that people are like, oh, I'm supposed to know this. I'm supposed to know about neurofibromatosis. No. You're not.
Mollie:I promise you're not. That will come later. It's fine. But it's just using those really, really basic skills that you learned a really long time ago. And so I usually will tell students just make sure that, like, if you're getting stuck on a question, try and simplify it down and think about, okay.
Mollie:Is this something that I learned in, like, high school biology or something earlier rather than I'm forgetting something, it's something more complicated and I'm missing it. And a lot of times that will get you the answer.
Meghan:Yeah. I agree. I think there's this push pull between strategy and knowledge and I think students want to lean so into the knowledge side that usually training yourself to lean into strategy and that you're not gonna know everything on the exam, like you could study every possible thing and you're still going to see stuff that you don't know. I would say another common mistake I see is people just waiting too long to ask for help and I did this like a 100% of like waiting to get a tutor. It doesn't even have to be tutoring because tutoring I know is like an expense and like an investment that may not be accessible to everyone.
Meghan:But I would say like help could come in so many forms of just like changing the way you study in your routine or talking to like I didn't talk to my peers as much about how much I was struggling with the MCAT because it was like I felt embarrassed almost that I like what's wrong with me that I have to take it again. So like that's another thing I see a lot in working with students is like, they're maybe two weeks out from their exam and now wanna chat and I think to myself like, if we started it like the start of your journey, this would have so much more opportunity to build habits together. You know?
Mollie:Yeah. And I think that's a really good point. Like, it's just really hard to do anything on your own. And so whether that's having a tutor to help you through or just even if you're talking to your mom about things or your friend who is in business and has no idea what the MCAT is, like, make them be on your journey with you and just don't be alone and just reach out for help wherever that's available.
Meghan:Yeah. So listeners, if you're hearing this, don't be afraid to ask for help. And if you get a tutor, I also think students are just common misconception at least I think where students think they have to like perform well maybe in front of me like when we're first working together and maybe they're doing a practice problem I'm like, oh my gosh, I got it wrong and I always say to them like the more you get wrong in front of me the better because the more we can work on, the more I can see where your growth areas are and so I think that's like a common misconception with tutoring that you have to like have it all together or there's no such thing to me as like a bad impression in terms of getting something right or wrong, you know?
Mollie:Yeah. And like we probably got that same question wrong two years ago and here we are.
Meghan:Yeah. Any other common mistakes that you see? And I think
Mollie:this is just something that happens with people who are type a and premed in general. But just studying late into the night and then waking up early the next morning and studying again and just thinking that, like, hours are going to make a difference in things. Mhmm. And I think that's where the burnout comes in. And so I always tell students, like, let your body, let your brain tell you when you're done.
Mollie:If you are not focusing, stop and get up and go for a walk. Do something. Come back to it. If it's still not working, you're done because we don't need to be, like, practicing bad habits and doing things like that. And so many people are just, like, putting hours and hours and hours of work in, and then they're exhausted, and we're just not gonna make any progress from there Mhmm.
Mollie:Without, like, taking a break and restarting. So I think that's that's another really big mistake that I see.
Meghan:Yeah. I agree. And, like, I'll even say more specifically people afraid to take days off in their week. Like, I'll usually talk about kind of a general schema of how to divide up the days in your week, and I'll always encourage, like, I call it a rest day, like not a day off but like, I purposely say like a rest day of like nourishing your mind, your body and I think that is what I get the most hesitation or like pushback from from students. I rarely have students say like, oh, I don't have enough time to do that or that's not a realistic goal.
Meghan:But they very quickly will say like, I don't know about a rest day. I don't have the time to do that like I and I really view the MCAT as like you're kind of a performance athlete, like your brain is performing for a really long time and like, nope high performing athletes work out and train seven days a week with like little sleep morning, noon and night, that's just not the way you train your body or your brain to perform. But I definitely would say that's the area I get the most pushback on.
Mollie:Definitely. And fun facts for everyone, you consolidate memories in slow wave sleep, in deep sleep. If you don't sleep, you're not gonna consolidate your memories and then you've, like, wasted your time, so you have to go to sleep.
Meghan:I was talking to a student today who I our goal is her sleep schedule. Like, we spent a long time talking about, like, how to get her sleep schedule on track. So love that advice. What are your favorite resources? This is a common question I'm sure like all tutors get.
Meghan:What are your favorite resources for students to use during their MCAT journey?
Mollie:My favorite is the AAMC stuff, mostly just because those are the people who wrote the test. Those are old test questions. They are like, because of that, they're going to be the most accurate. I like the Jack Weston cars, and I like that it's free, and you can just kind of, like, go on and do Jack Westin passages. And then I Anki, I have very mixed reviews on because I'm really not a content fan for MCAT studying, like, really much at all.
Meghan:Hot take. That is a hot take. Like, it's
Mollie:a really hot take. Listen. I have had students not know really any chemistry at all and get, like, one twenty eights on their chem phys sections, which always prompted me to say, okay. Well, we could learn some chemistry, though. Like, maybe it's maybe some time.
Mollie:But yeah. So Anki, I think, works for some people and doesn't work for others. And I think mostly what I don't like about it is the kind of, like, piling up of cards that you feel like you have to do because that's just never gonna be helpful for you. And it's too much memorization and not really the best use of your time.
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Meghan:Okay. So listeners are probably hearing your hot take and thinking like, let's screech to a halt. What is she talking about? So before I get to like the actual next question, expand on in terms of like the balance of strategy content, what's your recommendation for that split and kind of how, let's say, your people that didn't know chem very well, how did they do well in that section?
Mollie:So and this is all, like, advice I would try to give to someone if they were, like, really at the beginning of MCAD studying. Start by going through questions and just try and try and, like, pick out the hints of why did the authors of this question, like, put this here, or why did the author of this CARS passage, like, throw this word here, and why didn't they use this other word? And really, like, dissecting questions even not in CARS and in the science sections, there's a reason why whoever was writing it put that thing in there. And so try and figure that out and figure out, like, if it was a different word, what would the answer be? Or, like, how would that change the meaning of it?
Mollie:If I were trying to write this question, what would I put as a distractor and thinking about things that way? And I will tell you, I don't know a bit of organic chemistry because I did it over the 2020 online in ten weeks. And so I don't know any orgo. I really, really don't. And so I just look for patterns.
Mollie:I know some of it, but I'll look for patterns and things, and I'll look for, like, what is a common thing that they like to test and what is a common thing that is usually wrong? What kinds of answers do they like? And if you're going through slowly through those questions, it's really easy to pick up on those things and kind of, like, stash them away in your brain. And then you get to this point where you're like, okay. This answer looks wrong, and I don't really know why, but it looks wrong.
Meghan:Mhmm. And
Mollie:that's your brain telling you something, and it's because you've started to pick up on things. And then eventually, you start to realize, like, well, why did that seem wrong rather than it just I'm not sure. It looked wrong.
Meghan:And Okay. I love this hot take. I usually work with students on cars. Like, that's the section that I'm just most often paired with. And what I maybe my hot take is I love cars and I know most people don't, but what I always tell students is the whole exam is a reading exam.
Meghan:Mhmm. And so exactly as you're saying, like there's so much that's given away in the question stem itself and the words that they pick and the information they pick to put in the passage versus information that they don't include and omit and I think that why I like really think Cars is such a great place to invest in is once you learn the logic and the patterns of AAMC, it applies then to like every other section where maybe yes, you're integrating some content knowledge or words that you recognize. But when I'm tutoring, I always like, I never really explain the content tons because I just don't think that's the best use of time. We'll go through it a little bit but I'll always say like, here's how you could eliminate down to the right answer without really understanding the topic at all and I think most people when they don't know the content just start panicking of like, oh my gosh, I'm behind. I don't know this red alert.
Meghan:I'm not going to get the answer and don't realize like you can totally reason your way through the logic and still get it right even if you have like, not tons of information in your head about what they're talking about.
Mollie:Yeah. I had a I had a passage on my MCAT that was talking about mass spec. And I looked at it and I was like, oh, okay. Never learned this. Didn't bother studying it for the MCAT because it was pretty low yield.
Mollie:And instead of panicking, because I could have panicked, I just kind of went through it slowly, and I didn't actually have to know anything about mass spec. And so I feel like students will see these words that are scary looking to them, things that they don't know, and it was just asking to do some, like, fairly simple problem solving just in a different context. Mhmm. And so, yeah, I usually have students, like, go back to content when they're getting things wrong. If there's a small thing that they need to review rather than doing, like, big reviews because then everything's, like, in context of the question and what you got wrong.
Meghan:Yeah. Okay. I love this hot take. And listeners may be like, oh my gosh. She's like changing my world right now.
Meghan:They're like stuck in the Anki, the weeds of Anki. So that that's awesome. You've been tutoring for a while longer than me because I've only been a tutor for like a year. How have you grown or like how what have you learned over your time tutoring?
Mollie:I think one of the things that the MCAT helps you with and that MCAT tutoring has helped me with is just growing in my confidence when I'm picking an answer for something or when I'm, like, thinking about something or, you know, talking to someone about whatever it is or teaching. And I think as much as I'm not sure how much I think sometimes it's hard to see how the MCAT is helping with medical school and medicine and those kinds of things. But I definitely think that in terms of, like, picking an answer or picking a diagnosis and being confident in that and having reasons to back that up and having that gut feeling for things, it really does help with that. And I think I've learned how to better teach people that have different learning styles, but I think more than that, I've learned how to challenge people who are at different levels and really find, like, not necessarily how do I explain this thing to them, but how do I, like, get them excited about this? How do I make them motivated?
Mollie:How do I, like, you know, get them to be, I don't know, challenged and learning more things than they would during their entire time?
Meghan:Yeah. I agree with you. And I like to add on to that, I think a lot of students underestimate themselves. Like, maybe they'll put a goal score in that's high or low or whatever, but when I actually talk to them, they're not that connected with the goal score. Like, they don't most of the students I'm working with, I don't think actually have the like internal belief that they can get there and I find often they'll say, oh yeah, this is my goal score but if I got this or this like, you know, I'd be happy or I'd accept that.
Meghan:And then when we're practicing or when they're updating me on their week, often it's like I I'm challenging them to like have more expectations of themselves because of all the work they're putting in, like you don't need settle or think like, oh, I'd just be lucky to get like x score and it's like fun. That's one of my favorite parts of tutoring is seeing someone's confidence over time, like, grow and develop and like, maybe they didn't believe, you know, a certain score is possible and they exceed what the goal is and that's like really gratifying, you know. What other if any besides like content hot takes, do you have any other general tips? I know it's hard because every person and their needs are so different. Do you have any other tips as a tutor that you wish you knew during your MCAT journey that you could kind of share with listeners?
Mollie:We've kind of already talked about like slowing down, and I think I wish someone told me why slowing down was helpful. And maybe even before the MCAT, that might have been helpful. I think it's just important to talk about wellness in general, especially with premed people. I think the other thing that I wish I knew years ago that I've kind of learned through MCAT tutoring through just being in med school is that happy people do well on tests. And people who are walking into their tests and are really excited and, like, not necessarily excited to take the MCAT because I don't know that anyone is, but excited to be done, excited to prove how much hard work they've put into something and or just are happy those people do well.
Mollie:And people who are, like, in a place where they're burnt out and things like that, it's just harder to do well on this test. And so I always tell students to do something fun, like, right before right before they go in. And so, like, before my test, I sat in my car and I, like, blasted High School Musical music. And that's what I did, and then I walked in. And I will tell people to, like, call their mom if that's their thing.
Mollie:Or if they, you know, if they like yoga, make sure they do, like, you know, fifteen minutes in the morning, like, do something or have their chocolate bar in the morning. Like, whatever it is that makes them happy that, like, gives them that extra kick
Meghan:Mhmm.
Mollie:Just make sure they do that before they walk into the testing center.
Meghan:I, funnily enough, give similar but opposite advice where I say something to look forward to, like, afterwards to celebrate because I and I feel like this is so, like, stereotypical of just the personality type of someone taking the exam. Like fixate, I'm such a perfectionist on like little details and oh, I could have because I have three exams to leave and then think about, oh, this question or that So I took my test center, actually the town next to where my grandparents live, it just happened to be that there was a test center there. And so Bedford Farms, which I know at least one listener will know where this is because I work with a student who lives like right, like very close to my grandparents. Like we randomly got paired by med life and then realized we live really close. But Bedford Farms, which is a great ice cream place is down the street.
Meghan:So I would get a celebratory Sunday which meant three celebratory Sundays in my MCAT journey afterwards to, like, look forward to and be done. But I think it's really healthy to have something that, like, instantly shifts and get your mind off of the exam because you really can't, like, do anything afterwards. And everyone wants to go on Reddit or like look online at this or that and I think that's just like a very anxiety producing place to be. So like, I always recommend plan something that just you can look forward to, makes you happy, and like takes your mind totally off of the rest of the day.
Mollie:Like, blanket statement. Do not go on Reddit for med school related things.
Meghan:Please stay off Reddit.
Mollie:Will not make you feel better. Yeah.
Meghan:No. And funnily enough, I, like, really didn't go on Reddit at all. Like, I was disciplined about that. So I didn't even realize, like, how much of a problem it is until I started tutoring and, like, realizing how much anxiety or even like TikTok, which I don't have TikTok, but the amount of students I've had that say like, oh, yeah, I follow this person or that person and they do like study with me for eight hours. Like crazy things and I'm like, don't please don't do that.
Meghan:Do you have any like anecdotes or like meaningful stories or relationships or things from being a tutor that you've experienced that you want to share?
Mollie:I think I've actually just formed some great relationships with some of my, like, former mentees. One of them who I worked with for a while, I don't know how many hours, but we got to work for together for a really long time. She's in med school now, also a retaker. And her now fiance lives in Atlanta, and so I've gotten to see her here a couple of times, which has been really nice. And then another student who I had a while back is applying the cycle, And I kept telling her, I was like, you know, we're pretty similar.
Mollie:Like, we're we're we're pretty similar. Like, we have some similarities and, like, also, I think our personalities are pretty similar. And I was helping her with her personal statement and some of her, like, you know, application stuff. And she was like, yeah. You're giving me advice that, like, I I feel like I would be giving myself.
Mollie:And so that was a really cool moment. She'd be like, yeah. I know. I was telling you this the whole time. And so it's just been cool to meet these people who I wouldn't have met otherwise.
Mollie:Yeah.
Meghan:I will say that was something really unexpected for me in tutoring because you get on like these Google Meets and it's a total stranger and I kind of thought like, oh, is this going to be awkward? Which like maybe it is for the first five minutes of talking to someone, but I totally agree with you that there you do form like genuine relationships or just like really meaningful exchanges with other people and it's really meaningful to see how people's confidence grows and maybe they smile more or maybe like I love when I start working with students usually they have like a blanket question of like, I'm bad at cars, can you help me? But then as we continue, their questions become so specific of like, I'm really struggling with the reasoning beyond the text questions or I keep getting like a sum I'm making all these assumptions and I always know based on specificity that they've grown to even know to ask those things. So it's just fun to have like that meaning between people I really really agree. My fun anecdote or my sister actually thought this is funny, so I have a younger sister and I was just finishing up a session, it was going a few minutes late.
Meghan:You can probably tell listeners that I love to chat and babble, so it's probably not shocking that I would go over time on a tutoring session. So she had come into my office like thinking I was done and a student was telling me they had taken their MCAT and then I was then mentoring them for like admissions coaching stuff. How they because I'm really big into like mantras and you know, speak what you want and kind of visualize and all that. So I always work with students on like what are mantras you can have on test day. They were like, I thought of you and your voice in my head, the whole MCAT and what you would say to me and it was my sister walked in thinking like, this is crazy.
Meghan:Like, they're telling you that they had your voice in their head for like an eight hour exam. This sounds really weird, but they were saying it from a place of like genuine, I think, appreciation that, had you by my side imagine in an imaginative way.
Mollie:You're just like, that's not how I see you.
Meghan:Yeah. Like but it was and I've had multiple students say, like, I I thought about things you'd tell me or, like, what you'd say in the moment and she still will make fun of me for it. Like, when I'm to saying I'm going off to tutor or whatever, she'll say, like, you really gotta make sure you stay out of their heads because, like, that's but but if I can because it is isolating to like be by yourself. So if I give a mantra that like works well, I think that's a good thing. Yeah.
Meghan:So you're applying to residency pediatrics, that's so exciting. What does like the typical week look like for you then? Like what is your day to day routine? I'm trying to give some inspiration for listeners who may be like, I hate the MCAT and like just wanna get to med school. So you're fourth year.
Meghan:What does that entail right now?
Mollie:Well, let me tell you about fourth year of med school. If you if you are tired of taking the MCAT and tired of studying, I have seven months of, like, protected time, not off, but, like, for for things that I want to do and for me to get, like, research and studying done. And so I have not so many clinical rotations this year, and a lot of the ones that I've done are things that I want to do and I'm really excited about. And so fourth year is a lot of fun. I am in the middle of three months of protected research time, and so I'm getting research done, and I'm really excited about it.
Mollie:But it's also totally on my time, and I wake up when I want. And I go for lots of walks and see my friends who are also on their research time. And, yeah, it's it's great. And four year is great.
MedLife Admin:Yay.
Meghan:Well, that's something maybe I can look forward to too since I'm like behind you in this process. That's really nice to hear. Last question then. What would your like if you had to give any kind of like motivational last phrase, word, advice for someone who's feeling like overwhelmed, burnt out listening to this whether maybe they're taking the MCAT or maybe they're applying or maybe they're waiting for interviews, wherever they are in their like premed journey, what would your, like, parting words be for them in terms of motivation?
Mollie:I think one thing, and I'm not sure if this is motivating, but you've done harder things probably. And so just be confident in what you've done so far and knowing that you can do hard things and that you will continue to do hard things, and you will be fine, and you will do well at those things. And I think in terms of motivation, this is this is, like, more so my I'm not sure if this is great motivation, but think about, like, all of the people who had to take the MCAT and had to do all these things and are now doctors. And think about some of the people that you've met, and they've all done it. And some of them are not necessarily, like you know?
Mollie:I don't know. We've all we've all met some people, and we're like, oh, okay. Okay. Not
Meghan:the therapist tool necessarily.
Mollie:Right. Like, sometimes it just it just happens. And so I think that's I think that's one of those things to think about. And also just, like, be confident in the hard work that you've put in and you really have done it and just, like, don't second guess yourself. Listen to your intuition.
Mollie:That is your best tool that you have and just focus on all the hard work you've put in because it's a lot.
Meghan:It's a lot. And I don't think I always ask students when like at our last session, like, what are you most proud of? And that they always hesitate to like even have a list in the MCAT process or their admissions process. They'll always tell me their growth areas and their weaknesses, but when I ask what are you most proud of, it's like the longest pause. I think that's great advice.
Meghan:Molly, you're teaching the live course, right? That's coming up? Yeah. Okay. Yay.
Meghan:So for listeners, Molly is teaching a lovely live course. What information could you share? Do you have any that would be helpful for people to know?
Mollie:Yeah. So we are starting the live course in a week or so. It's six weeks long and we'll meet twice a week for two hours for each session. So you'll spend lots of time with me. Yay.
Mollie:We're gonna cover all of the things, cars, sciences, strategy, and there's an opportunity to just make a session of whatever y'all want. And we just get to hang out for a whole lot of hours and I think it's gonna be a of fun.
Meghan:I think that sounds like a lot of fun. So listeners, if you want more of Molly, there's a live course coming up and I'm sure the editors, please I guess put a link somewhere wherever this is going for people to click on and also more information on the Medlife Mastery webpage. Molly, thank you. I really appreciate your time and this is a treat for me too because I feel like I learned a lot and it's fun to hear like other people's styles and approaches and perspectives and also just like it's nice. I think medicine's really special and that there's like mentorship at every level so it's really fun to have someone like you to look up to and learn from.
Meghan:So thank you so much for chatting with me tonight. This was great.
MedLife Admin:Before we sign off, remember, the path to med school isn't always smooth. It's full of set backs, doubts, and days that feel like you're not getting anywhere. But that's part of the process, and it's one every doctor you admire has gone through. Don't stop now. You got this.
MedLife Admin:And if you're looking for someone to actually look at your prep and help you figure out what's missing, what's working, and what needs to change, you can work with one of us. We personally pair you with the most ideal top scoring mentor for your MCAT situation. Learn more at medlifemastery.com/mcatmentors.