AnatomywithJoyce

If you’re trying to get patient care hours for medical school, this might completely change how you approach your experiences.

A lot of premed students default to volunteering because it feels like the “right” or safest option.

But here’s what many students don’t realize:

Paid clinical roles can give you strong experiences and strong stories for your medical school application.

More responsibility.
More direct patient interaction.
More moments that actually shape how you think about medicine.

And when it comes time to write your personal statement or activity descriptions…

Those experiences matter more than you think.

Roles like medical assistant, patient care technician, or phlebotomist often place you directly in patient care settings where you’re actively involved—not standing on the sidelines observing.

That’s where meaningful stories, reflection, and growth happen.

However, what’s the point of having amazing experiences if you don’t track them for applications. So many students:

Forget hours.
Lose track of responsibilities.
Forget impactful patient moments they know would have made powerful stories.

Then suddenly, application season feels more overwhelming than how it should feel.

That’s exactly why I created a system to help premed students organize everything in one place—from activities and hours to experiences and reflections—so nothing important gets lost when it’s time to apply.

Comment SPREADSHEET and I’ll send it to you.

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One of the biggest mistakes I see in medical school applications is students trying SO hard to sound impressive… that they stop sounding like themselves.

And I understand why.

This process is intimidating.

You feel like every word has to sound perfect, professional, intelligent, accomplished…

But somewhere in that pressure, a lot of students lose the most important part of their application:
their humanity.

Admissions committees are reading applications from REAL people.

Not robots.
People.

And one thing I learned throughout my own cycle is that authenticity matters!

I’ll never forget one of my interviews at my top-choice medical school. (which I will be attending soon :) )

During the interview I was asked whether I planned on becoming a P*P after acceptance.

And honestly… I knew what answer they probably wanted to hear.

The easier answer would have been:
“Yes, absolutely.”

But that wasn’t fully true to where I was at in my journey.

So I answered honestly.

I remember knowing in that moment that my answer could potentially hurt my chances at the ONE school I dreamed about getting into.

But I didn’t want to build my application around what sounded impressive or what they would have loved to hear.

I wanted it to reflect who I actually was.

And to this day, I genuinely think they saw that authenticity.

I think they saw a real person instead of someone trying to give the “perfect” answer.

If your application has been feeling disconnected, forced, or unclear lately… there’s usually a reason.

And a lot of the time, it’s not lack of experiences.
It’s lack of reflection and direction.

Comment AUDIT to get started with your application audit, where I help you identify what’s missing before you submit 🤍

Follow for more premed guidance, medical school application tips, and support through your journey.

A strong medical school application is not just a list of achievements.

A lot of premed students think:
“If I just get enough hours, I’ll be fine.”

And I used to think that too.

But the truth is… most students applying have similar experiences:
clinical work, volunteering, shadowing, research.

So what actually makes the difference?

It’s how everything comes together.

A strong medical school application usually has a few key things:
• a clear story behind your journey
• reflection that shows growth, not just activity
• intentional experiences that build direction
• and an overall application that feels cohesive

When those pieces are missing, everything can still look “good”… but feel disconnected.

And it’s also something that can be fixed once you actually see it clearly.

If you want help identifying what your application might be missing, I’m opening a couple more days for my application audit 🤍

Comment AUDIT and I’ll add you.

Follow for more premed guidance, application strategy, and support through your journey.

Sometimes the reason your medical school application doesn’t feel strong yet… isn’t because you’re not working hard enough.

It’s because you’re trying to figure everything out on your own.

And honestly, that’s exactly how I felt at the beginning of my own cycle.

I was overwhelmed.
I had experiences.
I was checking boxes.

But I still felt lost when it came to actually putting my application together.

I didn’t fully understand:
• what actually mattered
• how to reflect on my experiences
• or how to turn everything into a strong story

It took me a while to figure that out.

The only reason it didn’t hurt my cycle is because I started early and had a little bit of a time buffer.

But not everyone realizes they’re missing direction until much later in the process… when deadlines are closer and the pressure gets overwhelming.

That’s why I really want you to know you do NOT have to figure this out alone.

Sometimes you just need someone to help you:
• identify what’s missing
• point out your blind spots
• and help you move forward with more clarity and confidence

That’s exactly why I’m re-opening my application audit 🤍

Comment AUDIT to get started with your application audit, where I help you identify what’s missing before you submit.

Follow for more premed guidance, application tips, and support through your journey.

Today, a lot of pre-med students are submitting their applications.

Some feel confident.

Some feel unsure.

But many are submitting without ever getting external feedback on their application.

And the reality is, once you submit, everything is locked in.

Your personal statement can’t be changed.
Your activities section can’t be reframed.
And your strategy can’t be adjusted.

What feels like “moving forward” is actually a permanent decision being made without full clarity.

And most students won’t realize what mattered until much later in the cycle.

That’s why feedback before submission is so important.

I’m stepping away for a few days now, but I’ll be reopening Application Audits for students who want clarity before making final decisions.

👉 Comment AUDIT to see when i’m next available for a 1:1 session

Follow for more pre-med guidance and medical school application strategy.

If you submit your application without feedback, you are taking a risk you won’t be able to undo later.

Most students assume they’ll be able to “figure it out” as they go.

But once your application is submitted, everything is locked in.

No rewriting your personal statement.
No reframing your activities.
No adjusting your strategy.

And the hardest part is—you usually don’t realize what’s missing until after decisions are made.

That’s why Application Audits exist.

In a 1:1 session, I review your application and show you exactly what’s unclear, what’s weak, and what could hurt your chances before you submit.

If you book today (May 15), you’ll also get a light review of either your personal statement or activities section before our call.

After today, I’m closing audits before I leave.

👉 Comment AUDIT and I’ll send you the details.

Follow for more pre-med guidance and medical school application strategy.

Most pre-med students assume they’ll know if their application is strong.

But in reality, most weaknesses aren’t obvious when you’re the one building it.

Personal statements can feel clear… but still be too general.

Activities can feel complete… but still fail to show impact.

And school lists can feel reasonable… but still not be strategic for your profile.

The problem is, you usually don’t find this out until after submission.

And at that point, you can’t fix it anymore.

That’s why I offer Application Audits.

In a 1:1 session, I review your application and show you exactly what’s unclear, what’s weak, and what could hurt your chances before you submit.

If you book between May 11–15, you’ll also get a light review of either your personal statement or activities section before our call so you’re not going in blind.

This is your window to get clarity before submission decisions are finalized.

👉 Comment AUDIT and I’ll send you the details.

Follow for more pre-med guidance, study tips, and medical school application strategy.

Most pre-med students assume their application is “fine” as long as they’ve checked all the boxes.

But medical school applications aren’t evaluated like a checklist.

They’re evaluated based on how cohesive is your story and what extracurriculars you did to support it.

And those are the things most students don’t get feedback on until it’s too late.

Your activities can look strong on paper… but still lack impact.

Your school list can feel reasonable… but not actually be strategic.

And your application can feel complete… while still not being competitive enough.

That’s why so many students only realize the gaps after they’ve already submitted.

That’s exactly what I help you catch in Application Audits.

In this 1:1 session, I review your application and show you:
• what’s unclear
• what’s weakening your positioning
• and what to fix before you submit

If you book between May 11–15, you’ll also get a light review of either your personal statement OR activities section before our call so you’re not going in blind.

I’m only taking a limited number of audits before I leave on May 15.

👉 Comment AUDIT and I’ll send you the details.

Follow for more pre-med guidance and medical school application strategy.

Most pre-med students don’t struggle with writing their personal statement.

They struggle with knowing if it’s actually strong.

Because when you’ve spent weeks (or months) working on something, it’s hard to see it objectively anymore.

And that’s where a lot of applications quietly lose strength.

Because the story may not be as reflective as it needs to be.

A personal statement can sound “good”…
and still be too general to stand out.

It can describe your experiences…
but not clearly show why medicine fits your story.

And the hardest part?

You may not realize this until after they’ve already submitted.

Mistakes like this through other aspects of your application is exactly what I help you catch in Application Audits.

In this 1:1 session, I go through your application and show you:
• what’s unclear
• what’s blending you in
• and what you should fix before submitting

If you book between May 11–15 (for any date, it doesn’t have to be this week), you’ll also get a light review of either your personal statement OR activities section before our call so you’re not going into it blind.

I’m only taking a limited number of audits before I leave on May 15.

👉 Comment AUDIT and I’ll send you the details.

Follow for more pre-med tips, medical school application strategy, and guidance through your journey.

Applications don’t fall apart at the end when you submit everything.

They fall apart much earlier, when you think everything is fine and no one has pointed out the gaps yet.

And the hard truth is:

You won’t always notice what’s missing in your own application.

Your personal statement can sound “good” to you…
but still be more of the same and not stand out.

Your activities section can list everything you’ve done…
but still fail to show real impact or growth.

And your school list can feel “safe”…
but still not be strategic for your stats and profile.

That’s why so many strong students end up confused late because nothing felt obviously wrong at the time of submission.

This is exactly what I review in Application Audits.

I go through your application with you and identify:
• what’s working
• what’s weak or unclear
• and what could hurt your chances without you realizing it

And if you book between May 11–16, you’ll also get a review of either your personal statement or activities section before our call so you’re not going into it blind.

I’m only taking a limited number of audits before I leave on May 15.

If you want feedback before you submit, comment AUDIT and I’ll send you the details.

Follow for more pre-med guidance and application strategy.

Now that applications are open, I want to be really honest about something I’ve been seeing pre-med do.

A lot of students feel like they’re “working on their application”…

but when you look closer, they’re not actually working on the parts that matter most.

They’re tweaking small things.
Reorganizing things.
Staying busy.

But the bigger pieces, like their story, their narrative, and how everything connects, are getting pushed aside.

And that’s where problems start.

Because medical school applications aren’t just a list of experiences.

They’re how you present yourself as a future physician.

And if that part isn’t clear…

everything else won’t connect as well, no matter how much work you’ve done.

What makes this tricky is that you usually don’t realize your application has gaps until it’s already submitted.

And by then, it’s too late to fix the way your story comes across.

don’t just focus on finishing your application.

focus on making sure it flows and tells your story the best way possible.

If you’re applying this cycle and you’re not 100% confident in your application yet, this is your sign to slow down and get strategic.

Comment APPS and I’ll show you how to make sure your application is actually strong before you submit.

Share with a premed applying this cycle!
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