(00:00) — Opening + Early Spark: PBS Nova lights up neuroscience and a reluctant interest in medicine.

(01:11) — Family Expectations vs Autonomy: Pressure from a physician dad meets teenage rebellion.

(02:38) — Why the Brain: Linking biology to behavior and people.

(03:51) — MD vs PhD: Lab work that kept pointing back to patients.

(05:19) — Learning the Process: What help a physician parent could and couldn’t give.

(06:54) — College Uncertainty: Pre-reqs without a clear why.

(08:12) — OChem Walls: A D, COVID retake, and imposter syndrome.

(10:16) — Asking for Help: An advisor’s belief and an ADHD nudge.

(12:46) — Retaking Again: Why OChem came back during the gap year.

(13:39) — Owning It in Interviews: Explaining GPA discrepancies.

(16:03) — Finding the Why in Clinic: Psychometrist work reframes the grind.

(18:06) — Gap Years Multiply: Burnout, scribing, and a reset on plans.

(20:03) — MCAT Long Game: Planning pitfalls and voiding the first test.

(24:16) — Treat the Test Taker: Support, therapy, and ADHD/anxiety diagnosis.

(27:02) — Accommodations Talk: The policy gap that hurts late-diagnosed students.

(31:16) — Secondaries Crunch: No prewriting, 50 schools, heavy lift.

(33:06) — First Interview Joy: Late-cycle invitations and renewed hope.

(36:11) — Enjoying Interviews: Validation, calm, and showing up as yourself.

(37:36) — First Acceptance Jitters: Legacy doubt and social media nuance.

(39:42) — Choosing a School: In-state fit, family proximity, and finances.

(41:03) — Med School Life: Hard and fun, community and decompression.

(42:50) — Make the Time: Gym, therapy, friends, and sustainable studying.

(43:24) — Final Encouragement: If it’s meant for you, adjust and keep going.

Chauncella shares how a middle-school fascination with neuroscience grew into a conviction to practice medicine—despite family pressure, self-doubt, and some very real hurdles. We dig into an OChem D, retakes across COVID, and the imposter syndrome that kept Chauncella from asking for help. A supportive advisor opened the door to evaluate ADHD, and during gap years Chauncella’s psychometrist role made the patient impact feel undeniable. The MCAT became another turning point: inconsistent planning, test-day anxiety, and ultimately voiding the first attempt led to addressing mental health, receiving ADHD/anxiety diagnoses, and finally moving forward with clarity. Chauncella applied once to about 50 schools without prewriting secondaries, still earning seven interviews—many later in the cycle than expected—and learning to enjoy the process. The first acceptance brought complex “legacy” feelings, but subsequent offers and an in-state choice close to family brought confidence and fit. Now in pre-clinicals, Chauncella prioritizes balance—making time for the gym, therapy, and friends—to sustain the work. This conversation offers practical takeaways on asking for help, reframing setbacks, navigating timelines, and holding onto your why.

What You'll Learn:

- How to turn OChem setbacks and an MCAT void into momentum

- Why addressing ADHD/anxiety can change your study and test strategy

- Using gap years for clinical clarity and strengthening your application

- Approaching interviews with calm, authenticity, and confidence

- Choosing a school with fit, proximity, and finances in mind

(00:00) — Getting started: Early interest and a high school health pathway with real certifications

(01:35) — Small border town roots: Del Rio, one high school, and limited options

(02:35) — Finding a “seed”: Family illness, cancer curiosity, and early research

(03:40) — Choosing a college: Looking for rigor, research, and premed support

(05:54) — Where guidance came from: Personal research and professional advising

(07:35) — Plugging in: Using a premed society to meet advisors and med schools

(08:18) — Competition culture: Staying in your lane amid big‑school premed vibes

(10:13) — Toughest premed shift: Independence, rigor, and learning to use office hours

(11:24) — College to med school: Fire‑hydrant learning and lingering imposter syndrome

(13:15) — Asking for help earlier: Seeing peers model it and dropping the pride

(13:55) — Biggest time waste: Grind culture and recopying notes vs smarter study

(15:15) — How hard to push: Pulling back without tanking performance and pressure talk

(19:00) — Pomodoro explained: Focus blocks, real breaks, and building stamina

(21:10) — Study tools: Anki, YouTube resources, and iPad drawings for anatomy

(22:40) — Sciences reality: Hating Gen Chem, loving visual organic chemistry

(25:06) — Getting through hard prereqs: Treating them as a rite of passage

(26:00) — App strategy: Using campus visits to set the bar and plan experiences

(27:10) — Interviews: First invite joy, MMI’s lack of feedback, and virtual hiccups

(30:27) — Acceptance: Texas pre‑match call and the relief of a safety net

(31:58) — No backup plan: Optimism, gap‑years okay, but eyes on the prize

(33:30) — Support in med school: Family, friends, and “trauma bonding” with classmates

(34:19) — Hardest part: Setbacks and remembering your why

(35:10) — Most surprising: Intensity you can’t grasp until you’re in it

(35:49) — Final advice: Return to your why and stop comparing

Kaylah, a fourth-year medical student, traces her path from a small border town in Del Rio, Texas to medical school by leaning into curiosity, community, and smarter studying. In high school, a career and technical education program let her earn healthcare certifications that sparked real clinical interest. As an undergrad at Texas A&M, she sought academic rigor and built-in research while learning to ask for help sooner—through office hours, professional advising, and a premed society that brought advisors and medical schools to campus.

She shares the toughest moments too: a rocky transition to college, being humbled by General Chemistry (but loving visual organic chemistry), and navigating a competitive premed culture by staying in her own lane. Inside medical school, she talks imposter syndrome, the fire‑hydrant pace of learning, and how Pomodoro, Anki, and visual tools on her iPad kept her grounded. She opens up about the stress of MMIs and virtual glitches, the relief of a Texas pre‑match call after three interviews, and the power of friends and family when things get heavy.

If you’re weighing how hard to push versus how smart to study, or how to keep your “why” front and center, Kaylah’s candid reflections will help you recalibrate.

What You'll Learn:

- How to plug into advising and support even at large schools

- Ways to manage competition by staying in your lane

- Smarter study methods: Pomodoro, Anki, and visual learning

- Handling MMIs when there’s no feedback or affirmation

- Keeping your why alive through setbacks and intensity

(00:00) — Curiosity in the halls of Mass General: Her mom’s triple‑negative breast cancer and remission shape an early interest in medicine.

(02:54) — Choosing a major without a premed major: From biochemistry to discovering neuroscience and why UMass ultimately fit.

(06:04) — Double majoring without burning out: Overlap with prereqs, honest advising on dual degrees, and following interests.

(09:13) — Make advising work for you: Meeting early, becoming a peer advisor, and hearing hard feedback you don’t want to hear.

(12:56) — Rethinking gap years: Fears about money give way to growth, responsibility, and better prep for med school.

(17:23) — What went wrong on the first MCAT: Cramming, no plan, and taking it during senior year.

(19:33) — The retake that worked: Six months, 3 hours a day, weekly full-lengths, and using AAMC practice tests.

(22:52) — Lining up letters after graduation: Staying in touch with advisors and professors, and using undergrad resources.

(25:34) — Clinical path: EMT to pediatric ER clinical assistant: Building skills during COVID, behavioral health work, and a role that cemented medicine.

(32:05) — The application surprise: Not prewriting secondaries—and why she won’t skip that again.

(33:43) — First interview jitters and prep: Early invites, mock interviews, and centering fit.

(35:52) — Eight interview invites: Why authenticity and geography beat obsessing over stats.

(40:33) — Toughest interview prompt: Answering “Tell me about yourself” and a bartender curveball.

(44:10) — The first acceptance: A full-circle moment at work and calling mom.

(45:40) — Final advice to premeds: Keep an open mind—and be kind to yourself.

Today’s guest traces a clear, practical path from childhood curiosity in the halls of Mass General—while her mom underwent treatment and later entered remission—to a medical school seat built on consistency, flexibility, and honest self-reflection. She shares how starting at UMass in biochemistry, discovering neuroscience, and building an early relationship with her premed advisor shaped smarter decisions—like delaying the MCAT and embracing gap years she once feared.

We dive into the first MCAT attempt that fell flat (no schedule, cramming during senior year, few practice tests) and the 15‑point turnaround that followed: six months post‑graduation, three hours a day, AAMC full‑lengths every Thursday, and a real study plan. She details lining up letters before leaving campus, keeping in touch after graduation, and why not prewriting secondaries became her biggest application headache.

Clinically, she moved from EMT certification and campus EMS to behavioral health sitting and a clinical assistant role in a pediatric ER—experiences that cemented her desire to practice. Finally, we cover interviews (including a surprise bartender question), eight invites, the first acceptance at work, and her closing advice: keep an open mind—and be kind to yourself.

What You'll Learn:

- How to build a productive relationship with your premed advisor

- A realistic MCAT retake plan: pacing, practice tests, and scheduling

- Why gap years and nonclinical jobs can strengthen your application

- Finding schools by fit and mission instead of fixating on stats

- Timing letters and prewriting secondaries to avoid bottlenecks