The AMCAS Fee Waiver system can feel like a bureaucratic hydra with many heads, none of them friendly. But Drs. Marina and Zulma are here with the map and lantern. In this episode, they walk you through who actually qualifies, why the rules twist in tricky ways across family circumstances and states, and how to gather documentation before the January scramble begins. With just the primary and secondary application costs soaring past $2,000, this is the financial lifeline you don’t want to miss.

Structured video interviews are becoming a more common for medical-school applicants, and those prompts for a 90-second mini-essay can feel like being asked for a webcam Hamlet on-the-fly. Never fear! In this episode, Drs. Marina and Zulma break down how to craft a crisp personal story, master your nonverbal presence, and avoid the dreaded mid-sentence cutoff.

There are numerous cracks in the pipeline from aspiring high school graduate to medical student. Learn from Drs Marina and Zulma where they nearly lost their way, and how a growth mindset will help to keep your eyes on the prize if you fail a class, you see people bragging about MCATs or publications online, or an advisor tells you to go another way.

A thriving FQHC pediatrician, Dr. Shapiro trained in Mexico and then worked for the World Health Organization for several years before settling in the states where he has practiced on both coasts. Listen to how his philosophy that “health doesn’t care about borders, it only cares that you are human” guided him to maximize human development throughout his career.

From a medical family in Puerto Rico, Dr. Padilla rocketed her way into medical school at the age of 20. There, her age combined with her sex and race to get a little extra dose of condescension from some of her colleagues. Listen to her story about how she dealt with these challenges, and what her day-to-day looks like after completing her residency in internal medicine, and then a fellowship in endocrinology.

Come listen as Jocelyne vulnerably shares her personal journey to upper-division medical school. From the culture shock of an almost-all-white college to being caught out in a deliberately difficult chemistry course to unhelpful advisors, she has faced too many (but all-too-common) challenges in her path, but found full-time work in therapeutics and care-giving to prove to herself that doctoring was trully her calling. Through hard study for the MCAT and premed reqs, she proved the doubters before and during med school wrong and is now on the cusp of graduating with her M.D. Let her resilience inspire you!

Code-switching is a way of life for minority doctors. Let Drs Zulma and Marina give you some tips on how to make sure your accountability, discretion, reliability, self-discpline and more come across clearly to the (mostly) non-minorities that will be interviewing, teaching, and supervising you in your medical school journey. This includes being prepared and punctual for meetings with your extremely busy mentors, limit your distractions, respond to emails within a few days, and looking the part in interviews.

Did you know that the Future Minority Doctor hosts also lead a successful (and free!) application coaching program? For more details on how to get personal attention on the last hurdle in your journey to medical school, listen to this episode and then apply.

So, you didn’t score as well as you hoped on the MCAT? Drs. Zulma and Marina provide perspective on what that means for your chances of reaching your medical dreams, and remind you that while the MCAT is important it is not the only thing that gets you into a medical school. They discuss where you should apply, how to make the rest of your application shine, and when you should take a gap year to study up and polish the resume.

The child of immigrants to the Bay Area, hear how Wumi took “not a linear path” through college, a degree in psychology, and several gap years, before being drawn to osteopathic medicine. Having just survived the intimidation of the MCAT and “drinking from the firehose” in first year, her insights into ways to maintain mental health under stress and constant challenging evaluations are fresh and what everyone needs to hear at some point on this journey.

Dr. Jacqueline Winkelmann has a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Marina about growing up in Puerto Rico, code-switching as a fair-skinned Latina in the rigorous environment of Washington University of St. Louis, and finding her passion as a pediatric hospitalist. “Dr. Jacq” is also the force behind Scrub Sisters (www.scrubsisters.org), a sisterhood of women in medicine supporting each other to find their voice through mentorship and community. Join us for an enlightening discussion of the realities of becoming and remaining a physician as a minority woman.

Hear the details of Ruben’s inspiring journey from a childhood on a rural Mexican farm to UC Berkeley, an MBA, and how FMD’s free mentorship program helped him over the finish line to being accepted at his top choice of medical school. For more details on application coaching, see our website at https://www.futureminoritydoctor.com/acp.

We are all-too-aware of how our own minds can conjure up worst-case scenarios, and make us anxious about problems that never materialize or are easily avoidable. Science is just now beginning to understand the power of imagining positive outcomes, picturing yourself handling problems with poise, and self-affirmations. Drs. Marina and Zulma summarize remarkable studies, and walk you through a few visualizations that will help you let go of worry and tackle your pre-med requirements with confidence.

The average US college student accumulates 1-4 hours of sleep debt per night. This deficit leads to a weakened immune system, anxiety, irritability, impaired driving, and--perhaps most relevantly for this podcast--poor memory consolidation. In this episode, Drs. Marina and Zulma discuss how widespread this problem is, how it has worsened with the advent of smartphones, and share scientifically-proven techniques for better sleep hygiene (including relaxing visualizations from Dr Marina).

Have you ever wondered if you can be a doctor if you have ADHD? In this episode, we talk about what ADHD is, how it manifests in kids and adults, and how it can manifest differently in different individuals. We also touch on some myths about ADHD and what you can do if you have (or think you have) it so that you can still achieve all of your educational and professional goals.

Are you applying to medical school? Consider writing your Impactful Experiences Essay! This essay used to be called the "Disadvantaged Statement," but generally invites applicants to share the unique challenges they've had to overcome. Although this is an optional step in your AMCAS application, it is your opportunity to share the special circumstances in your life that speak to who you are and have helped you build resilience throughout your life. In this episode, Dr. Marina and Dr. Zulma highlight the immense value of the Impactful Experiences Essay to your application, challenge you to see the opportunity to stand out positively by submitting it, and give you inspiring examples of what this essay looks like and how you can write yours well!

Are you thinking of reapplying to medical school? You may have applied before, were not accepted, or are still waiting for schools' replies but are concerned that you may not make it and should consider reapplying. Allowing time for your emotions to flow is necessary; then, you can learn from the experience and move forward. Taking inventory of your rejected application will help you spot what you may have missed, where the trajectory of your application needed improvement, or maybe your school choices could have been better tailored for your scores, experiences, and number of activities. In this episode, Dr. Marina and Dr. Zulma teach how to candidly review your application before reapplying and share awesome tips to help you improve your chances next time.