Pluripotent Premed

Welcome to our show! In this episode, we introduce ourselves, differentiate our two podcast streams (Pluripotent Premed and Multipotent M.D.), give a brief overview of what each is about and what to expect, talk about where the names came from, and wrap things up by chatting about why we wanted to do a podcast. Thanks for tuning in for 'Episode 0' of Pluripotent Premed, your audio guide to navigating and conquering the premed years! We are your co-hosts Christopher and Ziad.

In the first episode of the MCAT Series, Christopher and Ziad break down and explain the MCAT into its core components. This introductory episode is perfect to give you an understanding of what the MCAT is, and how it works. They also provide some helpful advice on time management, some studying techniques, and many more!

Ziad and Christopher are back with episode 2 of the MCAT Series! This week we surveryed first and second year medical students about their MCAT studying period, asking them what resources they found good and why, how they studied, what they'd do differently next time, etc., and in this episode we share the results with you to give you a better idea of what resources are available and which are recommended when it comes to studying for your MCAT!

If you're unsure about how long your study period should be, how many hours a week you should be studying, or what studying techniques you can be using to maximize your score, then this is the episode for you!This week Ziad and Christopher return with episode 3, a continuation of last week's episode. Last week we surveyed current medical students about that MCAT experiences and advice for future test takers. This week we continue to take you through the data we collected to give you some sage words of advice from our classmates.

In the 4th episode of the MCAT series, Christopher and Ziad tackle the most dreaded section of the MCAT... CARS (in detail). They give study advice, how to tackle the sections before and during the exam, how to avoid burning out, and so much more!

In the 5th episode of the MCAT Series, Ziad and Christopher tackle the Sciences and Social Sciences sections of the MCAT, which include Chemistry, Biology, Orgo, Physics, Sociology, and Psychology. They give study advice, share personal anecdotes from before, during, and after the exam, and share helpful tips to tackle the sections with ease.

In our final episode (for now!) of the MCAT Series, we break down the MCAT requirements of all Canadian medical schools from coast to coast, providing you with the hard cut-offs but also reviewing admissions statistics from recent years to give you a more realistic view of what MCAT score you need to get into your dream school. If you've got your MCAT score back but not sure whether it is considered 'competitive' for your choice of schools, this episode should clear things up for you!Please go to our Facebook page to find a list of links that we used to get all this information, and be sure to check out the specific requirements for your school of interest, since these cutoffs and requirements are subject to change each year!

Welcome to Season 2 of Pluripotent Premed! This season kicks off with a 10 minute introduction to our Alternative Background series, a collection of episodes where we will invite medical students from a wide range of alternative premed backgrounds onto the show to discuss their journey to medicine. In this episode we give you the outline of what to expect from this new series. Thanks for tuning in to Pluripotent Premed!

This week we kick off our Alternative Background series with Russel, a 3rd year medical student at Schulich School of Medicine! Russ did a dual undergraduate degree in business and science, and on today's episode he talks about his experiences as a premed student on this route. We discuss his experiences with the MCAT, extracurriculars, med school interview, and much more. Russ provides some really valuable advice with regards to studying habits, prioritization skills, and excelling in the med school interview. Thanks for tuning in to Pluripotent Premed!

In episode 2 of our Alternative Background series, Meghan joins us to discuss her experiences as a Music major pursuing medicine! Meghan discusses all aspects of the premed journey, such as the MCAT and medical school interview, and provides valuable insight into what it means to pursue medicine with a non-science background. Furthermore, she tells us her experiences in medical school, and how she plans to use music in her career as a physician. Thanks for tuning in to another week of Pluripotent Premed!

We are super grateful this week to be joined by Wendy, an MD/PhD candidate at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry! Wendy walks us through her experiences as a premed and what is required of you to be considered a competitive candidate for the MD/PhD dual degree. We discuss the admission process, the expectations with regards to research, future career directions, and much more. Thanks to Wendy for joining us and thanks to our listeners for tuning in for another week of Pluripotent Premed!

Hey premeds! We are back with a super brief episode to let you know about the new series that we are launching today. The 'Medical School Spotlight' series welcomes guests from medical schools all across Canada to talk about the admissions process, curriculum, and student life at their medical school! By bringing on real people who go to these different schools, we hope to provide you an authentic look at the med school from someone who is personally involved and has experienced it all first hand. Thanks for tuning in to Pluripotent Premed!

This episode we welcome on Dalhousie medical student Brett Ells to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of Dalhousie University medical school. Thanks for joining us Brett!If you're looking to get in touch with Brett directly, reach out to us on our Facebook page and we will happily connect you.

This episode we welcome on University of Saskatchewan medical student Shayan Shirazi to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of University of Saskatchewan medical school. Thanks for joining us Shayan!If you're looking to get in touch with Shayan directly, reach out to us on our Facebook page and we will happily connect you.

This episode we welcome on University of Manitoba medical student Stefon Irvine to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of University of Manitoba medical school. Thanks for joining us Stefon!If you're looking to get in touch with Stefon directly, reach out to us on our Facebook page and we will happily connect you.

This episode we welcome on University of Calgary medical student Steven Lu to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. Thanks for joining us Steven!If you're looking to get in touch with Steven directly, reach out to us on our Facebook page and we will happily connect you.

This episode we welcome on University of British Columbia medical students Sydney and Jero to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of UBC medical school. Thanks for joining us Sydney and Jero!If you're looking to get in touch with Sydney or Jero directly, reach out to us on our Facebook page and we will happily connect you.

This episode we welcome on University of Ottawa medical student Abdullah Haroon to discuss the admissions process, curriciulum, and student life of University of Ottawa Medical School. Thanks for joining us Abdullah!If you're looking to get in touch with Abdullah directly, check out the end of the episode where he provides his email address for direct contact.

This episode we welcome on McGill University medical student Kathleen D'Aguanno to discuss the admissions process, curriculum, and student life of McGill Medical School! Thanks for joining us Kathleen!

This episode we welcome on Shaily, our representative from Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University! Shaily takes us through the admissions process, curriculum, and student life of Schulich School of Medicine. Thanks for joining us Shaily!

This episode we welcome on Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) medical student Zahra Rehan to discuss the admissions process, curriculum, and student life at MUN Medical School! Thanks for joining us Zahra!

In the first episode of the Interview Series, Ziad and Christopher walk through what to do after getting the glorious interview invitation to the medical school of your dreams! They break down different interviewing styles, techniques on how to prepare, and general advice to help you get ready for your interview!

Christopher and Ziad are back with part 2 of the 'Interview Series'! In this epsiode we walk you through the interview weekend; what you should bring to the interview, what to expect when you show up, proper dress etiquette, and how to approach specific types of question during your interview. We had a lot of fun recording this episode, so we hope that you enjoy listening!

In the first episode of the Extracirricular Series, Christopher and Ziad talk about how extracirriculars fit into your medical school application, what you should be getting from your extracirriculars, and how to make yourself stand out as an applicant. We also chat about what we personally did as extracirriculars and what we learned from them. If you want to know more about how your research, sports, clubs, and activities fit into your med application, be sure to tune in this week!

Christopher and Ziad are back with an episode dedicated to CASPer! The CASPer is a computer-based test that is required as part of the application process for some Canadian medical schools. In this episode, we discuss what traits the CASPer tests for, what kinds of questions to expect, and how to best prepare for the test. Good luck!

Thanks so much for listening to Pluripotent Premed this year - it's been a blast. In this episode we give a brief update on the future direction of the show for the new year, and we thank our listeners for tuning in. Happy holidays to you all!

Today on our other podcast (Multipotent MD), we released a two-part feature episode on COVID-19. We thought that it would be valuable for a premed audience to hear this information too, so we've decided to release it here also. The aim of this episode is not to offer medical advice, but instead to explain the need-to-know factors about the pandemic in a way that is understandable and accessible for medical and non-medical listeners alike. We explain the past, present, and future of this viral pandemic, and highlight what we can do as an individual to contribute to preventing spread of the virus at this time and contribute to outbreak prevention measures. Ultimately, the aim of this special episode is to consolidate the most pertinent and important up-to-date information about the outbreak into one, comprehensive location so that anyone who listens will feel well educated and informed after listening to this episode. Thanks for tuning in.

Today on our other podcast (Multipotent MD), we released a two-part feature episode on COVID-19. We thought that it would be valuable for a premed audience to hear this information too, so we've decided to release it here also. The aim of this episode is not to offer medical advice, but instead to explain the need-to-know factors about the pandemic in a way that is understandable and accessible for medical and non-medical listeners alike. We explain the past, present, and future of this viral pandemic, and highlight what we can do as an individual to contribute to preventing spread of the virus at this time and contribute to outbreak prevention measures. Ultimately, the aim of this special episode is to consolidate the most pertinent and important up-to-date information about the outbreak into one, comprehensive location so that anyone who listens will feel well educated and informed after listening to this episode. Thanks for tuning in.