Lakshmi Meyyappan

Major and Minors: Public Health (major) and Business, Music (minors)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

I have several favorites!
PHYSIOL 201: Introduction to Human Physiology – Dr. Rust is a fantastic professor and it taught me so much about how the human body works. She prioritizes students truly understanding the content, rather than just memorization.
PUBHLTH 370: Public Health Biology and Pathophysiology – Dr. K is an amazing mentor, and this was a great class that combined more epidemiology/medical based knowledge into the broader population health level scale.
STRATEGY 445: Base of the Pyramid: Business Innovation and Social Impact – Professor London has decades of meaningful experience in the Peace Corps that he shares with the class, and it taught me how business can be used as a positive means to solve a lot of global issues: including poverty, access to healthcare, economic development and more.

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

‍The first time I studied for the MCAT was around December 2020 through my test day at the end of May 2021. I was taking a 16-credit course load in the Winter of 2021, which for me worked out since my classes were all virtual and I had cut down on my other commitments. I made an extensive schedule and wanted to stick to it as best as I could, since I self-studied and didn’t use any courses. My first 1.5 months were spent on content review, where I used the Kaplan books. From there, I transitioned into using UWorld, Anki (I used the MileDown decks), Blueprint’s FL exams, and did AAMC content the last 4-5 weeks. I ended up completing all of the AAMC content except half of the CARS material (which I would not recommend – definitely use all of the AAMC material before your exam). I was living at home the semester I studied for my MCAT and generally felt burnt out by the end of my studying, since I was studying concurrently with school in January-April, and transitioned to full time studying for all of May. On test day, I ended up dropping about 10 points from the score I had gotten on the fourth AAMC full-length I took a week previously, and knew that I wanted to retake the exam. While I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else, if it does, give yourself some grace and time to reflect! It felt like the end of the world for me, and I couldn’t imagine having to study for the exam again since I wasn’t in a great mental headspace while studying for it the first time. I decided to sign up for my second test date in early September of 2021 because I wanted to take it relatively soon while the content was still fresh in my mind. I was interning full-time at a healthcare consulting firm that summer, so I spent my early mornings and most weekends from early July through the end of August studying, but also gave myself flexibility to prioritize my mental health and do things outside of work/studying. I focused more on strategy rather than content review, since that was a weakness I noticed on my first exam. I also tried to build up my stamina, by doing 40-60 questions at a time, so I would feel less fatigued on test day since that was another issue I encountered the first time around. I used Anki, Altius FL exams, and redid the AAMC material in preparation.

When did you take the MCAT:

I took the MCAT twice: the first time on May 28, 2021, and the second time on September 3, 2021.

What was your pre-med experience:

My pre-med experience overall was tough, but very joyous and rewarding! I spent my freshman and sophomore years completing all of my pre-med classes, which looking back on my college experience was definitely the hardest years both academically and personally. Building off of my previous response, taking the MCAT twice was the biggest hurdle I experienced in college. At the time, I only knew one person (who was also a PMH alum!) who had retook her MCAT, and it made me feel like I did something wrong or wasn’t good enough since a majority of the people I knew only took it once. I definitely had to put a lot of faith in myself and determination that I could do better.

I got to explore more of my passions and subjects I was interested in my junior and senior years, where I took public health, business, and music classes, which showed me how many ways I can make an impact on the healthcare system. I believe taking classes outside of the traditional STEM courses not only gave me a broader view of the world, but also gave me principles/knowledge that I can implement into my life currently and future as a physician. While I stood firmly in the idea that I wanted to go to medical school, taking the time and opportunity to explore other fields and get involved in clubs/organizations that I was passionate about is what made my pre-med experience so great.

What are your plans after graduation:

I will be working on medical school applications and moving to Chicago to work in management consulting, as a Business Analyst at McKinsey! I wanted to explore more of the business side of healthcare before going to medical school, since this is an area of interest for me, and thought consulting would be the perfect way to do so.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Don’t be afraid to keep an open mind and try new things! I also believe that your undergraduate experience will be much better if you do things that you’re truly passionate about, rather than what you think might look good on med school apps. Lastly, take the time to have fun and explore Ann Arbor! Being pre-med can be very time-consuming and stressful, but having a balance between school and your friendships/social life will make your experience much more enjoyable.

Classes: