Miranda Baumbick

Major and Minors: Biology, Health, and Society (major) and Medical Anthropology (minor)

Favorite class you took at Michigan:

I listed a few of my favorite courses below!

CHEM 210/215: Structure and Reactivity I/II – unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Orgo I/II a lot. Dr. Tuttle was a great professor, and I connected with the way she lectured (writing notes out and color coding). It’s also really important to get a good study group in this class!

BIO 305: Genetics – I had Dr. Dus and Dr. Baucom. The first semester was more math and the second was more molecular biology, but I kinda enjoyed that layout. I also felt like this was one of the few classes where the exams were fair and representative of the material taught during lectures. Also, they gave a lot of extra credit :)

WGS 324: Childbirth & Culture – if there is one course you should take in your college years, it should be this one with Dr. Stuckey. She does a wonderful job portraying childbirth and pregnancy and discussing such a sensitive and politically relevant topic. I actually trained as a Doula while taking this course because I enjoyed it so much! (Note: this course only runs in the fall)

When/How did you study for the MCAT:

The first time I studied for the MCAT was the summer after my sophomore year with an early August test date. At this time, I was working 4 times a week as a Medical Assistant and Scribe at a dermatology office while studying full-time. I used the Princeton books and class. About a month before my test date, I didn’t feel confident that I could test to my full potential, so I decided to cancel my MCAT test date. The hardest part was deciding to take a gap year because I knew I didn’t want to study during the school year.

The following summer after my junior year, I enrolled in Kabir’s Prep MCAT class. It was the first time they were running an MCAT course, so we were the guinea pigs, but I enjoyed the process. With the help of Kabir and his course, I ended up scoring way better than I had been the previous summer. We primarily used Uworld and AAMC resources. Also, an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t like Anki. Instead, I used Excel sheets to take notes, and I ended up going through the entire Qbank twice of Uworld. Kabir’s course was great because they had lectures on the most important subjects that I found really helpful, so I recommend it if anybody is looking for a course to help them study or they are in need of a bit more structure. In total, I studied full-time from May to August and took a total of 12 practice exams (AAMC and Altius) starting about 1.2 months out from my test date. I also made sure not to do any other work or extracurricular activities during this time as I found I performed best when I completely immersed myself in the studying. I also found it extremely important to prioritize mental health and use my free time to relax and reset.

When did you take the MCAT:

I took the MCAT on August 19th, 2023.

What was your pre-med experience:

I was a COVID freshman, so the start of my pre-medical experience was far from normal. With mostly everything being limited during my freshman year, I wasn’t really able to get involved in much. Looking back, however, this was beneficial to me because I was unsure if I wanted to go into medicine coming into college. After I passed CHEM 210 in my freshman year, I decided to give the pre-medical path a try. During my sophomore year, I ran as Director of Philanthropy for my sorority, where I worked closely with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and I also got hired as a facilitator for CHEM 215 (and eventually promoted to Course Leader!). Having these leadership roles early on helped me develop many skills required for medical school. Some of my other important extracurricular activities included UROP (1 year), Merkel cell carcinoma research (2 years), planned parenthood clinic escort (1 year), medical assistant and scribe in dermatology (2.5 years), home health aide (1 summer), shadowing (30ish hours), Michigan Triathlon club (1.5 years), and President of Pre-Med Hub!

In terms of coursework, sophomore year was definitely my hardest. I absolutely hated physics, but it was just something I had to get through. Once on the other side, I was able to complement my science courses with medical anthropology classes for my minor. I recommend choosing a minor in something you’re generally interested in, but also something you’re able to balance with the hard science courses. My junior and senior years were much more relaxed because I decided to front-load my science courses. I did this so I could take the MCAT earlier and because I wanted to have a fun senior year. Overall, I really enjoyed the pre-medical path, even though it can be (very) hard at times.

What are your plans after graduation:

After graduating in May, I moved to Chicago to participate in Northwestern’s Gap-Year Internship Program. I was selected to be a scribe in the Department of Dermatology for Dr. Jennifer Choi, Chief of Oncodermatology and Medical Dermatology. I am also collaborating with Dr. Choi on a research project with plans to present our findings in May 2025. This is a great program for anyone looking to expand their network of healthcare professionals and learn alongside medical students and residents during their gap year. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is also right in downtown Chicago, which provides a great opportunity to serve a more diverse patient population. To apply, I had to provide my transcripts and a personal statement, and I also went through multiple rounds of interviews.

Recommendations/advice for current students:

Plan ahead, but don’t forget to live in the present! Your four years of undergrad will fly by, so make sure you use your time wisely to build your pre-medical resume but don’t forget to be a kid every once in a while. I lived by “work hard, play hard,” which means study hard so that when you do something fun you can enjoy it and not feel guilty. Also remember, balance is key, so make sure you don’t take on too much – quality is always better than quantity – and med schools will be able to tell if you’re genuinely passionate about something!

Classes: