Session 276 Today, we're talking MD vs PA, DO shadowing, physician letters of recommendation and other questions premed students have asked in the Hangout! The Hangout is our private Facebook group for amazing premed students like yourself. With almost 4500 students currently, the group fosters a collaborative environment. If you're used to online communities of premed students packed with fighting and narcism that you don't want to be around, then the Hangout is the place for you. Join the group, ask questions, and we will get you approved as soon as possible. [02:35] Some Amazing Books to Help You on This Journey! If you are struggling or thinking about preparing for you medical school interview and struggling with how to prepare for it, check out my book, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. It's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever you buy your books. Also, make sure you pre-order my next book, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement. Its paperback version is coming out in August and the eBook will be out before then. Just to also give you a bit of a teaser, I've been working on the next book for 2019, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application which will cover all about the application process. Now, let's move on to some questions posted on the Hangout that I want answered here on the show today. [04:18] Taking Credits at a Community College Q: "I'm a non-trad premed looking at summer classes. I did my first year of credits at a community college but I'm now at a four-year college. Would it be okay for me to take those summer classes, Physics 1 and 2 at community college? I will still return to my four-year college in the Fall. But the summer classes at the community college would fit into my life schedule better." A: This is a super common question for students. They worry too much about "too much" minutia, all the little details. Stop worrying about all the small details. They will not keep you out of medical school. Rather what will keep you out of medical school is having a poor GPA, poor MCAT score, applying late to medical school, applying to the wrong medical schools, poor extracurriculars, not having the right extracurriculars. Those are the big picture items that you need to make sure you handle when it comes to applying to medical school. Then all those other questions beyond these are minutiae that you shouldn't be focusing on "Stop worrying about all the small details." So yes, you can take classes during the summer at community college. Understand that there may be some medical schools that may question that. They may never ask that question during the interview. They may wonder why. But a lot of students actually do this. They go to their university during Fall and Spring. And then for summer and winter break, they will take something at home. And a lot of times, they go to a community college. [06:58] Will It Hurt Your Chances to Get Into Medical School? Most likely, this will not hurt your chances in getting into medical schools. There will be 3-4 schools that will prefer all premed prereqs be taken at a four-year university. "There are going to be some of those schools out there who are going to put their nose at community college. That is changing though, so you shouldn't worry about this." Yes, you can do all your prereqs at a community college. This may pose a bigger red flag to some schools. But yes, you can. In everything you do, do well. Whether that be taking classes at a community college or a four-year university, however you're studying for the MCAT, whatever it is, do it to the best of your ability. Again, stop worrying about these small details. [08:08] Shadowing a DO Physician Q: "I've never shadowed a DO physician before, but I will be applying to several DO schools this cycle. Will I be at a significant disadvantage?" A: This is another common question for students applying to DO medical schools. The CIB (