GradMissions Office Hours

You did it! You got into medical school! You've been dreaming of this moment since your Fisher-Price doctor kit days, and now that the acceptance is actually here, you're staring at the email thinking, Wait...what do I do with my hands? Before you panic-pay a seat deposit, withdraw every other application, or accidentally commit yourself to a school before you're ready, let's talk....

What are the scariest mistakes you can make during the law or medical school admissions process? This Halloween, the Grad Missions team is opening the haunted house of admissions to share the nightmares that applicants—and even admissions professionals—never want to experience. From accidentally sending an email to the wrong school and missing an interview invitation in your spam folder to repeati...

Think you have plenty of time before medical school applications open? Or feeling like you're already behind? Let's talk about the timeline that can make the difference between a thoughtful, strategic application and a rushed, stressful cycle. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, Autumn, Logan, and Morgan break down the optimal 12-month timeline for applying to medical school, fro...

You got your LSAT or MCAT score back. Now what? Should you retake the exam, or is your score strong enough to move forward with your applications? In this episode, Autumn Lockett, Logan Lockhart, Lizanne Carlson, and Morgan Hager break down one of the biggest questions facing future doctors and lawyers: when is a retake worth it, and when is it time to focus on the rest of your application? The an...

In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, we’re talking about the med/law school “gunner”: the student with the helium hand, the constant need to prove how much they know, the habit of comparing themselves to everyone else, and the belief that success means standing above the people around them. But this conversation isn’t about shaming ambitious students. It’s about understanding why these be...

You hit submit on your law school applications. Now what? The waiting period can feel strangely anticlimactic after months of work, but there’s plenty you can be doing while you wait. In this episode, the GradMissions team walks through how to use this time strategically, from planning personalized law school visits and preparing for interviews to revisiting your application, reflecting on your go...

Getting invited to a med school or law school interview means you’ve already demonstrated that you’re academically capable. So what is the interview actually for? In this episode of the GradMissions Office Hours Podcast, Autumn, Morgan, and GradMissions’ creative director Cole dig into what happens after you’ve “scaled the competency wall,” and why the next step is learning how to show up with war...

Think taking a gap year will put you behind? Think again. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, we make the case for taking a purposeful gap year before medical or law school and unpack why more time can actually move your application forward. We talk about the difference between a strategic gap year and simply delaying the process, why the built-in “glide year” of the application cycle ma...

Getting an interview invite means your application has already done a lot of the proving for you. So what happens when you walk into the room? In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours , we’re talking about how to be human—not robotic—in med and law school interviews. We discuss why warmth matters just as much as competency, how hobbies and shared interests can create genuine connection, and wh...

Winning Law School Admissions  is a joint series from GradMissions and Hey Future Lawyer. New episodes drop in the GradMissions Office Hours feed. What does it actually mean to win law school admissions? In Episode 2 of Winning Law School Admissions , Ben Parker and Autumn Lockett explain why receiving an acceptance is only one part of a successful outcome. Applicants should evaluate three major s...

Winning Law School Admissions is a joint series from GradMissions and Hey Future Lawyer. New episodes drop in the GradMissions Office Hours feed. In the first episode of Winning Law School Admissions , Ben Parker and Autumn Lockett explain why there is no single “best” law school for every applicant. The right choice depends on your career goals, where you want to practice, your financial situatio...

Think you have plenty of time to apply to law school? Think you need your LSAT score, letters of recommendation, and every last piece of your application finished before you can submit? Think an “optional” essay is actually optional? Think again. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, we’re myth-busting some of the most common assumptions about the law school application process and unpacki...

In this special episode of Grad Missions Office Hours , the team tackles common red, yellow, and green flags in med school and law school applications. They cover what happens when you put the wrong school name in a personal statement, how to frame a rough freshman year followed by an upward academic trend, why having a parent call about your application is a major red flag, and whether joining a...

What does it take to get into Yale Law School when your numbers aren't at the top of the school's medians? In this episode, Autumn and Morgan talk with Rachel, a future Yale Law student whose path to law school included a math degree from CU Boulder, work in gun violence prevention, an internship at the White House, and two years working for Gabby Giffords. Rachel applied to nine law schoo...

Interview season is here, and med school interviews can feel like the most intimidating step after months of applications and secondaries. In this episode of the GradMissions Office Hours Podcast, the team breaks down what applicants can actually expect from medical school interviews, from traditional panels and MMIs to group interviews and asynchronous virtual interviews. They talk through how to...

Not every admissions mistake is a dealbreaker, but some can follow you all the way to a rejection. In this episode of Grad Missions Office Hours, the team breaks down the biggest red flags they see in medical and law school admissions and, more importantly, how to avoid them. From applying too late and explaining a low GPA the wrong way to character and fitness disclosures, professionalism, and so...

Medical school secondaries can make or break an application. In this episode, the GradMissions welcomes new team member Ryan Chapman, a professional sports writer and editor, to discuss why storytelling, not just strong credentials, is what helps applicants stand out. Whether you're applying in the next cycle or planning ahead, this conversation offers practical strategies to help you write au...

The first LSAC Forum of the cycle has wrapped, which means another law school admissions season is officially underway. In this episode, Autumn shares what it's like on the other side of the table after returning from the Washington, D.C. forum. From planning your route through a crowded ballroom to knowing which questions keep a conversation going, this is the advice that comes from years spe...

Think your GPA, test score, or timeline has already taken you out of the running for med school or law school? Think again. In this episode of Grad Missions Office Hours , we're talking directly to applicants who don't fit the "perfect applicant" mold. Whether you're a splitter with mismatched GPA and LSAT/MCAT scores, a non-traditional student returning to school after years...

The students who hear about the next shadowing opportunity, the internship that never gets posted, or the attorney looking for a new assistant usually have one thing in common: someone thought of their name. That rarely happens by accident. In this episode, the GradMissions team talks about what networking actually looks like for future lawyers and physicians. Not crowded events or collecting busi...

Do you have to know you want to be a doctor from the time you're five years old? In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, we welcome the newest member of the GradMissions team, Kaitlin Lampson, who shares her unconventional path to medical school, from playing Division I softball at Harvard, to taking three intentional gap years, to beginning her medical education at Yale. Kaitlin opens u...

When should you apply to law school if you want the best chance at admission and scholarship money? According to the GradMissions team, the answer is simple: earlier than you think. In this episode, Autumn, Morgan, and Lizanne break down the ideal law school application timeline and explain why waiting until October/November or later can dramatically impact your outcomes. They discuss how to navig...

You submitted your primary application. Time to relax, right? Not quite. In this follow-up to our popular secondaries episode, Autumn and Logan break down the most common mistakes they see medical school applicants make when tackling secondary essays and how to avoid them before they cost you time, momentum, or interview invitations. Book your free strategy call: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gradmissions.o...

Everyone has advice for future doctors and lawyers. But not all advice is good advice. In this episode, the GradMissions team continues their conversation about how to strategically prepare for medical or law school long before application season arrives. From choosing a major you actually enjoy to building meaningful experiences outside the classroom, they break down what admissions committees re...

High school graduation is both the end of one chapter and the ideal time to start thinking about the chapter after college. In this episode, the GradMissions team shares practical advice for students who hope to become doctors or lawyers and the parents who want to support them. From developing strong academic habits to building relationships with professors, advocating for yourself, and seeking o...