GradMissions Office Hours

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...

You got into law school — congratulations. Now what? In this episode of the GradMissions Office Hours Podcast , the team breaks down what “0L” really means: the summer before your 1L year begins. And contrary to what Reddit may have told you, you probably do not need to spend it buried in casebooks and color-coded highlights. Instead, Autumn, Lizanne, and Morgan walk future law students through th...

What if the weakest part of your med school or law school application isn’t your GPA or your test score? What if it’s your inability to tell your own story? In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours Podcast, the team unveils the new Application Essay Lab: a writing support experience built for applicants who know they need help with essays, but don’t necessarily need full-cycle admissions coach...

Building your medical school list is more strategic than most applicants realize. In this episode, Autumn, Morgan, and Logan break down exactly how they help pre-med students create a balanced, realistic, and competitive school list. They discuss how MCAT scores shape your application strategy, why state residency matters more than applicants think, and how to evaluate “strong,” “reach,” and “high...

There’s a moment in every application cycle when the primary is (almost) done, and the real writing begins. In this episode, we break down how to approach med school secondaries without burning out or wasting time trying to predict every possible prompt. Instead of chasing last year’s questions, we show you how to build a smarter system. We walk through the five most common secondary essay themes...

Letters of recommendation can feel like one of the most confusing and stressful parts of the med and law school application process. In this episode, the GradMissions team breaks down exactly what letters of recommendation are, why they matter, and how to approach them strategically. We cover who you should (and shouldn’t) ask, why a big name isn’t all that, and how to choose recommenders who trul...

What do theater and med or law school admissions have in common? More than you think. In this special episode of Grad Missions: Office Hours, Autumn sits down with theater educator Jessica Stewart (aka The Stagecraft Nerd) to unpack why the skills built in the arts (communication, resilience, leadership, and presence) are exactly what top programs are looking for in future doctors and lawyers. Fro...

How early is too early to start preparing for med or law school applications? According to the GradMissions team, almost never. In this episode, we break down what the application timeline actually looks like—from ambitious high schoolers to last-minute applicants—and why starting earlier gives you a serious strategic advantage. We talk about building your “40 acres” of application content, avoidi...

In this episode of Grad Missions Office Hours , the team breaks down one of the most high-stakes (and misunderstood) parts of the medical journey: the residency match process. From opening your ERAS application in June to the emotional rollercoaster of Match Week in March, we walk through every step. We unpack what goes into a strong residency application, how specialties vary in competitiveness,...

In this episode of the Grad Missions Office Hours Podcast, the team breaks down everything you need to know about admitted students day for law school or med school. From what these events actually look like to how they can shape your final decision, we walk through the purpose behind the programming and why showing up matters. You’ll get practical, insider advice on how to navigate the day: what...

In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, the team pulls back the curtain on what really happens at GradMissions. Founder Autumn Lockett shares how years of experience in law and medical school admissions revealed a critical gap: By the time most applicants get feedback, it’s already too late to fix what matters. Joined by Lizanne Carlson, Logan Lockett, and Morgan Hager, the team breaks down...

This special edition of GradMissions Office Hours is a deep, honest conversation about accommodations: what they are, who they’re for, and why so many high-achieving applicants are leaving them on the table. Autumn and the team strip away the stigma and get real about how accommodations impact not just test performance, but admissions outcomes, confidence, and long-term success in law school, med...

The robots aren’t coming for your white coat or your law license, but ignoring them isn’t an option either. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, Autumn, Lizanne, Logan, and Morgan dig into the role of artificial intelligence in medicine, law, and the admissions process. From clinical AI reports out of major research institutions to the reality of AI-assisted legal research, the conversati...

In this special med-focused episode of GradMissions Office Hours, Autumn and Logan sit down with Mallory Downs, a two-time applicant who turned a disappointing first cycle into multiple acceptances with the help of GradMissions. With strong stats, a standout MCAT, and five years as a volunteer EMT, Mallory seemed like a sure bet. So what changed between cycle one and cycle two? It was how Mallory...

Law school decisions are rolling in, and in a record-breaking, high-volume cycle, things feel volatile. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours , Autumn, Lizanne, Morgan, and Logan break down exactly where we are in the law school admissions cycle and what you should be doing right now. From understanding yield protection (and why your “safety school” might reject you), to deciding between Ad...

Last week on GradMissions Office Hours, we unpacked JD Career Services. This week, we’re diving into the MD side (Spoiler alert: No wild stories this time. Just strategy!) In this episode, Logan Lockhart, our VP of Strategic Match Advising and all-around med school guru, breaks down what “career advising” in medical school actually looks like, from preclinical networking and specialty mentors to a...

This episode of GradMissions Office Hours is for our future lawyers. We’re pulling back the curtain on what law school career services offices do, what they don’t do, and how they can help you forge a path to the law career you want. We cover: - When you should begin building relationships with career services (hint: immediately) - Why your 1L fall semester is a launchpad, not a warm-up - What rec...

You’ve done the applications. You’ve waited (and waited). Now the decisions are starting to come in and you start wondering: Where should you actually go? In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, the team, with the help of our new VP of Client Success Morgan Hager, pulls back the curtain on what really matters when choosing a law school or medical school, beyond rankings, Reddit threads, and...

The lived experience essay isn’t about proving hardship. It’s about painting the full picture of you. In this episode, we break down the essay formerly known as the diversity statement: what it is now, who it actually serves, and why skipping it costs more than people expect. We talk through lived examples—non-traditional paths, first-gen stories, faith, privilege, career pivots—and how committees...

In this LSAT-focused episode of GradMissions Office Hours , Autumn sits down with Ben Parker of Hey Future Lawyer to cut through the noise of LSAT prep and admissions strategy. Together, they unpack why most LSAT “studying” doesn’t move scores, why reading—not logic games wizardry—is the real differentiator, and what actually drives dramatic score increases. Ben walks listeners through his results...