As a pre-med myself, there are so many resources available online for “how to get into medical school” or “what you should be doing with your undergraduate career as a pre-med.” But how often do you hear from students who are in a special pre-med program with insider tips on how to get into medical school? Not often.
I interviewed the talented and innovative students behind the “PreMed Perspectives,” a new podcast directed at pre-medical students.
Who are you all, and what inspired you to make the podcast?
My name is Lasya Marla, and I just completed my first year at MSU.I am majoring in Nutritional Science and minoring in Entrepreneurship and innovation. I wanted to make this podcast because I was so fortunate to have people in my life that guided me and continue to guide as a premed, and not all students have people like that. I asked Viji, Esha, and Ambika to join me on this venture because I thought it would be helpful for listeners to hear multiple opinions. Also, we are all friends and often have discussions about being pre-med and anything health-related, so a podcast seemed like an appropriate way to capture our advice and personalities.
My name is Esha Garg and I am a rising sophomore at MSU, double majoring in Nutritional Sciences and Human Biology and minoring in Bioethics. When Lasya came to us with this idea, I was extremely excited because I knew the power of podcasts and had personally never been in one. I think it is amazing how we can bring our opinions to a platform that is accessible to everyone and hopefully help some people out on a journey that is usually a very daunting one to start!
My name is Viji Jambunathan, and I just completed my first year at MSU. I’m pursuing a double major in Nutritional Sciences and Human Biology with double minors in Bioethics and Health Promotion. I was intrigued by the idea when Lasya first mentioned it because it seemed like an interesting way to share our unique perspectives and paths as pre-med students. Medicine is a competitive field, but also an extremely collaborative one, so I thought this would be an effective way to both help and learn from other pre-med students as we all navigate this journey.
My name is Ambika Salwan, and I am a Human Biology major. I am pursuing a minor in Spanish. After Lasya brought the idea to the table, I was extremely excited to start sharing our journey and experience. Our friendship often consists of different discussions on medicine and wellness, so we thought it would be nice to display these conversations for the world to hear. Many students dream of being doctors, but many do not have guidance or knowledge of what it takes to achieve this goal. We want to share knowledge as well as learn from our peers.
What is your podcast all about? Who is it directed towards? What platform is your podcast on?
Lasya: Our podcast is about sharing advice with high school and pre-med students about what we are doing on our journey to medical school. It is for anyone in the general public because we plan on covering topics regarding health and wellness. Our podcast is available on Spotify, and you can expect to see a listen to a new one every Friday. We also post a lot on our Instagram @the.premed.perspectives.
Ambika: The targeted audience is high school age and college age students who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. However, it is also for people who are interested in health and wellness.
What do you plan on sharing in the podcast?
Esha: Our goal is to share everything about our pre-med journey, whether that is related to education, lifestyle, or health in general. We also would like to share our opinions about current health issues and even invite others to pitch in. Our goal is to ultimately share our knowledge about being a pre-med and build a community where there is a helpful exchange of information!
Lasya: We also have invited a lot of guests to speak, so we can be more informative to our audience.
What advice do you have for pre-meds during the COVID-19 crisis?
Viji: I’d say definitely don’t let this time go to waste! There’s a lot of things you can during this crisis to help the community and gain experience, such as learning a new skill, preparing for the MCAT, or engaging in virtual volunteering opportunities. We actually made a podcast covering this in detail! It’s Episode 2 and called How to Learn, Volunteer, and Shadow during Quarantine. It was released on May 14th on Spotify so check it out for more information!
Ambika: I’d definitely recommend not being disillusioned by science. It is scary as STEM students to understand that a virus can transform our lives. I think this is a great time for students to learn about public health policies and the process of making a vaccine. Often times, we learn procedures in textbooks, but this pandemic is a real-life issue that we can learn from.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Lasya: If you have an idea to start something or even join something, just do it. I had been thinking about starting this since the winter, and I am glad that it came into fruition now, because we have experienced a great deal of support and reach, which we did not expect. I really think in life the only true failure you can experience is the failure of not trying.
I’d like to thank the ladies of the PreMed Perspectives for allowing me to interview them and bring attention to the amazing work that they’re doing. For more on the Pre-Med Perspectives, follow them on Instagram, and you can find them on Spotify!