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 away rotations, interest groups, alumni engagement, and national tools like Careers in Medicine and Charting Outcomes in the Match. We talk about the common mismatch between what students expect from career services and what medical schools realistically provide

In med school, no one cares more about your career than you do. Advocating for yourself is non-negotiable.

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 recruiters actually say after networking events, with insight from our own Morgan Hager, a former BigLaw recruiter

- Why your mom cannot call the firm on your behalf

- How to receive hard feedback without spiraling

This episode is equal parts strategy session and cautionary tale. The legal profession runs on relationships, deadlines, and professionalism, and that starts in law school. The students who show up early, build authentic connections, and understand the transactional nature of the industry (without being transactional themselves) are the ones who thrive.

If you’re headed to law school, currently in law school, or advising someone who is, this is your roadmap to navigating career services the smart way.

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 well-meaning family opinions.

From research infrastructure and career services to alumni engagement, student services, campus vibes, and even commute realities, we break down the factors that shape your day-to-day life and long-term outcomes.

We talk candidly about:

- Why “research opportunities” and “career placement” don’t mean much without asking the right questions.

- How Student Services and Career Development can make—or break—your experience.

- The power of alumni networks and what disengaged alumni can signal.

- Why visiting campus and doing a real vibe check matters more than you think.

- How being favorable (yes, kind and professional) can quietly open doors.

If you’re staring at acceptances, waitlists, or silence and wondering how to make a smart, human decision, this episode gives you something productive to do while you wait.

Because the best school for you isn’t always the highest ranked one. It’s the one where you can thrive.

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 read professionalism, not performance, from a few short paragraphs.

We also get specific about scholarships, redacted data, and why writing from scars—not scabs—changes outcomes.

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-first approach to LSAT prep, explains why practice and review beat performative studying every time, and shares hard truths about timing, consistency, and planning for multiple test takes. The conversation also covers GPA strategy, why sacrificing grades for early LSAT prep is a losing trade, how admissions cycles are shifting, and when waiting a year actually improves outcomes.

If you’re serious about law school admissions—and want advice grounded in data, ethics, and real results—this episode is your no-nonsense guide to preparing smarter, earlier, and with intention.

Check out Hey Future Lawyer to reimagine your LSAT prep.

In our first-ever This or That episode, the GradMissions Office Hours team goes rapid-fire on the questions we hear every single day — and gives you the honest answers most applicants never get.

We break down what actually matters (and what absolutely doesn’t) in med school and law school admissions, including:

• Big-name letters vs. people who truly know you

• Gap years: when they help, when they’re unnecessary, and when they’re inevitable

• Post-baccs, master’s programs, and why they don’t “fix” your GPA the way you think

• MD vs. DO pathways and how to be realistic without selling yourself short

• Choosing a major you love (spoiler: law and med schools do not care what it is)

• How admissions committees really read personal statements — and why one moment beats a lifetime résumé

Along the way, we talk strategy schools won’t put on their websites, share tactics we actually use with our clients, and remind you that there is no single template for becoming a lawyer or a physician.

Season two is officially here — louder, smarter, and way more fun. Join us weekly as we pull back the curtain on admissions and help you build a path that actually works.

This special solo episode kicks off a new season of GradMissions Office Hours with a message for anyone in the thick of med school or law school applications—or preparing to be. Autumn speaks directly to applicants who are waiting, wondering, and second-guessing where they’ll land, reminding them to pause and take stock of how far they’ve already come.From reflecting on progress made over the past year to envisioning what life could look like in the next, this episode is about perspective, patience, and confidence in the process. Autumn encourages listeners to trust their preparation, their educators, and their supporting cast—and to remember that the work they’ve already done is what will carry them forward.Whether you’re actively in the applicant pool, planning ahead for a future cycle, or supporting someone on this path, this episode offers reassurance, grounding, and a reminder that growth happens one step at a time—and you are exactly where you need to be right now.

Schedule your free strategy call at gradmissions.org.

It’s the most stressful time of year for med and law school applicants—and no, the silence in your inbox is not personal. In this episode of GradMissions Office Hours, Autumn, Lizanne, and Logan talk applicants off the ledge during peak admissions anxiety season.

We break down why waiting is not a failure, what admissions offices are actually doing right now, and how record-breaking application numbers, staffing shortages, and academic calendars impact timelines for interviews and decisions. You’ll hear candid guidance on when to stay calm, when to take action, and when it’s truly time to worry (spoiler: for most of you, it’s not yet).

From managing family pressure over the holidays to resisting Reddit doom spirals, this episode reframes anxiety as a sign that you care—and offers practical ways to channel that energy into healthier habits, perspective, and preparation for the long road ahead. Because admissions is just the beginning of a career full of “hurry up and wait.”

If you’ve applied and are refreshing your tracker every five minutes, this one’s for you.