See yourself
in medicine.

1The representation gap

The gap widened recently. In the 2024–25 entering class, Black matriculants fell 11.6%, Hispanic matriculants fell 10.8% and American Indian or Alaska Native matriculants fell 22.1% compared with the year before.² For comparison, Black students made up 10% of matriculants in 2023–24.⁸

2Why representation matters

Research suggests that patients can benefit when their doctors share their background.

• Preventive care. In a randomized field experiment in Oakland, Black men assigned to a Black doctor were much more likely to choose preventive services, including invasive ones, after meeting the doctor. The authors estimated that more Black doctors could reduce the Black–white gap in male cardiovascular deaths by 19%.⁷
• Newborn survival. A study of Florida births from 1992 to 2015 found that the excess death rate of Black newborns, compared with white newborns, was 430 per 100,000 births when a white physician was in charge and 173 per 100,000 when a Black physician was.⁵

A fair reading of the evidence. A 2024 reanalysis of the newborn study in the same journal found that the effect became statistically insignificant once very low birth weight was taken into account.⁶ Researchers still disagree about how large these effects are. We include both studies because a guide built like a research article should show the debate, not just one side.

3About the founder

I come from a grandmother who immigrated from Belize and became a nurse, and a father who served in the military, then went back to school to become a nurse. Medicine has always been close to my family, but no one in it was a doctor.

I've found my passion in oncology research and cancer therapeutics, and in mentorship. Through the DCPS CEO Program, the American Chemical Society's Project SEED and Oxon Hill High School, I've introduced students to careers in STEM and to laboratory science. Shadowing physicians also gave me a profound passion for psychiatry.

Throughout my pre-med journey, I've talked with other first-generation pre-med students and found a shared struggle: simply not knowing. In this field, knowing the resources and knowing the right people can be the difference between securing an opportunity and missing it, between pursuing higher education and not. My parents, through no fault of their own, didn't know the path, so I relied on my own research, on mentors who helped me more than anything, and on connecting with people like me.

I want to share everything I know, even if it helps just one student let go of imposter syndrome.

The closer things feel to being in reach, the faster they become our reality.Carin Smith, founder

4The guides

5Key terms

6How we cite

Every statistic links to a numbered reference. We use primary sources, such as the AAMC, AACOM, TMDSAS, federal agencies and peer-reviewed journals, whenever we can find them. When a figure comes from a secondary source, the reference says so. Advice that isn't backed by data is written as advice. When good data doesn't exist, we say that instead of guessing.