You can be smart, motivated, and genuinely called to medicine and still feel crushed by standardized testing. That tension sits at the center of our conversation with Anuya Akala, a LECOM student who found a path that finally matched how she learns. From South Brunswick, New Jersey to training in Missouri, Anuya walks us through how she discovered LECOM early, why an early acceptance medical program felt safer than the traditional pre-med grind, and how test anxiety shaped her decisions long before medical school started.

We get specific about LECOM learning pathways, including the Directed Study Pathway (DSP) for students who don’t thrive in a lecture hall. Anuya explains what it’s like to learn by reading textbooks, meeting with professors to troubleshoot questions, and proving mastery through regular quizzes. We also touch on problem-based learning and lecture-based formats, and why the ability to choose a medical school learning style can be a game-changer for confidence, consistency, and mental health.

Anuya also shares the practical side of the journey: how Thomas Jefferson University kept expectations crystal clear with course maps and check-ins, and what she did with the time she didn’t spend studying for the MCAT. Finally, she breaks down third-year clinical rotations at Mercy Jefferson, including typical hours, studying after shifts, and the surprising benefit of having some weekends to explore and reset.

If you’re researching LECOM, BS/DO programs, early acceptance medical school options, or you’re a student trying to figure out whether medicine is “doable,” this conversation offers an honest, grounded look at what the pathway can feel like. Subscribe for more student stories, share this with a future doctor, and leave a review with the biggest question you still have about getting into medical school.