Giving a Boost

The medical school application process is competitive and expensive, often requiring thousands of dollars in application fees and interview expenses. Although some applicants can pay thousands more for third-party application consulting services, applicants from underserved and lower SES backgrounds are often unable to access similar help and enter application cycles at a disadvantage. While free of charge, university pre-professional advising offices are often inundated with applicants every year and may be unable to offer personalized assistance. To overcome this disparity, Giving a Boost (GAB) was founded at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to provide free and accessible individualized peer support from medical students, helping applicants to present their best selves to admissions committees at every stage of the process. Since the 2020-2021 application cycle, GAB has mentored over 350+ students in the greater Pittsburgh area, leading to acceptances to top medical schools including Harvard, Columbia, and University of Pittsburgh SOM. In 2023, GAB started expanding from the greater Pittsburgh area across the nation.