Ask a Med Student

We are a group of five first-year medical students who are here to help with questions about Dalhousie University Medical School and the MMI weekend. Kemi, Jonathan, and Bevvy attend the Halifax campus (DMNS), while Emma and Amy attend the Saint John campus (DMNB). We encourage you to reach out at any time through our email askadalmedstudent@gmail.com or our Facebook page (Ask A Med Student - Dalhousie, Class of 2029)

HALIFAX AAMS REPS

From left to right, Kemi, Jonathan, & Beverly 

Kemi Olarotimi

Hi everyone!

My name is Kemi Olarotimi (she/her), and I am thrilled to be one of the Ask a Med Student Reps (DMNS). I was born and raised in Nigeria, and I completed my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Mathematics at Dalhousie. During this time, I completed an exchange semester at the University of Birmingham and was involved in residence life at Dalhousie! Following that, I completed my master’s degree in Biomedical Technology at the University of Calgary, and before starting med school, I worked with the amazing health team at Alberta Innovates.

Everyone’s path to medicine is unique and applying to medical school can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Regardless of where you are in your journey- whether you’re preparing your application for submission, have submitted your application, are preparing for interviews, are awaiting decision letters, or are preparing to start medical school next fall-  you’ve put in tremendous efforts to get to this point and should take a moment to acknowledge your hard work. You’ve made it this far and I believe in you. I still cherish the excitement of receiving my decision letter and reading the word congratulations that Thursday morning, and I assure you, it’s one of the most rewarding feelings ever so don’t give up!

As an Ask a Med student Rep, I am here to provide guidance and support throughout your application process. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions and concerns you may have; I’m more than happy to help!

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to meeting you soon!

- Kemi 

Jonathan Mansvelt

My name is Jonathan (he/him), and I look forward to engaging with everyone during the application cycle this year. I was born in Halifax, grew up in Grand Lake, and returned to the city to complete my BSc in psychology at Saint Mary’s University. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I worked several jobs including a ward clerk position on the IWK Birth Unit. I originally planned to apply to a PhD in clinical psychology, but working with the incredible healthcare team at the IWK inspired me to pursue medicine instead.

Applying to medical school is an accomplishment in and of itself; jumping through the many hoops such as writing the MCAT, taking the CASPer, and organizing supplementals requires immense dedication and perseverance. My experience applying to medicine was a frenzy that began with a last-minute decision to write the MCAT, immediately followed by a whirlwind of applications and interviews during my final Honours year. There were many moments of doubt, crying, and wondering if it would all be worth it. Despite the reality of limited seats and an abundance of qualified candidates, I encourage everyone to avoid getting caught up in a scarcity mindset. Comparison is the thief of joy; focus on doing the best you can do and be yourself!

If I could go back in time and tell myself one thing during the application process, it’s that all the effort will be worth it - med school truly lives up to the hype! I’m so excited to hear from you and share my insight into applications, interviews, life at Dalhousie, and more.

Hope to see you soon   

- Jonathan                                                                                                                     

Beverly Schwartz

Hello everyone!!

It is my absolute pleasure to get to know you and hopefully by the end of my blurb (thank you for reading it by the way, I’m honoured) you’ll know a little bit about me! My name is Beverly (Bevvy) Schwartz (she/her) and I am very excited to be one of your Ask A Med Class Reps this year!

A little bit about me, I grew up in Toronto and happened to fall in love with Halifax while visiting in high school deciding where I wanted to spend the next four years. Spoiler alert, this will be my 7^th year living in Halifax since that day. I completed by undergraduate degree in Kinesiology as well as my Masters in Kinesiology here at Dal. I am passionate about ANYTHING food, drink, or exercise related. In my spare time you’ll find me either teaching a workout class, participating in another workout class, running, eating, watching cooking videos, talking about eating, or cooking.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. Every decision I made regarding my academics was geared towards this goal. Little did I know, the process of getting to medical school was NOT a linear one. After applying to over 15 programs (twice may I add), I learned that it takes much more than a good CV and GPA to get in. The lessons I’ve learned on my road to get here are ones that I will never forget. I learned the importance of being a well-rounded, compassionate, and kind person. The most important thing I learned was to be authentically myself. When I got my offer letter, I knew that the lessons I learned and continue to learn needed to be shared. So here I am!

I know this process can be extremely daunting and may feel like you’re stepping into a completely different world. Trust me, I’ve been there! I am more than happy to be a lending hand to anyone that has any questions about the process, comments or concerns about prepping for the interview or if you just want a friendly face to validate how you’re feeling!

We look forward to meeting you and remember to have fun and be kind to yourself!

-Bevvy

SAINT JOHN AAMS REPS

From left to right, Emma & Amy

Emma DeLong

Hello everyone! I’m Emma Delong, a first-year medical student at DMNB and one of your 2024 Ask a Med Student representatives. Here’s a little about me: I grew up in Quispamsis, NB, completed my undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences at Dalhousie, and worked in medical device sales for two years before starting med school. I also have a passion for dance; I was a competitive dancer growing up and was part of the Black and Gold dance team at Dal.

I know you’re likely feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now—stress, excitement, confusion. Trust me, every current med student can relate! I remember completely blanking on a question during my MMI, just staring at the screen like a deer in headlights. It happens to the best of us!

The med school application process can be overwhelming, but here’s one of my key pieces of advice: practice! I know it sounds obvious, but seriously, the more you engage with application-style questions—whether for the Casper, MMI, or MCAT—the more prepared you’ll feel. Don’t hesitate to reach out for advice and practice with others. It might feel awkward at first, but it will significantly boost your confidence throughout the application cycle.

A huge congratulations to those of you invited to interview with Dalhousie—be sure to take a moment to celebrate your achievements! I’m excited to meet many of you and to assist with your interview prep!

- Emma

Amy Dodge

Hi everyone! My name is Amy Dodge and I am one of your Ask a Med Student reps for the DMNB campus. I grew up in Moncton, NB and have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from St. Francis Xavier University. Following my undergraduate degree, I completed my Masters of Science in Epidemiology and Applied Health Research at Dalhousie where I focused on perinatal epidemiology (just a fancy way of saying I studied pregnancy outcomes). Before attending medical school, I had the privilege of working at the IWK in Halifax where I got to pursue my passion for women’s health in research.

As someone who has gone through the application process a few times myself, I can understand the rollercoaster of emotions that comes it. Making it this far and applying to medical school is an accomplishment in itself! Yes, it can be stressful, but there is also lots of excitement. That is where we as AAMS reps come in to help! We’re like your medical school fairy godmothers, here to provide support and answer questions about applications, interviews or medical school in general. Basically, anything YOU need to succeed and feel supported throughout the application process!

If you have any questions please reach out to us at any time. You can find us through our Facebook page (Ask A Med Student - Dalhousie, Class of 2029) or you can send an email to askadalmedstudent@gmail.com 

Good luck! We look forward to meeting you! 

- Amy