Mikayla Tsai (COS ’26) is a third year Behavioral Neuroscience student who created a podcast called “Med School or Not?” about medical school and a variety of topics surrounding the field of medicine. Her goal is to help others feel less alone in the sometimes overwhelming process of choosing a career in the medical field, along with normalizing the idea of feeling unsure regarding one’s future career.

“For the longest time, I was on the fence about medical school and felt the constant pressure of having to make a decision right away. After all, it felt good having something concrete to work towards because I knew along the lines of what was expected of me. In front of others, I try to appear self-assured and confident regarding my future plans but am truthfully unsure and doubtful most of the time – knowing that I’m not the only one who feels this way. As a result, I decided to create a podcast titled “Med School or Not” in the hopes of bringing awareness to the multitude of career paths out there besides medicine and being a doctor. In the podcast, we’ll unpack the med school application process, get a glimpse at a surgeon’s day in life, cover advice on making the most of one’s gap year, explore the profession of science writing, gain insight on overcoming procrastination and so much more!”

Listen on Spotify and follow along on Instagram!


What other activities are you involved in on campus?

  • Community Volunteers Program (CVP)
  • Brenhouse Lab Research Assistant
  • News Correspondent for the Huntington News

What events or activities would you recommend to new Honors students?

If you love writing, definitely join the Huntington News – the independent student-run newspaper at Northeastern. Whether it’s sports, concerts, national holidays, or self-proposed Op-Ed topics, there’s always something to write about. As someone who loves to write, this has been one of my favorite things about college so far and I’ve got to meet a lot of different people through interviewing them for the news!