Welcome to MedSchool Declassified!

Becoming a doctor is no easy task. Having gone through the entire admissions process for Medical School, Residency, and Fellowship, I know this firsthand. Working hard to maintain your college GPA, doing well on the MCAT, securing great recommendation letters, shining on interviews, and the myriad other things a pre-med student must do….this process is definitely no cake walk. To top it off, all of that only gets you into medical school. Then you have to do it all over again to ensure you get the specialty and Residency program you want (and not to mention Fellowship after that!).

After going through all that, there was nothing as rewarding as getting accepted to the medical school of my choice, and then four years later successfully "Matching" into Residency for Orthopaedic Surgery.

And that's why I made this website, to share my experiences and thoughts throughout my journey. I've split it into 3 sections:

1. A pre-med college student vying for Medical School acceptance

2. A medical student laboring to Match into Residency

3. Specific advice for Matching into Orthopaedic Surgery

I highlight what I think I did right and what I think I did wrong along the way. I also discuss what I wish I'd known at each step, hopefully providing some helpful insight to anyone endeavoring to become a doctor.

Who am I?

My name is Adil Shahzad Ahmed. I'm an Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Shoulder, Elbow, Hand, and Nerve Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

My education and training took me across the country and the globe:

• Bachelor of Science Undergraduate Degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas

• Medical School at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas

• Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine & the Florida Orthopaedic Institute in Tampa, Florida

• Hand & Microsurgery Fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia

• Shoulder & Elbow Surgery Fellowship at the Sydney Shoulder Research Institute (SSRI) in Sydney, Australia

During this process I received countless tidbits of advice from professors, doctors, medical students, residents, and admissions committee members about how to be successful on the path that I’ve chosen. But I could not have done this without a lot of advice and guidance. And that's what I wish to bring to you by telling my story.

What is the purpose of this site?

I want this site to be a resource for anyone trying to get into Medical School and Residency, because I know the road to acceptance is not always smooth. But this site should not be limited to only inquisitive pre-meds and medical students. It is for anyone curious about what it takes to become a doctor and surgeon. Whether you’re a high school student thinking about pursuing medicine, a parent, spouse, or relative of a student laboring through this process, or simply curious about the eight-year path through college and medical school to become a doctor - check this site out!

If you want to know more about me or you’d like to connect, click here to read my bio.

Best of luck!