About Me
Hi, I’m Rinka! 👋
Nice to meet you, and welcome to WithRinka! 🙂
I’m a second-year medical student and I created this blog to be the resource I wish I had when I was applying to medical school.
When I started my pre-med journey, I had no roadmap. I was an international student, the first in my family to pursue medicine, and I didn’t have parents or relatives in healthcare to guide me. Every step—from choosing schools and studying for the MCAT to writing essays and preparing for interviews—was something I had to figure out through countless hours of research, trial and error, and asking for help.
Looking back, there are so many things I wish someone had simply explained.
That’s exactly why I started this blog.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog is organized into three main sections:
1. Everything College
Advice for making the most of your college experience—from volunteering, research, leadership, scholarships, productivity, and finding opportunities, to lessons I learned throughout my undergraduate years.
2. Medical School Application Guide
A step-by-step guide through the entire application process, including TMDSAS, AMCAS, MCAT, CASPer, essays, interviews, choosing schools, timelines, and the templates and resources that helped me along the way.
3. Healthy Lifestyle
Medical school can be busy, but taking care of yourself is just as important. Here I share tips on staying healthy, maintaining balance, productivity, wellness, and life outside of medicine.
I also share the spreadsheets, templates, and resources that helped me along the way to my lovely subscribers because I believe students shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Why I Started WithRinka
My goal is simple:
To create one place where future pre-med students can find honest advice, practical resources, and step-by-step guidance through the medical school application process.
Instead of spending hours searching across dozens of websites, I hope this blog becomes a place where you can learn from someone who’s recently gone through the process.
A Little About Me
I was born in Hiroshima, Japan, and grew up between Japan and China before moving to the United States for college.
Today, I’m pursuing my dream of becoming a family physician.
Outside of medicine, I love singing, traveling, and creating resources that make life a little easier for other students.
Let’s Connect!
Whether you’re a high school student considering medicine, a college student just starting your pre-med journey, or someone preparing to apply this cycle, I’m so glad you’re here.
I hope this blog helps make your path just a little less overwhelming than mine was.
Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you the very best on your journey to medical school!
