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Today we caught up with Adam Nessim, entrepreneur and a medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Adam’s journey includes balancing med school at a top university and still having the time to follow his entrepreneurial dream, The Premed Consultants. He’s full of great advice and inspiration for others who may want to follow in his footsteps.
Here’s what he shared with us….
Tell us about why you went into the medical field?
If there is a sports injury you can think of, I’ve probably had it. Growing up I was always in and out of the orthopedists office or operating room. This was my first real exposure to the healthcare field as no one in my family is a healthcare professional. Once I started looking further into the profession, the pieces really just started to fit together.
To me, the ability to help restore the most important commodity one can have, their health, could not be rivaled by any other profession. The thought that I could go into work every day and make a positive impact on patients, is one that has kept me driven throughout this difficult journey.
How was your experience getting into med school?
Even after graduating with a 4.0 from Cornell and scoring over 90th percentile on the MCAT, I would be lying if I didn’t say that getting into medical school was challenging and nerve wracking. Looking back there are changes I would have made to differentiate myself more in how I presented my application. Regardless, the medical school admission process is a rollercoaster of ups and downs. It also feels extremely unpredictable and unexplainable at times.
I received interviews at schools I was surprised to get ones from, and others that I was certain I’d get interviewed at, I was flat out rejected. Overall, the process is a good exercise in having thick skin, being able to take rejection, and not take anything too personally. However, I am extremely grateful for the experience and in the end, I absolutely love the medical school I ended up at and I am able to train at a great medical school in NYC.
Did you always have the entrepreneur gene?
Looking back I realized that I was always hustling in some manner, I just didn’t always see it as entrepreneurship. Whether it was going around the neighborhood on a snow day asking neighbors to clear out their driveway for a few bucks, to refereeing soccer games, to scooping ice cream, to tutoring students. To be honest I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have at least once source of income, even all throughout my academic career at Cornell and now in medical school.
However, for whatever reason, I never gave myself permission to really take a shot and start my own thing until the very beginning of medical school. I had a vision for a product that I felt could really help students across the country and decided I’m not going to wait for someone else to make it. At the same time, I truly enjoyed learning the ins and outs of business and my “downtime” from studying medicine was quickly replaced with listening to podcast after podcast episode from various top entrepreneurs.
As a med student and entrepreneur, how do you balance your time?
The best habit I ever picked up is waking up early. I think you’d be shocked at the amount of work you can get done by waking up at 5 am and grinding for 3 straight hours before the rest of the world even wakes up. Also, in a weird way being an entrepreneur is what keeps me balanced.
Medical school can be extremely challenging and it’s definitely encouraged for students to find or stick with a hobby outside of medicine. For me, that so happens to be entrepreneurship. I absolutely love working on my business and meeting with students so truthfully it doesn’t even feel like extra work. When you’re watching netflix, I’m probably working on website design, or adding to my program (but don’t worry I have time for the occasional netflix show too).
How important is social media in what you do?
Social media has been crucial for both my business and my brand as it has allowed me to reach thousands of hopeful premed students to share my message. Unfortunately, many students are discouraged from continuing to pursue their dream of becoming a doctor. This may be because they had advisors that told them they should consider an alternative career, a family member that didn’t believe in them, or a lack of internal belief themselves. However, the truth is that most students with the right plan in place, proper advising, and hard work can get into medical school.
Social media has allowed me to distribute this guidance where the students are and sometimes where they digest it best. With 26.5k followers on Instagram and 45k+ on TikTok I have had premed videos reach thousands if not tens of thousands of students at once and that is only possible through the power of social media.
What is the best advice you ever received?
I find mentorship through studying other top entrepreneurs. The best 3 words I ever heard came from one of my favorite entrepreneurs in the game Gary Vaynerchuk. “You’re Gonna Die”. I try to live myself knowing I have a finite amount of time, and not to waste a minute of it.
What impact would like to have on the world?
As I grow older my aspirations become bigger and bigger. Right now, my goal is to impact students across the country by showing them that they can achieve their dream of getting into medical school and becoming a doctor, regardless of where they started. It would be an honor to have just a small roll in guiding many of the future doctors of America towards this dream.
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