Getting into Stanford Medical School is no easy feat.
As one of the most prestigious schools of its kind, it’s estimated that less than 4% of all Stanford’s yearly applicants are approved. If you’re looking to get that acceptance letter, you’ll normally always need more than just good grades—but Stanford wants you to know that it’s not impossible.
The med school produced an uplifting parody of Ariana Grande’s hit tune, “thank u, next”, which acknowledged just how difficult the application process can be.
Even so, it also encouraged students not to give up on their dreams! The song begins with a couple of prospective students singing about the efforts they’d taken to get into Stanford—such as achieving a 528, the highest possible MCAT score, and volunteering to save puppies overnight.
We then see a few funny scenes from the students’ hard work leading up to their application, alongside the lyrics:
“One taught me love/ one taught me patients (with a deliberate play on words!) / one taught me pain / now I feel like crying.”
If you’ve ever worked really hard on your education, you’ll relate!
After this, we watch what we’d imagine to be a stereotypical Stanford student interview. A narrating singer tells the interviewers about the interviewing students’ talents. The interviewer responds by singing, “I need our students to have it all to give them a call/ oh they have to be perfect, so our ranking won’t fall.”
By this point, we think there’s no way our two protagonists are going to get into Stanford!
But then we learn that one of the students has been invited to attend her own interview. We see her nervously getting ready in the morning, splashing her face with water, putting her coat on, and breathing a huge sigh of anticipation.
We almost feel nervous for her as she heads into the interview building!
But immediately, she’s met by a lady who reassures her that that’s not what really goes on, and advises her, “Just be yourself.” The interviewer then goes onto sing, “We’d be lucky to have you, ’cause you’re second to none.” We’d imagine that this is the sort of reassurance a Stanford applicant would desperately need to hear on interview day!
The song finishes with an uplifting scene where our two student protagonists, who we learn have been accepted into Stanford, shake hands with their professors, to the lyrics, “You’ll make a great doctor/ your future is bright, no matter where you go.”
The scene then cuts to the female student jumping onto her bed and sticking a picture from her Stanford years into her scrapbook. We love that she had her happy ending!
What makes the Stanford parody so special is that it was produced and performed by real students.
There is clearly a high level of talent at the school—not only are some students smart enough to get into one of the most prestigious schools in the world, they’re also blessed with the ability to sing!
We’re still not sure that Stanford is a realistic option for most people, but it’s uplifting to see the school make a real effort to encourage students to attend their interviews with confidence.
Take a look at the video and prepare to be inspired!
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