About Dr. Sonia Pothraj
She was humbled to graduate from Rice University in just three years. During her residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, she was honored with the Teacher of the Year award. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Medical Education at Harvard Medical School, whereupon she is pursuing multiple research projects.
She has worked for four years as a private admissions counselor for students interested in applying to top universities and medical schools in the United States. She has two years of clinical experience as an attending doctor in Pediatrics with one year working in a fast-paced environment at PM Pediatrics Urgent Care as a pediatric urgent care physician. She also has experience working in primary care and locum tenens in under-resourced settings.
She currently works as a locum tenens physician.
Admissions Counseling for International Medical Graduates
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Kind Words from Mentees
See our 436 reviews on Trustpilot
Best Teacher Ever
Arguably one of the toughest challenges awaiting every premed student is how to make yourself standout among an ever-growing pool of competitive applicants. The application process requires tact, preparation, and extensive insight into the qualities that will make your application effective and unique in the eyes of admission committees. Attempting to pursue my dream of becoming a physician after a few years in the workforce, I felt excited but extremely lost at the prospect of having to convince an admissions panel of my competency as a student and of the value of my own vision for medicine. This is when Read More...
Wonderful Mentor
As an older graduate, I started interview prep with very low confidence and almost no interview skills. She completely transformed the way I approached interviews. She taught me how to structure answers, make them program-specific, and present myself confidently—without ever judging my English or year of graduation. She went far beyond coaching: before one interview, she even helped me with my outfit and makeup and gave me the confidence I was lacking. I paid for only a few sessions, yet she generously gave me many additional classes simply because she cared. She is not just an interview coach, but a Read More...
So thankful for Dr. Pothraj
No, actually, I'm telling you that you are doing a great job. You are so different. You are making an answer specifically for each applicant, and that's something that's very unique for you. I had an advisor before, and, like, I attended a lot of sessions. I paid for some people, like, more than $300, and most of them are just, like, talking to you and just listening to your answer. No one gives you, like, really, really, really great feedback like you did. They also are talking to you, giving you, like, say something unique, say something special, like, Read More...
Best Teacher Ever
Arguably one of the toughest challenges awaiting every premed student is how to make yourself standout among an ever-growing pool of competitive applicants. The application process requires tact, preparation, and extensive insight into the qualities that will make your application effective and unique in the eyes of admission committees. Attempting to pursue my dream of becoming a physician after a few years in the workforce, I felt excited but extremely lost at the prospect of having to convince an admissions panel of my competency as a student and of the value of my own vision for medicine. This is when Dr. Sonia Pothraj’s preparation and experience became an invaluable part of my application process resulting in admission into an US MD program early in the cycle! Dr. Pothraj was the perfect guide to help me prepare a cohesive application that played to my strengths. With her help, my personal statements told a story unique to me, presenting my premed experiences to highlight the themes that attracted me to medicine from the start, being careful not to fall for common traps and myths that can plague the writing process. In the end, my application told a story of dedication to healing and education that we knew could attract the eyes of admissions panels. How thankful am I for Dr. Pothraj’s help? The day I received my med school admissions offer she was the first person I called, even before my parents!! I am now proudly able to say that I will become an US MD thanks to the support of my family, educators, and the effective guidance of Dr. Pothraj.
Wonderful Mentor
As an older graduate, I started interview prep with very low confidence and almost no interview skills. She completely transformed the way I approached interviews. She taught me how to structure answers, make them program-specific, and present myself confidently—without ever judging my English or year of graduation.
She went far beyond coaching: before one interview, she even helped me with my outfit and makeup and gave me the confidence I was lacking. I paid for only a few sessions, yet she generously gave me many additional classes simply because she cared.
She is not just an interview coach, but a true mentor. I highly recommend her to any IMG or older graduate who feels overwhelmed or under-confident.
So thankful for Dr. Pothraj
No, actually, I'm telling you that you are doing a great job. You are so different. You are making an answer specifically for each applicant, and that's something that's very unique for you. I had an advisor before, and, like, I attended a lot of sessions. I paid for some people, like, more than $300, and most of them are just, like, talking to you and just listening to your answer. No one gives you, like, really, really, really great feedback like you did. They also are talking to you, giving you, like, say something unique, say something special, like, travel to that area, serve in that area, and literally program director don't want to hear that. There's a lot of misconception about that. They want to hear a real credential. So, no, I am the one who really thankful for you. You are doing great job, and you are really a huge change and you were a big change for me because I realized the difference between my first interview and after I did one with you, it was a total change✨
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