LaunchNET Spotlight: Alexander Chen and the Creation of Premed Cheatsheet

Alexander Chen (CWR ’25) is the co-founder of Premed Cheatsheet, an online resource designed to help aspiring medical students navigate the often confusing premed journey. Chen graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and is now a first-year medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He launched the project with Andrew Qi (CWR ’25), who majored in business and biology, minored in Chinese and chemistry, and is currently a first-year medical student at CWRU School of Medicine.

Supported by LaunchNET, the two founded Premed Cheatsheet during their senior year after recognizing how challenging it was to find clear guidance while preparing for medical school. Their platform compiles examples and advice from successful medical students to help undergraduates strengthen their applications and gain a clearer understanding of the path to medicine.

In this feature, Chen shares insights about the inspiration behind Premed Cheatsheet, the impact it’s making, and his journey from biomedical engineering to medical school.

1. How did LaunchNET and the grant support shape your journey?

Andrew and I are extremely grateful for the support that LaunchNET provided. The grant gave us the foundation to actually create the website interface as well as collect the profiles for the database. Moreover, the resources at LaunchNET, mainly the mentors and networking events, gave us the opportunity to expand our venture. 

2. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while developing your idea, and how did you overcome it?

At our current stage, we primarily use short-form organic social media content as our primary form of marketing. Our biggest challenge thus far has been retaining a steady stream of creators to help spread the message and vision of the Premed Cheatsheet. 

3. What milestone or achievement are you most proud of so far?

We are most proud of reaching 3,000 members in the Premed Cheatsheet community thus far! We’re glad and very happy to be a part of so many premeds’ journeys into becoming successful medical students, and we hope to be a part of many more in the future as we expand.

4. What advice from LaunchNET mentors or your own experience has stuck with you?

One of the best advice that Andrew and I received was: if it’s working, don’t fix it. There were many times when, despite our venture growing at a steady and even exponential pace, we were always thinking about what to change or what to adjust. However, we realized that if something is working, there shouldn’t be a need to change it. Of course, we also understand the value of being dynamic and improving/adapting our product to fit our community’s needs.

5. Looking ahead, what’s next for your venture—and what advice would you give students thinking about applying to LaunchNET?

Andrew and I are currently working on adding a mentorship program within the Premed Cheatsheet, where premed students can meet and work with medical students for more personalized guidance. We hope to release this in the coming weeks!

In terms of advice: keep going. Before the creation of the Premed Cheatsheet, there were plenty of nights where Andrew and I would stay up brainstorming, tossing out idea after idea, only to realize most of them wouldn’t work. It was frustrating, and at times it felt like we were spinning our wheels with nothing to show for it. But every “failed” idea actually got us one step closer to the right one. The key was not giving up when things felt like a dead end.

Progress doesn’t always look like success in the moment; it often looks like trial and error, small adjustments, and persistence through setbacks. If you stay consistent, even when it feels like you’re going in circles, eventually you’ll land on the idea that clicks.