Duncan's Apartment.
"Adam, are you really going to be a doctor?"
Rachel's eyes were a little hazy.
As someone with a thing for doctor dads, she often couldn't control the wild energy surging inside her.
Back when Adam had only expressed interest in becoming a doctor, she had used every possible flirtation technique—super, ultimate, and extreme—but unfortunately, they all failed. She only gave up after being comforted by her father.
Now, seeing Adam actually preparing to enter Columbia Medical School, following in her father's footsteps, and with a future that was likely to surpass her father's success and prestige, that wild energy inside her started boiling again.
"*Ahem!*"
Nearby, Ross coughed awkwardly and laughed dryly. "Hello? Your boyfriend—me—is also a PhD!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rachel waved him off absentmindedly.
Ross rolled his eyes dramatically.
That's right.
The two of them still followed the same path as in the original timeline. When Rachel saw the old high school graduation video where Ross confessed his deep crush on her, she was so moved that she took the initiative.
Naturally, Ross didn't resist—this was Rachel, his high school goddess, the one that had always been just out of reach.
And so, the two entered a passionate romance.
"I've been working so hard for this," Adam said with a smile.
Applying to medical school involves four steps.
**Step One: MCAT.**
That was the exam Adam had taken today—the Medical College Admission Test. Even though the results weren't out yet, he was confident he'd pass with a high score.
**Step Two: Primary Application.**
This is when you submit your main application through AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service), which essentially creates your medical student profile.
The application includes your college transcript, MCAT score, extracurricular activities, and personal statement.
Extracurriculars could be things like volunteering in Africa or working 5,000 hours as a hospital volunteer.
Since it's a mutual selection process, you can apply to multiple schools.
**Step Three: Secondary Applications and Additional Materials.**
Once your primary application is submitted, the schools will review your file. They might reject you outright or ask you to submit extra materials.
If your GPA, MCAT score, extracurriculars, and personal statement all pass the initial screening, top medical schools will still need a way to filter out more applicants.
So, they request additional materials based on their own criteria—like details about your family background, how you'd contribute to their "culture," and other factors.
**Step Four: Interviews.**
At this stage, as long as you don't completely bomb the interview—like failing to communicate properly or offending the interviewer—you're pretty much in.
With Leonard's help—a former top Columbia Med graduate and now a senior attending cardiothoracic surgeon at NYU Medical Center—the last three steps were basically a guaranteed pass.
Adam had to admit: having connections was amazing!
"Chandler, how have you been lately?" Adam asked.
"Not bad," Chandler smirked. "I mean, it couldn't possibly be worse than before, right?"
His parents were a constant source of mockery, and everyone had gotten used to it.
"Chandler's about to get promoted at his advertising job," Monica said with a smile. "His boss really appreciates him."
"Of course," Adam nodded. "Chandler's hilarious. Even his casual jokes end up getting published in humor magazines. He's got a real talent for this, and advertising is no exception."
Two years ago, Chandler had impulsively quit his job after being offered a promotion—because he hated the work. But then he had no idea what to do next.
Originally, in the other timeline, his boss kept inviting him back because Chandler was actually great at data processing. At first, Chandler refused.
But every time he said no, his boss kept increasing the salary offer—even throwing in a private office and a personal assistant.
Eventually, Chandler couldn't resist and went back.
At first, the private office and assistant were exciting and fun. But, of course, there was a catch.
Now, Chandler had to work even harder. As a supervisor, he had to manage the same coworkers he used to slack off with, making them work overtime to hit targets.
And just like that, his old colleagues started excluding him and mocking him behind his back.
Chandler wasn't happy.
That's why, after working for over a decade and finally reaching a high position, he quit on the spot and started from scratch—joining an unpaid advertising internship program. At one point, his finances were so tight he even had to borrow money from Joey.
To think—Chandler had always been the one financially supporting Joey before.
This time, with Adam's encouragement and financial support, Chandler finally had the courage to figure out what he truly wanted to do. After a long period of uncertainty, he eventually chose advertising—thanks to Adam's reminder.
Adam didn't actually remember Chandler's career choice in the original timeline. He just figured that since Chandler was Nora's son, he must have inherited some writing talent.
And advertising, at its core, is all about writing and clever one-liners. Since Chandler was both talented and interested, it was the perfect fit.
After more than a year of working in the industry, Chandler had become a skilled advertising strategist, contributing ideas to major campaigns and earning his boss's appreciation.
A promotion and a raise were just around the corner.
"Hey! That was *my* joke!"
Ross protested, looking annoyed. "The joke that got published in the magazine—that was mine, not Chandler's!"
"Oh, please."
Adam rolled his eyes. "We all know Chandler is the funniest one here. We all know exactly what happened with that so-called 'joke battle.'"
Previously, Ross had submitted one of Chandler's jokes to a magazine without telling him. When it got published and earned a $20 payment, Ross got a huge ego boost and started bragging to everyone.
Sure, twenty bucks wasn't much—but the recognition meant everything.
Ross went around showing off the magazine, telling everyone *his* joke had been published.
Chandler tried to argue, but Ross was too committed to the bit.
So, Chandler eventually started carrying a notebook, writing down every joke he came up with—along with the date and time—just to prevent Ross from stealing his jokes again.
"You don't know!"
Ross was getting worked up now, pointing at Adam with both hands. "You weren't there! How can you say the joke was Chandler's? Just because Chandler is the funniest one? I can be funny too sometimes!"
"Relax," Monica said, trying to calm him down. "It's just a joke—do we really need to keep arguing about this?"
Adam shrugged and let it go.
Although Ross was also a friend, when it came to Chandler, Adam would always take his side.
Because in the original *Friends* group, Chandler was the one Adam had admired the most.
And besides—Chandler *was* Nora's son.
(End of Chapter)