What I wish I would’ve known as a Pre-Med,

Dear Pre-Med self... get ready for a humbling yet satisfying couple of years

Let’s rewind back 6-7 years to when I was a high schooler. Life was great, school was a breeze (and I was good at it!), I was an athlete, involved in school, etc… With all those great things going for me, I knew I’d excel in college! I thought I’d do amazing in college as a pre-med student (this was back before I realized that “pre-med” was not a major at my university.) 

My expectations for college couldn’t have been further from reality. I majored in biology when I got to college. Why? Because that was what everyone who was “pre-med” was doing. As you can tell, I didn’t have much figured out… 

College was a whirlwind of ups and downs. I failed at a lot and I wasn’t used to this. I am now so grateful for every single failure I’ve had to overcome. In my opinion, it’s not about how miserably you’ve failed, but how you’ve overcome those failures. Every single failure taught me something, even the less-than-stellar grades that became my norm in physics and organic chemistry classes. 

I learned a lot of lessons during my college years. I was often disappointed by my academic performance. I often wondered whether I’d be cut out to really ever be a doctor. Eventually, about halfway through college, I gave myself an ultimatum. I was taking a summer organic chemistry lab course and I told myself that if I was able to pass the class getting higher than a C, I’d stay on my pre-med path; If I got a C in the class, I’d have to think of an alternative path. 

I guess you can tell how that ultimatum turned out. 

I knew I was smart, I knew I could handle this pre-med workload, and I knew I wanted to be a physician in the future. My confidence was shaken so badly by my “failures” in school up to that point, that I had crippling anxiety every time I tried to take a test. I would completely blank as soon as I sat down to take an exam, my stomach would hurt, my heart would race, and I had the urge to get up and run from my seat. I felt like I was sabotaging my own success. 

Throughout that summer course, I spent a lot of time working on coping with my testing anxiety and my confidence. I had to restructure how I viewed studying, how I studied, what methods were right for me, and most importantly, how to calm myself down in a testing environment. 

After that summer, my academic performance improved A LOT! I ended up on the Dean’s List while taking graduate-level biology courses and I actually enjoyed school again! I got involved in several pre-medical clubs and organizations, volunteered with the under-privelaged and I discovered a love for global health. 

My advice to a pre-med student or a future pre-med student is to trust your process. Many successful doctors, leaders, and great thinkers did not have it all figured out at 18. Below are some thinking points that I used throughout my process as a pre-med student and medical school applicant: 

1. Why Medicine? This question is extremely important! From the time you choose to pursue medicine to the time you apply to medical schools, to medical school interviews, and maybe even once you’re a physician. The answer to this question is so personal and unique to your own situation, but your decision to choose medicine should not strictly be based on your academic successes or monetary reasons. 
2. Imperfect academic record? If your academic record veers off from perfection like mine did, do not be discouraged! Be persistent,work  hard, and show your passion, and dedication – I attribute those things to my eventual success. 
   1. I did a biomedical master’s degree program after my college graduation; I excelled in my graduate courses, stayed involved in organizations I felt passionate about and got involved in research through my school, to name a few things I did. 
3. So you like helping people AND science? Getting into medical school takes a lot more than just liking science and wanting to help people. 
   1. There are so many ways to help people. You have got to KNOW why you want to practice medicine in the future and most importantly, you’ve got to SHOW you’re prepared for medical school. 
4. Do you understand what being a physician entails? Understand the field of medicine – it’s not the glamorous picture painted by medical TV shows.
   1. The road to become a physician is long and hard, involving many years of schooling. Are you prepared for the years full of long days of studying AND the years of long hours working? 
5. Are you committed enough to apply multiple cycles? Say you get rejected once or twice? Do you have the persistence to re-apply? 
   1. If you do not get in the first time, a lot of schools offer counseling by the admissions committee after the application cycle ends. I think those opportunities are extremely valuable for understanding how you can improve your application for the following cycle.