Author: doseofval1

What a strange statement.

Watching a Netflix docuseries about a pandemic in January wasn’t enough to prepare me for what was to come. At the time, I had no idea how relevant the show would be and I surely didn’t think I’d be living through a pandemic any time soon! I guess I should have paid better attention to the warnings the show provided…

Prior to Covid-19, I didn’t ever envision starting medical school in the middle of a pandemic. I’m one of those people that typically prepare themselves for multiple scenarios, but I wasn’t prepared for this one. It took several months for me to accept the reality that the commencement of my medical career would be unique and unlike what I had previously envisioned. Now, you might even say I’m eager for this new beginning!

For years, the beginning of my medical [school] career felt like a far off dream. This past fall when I received a medical school acceptance offer, that dream finally started to feel real. I had made it! Getting accepted into medical school overjoyed me. All of those nights I spent studying, grueling over the MCAT, perfecting my personal statement, preparing for interviews, and all the anxiety after the interviews – that was all finally justified. The weight that is lifted off of your shoulder when you get an acceptance is unbelievable! Of course, afterwards, I thought I’d be walking on a cloud until medical school began.

 Ha Ha Ha 

I think most people’s plans have been derailed in the wake of this pandemic. My plans for the summer included abroad travel to visit family as well as taking advantage of all of my free time pre-medical school. My family and I realized that we likely would not be traveling abroad any time soon. Obviously, a change of plans is unfortunate, but safety first. I know thousands of people have had to cancel summer plans, vacations, weddings, and so much more; this inconvenience is just that, an inconvenience, but a manageable one compared to other harsh realities faced by others in the wake of this pandemic. On the plus side, I definitely have a lot of free time to take advantage of before medical school, right?

My perspective on this pandemic has changed so much throughout these past 3+ months of pandemic life. I think everyone can relate to the ups and downs of dealing with having to turn your home into an all-purpose space. I’ve had days filled with doubt about whether this thing was actually real and I’ve had days of doubting whether we’d ever see an end to this. I’m so grateful for those who risked their lives treating this very unfamiliar virus in the midst of a PPE shortage, for the researchers dedicating their lives to finding cures and treatments, for the healthcare workers, the sanitation workers, the service workers, mail people, delivery workers, every essential worker, and every other person that bravely continued to work in order to make the lives of those staying at home easier. 

One thing this pandemic has done is reassure me of my choice to pursue medicine. I am so proud to one day join this field of dedicated individuals who work every day to better the lives of others in some capacity.

With the beginning of medical school right around the corner, the realities of starting virtual medical school are finally setting in. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the dangers associated with bringing together 200 people. However, that’s not to say that beginning medical school primarily online ISN’T going to be challenging. I know that many students choose to not go to class, preferring to watch recorded lectures from home at their own pace, but how do things change when your only chances of interaction entail a virtual conversation with peers you’ve never met in person? Will lacking social interactions during these formative years of medicine affect us as future physicians? I don’t think the answers to my questions are clear, nor do I think there are right or wrong answers to these questions. 

It’s crazy to think about all of the aspects of society that Covid-19 has impacted. It’s shaken up everything from the global economy to the norms surrounding a trip to the grocery store. As a future physician, I understand the importance of following safety guidelines, but as a future physician, I also worry about the long-term effects that this pandemic will have on present medical students and even future medical students. With all this worry and uncertainty, I like to remind myself of the positive things in life and of the things that I can actually change. 

Some things to remember: 

• This is all temporary – there will be lasting effects from this pandemic, but we trust that this pandemic will end someday with the development of new technologies to combat this virus. Some positive things will stem from this pandemic.
• If you’re healthy, be thankful – many people have not been graced with good health in the wake of this virus; some people haven’t received proper treatments, others have lasting organ damage, some people are mourning the deaths of their loved ones; I think it’s critical to live in gratitude.
• If you’ve been lucky enough to escape financially stable – consider yourself amongst the lucky (although luck may not play a role in this). Many people are struggling financially, emotionally, and physically due to this virus. 
• Be a helping hand – If you find yourself having extra time or resources to help others in a safe way, donate your time by volunteering with organizations (sign up to do grocery runs for the elderly, temperature monitoring, Covid testing volunteer, etc.); or you can donate some spare cash to organizations fighting to end health, racial, or social inequities. 

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. 

I recently told one of my friends that I was thinking about creating a blog and she thought I was crazy for wanting to start a blog at the same time as starting medical school, BUT, what better time to create a blog?!

I’ve been talking myself out of creating a blog for YEARS. I couldn’t really find “the right time” for it. I’ve realized there’s no better time than right now!

During my undergraduate years, I compared myself a lot to other pre-med students; I always felt llike my imperfect GPA would never stand up to theirs, like I didn’t have enough extra-curriculars, etc. In all honesty, I was intimidated! So, one of my goals through this medium is to help take the intimidation out of the journey that is getting into medical school!

I understand that the journey into medical is only a small component of the equation. It’s the first part of the journey towards becoming a physician, and it just so happens to be the only component I have experience with so far! My path towards medical school wasn’t exactly linear, but I learned so much along the way. I am so excited to share some of that here!

Apart from all things pre-med and medical school related, I also really enjoy FOOD, being active, and maintining a positive outlook on life! I’d love to share tips and tricks I use in my day-to-day student life as well as some of my favorite ways to manage stress.

I’m sure this blog will evolve along the way, but I’m so excited I finally pulled the band-aid off and decided to just go for it!