Challenges and Sacrifice

This post was originally written in July 2017 before my 3rd MCAT attempt. I was at the tail end of a depression and was groping for encouragement, for light at the end of what seemed to be an endless tunnel. Whether you're reading this as a pre-med student struggling with the MCAT or GPA, or you're looking for encouragement amidst what seems impossible: don't give up! This entry is raw, transparent, and vulnerable for me to share. 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Challenges do not define me, I choose to be defined by how I respond, not react, to all challenges I encounter. I am a perfectionist to a fault. Arguably it’s my worst weakness. I will not settle for second best – I always give my best work: I cannot offer more than I am capable of. I always choose to work within my capacity but am always improving and pushing my limits. I will not quit in the face of challenges, instead I welcome challenges. I choose to take on challenges for the sake of successful accomplishment simply to know I can and will do anything I set my mind to.

In high school I was bad at chemistry, no matter how hard I studied and invested time into additional tutoring I could not pass a test to save my life. In college as a pre-med student I minored in chemistry, a subject I once hated. You see I was so bad at chemistry I knew there would be nothing more worth my time than to minor in a challenging subject. To make my endeavor easier I majored in nutrition and food science, applying chemistry to food science was an easy correlation in my mind.

Ultimately I will become a physician, so nutrition and food science is a fitting mix of human physiology, biochemistry, and practical everyday knowledge. I managed to do well in all my college classes, however on my journey to become a physician I have encountered a much larger challenge to conquer - the MCAT. After spending thousands of dollars on AAMC prep courses and hundreds of hours studying in two years and a four-year college degree later, the MCAT is the only credential keeping me from admission to a medical program.

One of the first physicians I shadowed told me, “The hardest part of medical school is getting in.” I choose a career in medicine after extensive physician shadowing/mentorship and know what I am getting into and what it will take to be the physician I strive to become. Sure there will be setbacks and disappointments, to date I have applied to medical school twice in two years and essentially earned a sub-average MCAT score twice. Everything academically and professionally completed up to this point is in preparation for my career in medicine. To give up would be foolish, I let myself down by giving up now. This journey to medical school is not easy, which is why I choose to do whatever it takes as long as it takes because I am compelled to become the best physician I can possibly be.

"[Many people] think all the world's problems can be fixed without any cost to themselves. We don't believe that. There's a lot to be said for sacrifice, remorse, even pity. It's what separates us from roaches." ~Paul Farmer, excerpt from Mountains Beyond Mountains (pg. 40)