Advice to me circa 2006

[Isoprop]

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It's a letter I wrote to myself when I got my first acceptance. I decided to share.

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Wake up. So you screwed up you GPA (how could you get all those C’s, D’s and F’s?). So what if people laughed at you when you told them you still wanted to go to med school (in the US? are you stupid?). If you still want to become a doctor, you’re going to have to change a few things.

1. Stop being in a goddamn rush to get into med school. Consider this: medical education doesn’t stop once you graduate from med school. Or even residency. You’re in this for life. Might as well get comfortable and go at your pace. Remember: slow and steady wins the race. Once you truly understand this statement, you will be achieving your goals in no time.

2. Change your attitude. Study skills, intelligence, motivation, everything takes a backseat to your attitude. First, professors don’t owe you a goddamn thing. Just because you studied “really hard” for an exam doesn’t mean you deserve a grade. You’re lucky to even be in school. Some guys would give up their right testicle for the chance at a college degree. It’s not just a stepping stone to your career. Rather, it’s a rare opportunity to explore, learn, and grow. Use it wisely.

3. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are not something to hide or be ashamed of. If you failed a test, REJOICE! It’s a source of mistakes that you can never repeat if you learn from them. If you aced something, scrutinize it for mistakes anyway. I don’t care if got the highest score, there’s always something to learn. If you got a perfect score and not did not make any mistakes, it’s time to push yourself harder.

3. Get rid of pride. Yeah, you’re going to be older than your bosses. You’re going to have get teenagers to train you to volunteer at a local hospital. It won’t be easy to watch your peers get promotions and raises, buy houses, raise families as you pour more loan money into books, classes, and Top Ramen. Better get over it soon.

4. Be flexible with your learning style. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself as a “visual learner.” Be open to new techniques no matter how stupid or childish they may seem. What may work in one class may not work in another. Hell, what may work with one chapter of OChem may not work with the next. And if something works for 99% of people, it doesn’t mean it will work for you.

5. Remember that you aren’t doing it alone. Behind every achievement is the support of Mom, Dad, you mentors, and all your friends who supported you and pushed you and believed in you when they had every reason to give up on you. Don’t ever forget that, not even for a damn second.

When it’s all said and done, and you get your first acceptance into medical school, when all that work and worry and tears and support is finally validated for the first time in your life, remember that you’re in it for life. The aforementioned five points won’t stop applying; in fact, it’ll probably be even more relevant.

I want to congratulate you now for taking the first step to change things. The future you will thank you for it.

 

[tranquilometro]

what a sweet thing to do for yourself! I hope it paid off in the end. I can really relate to a lot of your letter.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Iso, that was really beautiful and it really hit home for me as well. I'm definitely going to adapt that and apply it to my journey as well.

 

[tobeatrev]

It's a letter I wrote to myself when I got my first acceptance. I decided to share.

--
Wake up. So you screwed up you GPA (how could you get all those C’s, D’s and F’s?). So what if people laughed at you when you told them you still wanted to go to med school (in the US? are you stupid?). If you still want to become a doctor, you’re going to have to change a few things.

1. Stop being in a goddamn rush to get into med school. Consider this: medical education doesn’t stop once you graduate from med school. Or even residency. You’re in this for life. Might as well get comfortable and go at your pace. Remember: slow and steady wins the race. Once you truly understand this statement, you will be achieving your goals in no time.

2. Change your attitude. Study skills, intelligence, motivation, everything takes a backseat to your attitude. First, professors don’t owe you a goddamn thing. Just because you studied “really hard” for an exam doesn’t mean you deserve a grade. You’re lucky to even be in school. Some guys would give up their right testicle for the chance at a college degree. It’s not just a stepping stone to your career. Rather, it’s a rare opportunity to explore, learn, and grow. Use it wisely.

3. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are not something to hide or be ashamed of. If you failed a test, REJOICE! It’s a source of mistakes that you can never repeat if you learn from them. If you aced something, scrutinize it for mistakes anyway. I don’t care if got the highest score, there’s always something to learn. If you got a perfect score and not did not make any mistakes, it’s time to push yourself harder.

3. Get rid of pride. Yeah, you’re going to be older than your bosses. You’re going to have get teenagers to train you to volunteer at a local hospital. It won’t be easy to watch your peers get promotions and raises, buy houses, raise families as you pour more loan money into books, classes, and Top Ramen. Better get over it soon.

4. Be flexible with your learning style. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself as a “visual learner.” Be open to new techniques no matter how stupid or childish they may seem. What may work in one class may not work in another. Hell, what may work with one chapter of OChem may not work with the next. And if something works for 99% of people, it doesn’t mean it will work for you.

5. Remember that you aren’t doing it alone. Behind every achievement is the support of Mom, Dad, you mentors, and all your friends who supported you and pushed you and believed in you when they had every reason to give up on you. Don’t ever forget that, not even for a damn second.

When it’s all said and done, and you get your first acceptance into medical school, when all that work and worry and tears and support is finally validated for the first time in your life, remember that you’re in it for life. The aforementioned five points won’t stop applying; in fact, it’ll probably be even more relevant.

I want to congratulate you now for taking the first step to change things. The future you will thank you for it.

if i could "like" this ala facebook i would...this should be the stickied as the framework for nontrads to guide by for those wanting to pursue medicine...bravo.

 

[Isoprop]

thanks. it's not easy to pour your soul on paper (or on a computer) and post in in a forum.

good luck to the rest of you.