Persistence is key!

[mandinca]

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Hopefully this will inspire someone out there who's trying very hard to get into medical school:

I am now thirty-two years old and just received my acceptance into medical school....on the FOURTH attempt! I have been a Pedi-ICU/flight nurse for ten years, but decided that medicine was my first love soon after I graduated nursing school. I have been working on getting into medical school for 9.5 years and BOY does it feel good to be accepted!!! I am looking foward to some difficult but exciting four years in medical school at TCOM. I am definitely interested in peds, but don't know what subspecialty I may choose to pursue. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so I know he'll continue to be the best support I could ever have! 😍

Please follow your dream/goals and never quit. A passionate person devoted to their trade (in any field) is a beautiful thing!

Good luck to all you re-applicants!

 

[Krisss17]

Hopefully this will inspire someone out there who's trying very hard to get into medical school:

I am now thirty-two years old and just received my acceptance into medical school....on the FOURTH attempt! I have been a Pedi-ICU/flight nurse for ten years, but decided that medicine was my first love soon after I graduated nursing school. I have been working on getting into medical school for 9.5 years and BOY does it feel good to be accepted!!! I am looking foward to some difficult but exciting four years in medical school at TCOM. I am definitely interested in peds, but don't know what subspecialty I may choose to pursue. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so I know he'll continue to be the best support I could ever have! 😍

Please follow your dream/goals and never quit. A passionate person devoted to their trade (in any field) is a beautiful thing!

Good luck to all you re-applicants!

WOW! Congratulations, mandinca...that is really nice to hear! Best of luck at TCOM! You will have to share your experiences....there will be many who would love to hear your story!

 

[doopdidoop]

Hopefully this will inspire someone out there who's trying very hard to get into medical school:

I am now thirty-two years old and just received my acceptance into medical school....on the FOURTH attempt! I have been a Pedi-ICU/flight nurse for ten years, but decided that medicine was my first love soon after I graduated nursing school. I have been working on getting into medical school for 9.5 years and BOY does it feel good to be accepted!!! I am looking foward to some difficult but exciting four years in medical school at TCOM. I am definitely interested in peds, but don't know what subspecialty I may choose to pursue. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so I know he'll continue to be the best support I could ever have! 😍

Please follow your dream/goals and never quit. A passionate person devoted to their trade (in any field) is a beautiful thing!

Good luck to all you re-applicants!

congratulations, you totally deserve it! reading stories like these makes me so happy!!

 

[rayonrojo]

Thank you. THANK YOU!!!
Congrats!

 

[mandinca]

Thanks for sharing in my joy, y'all! 😀

 

[Medstudent2010]

A friend of mine once said: It is not the mile post but the destination that matters most in life.

As a re applicant who got into TCOM this year and will be joining you in July let just say CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Now that you’ve been accepted jump in to the “Unthsc-tcom class of 2013!” (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=585861) thread!!

Finally don’t forget to join the TCOM 2013 group on face book!

Also here is TCOMS Class of 2013 website => http://www.hsc.unt.edu/Sites/Orientation/

Class of 2013 - Orientation web site - http://www.hsc.unt.edu/Sites/Orientation/index.cfm

Again congratulations and I look forward to seeing you in July.

Medstudent 2010 ( I should change that to Medstudent 2009 😀)
TCOM 2013

 

[blcks7n]

Congrats on the acceptance! and best of luck to you on your endeavors!

 

[paradocs we are]

Good stuff! 🙂

 

[medschl hpeful]

Hopefully this will inspire someone out there who's trying very hard to get into medical school:

I am now thirty-two years old and just received my acceptance into medical school....on the FOURTH attempt! I have been a Pedi-ICU/flight nurse for ten years, but decided that medicine was my first love soon after I graduated nursing school. I have been working on getting into medical school for 9.5 years and BOY does it feel good to be accepted!!! I am looking foward to some difficult but exciting four years in medical school at TCOM. I am definitely interested in peds, but don't know what subspecialty I may choose to pursue. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so I know he'll continue to be the best support I could ever have! 😍

Please follow your dream/goals and never quit. A passionate person devoted to their trade (in any field) is a beautiful thing!

Good luck to all you re-applicants!

Wow. I am impressed. I am 38 years old and started my journey about 7 years ago. This began with finishing my undergrad. What has been in the way the other three times that you have applied? My biggest set back is the MCAT. It is extremely difficult to work full time, run a household and devote the MUCH needed time to the MCAT. This is my first application cycle, and I have been waitlisted because of my MCAT score. I need to re-take it for the third time and I am all out of practice exams. Any advice?

 

[mandinca]

Hi medschl hpeful! It is quite a grueling process, isn't it???

My undergrad GPA was part of what needed tweaking...I made a lot of C's in nursing school twelve years ago (it was a very competitive program!) so the UNTHSC Master's program helped me prove my current academic ability. The MCAT was tough for me too, my last one was 24, so I'm not the best for giving "kill the MCAT" advice. But, what helped me the most was the in-class Princeton Review course that our school offered in conjunction with the rest of our program. I had taken the SAME class in the summer of 2005, but the teachers in San Antonio were less than effective. DFW seems to have a much better group of instructors that helped me focus on the big stuff. And I took almost ALL the on-line practice tests that Princeton offers! I really needed that!

Honestly, for me, the Medical Sciences Master's program at UNTHSC prepared me so well for the next four grueling years. But if all you need is a boost in the MCAT department....try Exam Krackers or an in-class prep program.

Good luck to you!

 

[smash]

Wow. I am impressed. I am 38 years old and started my journey about 7 years ago. This began with finishing my undergrad. What has been in the way the other three times that you have applied? My biggest set back is the MCAT. It is extremely difficult to work full time, run a household and devote the MUCH needed time to the MCAT. This is my first application cycle, and I have been waitlisted because of my MCAT score. I need to re-take it for the third time and I am all out of practice exams. Any advice?

If you're looking for practice exams, try digging up used / unsold copies of last year's test books in college bookstores. When I took the MCAT I got a copy of Barron's MCAT study guide for $30 which came with two printed practice tests and a CDROM with four more, and all were purportedly copies of prior years' tests. Much cheaper than buying them individually online.

 

[medschl hpeful]

Hi medschl hpeful! It is quite a grueling process, isn't it???

My undergrad GPA was part of what needed tweaking...I made a lot of C's in nursing school twelve years ago (it was a very competitive program!) so the UNTHSC Master's program helped me prove my current academic ability. The MCAT was tough for me too, my last one was 24, so I'm not the best for giving "kill the MCAT" advice. But, what helped me the most was the in-class Princeton Review course that our school offered in conjunction with the rest of our program. I had taken the SAME class in the summer of 2005, but the teachers in San Antonio were less than effective. DFW seems to have a much better group of instructors that helped me focus on the big stuff. And I took almost ALL the on-line practice tests that Princeton offers! I really needed that!

Honestly, for me, the Medical Sciences Master's program at UNTHSC prepared me so well for the next four grueling years. But if all you need is a boost in the MCAT department....try Exam Krackers or an in-class prep program.

Good luck to you!

Mandica,
You are truly my inspiration. I am a true believer that for 1) No trial or tribulation is just for your own learning experience, but it helps to inspire and teach others. In this case for me your persistance has inspired me to keep on the path that , even if I wanted to quit, I couldn't. 2) God places people in your path for a reason. I truly do thank you for sharing your story. This IS a very emotional roller coaster ride. I hope to post good news soon.

Good Luck with year one. You deserve it! 😀

 

[medschl hpeful]

If you're looking for practice exams, try digging up used / unsold copies of last year's test books in college bookstores. When I took the MCAT I got a copy of Barron's MCAT study guide for $30 which came with two printed practice tests and a CDROM with four more, and all were purportedly copies of prior years' tests. Much cheaper than buying them individually online.

Thanks so very very much. I will try to find that book right now.👍

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Mandinca,

Good for you for sticking with it. I have told people for years if you want something bad enough keep with it. Eventually, with hard work and perseverance, you will get what you desire. I learned that early on in life, but was reinforced in college when my mentor (my academic advisor in college) hisbest friend made it into medical school after the 19th (yes, nineteenth) time applying.

You set your mind toward a goal - failed, failed and failed again, but eventually you succeeded. Good job. Now, life as you know it will suck for quite a few years - gladly I am sure you'll agree! 🙂

 

[medschl hpeful]

Mandinca,

Good for you for sticking with it. I have told people for years if you want something bad enough keep with it. Eventually, with hard work and perseverance, you will get what you desire. I learned that early on in life, but was reinforced in college when my mentor (my academic advisor in college) hisbest friend made it into medical school after the 19th (yes, nineteenth) time applying.

You set your mind toward a goal - failed, failed and failed again, but eventually you succeeded. Good job. Now, life as you know it will suck for quite a few years - gladly I am sure you'll agree! 🙂

okay. I'm lovin the poem..... cause dag. life is rough!

 

[sunny1]

congrats and thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

 

[Krisss17]

Hopefully this will inspire someone out there who's trying very hard to get into medical school:

I am now thirty-two years old and just received my acceptance into medical school....on the FOURTH attempt! I have been a Pedi-ICU/flight nurse for ten years, but decided that medicine was my first love soon after I graduated nursing school. I have been working on getting into medical school for 9.5 years and BOY does it feel good to be accepted!!! I am looking foward to some difficult but exciting four years in medical school at TCOM. I am definitely interested in peds, but don't know what subspecialty I may choose to pursue. My husband is an anesthesiologist, so I know he'll continue to be the best support I could ever have! 😍

Please follow your dream/goals and never quit. A passionate person devoted to their trade (in any field) is a beautiful thing!

Good luck to all you re-applicants!

Hey Mandinca, had a question for you 😕.. Saw that you live in DFW...was TCOM your only medical school application all of those times...i.e. your first and only choice? If so, I was wondering what kind of response the adcom had on your continued persistence. My #1 school which I will be applying for next cycle is local, but after a lot of research, I think that even if it was not local, I would still want to attend there due to their program (PBL), the feedback I received from current and past students, and the results (excellent Step 1 results for the past couple of years).

 

[mandinca]

Hey Mandinca, had a question for you 😕.. Saw that you live in DFW...was TCOM your only medical school application all of those times...i.e. your first and only choice? If so, I was wondering what kind of response the adcom had on your continued persistence. My #1 school which I will be applying for next cycle is local, but after a lot of research, I think that even if it was not local, I would still want to attend there due to their program (PBL), the feedback I received from current and past students, and the results (excellent Step 1 results for the past couple of years).

Hey Krisss17,

Actually,for my first application cycle (in 2005) I applied to all the Texas schools plus two out-of-state schools. For the next two cycles, I only applied to the Texas schools, but this year was all about TCOM! ;-) My husband is now in a group-practice in town so we are pretty much committed to the DFW area. I had a very low interest in UT Southwestern (for many reasons...), so that left TCOM as the only local possibilty for us. I am SO thrilled to be here! I have worked with many TCOM grads in the Pedi-ICU in SA, my OB/Gyn is a TCOM grad, a few of my husband's anesthesia colleagues are TCOM alumn....it's a good place to be--it's a solid school! :-D Just be true to your needs and career goals...make sure your choice matches those. My husband's advice is: don't apply anywhere that you wouldn't actually attend.

Good luck to you!

 

[penflows]

Mandica -- thank you so much for sharing! I'm a reapplicant this year and it's been tough watching all my friends move on with careers and life in general, while I have yet to start the career of my choice. I know it's all part of a process of honing ourselves and it won't be time "wasted" as long as we reach our goals -- but it's nice to hear encouragement from someone who's been there. 🙂 Thanks a lot for your words and good luck in the future! That persistence and open heartedness will serve your patients well.

NAVY DDS, love the poem! it really resonated with me and, I'm sure, a lot of other people. thanks for sharing!

 

[penflows]

Thanks so very very much. I will try to find that book right now.👍

Hi MedSchl Hpeful!
Also, you might try re-taking some of earlier exams you've already taken before again.. I.e. If you've taken AAMC exams 3-10, you might try taking an exam you scored especially bad on. It might actually help you to recognize whether you got the same questions/type of questions wrong... Also, I think it will be good for your confidence in general to watch yourself scoring better on the exams you've taken before. Since the AAMC exams are actual MCAT tests, it would be good to recognize what concepts seem to be coming up again and again in the exams.

I don't know. I personally learn best from repetition. Seeing things again makes it familiar to me and, thus, more approachable. Hope it helps! Otherwise, I've heard good things about Exam Crackers. But again, the AAMCs are the actual tests so I think that'll be more indicative of the "level" they expect us to perform at and the type of thinking they want us to use in approaching the problems...

Now if I can only practice what I preach 😉 It's harder to keep this in mind while I'm actually taking the test. I have a tendency to panic in the Physics section .. I mean, I've gone through all the science but when I come across a "complicated" passage, in some small primitive corner of my brain, I'm convinced that they're going to pull an Einstein on me and completely shatter my zone of concentration and confidence.. 🙁