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- Jun 10, 2020
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Just wanted to hop on here and share my success story; I hope it will be encouraging to other applicants who feel that pressure of "not being good enough."
Back in 2021 I posted an inquiry in this forum about designing a DIY Post-Baccalaureate. I was looking for the most efficient, cost-effective way to prepare for a career that I was beginning to feel a serious calling into: medicine. I took the advice I was given and I contacted an advisor at my undergraduate institution who helped me make an ambitious plan. From Fall 2021 through Spring 2023 I threw myself into full-time school while working part-time as a medical scribe. I crammed as much in as possible: Bio, Chem, O-Chem, BioChem, Psych, Physics, the works. It was a grind. I took my MCAT study books with me to the hospital on night-shifts and studied, scribed, and studied some more. Somewhere along the way I also got married (shout-out to my rockstar wife for ALSO earning her Ed.S. while I was busting my own chops!). I took my MCAT in April 2023 and earned a 505.
I was disappointed, after working so hard, I had high expectations. I began reading the amazing advice on this website often given to people like me. I also had many discussions with mentors, family members and physicians. After all this, I seriously considered a retake, but ultimately, given my unique life experiences (See my previous post from 2021 if you are curious) as a Post-Baccalaureate, my above-average GPA (3.88), I decided to take a chance on an MD and DO cycle. I was fortunate to get some fee assistance and completed 15 secondary MDs and 9 DO applications.
After a long, arduous journey, I am pleased to announce that I was accepted to a well-established MD program that my wife and I are ecstatic about. It's exactly where we wanted to be all along. We can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives. The journey feels so surreal as I reflect on the past two years and all they have entailed. To be sitting at the end of it, looking forward to the long journey that lies ahead feels a bit like sitting on top of a mountain looking down at the trail, and then turning and seeing Everest behind you. It's exhilarating.
I hope that this story encourages some of you who don't feel "good enough." My "stats" weren't stellar, but ultimately I succeeded. You can too. My story may be an "exception," not the rule; however, one thing I learned though multiple interviews was that your "stats" don't make the difference. My "stats" were pretty average; I didn't have a 520 and a 4.0 and have my name on any "big name" publications. I didn't graduate from a prestigious undergraduate institution or go through a formal Post-Baccalaureate program. I'm just a regular guy who worked really really hard to get into medical school. I believe that is what makes the difference. For those of you who feel "not good enough." You probably are good enough, and don't let a negative mindset keep you from flying high and reaching the summit. I am living proof that average people can get into medical school. You just have to want it.
Cheers to all of you, best of luck on your applications, and thank you to the people who run this site; it really is a wealth of wisdom and experience. Onward to the next challenge!
Back in 2021 I posted an inquiry in this forum about designing a DIY Post-Baccalaureate. I was looking for the most efficient, cost-effective way to prepare for a career that I was beginning to feel a serious calling into: medicine. I took the advice I was given and I contacted an advisor at my undergraduate institution who helped me make an ambitious plan. From Fall 2021 through Spring 2023 I threw myself into full-time school while working part-time as a medical scribe. I crammed as much in as possible: Bio, Chem, O-Chem, BioChem, Psych, Physics, the works. It was a grind. I took my MCAT study books with me to the hospital on night-shifts and studied, scribed, and studied some more. Somewhere along the way I also got married (shout-out to my rockstar wife for ALSO earning her Ed.S. while I was busting my own chops!). I took my MCAT in April 2023 and earned a 505.
I was disappointed, after working so hard, I had high expectations. I began reading the amazing advice on this website often given to people like me. I also had many discussions with mentors, family members and physicians. After all this, I seriously considered a retake, but ultimately, given my unique life experiences (See my previous post from 2021 if you are curious) as a Post-Baccalaureate, my above-average GPA (3.88), I decided to take a chance on an MD and DO cycle. I was fortunate to get some fee assistance and completed 15 secondary MDs and 9 DO applications.
After a long, arduous journey, I am pleased to announce that I was accepted to a well-established MD program that my wife and I are ecstatic about. It's exactly where we wanted to be all along. We can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives. The journey feels so surreal as I reflect on the past two years and all they have entailed. To be sitting at the end of it, looking forward to the long journey that lies ahead feels a bit like sitting on top of a mountain looking down at the trail, and then turning and seeing Everest behind you. It's exhilarating.
I hope that this story encourages some of you who don't feel "good enough." My "stats" weren't stellar, but ultimately I succeeded. You can too. My story may be an "exception," not the rule; however, one thing I learned though multiple interviews was that your "stats" don't make the difference. My "stats" were pretty average; I didn't have a 520 and a 4.0 and have my name on any "big name" publications. I didn't graduate from a prestigious undergraduate institution or go through a formal Post-Baccalaureate program. I'm just a regular guy who worked really really hard to get into medical school. I believe that is what makes the difference. For those of you who feel "not good enough." You probably are good enough, and don't let a negative mindset keep you from flying high and reaching the summit. I am living proof that average people can get into medical school. You just have to want it.
Cheers to all of you, best of luck on your applications, and thank you to the people who run this site; it really is a wealth of wisdom and experience. Onward to the next challenge!
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