Getting into medical school

First, this is no way a guide into how to get into medical school. There are professionals out there who write books on this stuff. I must admit, I was suckered into buying a few of them, but in the end, it was a waste of money and brain power to read them.

This post is more of a reflection of the three years it took me to finally gain admission into med school. I really did not know what profession I wanted to get into. At least not until college. I was an athlete my whole life. Tennis always came first, but school a close second. Priorities, I know! But, reflecting back on this, I'm glad that it was prioritized in my mind this way. I worked hard on the tennis court and knew that without education, tennis would be almost meaningless. Plus, I'm competitive in nature. I was not about to flunk school and be another dumb athlete. (I may have offended people here, but I exxagerated this cliche. Those who are student athletes, especially in college, know there are more book smart athletes than there are dumb ones).

I was an athletic training major at the University of Montana. Go Griz! They invited me out on a recruiting trip (read more about this in other posts) and I got hooked to the Griz way and never looked back. Undergrad was a blast! I had so much fun playing tennis, competing, traveling, and training with my teammates. But there were many times where I found myself struggling in the classroom and on the tennis court. This is where it becomes crucial to have excellent time management skills. As I say this, I can hear my father's voice reiterating this very statement. "Manage your time efficiently, Annabelle" were words I knew too well to come from my dad. Believe it or not, he still says it. But, he is absolutely right! I learned from the start of my undergrad years to manage my time well. How could you not? Training and practice took up many hours of the day. Classes were scheduled around these times and by the end of the day, you just wanted to curl up and sleep even if it was on your desk:)

Since we traveled a lot especially in the spring semesters, I really had to stay on top of school. Usually we were on the road by Thursday mornings, which left only three school days to get as much information understood in lectures, have questions answered by professors, and get the extra work done before we left. If there were exams while we were away, which was the usual case, I had the pleasure of rescheduling the exam either before I left or when I got back. I usually liked to take the exam before I leave for a big tournament so I don't have school on my mind while I need to concentrate on the court. Some professors really try to accommodate you here but there are the occasional ones who dont give two fly swats for you or the fact that you represent the university in a positive manner. Yes, I know...a shameless plug for collegiate athletics! Moving on..

But looking back, I honestly don't think my college experience would be the same if I weren't playing tennis at the same time. I love competing. But not in that ruthless, in your face, I'm going to take you down every step of your waking life type of competitive. I think a little competition keeps people on their toes and always performing at their best. It's human nature to want to do something better than someone else, for whatever reason. And tennis gave me the juice to experience many many things and meet lots of people. This is where I got my traveling bug from!

Once I figured out that medicine was the profession for me, I set out with the same determination I put into tennis. And this is saying a lot because school really did not have this much effect on me until this point. I still remember the exact moment where I thought, "hey, I could be a doctor...maybe". There's always that hesitation, especially if you really don't know what you are getting yourself into. And I'm glad my first thought was "maybe" because I needed to know for sure that I wanted to become a doctor. At this point during my last semester of freshman year, I had only taken one science course, Introduction to Biology. What did I know of getting into medical school and becoming a doctor? At this point, absolutely nothing, nada, zilch. No one in my family is a physician and no one I was close to knew anyone who was a physician.

So how do I start? This was my first thought. If I don't know a single soul who has a relation to the field of medicine, how do I find out if this is right for me and who should I ask? And then it hit me....the INTERNET. Tada! All your answers at your fingertips. I can first find out what it takes to become a physician. How much school, how to get in, what kind of grades, what tests were needed to get in, etc. etc. My initial search pulled up a list of U.S. allopathic and osteopathic schools and the links to their respective websites for admissions information. From there my search arrived to UM's Biology program. It only seemed logical that if I were to be admitted into medical school, that I should be well versed in the pre-medical sciences and Biology was a major offered at my school. Of course it wasn't until much later that I learned you could take up any major and then take the required courses to apply to medical school. But what did I know at that point? Nada.

Needless to say, at the end of my early morning internet search for information, I had dropped my previous major of athletic training and signed up for introductory courses in Biology as my new major. Since then I have not looked back at my decision. I thoroughly enjoyed all my classes, with the exception of Physics. (I really tried to open my mind to it, but it never happened for me with physics). But there was more I needed to learn along the way about getting into medical school.

Packing all the small stuff

Do you ever notice that when packing, the small stuff is always the hardest to put away? It's also the hardest to throw away. Little things like hair ties, earrings, that bandaid container you got in a goodie back from some conference, and duplicate pictures. You don't really think about these things but yet they are there to haunt you at the very end when you think you are done packing but have come to find out that a whole set of drawers were waiting patiently for you to go through. It's the worst! Now you are scrambling around looking for another empty box to label and ship with these little "trinkets" that you just cannot let go and have a slight feeling in the pit of your stomach that you may be able to use in your new place (i.e. the bandaids).

I am reasoning this out on a blog because I just cannot find the courage to trash any of my old things although I know I won't be able to take them with me in the end. It's not like I need to package all these things anyway! My parents' home could still be a home to my things. I'm only moving to the complete opposite side of this country!

I have 3 days left in Vegas and I am having withdrawals already. It's not like I am moving to podunk middle of nowhere that may or may not have a 24 hour convenience store. DC is somewhat similar to Vegas in the respect that I can find restaurants that can satisfy the different taste buds of my palate. Of course, I won't be able to party like a rockstar until six in the morning and then hit up my favorite joints for a greasy burger and fries. Yeah, sure is a healthy lifestyle I'm leaving behind!

But, all of a sudden I'm feeling slightly nostalgic at the thought of leaving behind this crazy 24 hour city. Why?? Yes, my family lives here and I will definitely be coming back for the holidays to visit them and I have always wanted to leave Vegas for something better. Montana was a great change for undergrad. Four seasons. Nice people. Beautiful mountains. Let us not forget about the blizzards. Oh...the memories. Maybe I have the travel bug still in my blood. I am just not capable yet to settle down in one place for too long or I get antsy. Now that I have longed and wished to leave this place and skedaddle, I'm stuck feeling like this...like I'm about to become homesick. What a confused child!!

I should be ecstatic! I got into medical school for crying out loud. All those science classes. Let's not forget about the "hatred" years of physics and O Chem. Then came the MCAT. Unfortunately, the MCAT came back again for a rerun. The application cycle was definitely a torture. It really is a huge psychological test to see who can withstand the most rejections. After all this, medical school admission is a dream finally fulfilled. And I am ecstatic. It is bittersweet in the sense that I am moving so far away from my family. My parents and my sister Deidre are my world. But then again, I am reminded of the many things that DO NOT come without sacrifice. This would be one of them.

But really, nothing can describe how excited I am about finally starting my journey in medicine. This is a great opportunity to begin a blog of a career that never ends in the journey of learning. Appropriately, the title of my blog states this. My intention for creating this is to write about my experiences, which is pretty much guaranteed to be mostly comedic on my part, and to share for those who, like myself, love to procrastinate on everything else in life. Good luck to the both us: reader and blogger. Shall we begin?