My motto throughout life has been to live in a way where I won’t have to look back and wonder what would have happened if…
I’m currently a second year medical student at American University of the Caribbean (AUC). I’m going to summarize my journey to this point so you know where I’m coming from.
Undergrad
- I was your “average” undergraduate student frequently changing majors (but always interested in science) and working multiple jobs until I began to have serious health problems going into my 3rd year. Those health problems were all encompassing and lasted the entire 3rd year. It was always my mentality to push through and persevere against all odds. In my mind, it was better to get through the year the best I could and deal with the consequences rather than take time off. That year I cut my work hours back to 5 hours a week due to the countless doctor appointments and time in bed required to recover from intense pain. I also ended up with an F in the Fall and a D in the Spring in addition to multiple Cs. When the doctors couldn’t find the cause of my health issues, I was sent to the school behavioral therapist. The therapist applauded my efforts to remain in school during the difficult time (despite poor grades).
- I started to feel better and learned to manage my symptoms at the end of the 3rd year of undergrad. This is when I knew in my heart that I needed to become a physician. I saw first hand and through the care of my grandparents that there are holes in the US medical system. I took it as a personal responsibility to become a part of that change for a better future. Over the summer I began retaking classes I previously did poorly in and got certified as a medical assistant to get clinical experience. My final semester as an undergraduate student I took 18 credit hours and worked full time as a medical assistant to make up for lost time.
Grad School
- After graduating, my GPA was not competitive to apply to medical school. Instead I applied and was accepted into a 1 year medical science graduate program and studied to take the MCAT. The grad program, however, was 100% online and since my study skills were not great, I did not do well and dropped out after a semester. At that point I knew I needed an in person curriculum to help guide me.
- I dedicated the next 5 months to strictly studying for the MCAT…. and did not do well. (Still not realizing I didn’t have efficient study habits)
- The next fall I began a masters program in biochemistry. Chemistry was one of my weakest subjects in undergrad, so I wanted to prove to myself and future schools that I was capable of excelling in the subject. This is where it all started to turn around for me. I excelled in the program, was involved in bioorganic research, and became a teaching assistant. Although I loved the research and received offers to pursue a PhD, my heart was still set on a clinical career in medicine.
Applying to Med School
- Applying for medical programs, however, remained difficult. The graduate degree GPA did not help as much as I thought with applying to medical school. Most MD and DO programs only take undergraduate GPA into account. I deeply considered changing routes to pursue becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) or physician’s assistant (PA) instead. Ultimately I decided becoming a physician is my dream. Since the other programs are comparatively competitive and my resume was already more tailored to med school, I stuck with it.
- The plan was to spend the year prepping for the MCAT, get a great score, and then apply to non-traditional friendly med schools. It was such a great plan!!
Detour to the Plan
- The COVID-19 pandemic hit!
- I was suddenly faced with a lot more time at home… a couple months before a great MCAT date.
- Due to the long journey, I was already 26 years old female (wanting a family). I decided it was worth it to shave a year off the timeline to take the MCAT and apply immediately.
- The problem is… I really didn’t study (built a chicken coop instead) –> did poorly on the MCAT –> applied to med schools anyway
- It’s no surprise that I didn’t get any interview offers except for at Caribbean schools.
- I chose to go to go to American University of the Caribbean. Otherwise it would have taken another 2 years to potentially get accepted to a US school. I was ready to get this career started, and it was the best choice for me. It’s a choice I don’t regret!