Okay, let’s just get it out there, being a premed isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of gig. The “traditional path” to med school? Yeah, that wasn’t my timeline. In fact, it barely fit into my life at all.
See, most people get to rack up clinical hours through internships, certifications, or summer programs, like it’s some neat checklist. For me? Nah, I had to work. Like, real jobs that pay bills and keep life moving. So those summer internships? Didn’t happen. Certification programs? Not in my schedule.
I did manage to snag some volunteer hours, working as a COVID tester at my school and sometimes helping out at blood drives with the Red Cross. But honestly, those hours felt like drops in a bucket when it came to a med school application.
Then, of course, there’s the MCAT—the beast that eats time, energy, and sanity. I tried to juggle studying for it while still deep in school, balancing classes and extracurriculars, but it was like trying to run a marathon in flip-flops. Finding that kind of dedication felt like a full-time job by itself.
And, here’s the hard part I’m not proud of: my grades slipped. My GPA ended up at a 3.1 with zero upward trend in sight. My mental health? It totally knocked me down during undergrad, and that messes with your focus in a way that’s hard to shake off.
So, where does that leave me now? I’m enrolling in a master’s program with a fresh slate, hoping to show med schools that I’ve got what it takes academically and mentally to make it.
The traditional path didn’t work for me. Not because I wasn’t capable, but because life had its own plan. And that’s okay. If anything, I’m here to say your journey might look different too, and that’s not just okay, it’s powerful.
