Essays on Essays on Essays

My AMCAS application was verified last Monday. FINALLY. (!!!!!!!) Those were some of the longest five weeks of waiting I’ve ever experienced, and I’m sure it will only get more extreme as this whole process goes on. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that I have a looooong way to go in the patience department.

But anyway: the good news! Now that my primary is verified and taken care of, the next step is dealing with the sudden influx of secondary applications in my inbox! It’s such an awesome problem to have, and I realize just how fortunate I am to have made it even this far, but that doesn’t stop the prospect from being slightly overwhelming.

How I feel when I look at secondary essay prompts.

Depending on the school, the secondary application has any number of essays with varying degrees of word and character limits. I think the most extensive one I’ve submitted so far had seven essays. SEVEN. I’m skeptical that there’s anything that admissions committee DOESN’T know about my life, after that monster. There has been some overlap in essay topics, so getting to recycle some for different schools has been a major time (and sanity) saver. A couple of them haven’t even had essays at all, leading me to wonder why those schools even have secondary applications. But, I digress. Another topic for another day.

Let me tell you about some APPLICATION FEES, though. These things are pricey. At anywhere between $50 and $150 a pop, my bank account dies a little bit every time I even think about looking at one of these applications. I guess that’s the price of wanting to be a doctor.

Probably how much I’ve spent on application fees thus far.

BUT ANYWAY, my application update: I submitted my primary to 16 schools. I received 14 secondaries, got straight up rejected by one school without being offered a secondary (still not sure why that happened, since my GPA/MCAT were in the upper portion of the ranges that school typically accepts. Oh well), and am currently being screened by one school. It’s progress, y’all.

Introductions

As you probably can already tell by the title, I created this blog to help myself sort through the complexities of applying to medical school. The process is long, arduous, EXPENSIVE (can I get an amen?!), and stressful, and expressing myself in words has always been an effective strategy for me to sort out the million and one thoughts swirling around in my head on these kinds of things. Besides for my own benefit, it is my hope that my experiences documented here will be able to help anyone who happens to stumble upon this blog and is also going through the med school application process.

The only prescription I need.

I suppose I should introduce myself: I am a 22-year-old senior in college. I’m double-majoring in biology and chemistry, as well as minoring in music (vocal performance). I decided in middle school that I wanted to be a doctor, even though I didn’t have a clue at the time as to what that actually meant for my future, but since then, my desire to practice medicine has only grown. People are my passion. I want my legacy to have been one of improving quality of life for anyone I came in contact with, and wellness is one of the most fundamental human needs I can think of. I believe that God created each person on this earth with a specific set of talents that benefit others, and my talents in critical thinking, working well under pressure, and empathizing are well suited for a career in medicine.

OKAY SO. Basic run-down of where I am in this process: I took the MCAT in July of this past summer and was extremely happy with my scores. I submitted my primary application to AMCAS at the end of September, after excessive battling with the registrar’s office to send my transcript and writing/editing/trashing/re-writing of the sadistic monster that was the Personal Statement. My application is still in line to be verified, so this means I have yet to receive the majority of the secondary applications I plan to submit. I have, however, received and submitted two secondaries so far: University of Cincinnati and Rutgers.

This stage in the process involves an insane degree of patience, patience, and MORE PATIENCE. And unfortunately, patience is one virtue that I severely lack. Impatience combined with a vivid imagination and a tendency to think about the “what-ifs” are making this a particularly unbearable season for me.

“What if I don’t get in? What if I’m really not good enough? What am I going to do?” This is my current mindset. Dark and twisty, I know. My plan is to update this blog any time something significant happens in this application process, either good or bad, so be on the lookout.

On the bright side: I asked for an interview suit for my birthday. And it looks damn good, y’all. Here’s to hoping I get to wear it sometime in the next few months!