Perhaps you'll find your way to me through a neurotic Google search on MCAT study strategies, premed life, or how to get into medical school. Not that I've ever Googled such things...
If that's how you found your way to my blog, I guess I'll give you a heads-up. A disclaimer. A cautionary sign.
I am far from the perfect medical school candidate.
Still here? Great! Get out while you can!
I do not have a 4.0 GPA. I've never shadowed a doctor. I mean, would I have to mimic his every move? That would suck. I feel bad enough for my own shadow. I've never stepped foot in a research lab either. Meth labs, on the other hand...
So I already know what you must be thinking. "Is this person deluded?" Indeed, I probably am. Hell, only a week ago, I watched almost all of my close friends finish the last finals of their undergraduate education. They were moving on. Saying sayonara to the nest. Fleein' the mothership. They are now off to various professional and graduate schools, spending the remainder of their student loans on Eurotrips, or heading straight into their dream careers (burger-flipping is a true artform). I won't have that fleeting moment of finality sweep over me for two more years.
Even when I do graduate, I know that, if I achieve my dream (that whole MD thing), I would be giving up my 20s to further my education. It's a scary prospect. Time and time again, I ask myself if this is what I want to do. But something in me can't quit it. I wish I knew how to quit you.
Sidenote: How many Brokeback Mountain quotes do you think I can insert into this blog post?
I guess I was a bit scared when I started university. I guess that scared part of me decided that going out with my friends and living in the now was more valuable than investing in my future - into something I had always wanted to do. I guess that guessing isn't ideal. The psychology major in me seems to enjoy analyzing the rationality behind the actions I committed in my younger years. BUT HEY. 2.7 GPAs aren't that bad... right?
Anyway you slice it, I had to up the ante. I told myself (internally, I'm not crazy) that at 20 years old, I was far too young to be throwing away my goals in favour of keg-stands and 7th-year Phys Ed* majors.
So, through a little w
"Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai découvert en moi un invincible été."
Translation: In the midst of winter, I found there was in me an invincible summer.
That quote would make a perfect hipster tattoo. But I heard it while nerding out to a Positive Psychology lecture on Youtube and it resonated.
Seriously, I'm not perfect. Who really is?
Consider this an invitation for you to embark on this journey with me. I won't Catfish you, but I'm not looking for an internet relationship either, so I guess that's irrelevant. Words have always possessed the ability to pull at my heartstrings (I may or may not have cried for three days straight after I finished the last Harry Potter book) - they are a truly powerful medium. I hope that my words can influence someone to follow their own dream. They are some serious stuff, folks.
I might present as a little insane at times (I attribute it to studying for the MCAT). I have the tendency to be sarcastic, which doesn't always translate well in writing - but hell, I'll do it anyway!
I'm not perfect! I'm no superman. Get the gist?
Stay fresh (showers are good),
The Imperfect Candidate
*details half-assedly changed for some semblance of anonymity
