Pre-Med Advising
I finally got around to meeting with a Pre-Med adviser to make sure that I was on track for medical school. Below, you'll find the reflection I filled out before meeting with Julie Lancour. It was nice because it forced me to answer a lot of questions about myself that got me thinking about my path, rather than just waiting for the adviser to just give me a check-up and tell me what to do. It was fairly useful because the comprehensive reflection allowed me to go into the session with some great specific questions. Honestly, I went in thinking that I'd be told that I wasn't good enough to apply to medical school and that I should reconsider my career path (which isn't unheard of, I've heard the horror stories), so it was a relief when Ms. Lancour kept dropping phrases like "when you're a doctor". I'm still scared out of my mind for what lies in the future, but after the advising session, I can breathe a little easier knowing that I'll make it eventually.
One very important thing we did talk about was whether or not I'd be ready to apply come June of 2015 like I'd planned. To be completely honest, I don't think I will be. I haven't made any meaningful connections to the science faculty from whom I'd be getting letters of recommendation, and while I have had some really great extracurricular experiences, the volunteering wasn't medically related. I also still need to get in a lot of shadowing. Trying to cram all that in just the one year before I apply seems like it would be cutting it close, so maybe postponing applying until the end of my Senior year would be a good idea. I'll test the waters come next year, see how I feel, and definitely return for another advising session after I take my MCAT in October. Whatever happens, I want to do this right the first time so it's the only time I have to apply. I'm really glad that I mustered up the courage to go and see this adviser. The path ahead of me seems much clearer (albeit still depressingly steep).
One very important thing we did talk about was whether or not I'd be ready to apply come June of 2015 like I'd planned. To be completely honest, I don't think I will be. I haven't made any meaningful connections to the science faculty from whom I'd be getting letters of recommendation, and while I have had some really great extracurricular experiences, the volunteering wasn't medically related. I also still need to get in a lot of shadowing. Trying to cram all that in just the one year before I apply seems like it would be cutting it close, so maybe postponing applying until the end of my Senior year would be a good idea. I'll test the waters come next year, see how I feel, and definitely return for another advising session after I take my MCAT in October. Whatever happens, I want to do this right the first time so it's the only time I have to apply. I'm really glad that I mustered up the courage to go and see this adviser. The path ahead of me seems much clearer (albeit still depressingly steep).