Medical School Acceptance

It has been a week since I found out I was accepted into medical school. Sometimes I forget and panic at the thought of "it is almost Thanksgiving, which means interview season is about to be over, and I have not heard back from any more schools!"

oh wait…

I am already in! I would have never dreamt of having the option to choose which medical school I would attend, nonetheless be accepted. But don't get me wrong, the thought of being accepted makes me dumbstruck happy.

I feel that my pre-med story is worth mentioning. I have had my fair share of struggles to get to this point. I don't consider myself "traditional or non-traditional" - common identifiers on pre-med forums. I feel that it is so subjective and somewhat useless when trying to make comparisons.


In 2010 I was accepted into JAMP.I'm grateful for the opportunities provided by this organization because I would not have gotten the chance to experience the life of medical school outside this. JAMP is funded by the state of Texas in efforts to support disadvantaged students through pre-med and eventually to medical school. As part of the "package", meeting all requirements set out by the committee would eventually "guarantee" a spot in a medical school in Texas. I think that my JAMP experiences deserve a separate post, and I will leave it at that.

The 2 numerical requirements that need to be met consist of GPA and MCAT scores. My GPA was above average, however, I struggled repeatedly with the MCAT and it subsequently got me dismissed from JAMP.

took the MCAT 4 times total, mainly because of a low verbal reasoning score. JAMP requires a minimal of a 23 MCAT with a minimal score of "7" from each section. I have to admit that I underestimated the test when I first started studying for it. In the fall of 2010, my class schedule consisted of all upper-level science electives. In addition, I also worked in the insurance office in the afternoons.

I received my Kaplan MCAT materials in July and the Live Online course started in September of 2010. I was given a generous amount of time to study and had the option to take the MCAT in January of 2011 or in March. I opted for March and procrastinated until January. My sub-optimal score landed me a spot in JAMP's 6-week summer intensive MCAT program. I also had to submit my TMDSAS medical school application at that time.

For the duration of the program, I ate, studied and breathed MCAT. In July of 2011, I was instructed to re-take the MCAT. My series of disappointments started in August when I found out my MCAT score, and that I missed the verbal reasoning score by O N E point. The JAMP council gave me a final chance to take the MCAT once again - for the 3rd time in September.

I was dismissed in October. Fortunately, I received interview invitations to UNT TCOM and UTMB. I considered myself to be very lucky considering my low MCAT score. I think that I was so nervous and put too much pressure on myself that both interviews went rather poorly.

I received a rejection letter from TCOM in January of 2012. Match day came around and once again, I was nervous beyond words, however, no email was received from UTMB. I was notified in the Spring that UTMB placed me on their alternate pool list that consisted of 200 applicants.

I subsequently graduated in May of 2012 with no future. My classmates that were still in JAMP had the next 4 years planned out already and then there's me.

To say that I was disappointed in myself was an understatement. I spent countless nights thinking about what to do. Historically, having 3 low MCAT scores already lowered my chances of getting in if I re-applied. I considered applying for a masters in public health (MPH) numerous times, however, the timeframe was off and I would have had to wait a whole semester. In the interim, I took classes at a community college and attempted to study for the MCAT. I had to ask myself the question I couldn't really quite answer during the medical school interviews: "why do I want to become a doctor?"

Once I answered that, I knew I had to re-apply. In January of 2013, I decide to study for the MCAT for the fourth and final time. In contrast to the past 3 times, I decided to use The Princeton and Berkeley  Review instead of Kaplan. Historically, I struggled with verbal reasoning, and this time around, it was no different. The next 5 months of my life was miserable and self-defeating. I have never felt so clueless and ignorant. I did not understand why I struggled so much while others, like my boyfriend, understood verbal reasoning like it was the ABC's. I will go into detail on how I defeated my fear of verbal reasoning in a separate post.

I faced a very difficult decision in March once again. I originally scheduled my test date in April but I knew I was NOT ready and I would be repeating my mistake if I were to take the test. After hours of deliberation, I decided to post-pone the test to May 11, 2013.

In the 30 day waiting period, I completed my application for Texas schools, out of state MD schools and DO schools with the thought process that I would do well enough to actually submit the applications. I eventually ended up with a 29 on the MCAT with an 8 in verbal reasoning. Scoring an 8 is not something pre-meds should celebrate, however, considering that I started at a 4, I couldn't be happier. I submitted my TMDSAS application that night.

To my surprise, I received my first interview invitation in July. Rumor has it that early interviews are a good sign. The following week, I received yet another interview! I was ecstatic. Cautiously hopeful, my self-confidence began to build once more.

Applying and re-applying to medical school was the biggest emotional roller coaster to date. I have to say that I am more mature as an individual now then I was 2 years ago. And because of that, the tone of my interview also differed, for the best. I believe that I could not have gotten here without the support of those around me. The journey to become a doctor is a long one, and without support, it may be an impossible one. I am grateful for those who believed in me and supported me. I will also remember these past 2 years and prove to myself that handwork and perseverance does matter, however, nothing matters if you do not believe in yourself.