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Old 10-04-2009 at 11:42 PM   #31
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Hey Brittney,
First of all, I applaud your determination and resolve to focus and achieve your goals while still maintaining practicality because it's a difficult thing to do.

First let's deal with medical schools because that does seem to be your most pressing concern:
You may want to consider medical schools based out of the country. Not only are they more likely to accept a broader range of applicants (though you may have hell getting back into the system (Doctors With Borders)) but they have less stringent "do or die" requirements which I personally believe demonstrates a more flexible and receptive system.

I understand that being a first generation applicant must simultaneously be thrilling and terrifying but you aren't "behind" so to speak.
For one thing, everybody and their mother wants to get into med school.
That may sound discouraging but bear with me because I don't intend it to discourage you specifically, or at all.
Many students want to be doctors for the glamour or various other reasons, realising that they aren't maintaining a practical viewpoint.
For instance, you'll find kids that don't yet accept that they will be dealing with cadavers or viewing the fat inside another human while in surgery.
You'll also find girls who want 5 kids and a happy marriage while aiming for some ambitious specialization who don't want to accept that the two can't always coexist and that you shouldn't make your practice a back burner possibility before it even begins.
You'll also find individuals who are solely in it for the money.
You'll find people who plan to start with medicine and then move on to be entrepreneurs.

To be very honest, almost everybody you meet who in first year says "I want to be a doctor" is behind in some way because they're not considering the profession for what it is - but what they want it to be.

The best way to "get ahead" if you will is to sit down with yourself and really assess what this means to you, what challenges you will face (for me, if I were to pursue med, it would be dealing with cadavers) and outline backup plans.
This isn't to discourage you, once more, I promise. It's to provide yourself some peace of mind because every ambitious person needs it to prevent a burn out.

If you have at least one backup (it could even be going to school and getting your MBA) that you enjoy or you could foresee yourself doing, you'll wipe a lot of stress off your plate.

While I wish you the best of luck and truly hope you make it, do remember never to limit yourself. Sometimes pursuing courses and interests outside your path is valuable because it may even help you realise how much you want your original goal, fueling your drive to work toward it much harder.

As for establishing contacts - the best people to speak to would be doctors. If you have a family doctor that you believe is competent and knowledgeable - I'd start there. Many doctors will tell you what your peers may sugarcoat and it again may not sound pleasant but it's really the best thing they can do.

For instance, as absurd as it may seems, I never knew that deliveries involved loss of bladder control and excretory organs. That may not be something you wish to deal with.
However, on the other hand, you may realise that withstanding that to deliver a healthy child is worth all the crap (pun intended) in the world and that may motivate you even more.

If you have biology this semester see if your bio profs can get you to speak to someone who could assist you and provide more advice.

Most med schools do not want the solid GPA or the 50000000 hospital volunteer hours. They want diverse candidates who show that their interests extend beyond the laboratory and who can prove, primarily, that they are socially adept individuals because that lies at the core of being a great doctor. Work experience, volunteering experience and leadership roles will look great.

I'll explain why I'm being so specific with a personal account if that helps.
I grew up not having any particular goal in mind but people figured I did well at school and should be a doctor. So that's what I ended up saying even though it wasn't something I felt. Fast forward several years later and I had made this such an immense source of worry that I even had my years of residency down, including which specialisation at UofT and a general approximation of my debt. And then I realised that...I'd never looked at myself as a person who wanted or could be a doctor. And I ended up applying to the Business program at Mac, with all hopes of leaving a dream that wasn't mine behind.

However, a good many months after that decision, I realised that if I searched within myself, I could withstand it. I could stand not having the ideal family with the adorable Labrador retriever and perfectly mowed lawn, or even a spouse. I could stand having my hospital become #1 on my speed dial. I could stand having to do scut work, I could stand having to stand myself sleepless, I could stand having to test stool samples and discuss bowel movements (with a mask though. I've always been a little obsessive. It's just me.) - as long as I could look at my patients and know I did right by them instead of just filling out a prescription. And I ended up realising that...I might, four years down, do my MCATs and apply.

If I don't get in, perhaps I wasn't as ready for it as I thought but I'll have my backups in order and I can hope it's not the end of it for me.

Ironically this realisation happened after I registered for my several science courses despite being in Business I.

My worry did nothing for me except cause nasty ulcers and create a lot of doubt due to the unbelievable stress.

Do what you love, but you'll love it and be so much better at it without the worry.
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Old 10-05-2009 at 12:20 AM   #32
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this is sound advice! thanks Bushra!
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Old 10-06-2009 at 04:27 PM   #33
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Thanks, Bushra, that is really good. You didn’t discourage me, in case you’re wondering. I have a few other ideas in mind, I just have to do the research when I get some time and set them up. Same thing with foreign schools. One weekend I’ll go crazy.
Old 10-06-2009 at 04:32 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by britb View Post
Not that anything is wrong with Bio, but ecology is kinda boring, if you know what I mean and plants just kinda of sit there.
1) Bio isn't all about ecology, as has been said
2) Ecology and plants is what I've focussed my degree on. They are awesome!
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Old 10-06-2009 at 07:07 PM   #35
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I hear studying plants tends to grow on you.




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