There were so many times throughout my premedical career that I would hear things like: “If you take the MCAT more than once, you won’t get accepted anywhere,” or “If you don’t have a GPA of 3.9 or higher, you won’t get interviews.” These myths perpetuate within the premed culture, online blogs/forums, and inside the minds of aspiring medical students. There is this false belief that you have to be a perfect person without blemish to gain acceptance into the medical community. I wish I would have realized then how important individuality is to admission committees. It’s not about being flawless, it’s about finding well-rounded students that have learned from their mistakes, are truly passionate about the things on their resumes, and can maintain humility and kindness toward others. These are the types of people who become great physicians, and these are the type of applicants medical schools are looking to accept.

I really struggled my first semester of medical school. I was studying all the time, but was still doing poorly academically. I had always found it difficult to get through material in a timely manner throughout school, even as early as grade school, but I had always somehow managed to persevere through it. But medical school is different. It is its own unique beast, and I ultimately failed the semester in just a few short months. At the prompting of my medical school, I underwent a formal evaluation for ADHD and was diagnosed within the month. Suddenly it was all very clear – why I never knew where my car keys were, why I had never been able to sit through an entire movie, and the reason I was late getting into bed each night. I just never realized that I had been compensating all through the years. While it took me much longer to study and memorize material, I had always had the drive, ambition, and time to put forth more effort and push through my challenges.

However, the luxury of time does not exist in medical school. There’s not enough time in the day to just study harder; everyone studies hard and roughly the same amount. Simply put, for me, there was just not enough time in the day to accomplish all of the demands of the curriculum. Once I realized that my main issue was ADHD, I registered with Disability Support Services and received ADHD coaching from a counselor. Together, we found creative ways to combat my attention deficits. I tried out these new tactics when I enrolled in the MD/MPH program offered at UAB that January. Some of the many strategies I employed were using a wobble seat cushion during lectures with long periods of sitting, taking scheduled study breaks by setting timers, and making a five hour minimum sleep rule. When I rematriculated into medical school that July, I was equipped to successfully tackle the medical curriculum while simultaneously completing my Master’s in Public Health.

I chose internal medicine for many reasons. For starters, I love the attention to detail required. In this field, it’s of utmost importance to consider every side of the story before making a decision or arriving at a conclusion. I also very much value the level of collaboration.  Internists tend to appreciate and value the input of others and work well in tandem with colleagues in various fields. I am also drawn to it because of the relationships formed with both the patient and his/her support system. I feel fortunate when I can help improve my patients’ health so that they can return to their community of friends and family as a healthier version of themselves. These are just a few of the multitude of reasons why I chose this specific path, and I am incredibly excited for the journey! 

Story courtesy of the American Association of Medical Colleges and their first-person articles of Inspiring and aspiring medical students. Contact AspiringDocs@aamc.org for more information.