The Perfect Path to Medical School Does Not Exist

In the traditional sense of the idea, I absolutely agree that there is no perfect path to medical school. Your path might be paved with some low grades, lapses in education, or extenuating circumstances which now leave blemishes on your application. If you feel as if this is a description of your journey to medical school, we have both traveled the same challenging path. However, it is possible to achieve acceptance to medical school with an unconventional application. It may not be easy, but by overcoming struggles you will develop something not taught in any textbook: resilience.

When I was 18, my family was evicted from our home due to my father’s gambling. This left me with 30 days to find a place to live and somehow manage the immense financial responsibility of independent adulthood now thrust upon me while also trying to juggle my community college courses. I found a room for myself and began working overtime as a waiter. The effects of my mother’s alcoholism also contributed to my mounting stress. I would receive calls in the middle of class to bail her out of jail after driving under the influence. My grades declined dramatically, and I soon found myself placed on academic disqualification. I did not have a plan or goals for my future career which further contributed to poor academic performance. Medical school was the furthest thing from my mind. I realized that I needed time to reevaluate my personal life and process the struggles I was experiencing.

Over the next two years, I focused solely on working as a waiter. I taught myself how to be financially responsible and developed a strong, invaluable work ethic. Working as a waiter taught me that I wanted to work with people. I enjoyed having a positive impact on others, even if it was merely bonding over small talk while I served their meal. I also began to reflect on all the obstacles I’d overcome. My life had been filled with seemingly constant struggles during those years, and it made me certain that I wanted to help others overcome difficult circumstances in their lives. Because I did not have any access to shadow a healthcare worker or exposure to a medically-related volunteer experience through family or friends, I frankly never believed I could possibly become a physician. Medical school was still not on my horizon.

Throughout this entire period, my amazing girlfriend (now wife), was constantly by my side encouraging me to return to school. At 21, I eventually returned to community college, where I had to retake many classes I had previously failed. At first it was a difficult adjustment and I continued to struggle academically. I again reflected on what I had been through and decided I hadn’t overcome those circumstances just to underperform in school. Although I continued working as a waiter, academics were now my highest priority. I began excelling in all of the classes I had once failed. Over time, I became passionate about my chemistry and biology courses and my wife started suggesting I pursue medical school. She believed in me far more than I believed in myself — I thought my story did not fit the mold of a typical medical school applicant. I lacked the stellar GPA and the “genius intellect” I believed were the bare minimum requirements for medical school.

I continued to work hard, furthering my understanding of science and completing core coursework. But it wasn’t until I began a part-time job as a tutor that I found the academic confidence in myself. I had found several mentors who were more senior tutors and were applying to medical school at the time. While I learned from them, I began to research every aspect of being and becoming a physician. I also began to shadow physicians. It was then that I knew I had found my calling.

I continued my education at UCLA, diving further into the requirements of the pre-medical journey with volunteering, research, and shadowing. With each patient came the realization that my past experiences had informed me how to relate to their situation. Although I had never been severely ill or had a chronic medical problem, my previous struggles helped me to develop a deep empathy and compassion for others. I knew I might never fully understand the perspective of someone receiving a tragic diagnosis, but I was confident I could draw upon my past to focus and connect with my future patients.

Once I embraced my own personal journey, the stress of compiling the perfect medical school application evaporated. In fact, I used my journey as the centerpiece of my personal statement. During interviews, I encountered multiple questions allowing me to elaborate on my past struggles and describe how they influenced my decision to become a physician. I once viewed these struggles as roadblocks to my future success. Now I realize how these important events in my life motivated me to pursue medicine. I am currently in my third year of medical school and the resiliency that I cultivated out of those struggles has proved to be more valuable than I could have imagined. Each obstacle overcome in my past or negative mark on my application became an investment in my future resiliency and ability to relate to the humanity of others.

Premedical students are bombarded with expectations of the ideal GPA or MCAT score, but probably hear too little about how embracing their personal experiences will serve them. Surmounting struggles, even ones that leave a mark on your application, are far too important in shaping your future as a physician. Most obstacles are not likely to be comparable to a having a debilitating condition or receiving an unexpected devastating diagnosis. However, these obstacles allow your compassion for the humanity of others to flourish.

Remember that your story can be the exception to the rule. Your life experiences will mold you and your future as a physician and create your “perfect path” to medical school.