I wanted to preface this post by saying the title might not be a hundred percent applicable in my case (as you know that I actually got into one of my top choices for medical school), but I still want to address the topic and talk about my personal experience.
All through undergrad, whenever I thought about medical school, I always thought about one particular school, my alma mater's medical school. I would always think about how I could see myself there and when my really good friend got accepted, it seemed all the more likely that I would want to attend. My heart was set on this school and when application season rolled around, you better believe their application held first priority. When I finally hit submit, the waiting began, and to my dismay, their reply took quite a while. Months passed, other schools invited me for interviews, I got accepted into these other schools, and I still had heard no reply. Until, last week. They sent me an email stating that they had reviewed my application but that they could not offer me an interview invitation for this cycle. If I had received this email months ago, I would've been devastated. Instead, I finished reading it, and I just shrugged.
You see, in the months that it took to receive this email, I came to the realization that even though this had always been my "dream school", Any school gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor would make me happy. This notion didn't really hit me until I received a letter from one of my schools congratulating me and telling me what an accomplishment it was for me to have been selected. I had applied to a larger state school that gets many applicants. In the letter, it stated that they get over 5,000 applicants for the 300 spots they have in their program. I had about a 6% chance of getting in and I did it. I remember feeling exceptionally proud in that moment and when I was accepted to my other school I felt even more blessed. At the end of the day, I was going to be given the opportunity to add an M.D. to the end of my name, and that's all I had ever wanted.
Also, I came to the realization that my "dream school" wouldn't get me everything that I had wanted. Whenever I thought of myself in medical school, I envisioned myself living in the city, and the school I originally wanted to attend is actually outside of the city. I remember that I was originally considering living in the city and commuting out of the city to attend this school. I don't know what was going through my mind because that was a bit crazy. Thankfully, this won't be the case with the school I'm planning to attend because it is located right in the heart of the city. So, in all actuality, I got exactly what I wanted.
I'm sure by this point, I sound like a broken record when I say that getting into medical school is no easy feat, but I want to remind you to not let where you are accepted discourage you. Getting accepted into any medical program is an incredible accomplishment, so always keep that in mind. And if you aren't accepted this cycle, keep trying. If you honestly can't see yourself doing anything else, don't give up. I knew that if that was the case for me this year, I was just going to try again next year. Because when you have a dream, you should pursue it even if you've failed the first attempt. If it is meant for you, it will eventually work out.
I hope this helped encourage some of you on your journey and that you had a great weekend. I will talk to you soon!
~Genesis<3
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