Why Everyone Should Read The Alchemist

      I absolutely love to read, but I always found it nearly impossible to read for pleasure in college, especially during my last two years. But, as my mom had highly recommended The Alchemist (She's a huge Paulo Coelho fan), I decided I would try to start reading it Junior year.

      I started reading my Mom's Spanish copy of the book second semester of my Junior year, but I got busy and life got in the way, so I read the book very off and on. I finally finished the book at the end of my Senior year. Coincidently, reading the book in this manner fit very well with the theme of the book ( I'll elaborate more on that in a bit), so I am glad it worked out that way.

     The book itself is a fable of sorts, telling the story of a shepherd that is sent on a journey to find a treasure, and as one would imagine, he has many obstacles to overcome on his way. I won't spoil the book because I really think it's a good read, but I will say that I think the book serves as a wonderful metaphor for life. The book resonated with me as a pre-med because my journey has been filled with many unexpected events, and I think it paralleled very well with what was going on in my life at the time of reading it. The book is filled with some really great quotes and as a matter of fact, one of my favorites was what I had set as my phone background during interview season. I think many of these quotes are fantastic for those of us that love to dream big, but especially for pre-meds because what could be bigger than competing with others for the chance to become a doctor? Since I don't want to spoil the story, I'll just give you a few of my favorite quotes and why I love them.

Some of my Favorite Quotes from the Book:

" People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel that they don't deserve them."

     I was attracted to this quote because I feel that it spoke to what I struggled with as a pre-med. It's no secret that medical school is competitive and you are frequently reminded that medical school is hard to get into. I remember when beginning my application process, one of my fears was not being good enough. Of course, I had good grades and had done a lot of volunteer work, but I by no means thought I was extraordinary. I loved this quote because it reminded me that I shouldn't let the thought that I wasn't good enough stop me from pursuing my dream.

" There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

     This quote kind of goes with the one above. I think many times we can refrain from pursuing things because we think they won't work out for us. This idea isn't limited to only pursuing medical school, but any challenge in life. I think the best thing to remember though is that if you don't try you'll never know. So never let fear stop you.

" The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself, and no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

     I thought this was a good quote because if you are pre-med, you know that everyone talks about how difficult medical school is, but I am pretty sure that after the fact most people would tell you that it is so worth it. If you pursue becoming a physician for the right reasons, everything you have to endure won't feel like suffering, but rather a necessary evil.

" And, when you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

    I found a beautiful picture of this quote on Pinterest and this is what I had set as my phone home screen for the longest time. This quote for me has been very true and very powerful. It's crazy because some days I didn't know how getting into medical school was going to work out, but everything has fallen into place so perfectly that it feels like it was completely planned out for me. It has definitely made me believe that everything happens for a reason and as it should happen. All we can do as individuals is to pursue our dreams and see if that is the path that was meant for us.

" It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

     I think this quote is so beautiful because it points out that our dreams are what make life so worth living. The possibility of going after anything we want and becoming whoever we want to be. I know that whenever I think about how I will be starting medical school in the fall, I feel so overjoyed knowing that I will have the ability to fulfill one of my dreams.

   The book has many other wonderful quotes, but I'll let you discover them for yourselves. I think everyone should read this book because it definitely inspires you to believe that anything is possible and to not be afraid to chase your dreams because life tends to work in your favor. The most important part is believing in yourself and you'll see how everything falls into place.

    I know this is different than my typical posts, but I really loved this book, and I thought I would share why:) I hope you had a fantastic weekend, and I will be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3

Accepted Part 2!

     Well, I know where I left off last Tuesday was with my anticipation of news from my most recent medical school interview. If the title didn't already give it away to you, I am happy to announce that what came in the mail was a big packet of good news! Coincidently, the day the post about waiting for news went up, I received my acceptance letter in the mail.

     For me, this is absolutely incredible. My entire pre-med career I knew that I wanted to stay in Chicago for medical school, so now that my chance is here, I am so thrilled! Now, I am most definitely celebrating this, but there are two things that I do want to explain about my acceptance. One, this medical school does have multiple campuses, so there is a possibility I might be sent somewhere other than Chicago, but on our interview day, the dean said that our session was still early in the application process ( I believe they are interviewing candidates through March) and that it is very likely we will be placed at our preferred campus.  Two, for this school I do have to do a pre-matriculation program before starting medical school. I wasn't exactly thrilled to read this in my letter but upon doing more research, it is something that the school apparently emphasizes for underrepresented minorities in medicine. I am a Hispanic woman, so I very obviously fit the bill.

     To be honest, I was tentative about wanting to share that piece of information, but I know I want to be completely honest about my journey to medical school and as I will begin this 6-week program at the end of May, it isn't really something I will be able to hide haha. Also, I kind of want to blog all the cool things I will be learning in the program as from what I read it will preview the classes I will be taking in medical school. Does it suck that I will have to give up six weeks of my summer? Of course! But honestly, I don't exactly mind it. I could be sitting here contemplating about whether or not I wanted to blog about being waitlisted at the school I was seriously excited about, but thankfully instead I am writing about how I was accepted. So, today I am counting my blessings, and deciding that for me this is all good:)

     I hope you are having a great day and that you had a very happy holiday! I will be posting something on Thursday, so stay tuned:)

 ~Genesis<3

   

   

Mid-way Through My Gap Year!

I know this blog post will seem a tad odd since I've just started the blog and have no previous mention about being on a "gap year", but I thought it would be the perfect time to elaborate on where I am in my medical application journey and also in my life.

So, I guess I should begin by explaining what the heck a gap year even means. Well, typically when a pre-med student says that they are taking/took a gap year what they mean is that they took a year off from schooling before beginning medical school. I feel like this has become more common than before, but it might also seem that way since I've been on one myself haha. When I first started undergrad, taking a gap year seemed like a very foreign idea and definitely not a part of my plan towards becoming a doctor.

As a very plan-oriented pre-med, I had a vision of what my journey to medical school should be like. I would finish up my four years of undergrad, go on to medical school directly after graduation, go on to residency after that, hopefully, meet someone in the years leading up to that point, get married, have kids, blah blah blah. Yea, as many of us know, life doesn't seem to always work out that way haha. I'll tell you what, though, I'm so happy it doesn't. If many of the things that I hoped had happened exactly how I wanted them to, I wouldn't be half of the woman that I am today. I'll be honest. For me, this gap year did come as a complete surprise. I had prepared myself to take on the medical application cycle at the end of my junior year ( which is common if you intend to go on to medical school right after undergrad) and found myself faced with the decision to take a gap year when the results of my MCAT ( which I had stupidly scheduled two days after my last final) were not what I thought best represented my abilities. Although a bit scared of what might come, I decided that taking a gap year would be the best option for me, and thankfully that has held true.

So, how has it been thus far? For the most part, I'd say it has been a blessing in disguise. The plans that I had scheduled to fill my gap year have been a tad rocky, but for the most part the free-time and sanity that I have gained from taking a break from school have made everything else seem mild. I'm so thankful that I had the liberty to undergo the crazy medical school application process free from the demands of school, and I strongly believe that has made it feel more manageable. During my interview days, I've heard students talk about how they were missing class to interview or about how they had all this work to catch up on after their interview. although I know I could've dealt with the demands of interviewing while finishing up senior year, I'm happy I didn't have to. I have been able to solely focus on my medical school applications, work my schedule around my interviews, and have the time to just relax and ensure that I put my best foot forward. The process is stressful enough, and not having school stress is the best. Taking a gap year has allowed me to work on my relationships with my friends, family, and myself. I've had the time to recharge and get myself in the right mindset to start medical school next fall.

What are the downsides? Well, for one, not having a clear plan can be rather daunting when you want your gap year to feel meaningful. I've dabbled in a few things, and I do have more things planned, but having it all be up in the air can be frustrating. Student loans (ugh). Not being enrolled in school obviously means that student loans will have to start being paid, and it is a bummer, but hey I have a great education haha. Feeling out of the school loop. It honestly feels like I'm stuck in a perpetual summer break (not really a bad thing), and it's almost Christmas. It doesn't even feel like Chistmas season because Christmas time has always been signaled by the increased bodily stress induced by finals for the past 8 plus years haha.

Currently, I am just working for the retail store that I worked for during my senior year of college while I'm trying to plan my next move. I work with some really great people, so I'm having a blast, but I do feel ready to try something else. I'll try to keep you posted:)

Well, I believe this post can best be summarized by the picture that I chose for this post. I took the picture on a random Tuesday morning hiking trip ( a gap year luxury) with my best friend, Elida. The state park that we were at had so many sktetchy areas that were marked with the "this is not a trail" sign that the entire trip we would jokingly get to places and say "hey guesss what? this is not a trail." What the heck am I getting at? Well, in life there are many plans that might not seem to be the right "trail" for us, but sometimes it's good to venture off and see what life surprises you with. During our hiking trip, we inadvertenly fell off the trail so many times, and not gonna lie we ended up on some iffy paths, but I had such a blast exploring the cliffs and trails with my bestfriend that it didn't matter. The adventure made me feel alive, and that's all that I could've hoped for.

~Genesis<3