Session 574
Daniela, despite early academic struggles and discouragement from advisors, secured an impressive 14 medical school interviews through strategic preparation and compelling storytelling in her application. Listen to her journey and learn the often-overlooked importance of factors beyond grades in medical school admissions!
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Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points.
Interest in Becoming a Physician
Daniela had been exposed to medicine her whole life through her father, who was a physician in Cuba. However, she truly discovered her passion for medicine on her own during her first year of college, when she realized it was the best way to integrate her innate curiosity with her desire to advocate for people.
Daniela’s father didn’t dissuade her from medicine, but he also didn’t actively persuade her, wanting her to figure it out on her own. That said, Daniela’s early exposure to her father’s medical career significantly influenced her path. She grew up hearing about healthcare disparities and patient advocacy at the dinner table. This helped her understand how physicians advocate for patients on an individual level. Such exposure made it natural for her to see medicine as a way to combine her desire for advocacy with her scientific interests.
Daniela’s Premed Struggles
The hardest thing for Daniela as a premed student was the academic shock she experienced when starting college. Coming from an underfunded public high school without advanced science courses, she found herself struggling with multiple challenging STEM classes and labs simultaneously, having never been exposed to much of the material before.
Daniela’s experience highlights the importance of seeking help and overcoming the stigma associated with tutoring. She learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a crucial step in academic growth, especially when facing new challenges in a more rigorous academic environment.
Beyond GPA: The Importance of Holistic Evaluation in Premed Advising
Daniela did struggle academically in her early semesters, with her GPA being lower than average. This experience is common among premed students, with many being discouraged from continuing their medical school aspirations due to early academic struggles.
Daniela wished her advisors had asked about her other strengths and experiences, rather than focusing solely on her GPA. Fortunately, Daniela was able to compensate for her lower GPA with a strong MCAT score, demonstrating that academic potential can be shown through multiple avenues.
Advocating for Yourself in Action
Advocating for oneself in action, as Daniela demonstrated, involves respectfully but confidently presenting your strengths and experiences to advisors or admissions committees. It means highlighting your unique qualities that make you a strong candidate for medical school beyond just your GPA.
Whether through your research experience, clinical exposure, and personal background, this advocacy requires preparation, self-reflection, and the ability to articulate your journey and potential contributions to the medical field.
The Well-Intentioned but Discouraging Advisor: A Common Premed Scenario
Many advisors might try to dissuade students from applying to medical school out of a misguided attempt to protect them from potential rejection and financial loss. While not a direct experience by Daniela, this scenario highlights the challenges premed students may face when seeking guidance and support. A more constructive approach would be to help students realistically assess their chances and develop strategies to strengthen their applications, rather than discouraging them from trying.
Daniela’s father didn’t actively dissuade her from medicine, but he also didn’t push her towards it, wanting her to figure out her path independently. She was exposed to the challenges of medicine through her father’s experiences. This initially led her to explore other interests like paleontology before ultimately finding her way back to medicine on her own terms.
What It Means Advocate for Yourself
Advocating for yourself, as Daniela demonstrated, means confidently presenting your strengths and experiences to advisors or admissions committees, even when faced with discouragement.
It involves highlighting your unique qualities, such as research experience, clinical exposure, and personal background, that make you a strong candidate for medical school beyond just your GPA. This requires preparation, self-reflection, and the ability to articulate your journey and potential contributions to the medical field in a respectful but assertive manner.
Beyond the Numbers: The Importance of Holistic Evaluation in Medical School Admissions
Anyone making admissions decisions or giving advice based solely on a single number like GPA, without considering trends, context, and the applicant’s full story, is approaching the process incorrectly.
A holistic evaluation should take into account GPA trends over time. That also includes the rigor of courses taken, personal circumstances, and other achievements or experiences that demonstrate an applicant’s potential. This more comprehensive approach provides a fairer and more accurate assessment of a candidate’s ability to succeed in medical school.
“Anyone making an argument based on a number, and not trends and data and stories behind the number, they’re doing it wrong.”
Daniela’s upward trend is what negated her lower GPA. For students with lower GPAs, it doesn’t matter if you’re Mother Teresa. Medical schools need to make sure that you’re going to pass medical school.
The MCAT and the Application Process
Daniela approached her MCAT studies with intense discipline and focus. She took advantage of the pandemic lockdown to study uninterrupted for three months straight, following a strict daily routine. She didn’t take the test until she felt fully prepared. Also, her disciplined approach paid off with a strong MCAT score that helped compensate for her lower GPA.
Daniela approached the application process with the same discipline she applied to her MCAT studies. She started writing well before the application opened. Then she had everything finalized when submissions began. And she sought help from a recent applicant who reviewed her materials nightly. Daniela found the process to be a reflective and validating experience. She describes it as a nice closure to her premed journey where she felt good about her sacrifices and efforts.
“The application process was a really nice closure to my premed journey.”
The Interview Trail
Getting the Invite
Receiving her first interview invite was an incredibly validating experience for Daniela. She described it as a moment where she could finally breathe and feel some relief from the impostor syndrome she had been experiencing. The invite came early in the cycle, which was particularly encouraging. When she received her second invite, it confirmed for her that the first wasn’t just a fluke.
“The more authentic you are, the more relaxed you are, the better, they’ll get to know you.”
The Interview Experience
Daniela’s interview experience was initially nerve-wracking, but she quickly realized it was more of a conversation than an interrogation. She found that being authentic and relaxed allowed her to make a better impression.
As she went through more interviews, the process became easier and felt like clockwork. Daniela received 14 interview invites in total, which she saw as a validating conclusion to her premed journey.
Her Perspective on Failure
Daniela’s perspective on failure was shaped by her parents’ experiences. Her mother, a veterinarian, failed her boards three times before passing and successfully practicing. This exposure to perseverance through failure helped Daniela develop resilience and a healthy attitude towards setbacks.
She learned that failure is not the end, but rather a part of the journey towards success, which helped her navigate her own challenges in her premed journey.
What Led to Her Application Success
Daniela’s success in securing numerous interviews despite her initial lower GPA can be attributed to several factors:
- A strong upward trend in her grades
- Extensive research experience that led some mentors to suggest applying for MD/PhD programs
- Strong letters of recommendation from research experiences
- A compelling personal story and well-crafted application essays that clearly conveyed her motivations for pursuing medicine
- A high MCAT score that helped compensate for her earlier academic struggles
- Diverse experiences, including her immigrant background, that added depth to her application
Getting Her First Acceptance
Daniela described getting her first acceptance as a crazy and exciting experience. It came as a surprise phone call that woke her up in the morning from an unknown number, which turned out to be the Director of Admissions. The moment was emotional and thrilling for her, prompting her to immediately call her parents to share the news.
Daniela’s Approach to Choosing the Right Medical School
Daniela chose her medical school based on several practical factors:
- Financial feasibility was her top priority.
- The school offered a true pass/fail grading system without hidden rankings
- She was already familiar with the city from her undergraduate years
- She had friends at the school, providing a built-in support system
- The diverse patient population in the city aligned with her desire to treat a wide variety of patients
Note: Some schools advertise pass/fail but actually use systems like high pass/low pass, which is essentially an A/B/F grading scale. True pass/fail, without hidden rankings, was a priority for Daniela as it can reduce unnecessary stress and competition among students.
Final Words of Wisdom
Daniela’s final words of wisdom emphasize the importance of self-reflection and perseverance in the premed journey. She encourages students to appreciate their progress and be proud of how far they’ve come, while also being honest with themselves and willing to adapt their strategies when needed. Daniela stresses the importance of avoiding comparison with others and instead focusing on personal growth.
“Don’t compare yourself. Everyone can become a doctor if they’re meant to become a doctor, and if they work hard enough to do what they need to do to earn that spot.”
She highlights the value of seeking out supportive mentors who believe in you, even when you might doubt yourself. Importantly, she reminds students to take care of themselves physically and mentally throughout the process. Above all, Daniela emphasizes the power of self-belief and hard work, reminding aspiring doctors that with dedication and effort, achieving their goal is possible.
