Supermoons and Self-Confidence

Did you see the Pink Super Moon last night? (spoiler: it wasn’t really pink). I was definitely outside with a glass of wine watching this moon like it was going to put on a show or something! My neighbors were out too, though, so I wasn’t the only crazy one. But I do have this weird obsession with full moons, I even used to have a blue moon necklace that I loved and wore every single day for a long time. Looking forward to full moons as a physician, especially when working in the hospital, is odd because it is 100% true from my experience that full moons are harbingers of all kinds of craziness…babies flying out with no warning, drunk troublemakers in the ER, back-to-back-to-back code blue calls at different ends of the hospital, fires in stairwells—you name it, they usually happen during full moons. 

The supermoon, by definition is when the moon is closest to Earth; it’s bigger and brighter than the “regular” full moon. In case you’re wondering what any of this has to do with your pre-med journey, don’t worry, it’s coming. My point is that just like last night’s supermoon, you’re sooooo close to your dream of getting into medical school and becoming a physician. Like that huge moon, you can almost reach out and grab that white coat!

Yes, there are requirements and boxes that you must check off on your journey to admission, but the biggest of those requirements is that you must believe in yourself and know that it is possible. Sometimes, we are own worst enemy and our self-doubt talks us out of things that we are more than capable of doing and achieving. Some of the common seeds of doubt that I’ve heard from mentees, or lived myself, are fear of choosing a path unlike anyone in their family, hitting speed bumps along the way, having to take alternate paths, and fear of rejection. 

Being the first

Like me, you may be a first-generation college student doing your best to figure out being away from home and navigating college life. Or your parents or older siblings may be college graduates, but you’re the first one to pursue medicine. Either way, taking on something new that no one in your family has done before (and, honestly, something that they may not understand how much goes into it) is really hard. But just because no one in your family has done it, doesn’t mean that no one in your family is ever supposed to do it! Maybe you’re the one who’s supposed to make that generational change. Maybe you’re the one who’s supposed to start a new trend for your cousins, nieces and nephews, and future children and grandchildren. The chain has to be broken somewhere, it may as well be with you. 

Speed bumps along the way

Life is full of speed bumps. Newsflash: so will be your pre-med journey. It’s not supposed to be easy–there aren’t enough white coats to give them to everybody. Whether your speed bump is a poor grade in a BCPM class, having to re-take the MCAT, or not being accepted on your first admission cycle, don’t let it be the end of your journey. When you come to a speed bump in the road, you don’t turn around and go back in the other direction. No, you slow down, get over it, and keep moving full speed ahead in the same direction. Take it from a woman with a whole “M.D.” behind her name who re-took organic chemistry and took the MCAT 3 times. Speed bumps are not ideal, but they’re also not dead ends.

Taking alternate paths

You may get accepted straight out of college; you may choose to, or have to, take a gap year or two; you may go to an international medical school; or you may leave a whole other career to re-start as a pre-medical student. Try not to compare your process to others’ (easier said than done, I know). Your path may not look like your roommate’s or like that of people you follow on Instagram, and that’s okay!!  Much like speed bumps, taking an alternate path to your MD (or DO) degree is okay. Truthfully, on the first day of intern year of residency, everyone is pretty much on the same struggle bus and very little of your path to that point will matter. Your future patients won’t be drilling you on every step of your medical training; they care more about how you treat them as a person and whether or not you practice good medicine. 

Fear of rejection

Many people apply to medical school each year and, realistically, we know that they many are not accepted. But you can’t count yourself out before you even try, and you can’t let fear of rejection keep you from going for something you know you really want and you know is meant for you to have. And that’s not just advice for pre-med, that’s one for life. If you go into situations expecting to not succeed, you have a pretty good chance of just that happening. I remember, during a rough time for me in college, my older sister sent me a bookmark that said: Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. And that’s so true. So, do me a favor and believe that you can! Find you a Bible verse or inspirational quote to back it up and repeat it to yourself when you need that affirmation. 

The usual pre-med hoops aren’t going anywhere. You still have to jump through them. You need to excel in your coursework and knock out the MCAT, get medical exposure, participate in meaningful service, gain leadership experience and demonstrate that you’re a team player, and secure strong letters of recommendation. But while you’re doing all of those things, don’t let doubt and fear creep in and tell you that you can’t achieve your goal. And if (read: when) they do creep in, don’t let them take up residence and stay! As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he [Proverbs 23:7]. Get it in your heart that you will achieve your goals and you’re more than halfway there. That belief alone will help to drive you to meet all those other requirements.

Like last night’s supermoon, keep that white coat in your sights. Your acceptance is closer than you may think, and it’s definitely within your reach. Hit those checkboxes but, most importantly, believe in yourself!

Is there anything that makes you doubt your ability to reach your goal and get accepted? I’m always here for encouragement (and honesty) if needed. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me a private email.