The Trials and Tribulations of Medical School Applications
For those of us looking to enter medical school during the fall of 2019, the past couple of months have, hopefully, been very busy. Coming off a long stretch of interviews, I find myself completely exhausted.
I think that in the stress of the entire process, I have kind of lost some of my excitement for my senior year of college. It’s also difficult to focus on my current classes when the next step of my education seems so imminent.
One of the drawbacks of medicine, and really any kind of profession that requires extensive training, is the fact that everything is focused on the future. As an undergrad, you focus on doing everything you need to do to get into a good medical school. In medical school, you focus on doing everything to get into a good residency program. During your residency, you focus on getting a good fellowship. After the future arrives, where does our focus turn?
For this reason, it is so incredibly important to appreciate every step along the journey. I don’t want to look back on everything and realize that I never really lived in the present.
That being said, my advice for any pre-med major, and really any senior in college, is to enjoy your last year.
Even if you do attend some kind of graduate or professional school after undergrad, you will never have another opportunity to enjoy life with these specific people or these specific freedoms. Continue doing the activities you enjoy and try new things while you still have some free time.
Your future will work itself out in the end if you have put in the work, so take time to enjoy the present.