My PreMed Journey Thus far

I've been keeping a sporadic diary about this journey in hopes that others will find it helpful in some way. The blogs and discussion boards that I follow have been helpful and inspirational for me as I struggle with night classes, nay-sayers, and uncertainty. Now I'm in the application process. I'm suffering from rejection and silence but I don't know which is worse. Here's what I have noted thus far:

2/25/07 Age = 37.5

I’ve been telling my friends and Liz’s family about my decision to do my premedical work and go for admission to med school. I’ve been accepted to the UC Berkeley Extension post-bac program. I just barely made it because of my grades from my UC undergrad Physics program. I am scared to death and constantly worried that I won’t make it. My UC science grades were not great (2.7 avg) but keep in mind that I was taking upper division Physics classes and trying to raise my son who was 5-7 years old at the time and much more of a handful than other children.

When I tell people about my plans to tackle this their reactions range from casual interest to horrified gasps. Most have been supportive but some really become incredulous.

1/14/08 Age = 38.5

I just received my grades from the Biology A lab and lecture, both A’s. I didn’t study as much as I should have but more than I ever did for other classes while in my Bachelor’s degree. I’m still having some doubts about this. This is mostly due to my desire to reduce my workload and increase my free time. This could be construed as ‘lazy’ but I think it is a common desire among all animals; the lion would rather sit in the sun all day than chase its food or defend its territory. However, I am able to imagine what it would be like to not pursue this dream to have an advanced degree. I could go after a PhD or even ‘settle’ for a Master’s degree. But will either of these satisfy me in the long run? I think they would if I were to first prove to myself that I gave it my best shot to become an MD.

10/18/09 Age = 40

It’s been a while since I opened this file and entered some thoughts. I’ve completed my prereqs and the MCAT. Now I’m going through the application process. I only applied to the California schools; UCLA, UCSF, Irvine, UCSD, Stanford and UC Davis. I submitted my AMCAS on Aug 1^st got a secondary from UC Davis immediately and was rejected by Irvine at the beginning of October. Today I got the rejection from UCSF. That one hurt because I wanted to go there most of all. But, I’m sure it’s my grades that are pushing me into the reject pile at these premier institutions. I wrote a letter to the chair of the admissions committee requesting a review of the decision but I’ve already marked UCSF in my list as ‘rejected’. I’ve decided to submit an application to some DO schools, focusing on Tuoro-CA in Vallejo because it is only 30 min from my house. I appreciate the DO mission and philosophy but I can’t help but feel that I’m settling. While my grades match DO school averages, my MCAT score is much higher. I’ve always felt that having to work to put myself through school should account for getting B’s instead of A’s. Yet, I don’t think that the top schools really give a crap about that because they have their pick of the pool of applicants and thus don’t have to make any concessions. I do think they are missing some very good candidates because of this bias – life experience can’t be taught in college and the kids that get into medical school will have to learn about life while practicing medicine.

MCAT Prompt - Dishonesty

Saying that dishonesty is necessary to keep a friendship strong means that there are instances when being honest with your friend could actually damage the bonds of friendship. This usually requires lying to protect their feelings. For example, if a friend loves to wear bright, Hawaiian print shirts that you think are gaudy and over-the-top, it may not serve the friendship to tell them your true feelings. This is an example of lying by omission or, not sharing what you believe to be the truth. If your friend asked what you thought of the shirts and you stated that you liked them, this would be a direct lie; a statement that is the opposite of what you believe to be true. Their common thread is that both require suppression of the truth, be it ones own internal beliefs or omissions and misstatements of fact.

Yet, not all lies are created equal. It is the intent behind the lie that is the important factor in how it effects our relationships. In the example above, if your friend discovered that you in fact hate her shirts, she may decide to wear them more often to annoy you. However, if she discovered that you were making fun of her shirts to others, it could damage the friendship. This brings up betrayal, where the lie betrays the friendship and distinguishes this lie from a benign one that does not.

Usually, dishonesty is not necessary to maintain strong friendships. In fact, it is usually our closest friends who we go to for the truth. Should a friend make an appeal for an honest assessment of their wardrobe, job, significant other, it is the duty of a friend to give them an honest but tempered opinion, to share what they believe to be true or what they know about the situation. This is the true art of maintaining friendships.

In the end, what we choose to lie about and even when we lie to our friends, depends on the nature of the friendship and even our own social skills. Being able to understand your friend's personality, their needs in the moment and the nature of the lie are key factors in making this choice. If your friend is sensitive or fragile in general or even at that instance and the lie is benign, you may choose to lie to protect their feelings. If the lie serves to betray the friend, it would always be better to tell the truth regardless of their emotional state. Being able to rely on someone to know the difference between emotional support and betrayal is what separates 'friend' from 'other'.

MCAT Prompt - Health Care

The writing sample portion of the MCAT gives a prompt that you have to respond to in 30 minutes. I am practicing this and will be posting the results here.

When it is said that "Health care is a right, not a privilege", the implication is that one is entitled to health care by virtue of being part of the group that is to provide said service as opposed to only having access if one has the financial means to purchase the service. In California, employees working for a company that has a group policy have the right to be covered by that policy, regardless of previous medical conditions. However, many companies are charging most of the premium to the employee, which could prevent them from actually affording the coverage.

The key here is to determine what is a "right" and what is not. As Americans, we have several rights delineated in the Constitution, like the right to petition the government, to choose our religion or even to speak out against the government, among others. If health care is a right, then it is something the government can not take away. In this sense, the government can not give citizens their rights, either. As citizens, we are "endowed by our creator" with our rights, not by our government.

Education is a good example of what a right is and is not. In the US, education is not a 'right' as determined by the Constitution. In fact, public education wasn't widely available until the 20th century, before that it was a privilege that only the rich could afford. It was never considered a 'right' of citizenship. However, with the Industrial Revolution and a movement away from an agrarian based system, it was quickly realized by leaders in the government, business and academia that a modern society required an educated citizenry. This paradigm shift away from education as a privilege to education as a necessity for a modern nation has reaped a multitude of benefits for everyone in the US, rich and poor alike.

It is this observation that should be made today about health care. If it is not a right, should it continue to be just a privilege? Can a modern nation continue to function without its citizens having access to modern medicine? Education is only one example, others include clean water, sewer systems and roadways. These are not rights but necessities to promote the general welfare.