It is so surreal to be writing this post today. Before I share everything with you, I do want to apologize for being inconsistent with my blog posts last year. I had so many college/pre-med advice posts planned, but I never had the chance to write them because of how busy last year was. That will change in 2022, I promise. Now, let’s rewind to the start of 2021 and make our way back to the very moment that changed my life forever.
uniqlo jacket | zara top | zara purse | cotton on jeans | nordstrom rack boots
MCAT
The end of 2020 to March 2021 was one of the most stressful times of my life. I was working part-time as a research assistant while simultaneously studying for the MCAT, a 7 hour long exam that all prospective medical students are required to take. While studying, it was always daunting to think about how this single test could significantly affect my chances of getting into medical school- of achieving my lifelong goal of becoming a physician. The MCAT is no joke, and I wish that everyone who takes it only has to take it once. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me.
I remember the cloudy afternoon in April when my MCAT score was finally released; I was sitting alone in my car, unable to hear or feel anything but my heart pounding out of my chest. My score was in the palm of my shaky hands, and all I had to do was look down. When I finally did glance at my score, I saw that it was extremely lower than any of my practice tests. It suddenly felt like every second of studying and my chances of getting into med school went crashing down the drain. I had never experienced so much disappointment, anxiety, and hopelessness all in a single moment. That was one of my lowest points this year, but I was able to pick myself back up and sign up for a retake test in May. When my second score eventually came back, there were definitely an abundance of tears present again. But this time, they were happy tears. I received a score higher than expected, and I never had to take the MCAT again.
MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION CYCLE
Immediately after taking the MCAT in early May, I had to start applying for medical school and little did I know that I was about to endure yet another beastly journey. Here’s a summary of the ideal medical school application timeline:
- Submit your Primary application by early June (personal statement and summary of your extracurricular activities)
- Submit your Secondary applications in July (essay questions individual to each medical school)
- Receive interview invitations and interview anytime from September to March
- Finalize your decision in April
Medical school is incredibly competitive, so I decided to send my primary and secondary applications to over 20 schools. That means that in addition to creating a personal statement, I also had to answer around 3-5 essay questions for each of these 20 schools. After working full time as a medical assistant, I would come home and use whatever brain power I had left to write essay after essay after essay. Thankfully, my friends were willing to proofread and provide me with feedback and ideas. Without their encouragement and support, I honestly don’t know how I would have finished all of my essays in time.
Over 60 essays later, the endless cycle of writing and editing had finally come to an end in August. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to experience the sweet taste of freedom, completely oblivious of time. However, as medical schools began to send interview invites to applicants, every free second I had was spent refreshing my email, searching Reddit, wondering when will it be my time? The waiting game ensued for nearly two months until one day after work I opened my laptop to my very first interview invitation.
NYU Long Island School of Medicine. N. Y. U!!! I could not believe the email before my eyes. It only takes one post-interview acceptance to become a physician, and it felt like I was just one step away from achieving my childhood dreams. As you can already imagine, preparing for the interview was simultaneously exciting, nerve-racking, and overwhelming. On one hand I was thrilled that my whole life has led up to this moment, but in the back of my mind there was a small voice asking “what if?”. What if they don’t accept me? In the blink of an eye, it was finally my interview day, and all I could do was sit in my tiny room and smile in front of the webcam. “F this. Just try your best, be yourself, and that will be enough.”
With one interview invitation comes a handful of rejections. Following my NYU interview, I faced radio silence save the occasional rejection from some of the nation’s top medical schools, including Stanford, Boston University, and Georgetown. The feeling of getting rejected absolutely stings, but I had to constantly remind myself to stay hopeful and know that those medical schools were ultimately not meant for me. My 22 years of life have taught me that there is reward to trusting in God’s plan and waiting. Sure enough, when November came around, I found myself with three more invites from UC Irvine, University of Southern California, and my alma mater UC San Diego!
It was an unusually rainy December morning in San Diego, and the burnout from the entire application was beginning to settle in. All I wanted to do was remain enwrapped within the warmth of my comforter. Suddenly, my phone began to ring. Expecting it to be yet another random spam call, I looked down and read the caller ID: “UC Irvine Health”. Literally, all I could think of in that instant was omgomgomgwthishappening?!?. I answered the phone and was greeted by the cheerful voice of UCI’s dean of admissions, Dr. Osbourne. She congratulated me and informed me that I had been accepted into UCI’s School of Medicine! I kid you not; I was so in shock that the only sentence that came out of my mouth was, “Oh my goodness, are you serious?” She was, in fact, very serious. With this acceptance, it seemed like all of the breakdowns, hours of studying, and time dedicated to working/volunteering were all worth it in the end. I had finally made it, and for the first time in forever, it felt like I could breathe again.
When I think about my acceptance into medical school, I cannot help but think about my family.
I think about the endless sacrifices my family made to come to America; they never had the chance to pursue after their own dreams, so they made sure that I had the resources to achieve all of mine. As a first generation college student, it has been quite a challenging journey navigating through high school and university. Not only was I pursuing a higher level of education for myself, but I was also paving a brighter path for all of my younger relatives. There were times in my education when I felt truly lost and alone. However, through hard work, God’s grace, and the unwavering support of my family and friends, I was able to graduate university in three years with summa cum laude honors. Now, the most exciting, yet daunting chapter in my life is about to begin. I am on my way to becoming the first physician in my entire family. Dr. Carbonell.
uniqlo jacket | zara top | zara purse | cotton on jeans | nordstrom rack boots
TLDR
2021 was the year I studied for/took the MCAT twice and also applied to medical school. I had the opportunity to interview at NYU Long Island, UC Irvine, USC, and UC San Diego. At the end of December, I was accepted into the UC Irvine School of Medicine! I am still awaiting post-interview decisions from NYU Long Island, USC, and UC San Diego. The interview cycle typically ends in March, so I may still receive an interview invitation from other medical schools that I applied to. I will keep you updated! Thank you so much for reading and following along on my pre-med journey! Your support means everything to me. <3
