“Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” - Proverbs 27:4
This crazy thing is going to happen once you submit your AMCAS. It actually starts to happen a little bit your sophomore year, picks up junior year especially around the MCAT season, and then comes out full force senior year. It will be begin to seem like every single other premed in the world has a better application than you. You got an A- in a class, that guy got an A. You shadowed at ARMC, the girl three seats over in Physics shadowed at St. Mary’s, Emory, and St. Joe’s. You did a little research, your friend published a paper. No matter who you talk to as a premed, there is a tendency to walk away from the conversation discouraged. A lot of factors go into this, but one of the biggest reasons is that the gunners are the loudest. You will never hear about how Joe in your organic chemistry class got a C-, but I guarantee that you will hear about it when someone in your class gets an interview at Harvard. It is kind of like looking only at a person’s Facebook page. On Facebook it seems like everyone is happy go-lucky all the time, but in real life there are all sorts of hills and valleys. It is the same way with medical schools; you will only hear about other’s significant accomplishments. Don’t let the gunners discourage you, but instead realize that your perspective on their application is skewed, and celebrate with them when they receive blessings. Instead of being discouraged when it seems like others are in the middle of putting together awesome applications, can I invite you to instead celebrate with your classmates in their successes? Don’t worry about comparing yourself to anyone else, and don’t stress about it. When you decide not to stress about other’s accomplishments, it frees you to celebrate with them. If you let their accomplishments freak you out, your jealousy and worry will put up a relational wall between you and them, and you shut out the very friends who understand exactly what you’re going through and could potentially really encourage you. And while it seems like everything may be grand on the surface of their lives, I’d imagine that they need your encouragement too. Decide to celebrate with your classmates instead of letting them stress you out. This is easier said then done, but the key to being able to celebrate with others is to keep your decision to apply to medical school in the proper perspective. If getting into medical school is your end all be all, then it will be very difficult for you to not worry and stress about every step in the process. Instead of letting the loudest source of stress in your life be your end all be all, decide what your bottom line is. How would you fill in this blank? If at the end of the day I was only able to ___________ and nothing else, then I would still be content. Keeping a proper perspective will allow you to celebrate your friend’s successes without being discouraged by them. Footnote: Hey Christians, 1) How would you fill that blank as someone who is following Jesus? 2) Do we have the right to decide what goes into that blank anymore? 3) In that context, how does your work play a role in how you try to fill that blank? Is your work a distinct separate part of your life, or does your identity as a Christian influence how and why you work? 4) How do God’s promises interact with your aspirations as someone applying to medical school? 5) How can those promises empower you to act differently towards your fellow premeds? What if I told you that there are premeds running around who aren’t stressed about their applications or that next test? Take your stress and your worry and dive into scripture with it. Pray through it. There are deep, deep resources in God’s word waiting for you. By worrying about medical school you are saying that God isn’t big enough to handle this area of your life. Here are some helpful places to start: - Psalm 131 (Look this up especially if you don’t recall Psalm 131 off the top of your head. It is a little obscure, but these 3 verses are the reason I survived organic chemistry) - Psalm 23 - Matthew 6 - Proverbs 3 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
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AuthorI am a premed senior at the University of Georgia, and I hope you find this blog helpful in your journey. Archives
January 2016
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