How to move past "failure" and into destiny; A Retrospective Review

[BeautyandtheMD]

Hi Everyone! My name is A and I am a second year medical student at an accredited school in the US. I recall a time when I was applying to medical school and really relied on some of the things that I saw posted here on SDN. One recurring theme that I saw however, was that the majority of the individuals on here had near perfect resumes with no major blemishes. I thought that it was unfortunate that my record did not look like theirs. My gpa in undergrad was in the 2s. Shoot, I almost didn't even graduate on time. My MCAT score was incredibly sub-par, and honestly, ALL of my pre-med professors told me to reconsider. But I pressed on, and here I am today...in my second year. I can't say that life has been smooth since getting into medical school. I've had countless family deaths, an abusive relationship, surgery, and *dunnn dunn dunnnn*, I failed my first year of medical school. A couple of months ago, I couldn't even imagine writing my truths for the entire world to read, but I think it is necessary that I do this for that 1 person who feels like he/she is alone and all hope is lost. I could write for days about my story and how I went from struggling at the bottom of my class, to excelling in everything that I do, but my purpose here is to foster a safe space for people who are struggling with "failure" (I put failure in quotations because I do believe that these kinds of things are lessons, and not setbacks). I have a blog that I have wholly dedicated to telling my story and interacting with individuals who might need the motivation or support to keep going.

Good luck to all of you. You are all truly special and destined for greatness!

-A

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[Robin-jay]

"A" is a terrible name. What were your parents thinking!

 

[21Rush12]

I think a retrospective comes at the end of things...would that not logically be graduation/residency placement?

 

[BeautyandtheMD]

I think a retrospective comes at the end of things...would that not logically be graduation/residency placement?

Retrospective very literally means looking back at past events or situations. In this case, I am looking back over things that have happened in the past, which I would consider retrospective!

 

[getdown]

I agree with A in regards to how SDN does not necessarily represent the full spectrum of individuals that make it into medical school. This place either has the top candidates for medical school or those with significant deficiencies asking for advice. Rarely do you see anyone with average or acceptable stats posting since they usually know they have decent chance by applying broadly.

 

[operaman]

While I admire your story thus far and you’ve clearly overcome some long odds to get where you are, it should also serve as a cautionary tale for others applying.

Your stats were suggestive of someone who would struggle mightily, your advisors saw this too, and that has proven true with the failed first year. You sound like you’ve done better this year so maybe you’ve made some adjustments that are working. You still have step 1 ahead of you and no American school will allow you to graduate without passing it. The failure rate is low overall, it happens and it’s typically more marginal students that do.

Beyond preclinical there are still fairly rigorous shelf exams and another 2 usmle exams to get through. There’s also the struggle of matching with at least one failed year and who knows what other red flags. It sounds like you may have turned a corner, but there’s a lot of road ahead.

Getting in is just part of the battle; getting through is another.