I hope everyone is staying healthy. This is the first time I'm putting my issues into words and "talking" about them so please stay with me as you continue reading.
Here it is. I am a scared 25 year old questioning my entire life . Born and raised (kinda) in Mexico, moved to the US at 12. I graduated with a B.S in Bio Sci from a California university 2018 and I've gone through one med school application cycle with not even one interview invitation. I graduated with a 3.5 science GPA and had a mediocre MCAT 505 (took it 3 times- 498->502->505) I shadowed and started my clinical experience since I was in high school and all throughout undergrad. Had my personal statement revised by 5 different people, got MDs, DOs and various professors to write me letters of rec and I thought all this would make up for my average stats. It goes without saying that I was extremely disappointed by the lack of interview invitations. After a good half a year wallowing at my parents' house I started working as an MA for an ortho surgeon, without a real plan as to what I would be doing next. five months ago I was talking to a doctor uncle who lives in Mexico and he put in my head the idea of "why keep waiting- wasting money and time to apply again. You should move back home and study out there." SO I looked into some programs in Mexico city and found a few with some potential. I went out, saw the campuses, asked about their programs and well why not took some admission exams and interviewed at 3 schools. ( btw in Mexico each school has its own admission exam so you can pretty much take them at any time- they cover similiar content as the MCAT but its definitely not as intense. Oh and you get the score back the same day!) At the end of this week-long mini vacation I had been admitted at 3 schools in Mexico and given the option to start either September 2020 or January 2021). Now, I am in the incredibly stressful situation of having to make a decision that will most definitely impact the rest of my ENTIRE LIFE!!!
I think what Im most scared by is the fact that I don't really know where, geographically speaking, I see myself being a doctor. I had not really given any thought to moving back to Mexico until i retired. although, I do love being in Mexico ( I go back everytime I have time off from school/work) and I think I could really do something out there bc I am so passionate about going into medicine and helping underserved communities. i studied abroad in Europe for a bit and fell in love- I know going into medicine means giving much up in terms of travel but I do spend a lot of time researching what I'd need to do to practice medicine in Europe. Lastly to be 100% honest with you I'm not sure whether I want to practice in the US - there's a prestige in it, it ismuch more technologically advanced, and all my friends are here but there's so much i don't like about the healthcare system and its rules. that being said, I would like to know that I have the option of practicing here if i wanted to. Unfortunately, I've heard that matching into a residency as an IMG is not an easy thing to do, especially now with the P/NP change to Step 1.
Like I said, I have no idea where I want to be living in the next 5-10 years but I know I want to be a doctor ( thinking about trauma surgery/ ER physician but we'll see). I guess I am looking to hear advice from more people. My family as supportive as they are have the idea that I'm getting old and need to get my Sh** together and start my career already- small part me feels this way too. My mentors think I can keep trying and get into a US school- I don't know what else to do.. postbacc maybe, mcat #4 D; My friends are telling me to go with my gut but my gut has no idea wtf to do. I overthink a lot of things and also find myself comparing myself to others A LOT. my bff from HS is starting med school in NYC tomorrow and it makes me feel like turd about myself and my situation. there's also this nasty thought in my head that me going to med school in Mexico somehow means that I gave up and I'm taking the "easy" path bc I failed at in here. which then makes me think that I am a disappointment to my parents bc they moved us out here for better education and also a disappointment to my mentors and everyone who believed in me. NASTY thought I know . Someone said to me that "the student makes the doctor, not the school" and I say it to myself constantly but i'm just really having trouble making this decision.
Please enlighten me.
Here it is. I am a scared 25 year old questioning my entire life . Born and raised (kinda) in Mexico, moved to the US at 12. I graduated with a B.S in Bio Sci from a California university 2018 and I've gone through one med school application cycle with not even one interview invitation. I graduated with a 3.5 science GPA and had a mediocre MCAT 505 (took it 3 times- 498->502->505) I shadowed and started my clinical experience since I was in high school and all throughout undergrad. Had my personal statement revised by 5 different people, got MDs, DOs and various professors to write me letters of rec and I thought all this would make up for my average stats. It goes without saying that I was extremely disappointed by the lack of interview invitations. After a good half a year wallowing at my parents' house I started working as an MA for an ortho surgeon, without a real plan as to what I would be doing next. five months ago I was talking to a doctor uncle who lives in Mexico and he put in my head the idea of "why keep waiting- wasting money and time to apply again. You should move back home and study out there." SO I looked into some programs in Mexico city and found a few with some potential. I went out, saw the campuses, asked about their programs and well why not took some admission exams and interviewed at 3 schools. ( btw in Mexico each school has its own admission exam so you can pretty much take them at any time- they cover similiar content as the MCAT but its definitely not as intense. Oh and you get the score back the same day!) At the end of this week-long mini vacation I had been admitted at 3 schools in Mexico and given the option to start either September 2020 or January 2021). Now, I am in the incredibly stressful situation of having to make a decision that will most definitely impact the rest of my ENTIRE LIFE!!!
I think what Im most scared by is the fact that I don't really know where, geographically speaking, I see myself being a doctor. I had not really given any thought to moving back to Mexico until i retired. although, I do love being in Mexico ( I go back everytime I have time off from school/work) and I think I could really do something out there bc I am so passionate about going into medicine and helping underserved communities. i studied abroad in Europe for a bit and fell in love- I know going into medicine means giving much up in terms of travel but I do spend a lot of time researching what I'd need to do to practice medicine in Europe. Lastly to be 100% honest with you I'm not sure whether I want to practice in the US - there's a prestige in it, it ismuch more technologically advanced, and all my friends are here but there's so much i don't like about the healthcare system and its rules. that being said, I would like to know that I have the option of practicing here if i wanted to. Unfortunately, I've heard that matching into a residency as an IMG is not an easy thing to do, especially now with the P/NP change to Step 1.
Like I said, I have no idea where I want to be living in the next 5-10 years but I know I want to be a doctor ( thinking about trauma surgery/ ER physician but we'll see). I guess I am looking to hear advice from more people. My family as supportive as they are have the idea that I'm getting old and need to get my Sh** together and start my career already- small part me feels this way too. My mentors think I can keep trying and get into a US school- I don't know what else to do.. postbacc maybe, mcat #4 D; My friends are telling me to go with my gut but my gut has no idea wtf to do. I overthink a lot of things and also find myself comparing myself to others A LOT. my bff from HS is starting med school in NYC tomorrow and it makes me feel like turd about myself and my situation. there's also this nasty thought in my head that me going to med school in Mexico somehow means that I gave up and I'm taking the "easy" path bc I failed at in here. which then makes me think that I am a disappointment to my parents bc they moved us out here for better education and also a disappointment to my mentors and everyone who believed in me. NASTY thought I know . Someone said to me that "the student makes the doctor, not the school" and I say it to myself constantly but i'm just really having trouble making this decision.
Please enlighten me.
