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I am sorry for what you are dealing with. This is a stressful time already and having to deal with this puts even more on your chest.I am currently waitlisted at three schools in the Carolinas, and recently I was accepted to a program in New Orleans that upon completion would greatly increase my chances of getting into med school the following year. However, over the weekend I learned that my mom's cancer has progressed to stage four, metastasizing from her eye to her liver, and I am unsure about her prognosis as of yet.
Here is my dilemma; do I go to New Orleans and potentially miss out on important time with my mother, or do I move back to North Carolina, continue working in the medical field, and try applying next year as an in-state resident. The NO program is an amazing opportunity and would even count towards my first year of med school if I matriculate there, but a certain school in North Carolina has been my ultimate goal since I started this process.
I know many people have experienced personal issues in their life that have stopped them from going to med school, or at least greatly delayed the process. As much as I want to hold out hope that there will still be waitlist movement, I feel not planning ahead would be irresponsible on my part. I just wanted to see if anyone had any advice or stories of people they know that could help me in this confusing time and help put things into perspective.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for your input. You guys rock!
What kind of program are you speaking of in New Orleans? SMP? What's your current GPA/MCAT?
I am assuming your mother is in North Carolina? How long would it take to gain residence in North Carolina? Sometimes there are strict requirements?
This is ultimately your decision and I don't think anyone can/should make this decision for you. I think you know your options already, you just need to figure out what you want to do.
MY OPINION:
If I were in your situation, I would stay in North Carolina and gain more medical/non-medical volunteering experience, boost my ECs, gain NC residence, and maybe even take more courses to boost my GPA (if your GPA needs work). This is because I am close with my mother and would put spending another day with her over delaying my medical career a year. This may be different for other people, but this is what I mean by you need to make your own decisions.
Good luck with you decision and I wish the best for you and your family.