Pre-Med, Gap Years, and MCAT

I enjoyed medicine since the 10th grade when I took Biology Honors. However, I did not decide I wanted to be a doctor until later on. Although, this idea was in the back of my mind, as I wanted to fulfill my mother's dream of her becoming a doctor (but was unsuccessful due to personal reasons) and fulfill my Dadaji's (paternal grandfather's) dream of me becoming a doctor. After enrolling into Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, I decided to double major in Biochemistry and Acting. After my first year, I realized that if I want to truly pursue the dream of becoming a doctor, I cannot put my feet in two different areas. Plus, in order to be a Bollywood Actress, I do not need to major in Acting, but I can do various workshops later. Thus, I changed my major to a double major in 1) Exercise Science and Sports Studies and 2) Nutritional Sciences, and a minor in Biological Sciences, while completing a certificate in Women's Leadership. The point of this part of this post is that... 1) you can have several interests, but do not need to make a career out of it 2) just because your family members have a dream for you, does not mean it is YOUR dream, which means that you need to figure it out on YOUR own as to what you want to do (tip: speak to mentors and others in the field you want to pursue) 3) it is okay to be unsure of what you want to do with your life, because you will figure it out in the end (even if that takes longer than you expected). 

I will say this much, it took me a while to decide I wanted to pursue medicine as a physician, and I believe it is okay to figure out the kinks as you go along. After completing undergrad, I felt that not only did I need more experience, but I needed more education to fully grasp the idea of medicine, and that is exactly what I did. Please see my story under the 'Medical School' highlight on my Instagram. Additionally, if you are unsure if you want to pursue medical school, it is completely alright to take years off (of course, make them meaningful), which would be considered gap years. A non-traditional student can get into medical school, (traditional student is someone who attends medical school straight out of undergrad without any gaps), whether that is a U.S. Medical School or non-U.S. Medical School (medical school in the the Caribbean or medical school another country such as India, Poland, etc.). 

Furthermore, the MCAT is an important exam to take. The better your perform, the higher your chances of getting into a U.S. Medical School (either allopathic - M.D. or osteopathic - D.O.), and also keep in mind there are different doctorate programs, too, that require different 'entrance exams'. A path to also consider is naturopathic medicine (D.N.). When I took the MCAT, it consisted of three sections, but that has now changed. The resources I used were: the Kaplan courses and the Princeton Review book. I do believe that you need a strict schedule, and a better MCAT resource. The AAMC website is definitely a good location to find more resources. Rumor has it that ExamKrackers are a very beneficial resource. Nonetheless, whoever resource you choose, ENSURE to score very highly on the verbal section, as this can correlates how good of a medical student and future physician you would make, as per researchers and medical school admissions committees. Good luck!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

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