If you want to get into medical school and you previously flunked biology, you have a problem. You need to repeat biology and, this time, get an A. Then, you have to take micro-biology and advanced micro-biology to prove that the first time you failed basic biology was a fluke. Show the admissions board your commitment to go from underachiever to extraordinary. Prove yourself to those holding the keys to your future. There is no mystery. You need to ace biology. You don’t pretend. You do what needs to be done.
If it’s for you, then, find the path to becoming a physician. Are you talking to admissions directors and asking doctors about their training experiences? Are you buying and previewing the textbooks that you will be using in future courses? Will you be working or volunteering at health clinics or hospitals? Be where the action is. Beg or borrow. Be prepared, willing and anxious to study and work harder than is necessary to qualify. Let the decision makers be inspired by your passion. Keep going until you hear “Yes” and you get your chance to prove your commitment. Don’t rest on your laurels but take the next step. Find physicians, maybe lots of physicians, who believe that you’d make a good doctor. Attach their testimonials to your application. Ask them to intercede on your behalf. Keep studying. Keep networking until you are accepted or have exhausted all possibilities. Then, think up more possibilities. Write your own narrative.
