The Path That Led Me Here (Part 1)

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

Like I mentioned before, I have always wanted to be a doctor. I've always loved the idea of helping people get better. My little brother was born with a club foot and wore a cast for the first two years of his life. I was young then too so I don't remember much of that, but what I do know is that he had a complete recovery and was able to play sports his entire life. I know that he can walk, run and jump just like anyone else. In my first few years of college when I started thinking about specialties, I decided on pediatric orthopedics. I love kids and it seemed like the perfect specialty for me, to fix little kids like my brother.

So it was set. I had a plan. I started working towards my goals. I think people really underestimate the amount of work that goes into this. I was one of the unlucky few in my major that actually has a life. I've worked 40 hours a week for most of the time I've been in college (except my first year). I don't have the luxury of just focusing on school when I have to worry about how I'm going to pay the bills and who is going to feed my dog. When you are trying to get in to med school, it's not just school you have to worry about. You need volunteer work, clinical experience, recommendation letters, research positions, not to mention MCAT studying. Now add 40+ hours of work to that. I couldn't do it. Life just got in the way. I tried. And I actually didn't do half bad, but for someone that is used to straight A's, a 3.2 GPA is just not good enough.

I finally started getting it together and got involved with some of the organizations on campus. I started throwing myself into volunteering. I just can't get enough. I love knowing that I can help people, even if it's with something simple. It's really one of the best feelings you can ever feel.

One of the organizations I was (and am) heavily involved with teaches a health class at a women's shelter. Teaching these women simple things like proper nutrition or vitamins really opened my eyes to how little people know about their health. Every other week when I go down there, I get so much joy from helping them take a few more steps towards healthiness. I learned how much I love to teach and share what I know.

After several less than perfect semesters and a few tearful trips to my advisor (who is awesome and very supportive and encouraging) I was informed about a different path I might have to take towards my goal. I only ever knew about MDs as doctors, but that's not the only way. DO schools have less strict admissions standards and their focus is on treating the cause of disease rather than the symptoms. I was a little bummed to hear that this might be the only option for me, but interested in the different philosophy. I made peace with the fact that I would probably be a DO and kept going.