Super Star Blogs!

Premed Grit! Never Quit!

There’s a certain characteristic that many successful people have in common. Whether it’s LeBron James, Mark Zuckerberg, or John Maxwell, these leaders in their fields all have grit. Grit is an unrelenting work ethic towards a goal that you are passionate about. Grit is all about fighting for your dreams!

In her book, Grit, Dr. Angela Duckworth highlights doctors as being a group known for their grit. I’d have to agree with her, by the very nature of our training, we must have grit to make it this far. When I look back on my journey to medicine and consider all the ups and downs, there were many times that I could have quit, but I didn’t. This isn’t the case for just me, I’d be willing to be that almost every doctor you speak with would say the same. So, it’s fair to say that if you want to become a doctor, you need to resolve now that you will become a person of grit.

As I see it, there are two things necessary to become this type of person. The first is you must be passionate about a goal. When we say people have grit, it doesn’t mean that they have grit in every area of their life. For example, although I just told you that doctors have grit, you’ll meet many businessmen and women who disagree. That’s because when a lot of doctors pursue business opportunities, many often quit because they know they can simply go back to practicing medicine and have a great lifestyle. The key point to understand here is that if you are not passionate about something, you won’t have the grit to see it through. You won’t tolerate the late nights, empty bank account, and broken relationships. Step one in developing grit, is to learn what you’re passionate about.

The second essential criteria to become a person of grit is to be consistent. This means you keep on chugging along regardless of the results. Yes, you may need to pivot and change directions, but you keep on moving in a consistent fashion. John Maxwell speaks of the compounding effect of consistency. Just think about it. If you’re learning a new sport and practice once a month, you’ll probably never be as good as the person practicing once a day. The small things add up with a compounding positive effect. You may not see the results on a microscopic level, but when you take a step back, you’ll be blown away by the progress. Grit is what makes this possible. Remember, it’s hard to see the forest through the trees.

As a premedical student, you need to be passionate about the field of medicine. Take a moment to ask yourself, why do I LOVE (not like) medicine so much that I’m willing to sacrifice years of my life for it. You need this answer ready at all times because in challenging situations, it will pull you through. It’s this answer that will allow you to maintain your consistency as you struggle day in and out towards your goal.

I am fortunate to be in a position that I have heard so many student and doctors personal journeys to medicine. The one thing that is consistent across the board is that they all had grit and stayed the course.

This is my advice to you, when it comes to your academic success, focus on yourself. Be aware of where you stand against the crowd, but do NOT compare yourself to others on an individual level. Put your blinders on and get to work. If you’re passionate about the goal, and can maintain your consistency, your grit will pull you through to success!

I’d like to know, what tips do you have that help you stay focused and push through the challenging times?

Overcoming Rejection

What’s up PreMed Star! Megan Nelson is inspiring all of us this week on The PreMed Voice. She has faced some adversity when it come to her being accepted into medical school, but she is a shining example to all of us that you have to keep pushing for your ultimate goal of being a physician.

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If you’re a premed, we’d love to have you on our show. Send us an email at Voice@PreMedSTAR.com with your name, the link to your PreMedSTAR.com profile page, and the topic you’ll be discussing. We’re looking for personal stories (struggles, humor, and successes), premed tips, and anything else you think is worthwhile!

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**Premeds, join our online community of thousands of future doctors at www.PreMedSTAR.com.

PreMed Mondays Mentoring Podcast Week 18: 5 Keys to Maximizing Group Study Time

Week 18 of the PreMed Mondays book covers “5 Keys to Maximizing Group Study Time!” Studying in a group can be very effective, but you need to know how to do it right. Many group sessions are inefficient and often turn into social hour. These 5 tips will help you maximize that time!

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Google Podcast

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Attention premeds, join thousands of premedical students networking and sharing resources for free at www.PreMedSTAR.com.

Congratulations to Helen! Premed of the Week!

1.Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m originally from Eritrea, but I spent the majority of my life in Germany. I grew up in an area which was primarily populated by immigrants from Europe and Africa. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in German Studies, I worked for the U.S. Army at the public affairs office as a host nation liaison. I came to the United States with my family about four years ago and took about one year to settle in before I started working on my master’s in Applied Physical Sciences from Georgia Southern University. My husband is an active duty soldier in the Army, so I JUST graduated before we got orders to Fort Bragg. Now I’m in a graduate program in German Studies at Duke University. In my (little bit of) free time I enjoy cooking, martial arts, running and reading. The things I value the most in life are my family, meaningful friendships and traveling whenever possible.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? I never had a favorite teacher in school. But I had a teacher that did impact me greatly. It was my German teacher in high school who told me that I would never be able to make it to college. We were a poor working-class family and people in our area usually chose to do an apprenticeship (very common in Germany) and then get a job to support their families. I don’t think that she meant any harm, but I was hurt. I truly believe that she thought she was doing me a favor by sharing her reality, her experience with most immigrants who went to that school. It taught me to choose my words wisely and to never assume that my reality corresponds with anyone else’s.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? Until our move to the U.S., I did not think that I would ever actually pursue medicine as a career. It was my research experience at Georgia Southern, followed by volunteering and shadowing that convinced me that this was the right career for me.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? So far, I’m primarily interested in pediatrics. I imagine for it to be challenging and yet fulfilling to advocate for children when they are most vulnerable.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? The coolest experience I’ve had so far was MED, a medical development program at UNC. This was the first time I have spent this much time with like-minded people. It felt great to be immersed in the medical environment for almost 9 weeks. I met new people that I consider to be my friends even after the program. I recommend this adventure to anyone who is thinking about going into medicine. I got to know my strengths and weaknesses, and I have learned so much new information about myself. Everyone who is part of the program has your best interest at heart and will go above and beyond to help you to get where you want to be as a person and as a professional.

6. What is your favorite book? I don’t really have favorite things in general. But one of the more recent books I truly enjoyed reading was Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Ludwig Tieck’s Der blonde Eckbert.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. I have been working on a draft for my own book for quite some time. Until today, no one but my husband knew about it.

8. If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you want to do? I definitely want to spend my life serving others. If I could not be a doctor, I would probably pursue a career in social justice.

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it? I think that finding a balance between family life, pre-med life, graduate school and my job as a teacher has been the biggest obstacle for me. I have come a long way and I do not believe that it would have been possible without the support of my loving family, our friends and above all- God.

10. What do you like most about PreMed STAR? The road to medical school is long and bumpy for everyone. PreMed Star is a unique resource for pre-meds from all over the country to connect with each other, share experiences and provide support.

First PreMed of the Week Feature on 9/19/2017.

5 Factors Why Premeds Don’t Get Into Med School

I’ve watched literally thousands of premeds on their journey to medicine. Some are successful and some are not. Like anything in life, repeated exposure to something allows you to appreciate patterns, both subtle and overt. One of the more obvious patterns is evident when I receive that great news, “I got into medical school!” Many of those students share similar traits. On the other hand, there are those students I watch who don’t match the description and are obviously heading down the wrong path. I wish I could yell out to them before it’s too late (if only they would only listen). Here are 5 areas that contribute significantly to premeds missing out on their dream of going to medical school.

1. Wrong Friends

For those who know me, this is no surprise. 9 out of 10 times, your closest friends will make or break you in this life. I’d venture to guess that most people who fail to reach their goals in life do not have the right group of people around them. This may also include your significant other. Time and time again, I have seen very intelligent premeds head down the wrong path for this reason. I personally chose the wrong friends my freshman year in college but quickly learned we did not share the same priorities in life. I corrected this by my sophomore year and this no doubt was instrumental in my successful path to medicine and life in general. Fraternity and Sorority life as well as collegiate athletics can consume you and force you to be around a group of people who may not share or respect your goals. This can be dangerous if you are not disciplined so please be wise.

2. Not Seeking Help

You cannot do it alone. I repeat… You cannot do it alone! One of the more painful, unsuccessful premed journeys I see are from those who kept to themselves and thought they were on track only to find out they missed something very important. There are many premeds who experience a traumatic life changing event and try to manage it on their own. This day and age, there are a lot more tools at your fingertips. If you have a question or concerns, speak with a counselor, premed advisor, or your fellow PreMed STAR peers. Don’t be afraid to send the recruiters, med students, or physicians on the site a question. That’s what we are here for. Don’t wait until its too late and you can no longer make up for your mistakes.

3. Procrastination

As a premed it is crucial that you are aware of deadlines and that you meet them. These includes class registration, class drop dates, exams, letter of recommendations, and applications. Many premeds are perfectionists and this in itself can give rise to procrastination by waiting to move forward once things are perfectly lined up. Some premeds fail to establish relationships with their professors on time making it tough to get a research position or letter of rec when needed. It can be very frustrating for a busy physician or professor to receive a letter of recommendation request just 1 month ahead of the due date. You are liable to get a poor letter on your behalf in that situation. In fact, I will be working on a letter with a deadline in 2 days that I received just 1 week ago from a premed (yikes!). I’m more than happy to support this student but this was not a wise thing to do. Many premeds (including my former self) procrastinate when it comes to logging extracurricular activities. Take advantage of your PreMed STAR Profile by keeping your activities and awards up to date. It will save you a ton of time during the applications and you never know who is watching your profile.

4. Wrong Reasons

These are the students that medicine just was not for them in the first place. The ones that were simply following the premed path to please someone else. Or maybe because everyone else was doing it or solely for monetary gain. A few of these students will make it to medical school but when times get rough, there is little there to keep someone not in it for the right reasons pushing forward. In the long run it is probably best that these type of students never enter this noble profession. I recommend premeds take a step back and and make sure this is what they really want to do.

5. Poor Work Ethic and Motivation

I know I’m preaching to the choir here but you have to work VERY VERY hard to become a physician. You don’t need to be the smartest in your class but you’ve got to work harder and more efficient than nearly everyone in that class. Laziness is unacceptable and cutting corners will only harm you in the long run. If I’m asked what one quality identifies every single sole that graduated in my med school class, it would NOT be that they were all smart or all compassionate but instead, that every single student was extremely hard working. That is the one common denominator that sets nearly all medical students apart from the general public.

So, there you have it. These are the 5 areas that I believe will cause any premed to miss out on their dreams. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Why I Love ATSU-SOMA

Hey y’all! Today we have another awesome 3rd year medical student, Renee Crawford. She is attending an osteopathic medical school, ATSU- SOMA. Renee will be sharing with us some awesome information about all that her school has to offer and why she loves it so much!

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**Premeds, join our online community of thousands of future doctors at www.PreMedSTAR.com.

Believe In Yourself

Week 17 of the PreMed Mondays book covers “Believe In Yourself!” Lack of confidence is one of the leading causes for failure of premedical students to become medical students. The starting point for success is belief!

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Google Podcast

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Attention premeds, join thousands of premedical students networking and sharing resources for free at www.PreMedSTAR.com.

Congratulations to Cecilia! Premed of the Week!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a biology graduate from the University of St. Thomas (Houston, TX). After graduating from St. Thomas, I continued to shadow a Primary Care Sports Medicine physician who happened to be an alum from the same alma mater! During the last year and a half, I have been a medical scribe for one of the busiest emergency departments, designated as a Level II Trauma Center.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? One of my favorite teachers was my high school Teen Leadership teacher, Ms. Anderson. Going into my senior year, I was still a shy and reserved young lady, often keeping to myself. Many of the course’s social activities and writing assignments brought me out of my comfort zone; specifically, I began overcoming my stage fright with the numerous speech presentations I gave to my peers. Ms. Anderson taught that optimism, perseverance, and affirmations strongly impact on one’s life; additionally, she furthered my realization that despite the turbulences and obstacles in life, I cannot give up and let adversities shatter my hopes and dreams. Because of the class and very encouraging teacher, I had greater self-esteem and became more confident in my self-expression to others. Ms. Anderson’s fun-spirited personality and compassionate care for each one of her students made her class one to look forward to everyday. Ms. Anderson was a genuinely kind teacher who believed in building healthy, long-lasting relationships with her students through daily interactions. With a bright smile, warm handshake, and an eager self to welcome each student into class every day, Ms. Anderson’s cheerful personality was contagious and continues to spread to and positively affect all who have met and known her.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? Back in middle school, I was equally interested in engineering and medicine. It was not until high school that I had a stronger attraction to the health sciences. Ever since taking a medical terminology class in the ninth grade and observing physicians and nurses in a large hospital setting in the eleventh grade, my passion for the field of medicine grew stronger. By the end of the twelfth grade after taking a human anatomy and physiology class, I was positive that medicine was the right field for me. Furthermore, my volunteering and work experiences through and after college solidified my desire to become a doctor. I have been humbled by my volunteering experiences in helping underserved communities, and I hope to someday give back as a medical physician.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? When I was younger, I always had the dream of becoming a pediatrician. Through my volunteer and shadowing experiences, Primary Care took my interest. With my recent work experience as an ER medical scribe, I have been very interested in Emergency Medicine. However, I am very open to learning more about other specialties.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? I would have to say that my research experience has given rise to many cool opportunities to compete at the national level as well as have exposure to and connect with experts in the field of entomology! During my undergraduate studies, I had the privilege to complete undergraduate research on the common fruit fly at the University of St. Thomas under the guidance of two outstanding professor-mentors. Our team research focused on investigating the effects of toluene on the fruit fly and the correlating effects of toluene on fly offspring morphology. With an amazing group of research members, our team made successful progress in developing and continually improving our research efforts. Both in 2013 and 2014, our research team were most fortunate to win first place and second place, respectively, in the undergraduate student poster competition category at the Entomological Society of America annual meetings.

6. What is your favorite book? Code Orange was one of the first books that further sparked my interest in the medical sciences field as a youth. A fiction novel, Code Orange tells a story about a teenage boy living in post-9/11 New York City whose school biology report assignment indirectly entangles him into a potentially deadly epidemic the city has never before encountered, what scientists are scared of, and what bioterrorists are criminally seeking to attack its next victims.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. Most people do not know that I used to study the Vietnamese martial arts called Vovivam! I absolutely loved the sport/art. Through Vovinam, I gained greater self-discipline and learned numerous attack and defense techniques as well as many other forms of sparring.

Originally published July 3, 2017

When all seem bleak

Let’s take a walk through the woods, shall we? Imagine a boy who had no place to live. He walked through the terrains seeking shelter or materials to make a shelter from others but was denied. That boy got tired being a victim of circumstances and became determined to build a house for himself no matter the odds he might face. He searched through the lands for scraps and tools, and before the end of the week, he got a place to live. A place he built with his own hands. What did the boy do? He carved his own path!

It is no surprise that when all odds seem stacked against one, one does feel like a failure. It feels like the weight of the world is on one’s shoulders, and it becomes too heavy to walk again. The focus becomes blurry and the path to one’s goals becomes tangential to the circle of conundrums. Most premeds, myself included, are perfectionists. We like certainty; we have overarching goals; we do not accept any standards below excellence; we are fixated on our ambitions to save lives as physicians. But when the plans we make fail, for a split second, we tend to believe that we are not worthy of the goal we are trying to accomplish. To overcome that, it is important to acknowledge and do two things:

First, immerse yourself in the pool of those whose belief in you is relentless. We are our own worst critic. It does not take a lot of effort for us to inflict on ourselves the thoughts of inferiority. When all seem bleak, be expressive to those who care about you. Your spouse, parents, siblings, friends,and mentors. Many of them recognize that you have been working on attaining a specific goal your whole life, and quite frankly that journey has become a part of your identity in subtle ways. Just when you are about to give up and choose the second best, they are always there to remind you of how far you have come, of the undying confidence you had in yourself, of the passion that sparks in your eyes when you talk about your dreams, and of all the sacrifices you have made to get to where you are at the moment. That is when you realize that giving up was never part of the plan. Those people help you recharge your commitment to your ambitions. And from thereon, you must push on. When you embark on a journey, it is important to see it to the end rather than stop halfway. I will tell you a secret: There are milestones but never an end. So just keep going.

Second is to ask yourself how bad do you want this? Close your eyes, reach deep into the abyss of your soul, silent all the interruptions and noises, and honestly ask yourself: “Will I still be happy without materializing this goal?” It is okay to feel stuck and to be confused at different points in life. More often than not, the answers lie within you. You just have to take a moment to reach that level of sheer honesty with yourself. It is difficult but necessary. Don’t do it because every other person is doing it. Do it because you want it badly, and it serves the purpose you attach to your life. I have had moments of deep introspection that it brought me to tears, knowing that I will be risking almost everything I had financially to go into medicine. However, I would rather risk it all and know that I did my best than wallow in a puddle of regret later, wishing I had pushed a little further.

So when all seem bleak, you take charge! You take control! You find that person who has been carving his/her path all these while to emerge once again. You surround yourself with people who care about you and your dreams because they help you find your path and direction. It is natural to take flight at the sight of the slightest risk or failure, but we must always come back to fight and safeguard those treasured dreams that we have held so close to our heart all along.

How to Handle Premed Anxiety

Anxiety is a real thing and many premedical students struggle with this. The interesting thing is that even the very best ones deal with this issue as well. On a few occasions, I’ve personally received private messages from students on PreMed STAR letting me know that they’ve been visiting the site less because it makes them anxious about their own premed journey. Every student that has sent me a message to that effect has subsequently been admitted to medical school. That simple fact tells me that they unnecessarily put themselves through an unhealthy stress. The journey to medical schools is very difficult and it is important that you learn to deal with anxiety right way. I sometimes ask myself how these individuals would have handled it if they didn’t get accepted. Understanding that there are many more students who will send me such messages in the years to come, I deem it wise to address this topic now. Here are five ways to deal with premed anxiety. Disclaimer, I am NOT a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist. This is not counsel, but rather my personal opinion for how I deal with such situations.

Remain in community with those who supported you along the way. One of the most dangerous things anyone can do when dealing with anxiety is to remove themselves from the community of individuals who support them. When I was 16, one of my best friends committed suicide. None of us knew he was dealing with such a situation. For the time preceding this, we all spent a little less time with him than At times I think back and ask myself what would have happened if we we’re still hanging out with him daily like we used to do prior to that summer. Nothing had changed from a friendship standpoint. We were all still best buddies and loved each other. The tasks of Life just separated us a little. I don’t know if anything would have been different, but I do believe that when stressors in life come, it’s best to stay involved with communities that support you and keep open lines of communication.
Don’t preoccupy your mind with the thing that makes you anxious. This is the reason that achieving item #1 above is difficult. When we’re nervous, we try to avoid the issue that’s making us feel that way. This is understandable. I know the feeling of having butterflies in your stomach when facing challenges in life. It’s not a good one! In these situations, it’s important that we don’t preoccupy our minds with stressors. However, it’s dangerous to completely avoid it (unless it’s something harmful). When we avoid things in life based on fear, we give them power over us. There’s a fine line between not preoccupying our minds and avoiding. You’ll need to find that balance for yourself.
Empower yourself with knowledge. During my residency training, many of us then young doctors were intimidated by one clinical rotation which we all had to do, the Duke ICU rotation. This was a grueling 6-8 week rotation with call every 3^rd night in one of the most challenging Internal Medicine programs in the country. Needless to say, a lot of us had anxiety about this rotation. In the end, there was only one way to dampen that anxiety and that was to take the beast head on. To do that, we had to empower ourselves with knowledge. We read and prepared ourselves to handle every challenge that would arise. We learned how the system worked and studied our medicine to ensure we could deliver the best care to our patients. By doing this, we boosted our confidence. If anything is going to squash anxiety dead in its tracks, it’s confidence!
Seek Help. Too often, we feel as though we need to take on the world all alone. We all get anxious from time to time. We all struggle with our own issues. At times, these issues can become overwhelming, and when they do, we need to understand that there are people out there who want to help us. For some of these people, this is their full-time job. They are there specifically for issues such as this. They are experts in helping us deal with these situations. Nowadays, many college campuses and work environments provide resources to help students and employees get help when needed. Utilize these services.
Believe in a higher power. By now, you all know that I am a man of faith and in the end, I answer to God. What this does for me is make it much easier to put things in a grand perspective. I never want to minimize anything that any of us go through, however, my personal belief is that greater things always lie ahead because the higher power whom I believe in is in control and loves us. When you take this mindset into any situation, although there will still be trials and tribulations, it makes it a little easier to get through the tough times.

I want you all to know that we are all here for you. We started PreMed STAR because we remember what the journey was like. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you. When you all are dealing with your various stressors, it bothers us and we do our very best to help you get through. In times of need, don’t hesitate to reach out to us or other members in the community. That’s the exact reason PreMed STAR exists. I’d like to know, what tips do you have to deal with premed anxiety? Please share!

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