Blizzard

I'm back a week later. I'm just as surprised as you are.

In the dawn of the new year and January, there are a lot of new beginnings. With those come new year's resolutions of course, but there are especially some relating to applying for MD-PhD programs. One of these has been getting an MD-PhD mentor. And I'll explain why it's a bit of a dilemma for me.

I'm sure we are all well aware for how incredibly competitive medical school admissions is, especially MD-PhD admissions. It seems to get increasingly more competitive through the years. It feels as if you need to have solved cancer or have won some sort of Nobel Prize before getting into a program, when in the reality these programs are supposed to equip you to achieve such endeavors.

Even as more applicants tack on extracurriculars, jobs, hours, etc., many of these people are not getting into schools. There may have been someone you know that seemed to do anything and everything, yet still couldn't get in. I definitely do.

This situation reminds me of when I was a wee lad (a highschooler) interviewing for some Ivy League schools (I did not get in, lol). Even though I had pleasant conversations with the interviewers, I was told by several of them that the applicant pools these days are ridiculous. They said themselves that they probably wouldn't get in if they had applied these days on their merit. It is amazing to see kids making positive change in starting businesses and publishing papers before their graduation ceremony. Though at the same time, it sets a precedent most kids would never have the resources to access, let alone know exists, in the first place.

Ok, I know I'm sounding really pessimistic. I promise I'm not. If anything, I'd describe myself as an "optimistic realist." We'll learn more about each other overtime.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that many hardworking, genuinely passionate people are set up for increasing failure with these increasing expectations education in general. Medical schools admissions rates these days make that painfully clear. And it is especially painful when you are paying thousands of dollars in pre-med prep and application fees just to get slapped in the face with rejections.

Given the reality of the situation, my parents want to help me all that they can to avoid having to reapply and help me get into the best programs I possibly can. So they wanted to aid me in getting an advisor for the process.

I was very resistant at first.

Slow down. I'm not a spoiled brat. At least I hope I'm not. Let me give you some perspective.

My parents are immigrants and have slowly worked their way to what I would consider middle-class stability. They worked the classic immigrant jobs, with my dad working on the floor of a factory and my mom cleaning houses. Though they are notably better of these days, I was raised with a lot of caution about money. I rarely ever asked for anything extra, because I was usually met with an immediate no. I definitely wasn't in poverty, but I would best describe it as lower middle-class.

Getting older, it's been an odd shift to seeing my parents eventually being comfortable with things like with eating out at a restaurant more than a rare few times a year. So when my parents came to me saying that they want to pay for an advisor, I hope you can understand my apprehension.

My parents want what is best for me, and to seize the opportunities they never had. Though they were played a bad hand initially, they are smart people and know that as they have no background in medicine and research, nor any admissions process, that it's better the get the qualified help. Sorry Reddit, not going to do the job for them.

So as resistant as I was, I took in their help and now I'm getting started with one soon. Lucky you will get some insights.

Part of the resistance was not just financial stress, but also just how fair it is to get such help. What about the people who can't afford such help? Or what about the people who don't have to pay up, since their family members or someone they know well is already a physician or physician-scientist? What if my parents never got out of their initial income bracket? Would I have the same shot?

The world is far from perfect. For me at least, what comforts me is that I myself believe that it is not our forever home, and our hardships are part of our temporary experience. For me, I just need to take the circumstances I have an make the best of it, like anyone would in my shoes. Let the hardships be character developing, and the blessings be used to make more, in this case to help others. No matter where we come from, all of us applying are trying to do some good. At least those with the right intentions. Though I feel there are incredibly quicker and easier ways to make money.

Outside of that, I've been applying for research associate jobs as I am taking a gap year to work in research. I've applied to 18 so far, and so far have two rejections, so looking good so far.

In the midst of a looming blizzard (or for any SoCal friends reading this, hazy wildfires), there is a lot of unclarity. Nature seems to complement these times with the "to be or not to be" of admissions advising, and not knowing where in the country I'll be living in six months, if I even get a job. But as one natural disaster ends, nature still seems to prevail with new life.

I'll leave it at that.

Genesis

Today is New Year's. What a cliche way to start the new year.

As I am well aware that I will soon try to convince myself out of this, I'm going to type this as soon as possible before I change my mind.

Hi.

I am a senior undergrad soon embarking on the daunting MD-PhD application process for the 2025-2026 cycle. Maybe I'll eventually say my name, but for now you can know that I am a girl. That's all for now folks.

You see, the MD-PhD journey is quite the milestone. It dawns at the close of undergrad, which is quite something in and of itself. On average, an MD-PhD program takes 8 years. That's not even including the gap years the majority of matriculants take. Give or take, it's around a decade of one's life.

So, it's kind of a really big deal. At least for the wide-eyed twenty-something deciding to commit to something that serious. I'm surprised I'm still going through with it. Just entertaining the idea of a serious relationship these days just spooks me. Way too much commitment.

With how niche of a field is its (only a couple percent of medical school graduates are physician-scientists, as they so call them), it's been hard to find much personal experience on it. I gather what I can from a rare MD-PhD influencer here and there, but most of the time I'm pitifully left gluing the pieces of the picture from MD or PhD only students. Anytime I find out someone is an MD-PhD student or graduate, I'm mesmerized. It's like finding a unicorn in the wild.

With that, I thought I'd let anyone interested in what it's like to go through the whole process. I'm going to try and give my most brutally honest perspectives. The good, the bad, the ugly. The moments of spiritual epiphanies. The days I want to quit it all and live in the woods. And maybe you'll have something to say. I'd love to answer any questions throughout the way. I may also make highlight posts. Right now, we are taking baby steps. We'll figure the rest out along the way, and who knows what it will come to be. And that's just fine with me.