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31 Journal Prompts for July: Journaling to Prepare for a New Journey
Anyone who has applied to graduate or medical school knows how important reflection is in the application process. In addition to writing the personal statement, I must have written at least 30+ essays and reflective pieces as a part of my medical school application. Truthfully speaking, I did not find it fun writing about so many of my personal and intimate thoughts for strangers on admissions committees to read and use as a determining factor of my worthiness for medical school. Well, fun or not, I did it anyway, and things turned out better than I’d imagine. But, I do like writing, and I’ve always had. The thing is I…
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Community Care: How We Can Move Beyond Self-Care & Show Up for Others
Take care of yourself. That is the mantra that is pushed and amplified when things get difficult. As Audre Lorde, a Black feminist and poet who dedicate her life’s work to confronting social injustices, puts it, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” From a young age I’ve watched countless traumatizing videos of police violence against Black lives. I continue to feel hopeless, angry, disgusted, and disheartened. My friends tell me, “Take care of yourself.” And I tell them the same too, because we’ve learned that self-care is an act of compassion to ourselves to help us protect our mental,…
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How to Write a Personal Statement, 6 Tips + Free Resources for Applicants
With admissions officers receiving thousands of applications per year, writing a compelling personal statement is crucial in making you stand out among other applicants and securing an acceptance into the program of your choice. One of the hardest parts of any graduate school application is writing the personal statement. In spite of the challenge, writing a great personal statement is within your reach and it is one of the most effective ways to showcase your readiness for any graduate program. I have 6 tips here to help you write your personal statement, and I’m including a list of other free resources that is worth checking out. Just Start Address the…
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Making Big Decisions in a Season of Uncertainty
Spring has sprung. And, I’m pretty sure it happened overnight. This isn’t the spring I expected, nor what anyone could have expected. The world is living in unprecedented times right now with the coronavirus pandemic. I feel that this spring has been replaced with a season of uncertainty. This weekend my other friend who has been applying to medical school with me this year, Madi, told me her mom always tells her “life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.” It turns out that it is actually a John Lennon quote, but I like to think that Madi’s mom is just really poetic. In some ways, this…
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The Reveal: I’m Going to be a Doctor!
I used to skip lunch to go to my professor’s organic chemistry office hours. My professor happened to hold it twice a week during my only open slot on Mondays and Wednesdays. Looking back now, I was always SO busy. Seriously, what kind of schedule were they giving us? Between all day classes, labs, and working two jobs during school, my schedule was packed. Somehow, I still managed to make it to this professor’s weekly office hours, with my stomach growling loudly each time. I had this teacher before, once freshman year, and yeah that was a nightmare. I struggggggled. I cried, I almost failed, and I almost gave up.…
A Medical Student Pursuing New Experiences and Expanding Taste Palates
