Talking Admissions And Med Student Life

“The big thing about PhD is learning how to express your ideas in a coherent manner and explain to people why it’s important, why we should research that.” Jon has spent more than a decade as a student on the University of Utah campus in pursuing his undergrad degree and now his MD/PhD. We talk about his time on the Men’s Basketball team and how he prepared for medical school while playing. He discusses his Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research and the new and upcoming announcement pertaining to his work. He shares his thoughts on what it was like to return to medical school after five years away while getting his PhD and finally, what the committee looks for when looking at MD/PhD applications.

"It’s never a bad idea to have goals and ambitions and to try to reach for them. I think the folly is when people set unrealistic expectations, or they set expectations and when they’re not able to meet them, they don’t have a back-up plan.” Dallas became involved with research during her undergrad years and felt that it was the frontier of medicine. That realization led her to apply to MD/PhD programs. We talk about her triple crown and the time involved in accomplishing that task. She discusses the need to be resilient and what it was like to watch her colleagues continue to move through medical school when she left to pursue her PhD. Finally, we talk about her decision to specialize in a field very few know of, Occupational Medicine.

"I like that I can be kind of a calming force in someone's potentially worst day of their life." Jessie knew she wanted a career in medicine and explored several different avenues before deciding to apply to med school. We discuss how a talk given at her White Coat Ceremony inspired her to keep a journal during her first two years of school, and how an Emergency Medicine doctor is like a "jack of all trades." She shares her story of deciding to join the United States Air Force just a week before starting her third year rotations, and finally, we talk about how it feels to know where she has matched for residency months ahead of her classmates with the Military Match.

"Time is going to pass anyways. What you want to do with that time is more important than how long it's going to take you." Candus was two classes away from receiving her bachelor's degree in physical education when she realized it wasn't what she wanted for a career. We talk about her journey through education that eventually led her to the path of medicine, and how she coped with feeling lost after discovering the specialty she had been pursuing as a medical student didn't match her expectations. She shares her thoughts on why joining the US Army was an easier decision than applying to medical school and finally, how she navigated changing specialties after residency interviews and travel plans were already set in place.

“Kids are resilient, and they go through things that a lot of people don’t go through.” Doug entered into his third year of medical school with the thought that he would become a pediatrician. He shares how his first rotation exposed him to something that he would ultimately decide to pursue as a career specialty. We discuss the how to navigate experiences that may not be positive while in your third year. Finally, we talk about the golden phrase that all third year medical students benefit from knowing.

“The U medical school was a great pathway to be the kind of doctor that I want to be.” Colin got accepted into two medical schools his first year of applying, but decided to defer one and turn down the other acceptance. We talk about what led him to make that decision and how he recognized the need for personal growth. He discusses his passion for helping others and the meaning of “urge surfing”. Finally, we talk about his decision to apply to the Early Decision Program (EDP) and some of the pros and cons in doing so.

“There was a sudden moment when I called the band together and said ‘guys, I’m quitting.’ And they said ‘no, you can’t quit! Just do what you can’.” With a passion for music, Dan started playing in local bands during his junior year of high school. At the age of 18 and just a senior, he and his band were signed to a record label and on their way to success. We talk about what that was like for him in the early stages of recording and touring, and how he made the decision to pursue medicine instead. He discusses what he did to prepare himself for applying to medical school and finally, shares whether or not being on stage and performing helped him feel less anxious on the interview trail.

“You’re not alone and, if I did it, you can too.” Depression can be something students experience in medical school, but not many talk about it. MS4 Rebecca sat down with me to have a very candid conversation about her experience of struggling with depression. We talk about wellness and how it is different for everyone, and why it’s important to be able to recognize when it’s time to seek help. She shares the difficulties of being in medical school, and finally, we discuss the resources she sought out for help that are available here at University of Utah School of Medicine through the Medical Student Wellness Program.

“Really evaluate and keep re-evaluating yourself in how you manage your time.” Madison grew up in Utah and had the opportunity to attend an undergrad institution outside of her home state, but was passionate and confident in what the University of Utah could offer her as a student and future doctor. We talk about her experience as a Presidential Ambassador and how she learned early on in her studies the importance of time management. She shares what it was like to be deeply involved in school politics and finally, we discuss why it is important to not only be able to discuss your activities and experiences, but what you learned from them.

“The minute you called me, there was a shift in my mentality from being a premed, to an M ½ student.” Pam sat down with me this summer before becoming a med student to share her thoughts on her journey to medical school. She shares how writing conscious paragraphs during her experiences aided her in the application process, and what a med school master is. We talk about being a “shadow on the wall” as scribe and the impact it had in becoming her most influential decision to pursue medicine. Finally, she shares three valuable tips in the secret of balancing undergrad, work and applying to medical school.

 “I hope I get a chance at that number one.” Matt went into his third year rotations with a liking for the neurosciences, but wanted to keep an open mind as he explored other fields of interest.  By the time his neurology rotation came about towards the end of third year, he knew that was the path he would take.   We talk about how placing the neurology rotation towards the end of his third year benefitted him, and why it was important for him to find good mentors.  He discusses how he ranked and organized the 33 programs he applied to and finally, shares some tips on how to find a place to live on the opposite side of the country without physically being there.

 “The most challenging, but yet the most enjoyable educational experience I’ve ever had; just a blast. I absolutely loved it!”With finals out of the way, Tanner reflects back on his first year of medical school and the path that led him there. He shares what inspired him to become a doctor, and discusses getting involved in things that kept him motivated in his journey. We talk about some of his best and most surprising experiences in his first year, and finally, his decision to join the Air Force and how that impacts medical school.

 “I made a goal of an effort to spend some time in the cities that I thought I would like that I had never been to during interview”Natasha walked into her third year rotations with an open mind, ready to see what type of medicine would pique her interest and leave her clamoring for more. We talk about how she discovered what “train wreck” medicine was and how it appealed to her. She tells me about what it was like to hit the interview trail without a solid preference of where she would end up, and finally, we discuss why she brought her significant other with her on a few of the interview trips. #Classof2017 #UW

 “Expect the unexpected in third year because that is what will happen”Kara had a strong pull towards pediatrics as she entered medical school, but her third year rotations set her on a different course entirely. We talk about the unexpected path she encountered and how it led to dual applying for residency. She discusses the difficulties of keeping the dual residency a secret while on the interview trail and finally, how it was important for her to think of the long term when ranking her residencies and deciding what to do in her career. #Classof2017 #UNI

“Regardless of where I’m going, I’m doing ortho and that’s all I care about”Jake always had it in the back of his mind that he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon and med school only solidified that.  With an above average Step 1 score, but a below average one for the orthopedic surgery field, he knew it would take some work to achieve his dream.  We talk about how he compensated for his Step score and what “snagging” honors mean and why it’s important.  He relays his experience of being asked to sing karaoke at one of his residency interviews and finally, how he responded to opening up his match envelope and seeing that he matched where he felt his worst interview had occurred. #Classof2017 #KansasCity

 “What else would I be doing? What else would I do with my time that I would love more? I couldn’t think of anything. I love what I do and I still have a very robust social and family life.”We’re excited to welcome Susan back as a guest on the Pod. She was one of our first episodes four years ago and filled us in on what the application process was like and what her plans were. Now a 4th year, she’s ready to graduate and has had an adventurous and exciting time! We talk about her experience with FASPE (Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) in Germany and Poland. She fills me in on why she decided to join the Air Force just before beginning medical school, and shares her excitement of being promoted from a 2nd Lieutenant, to a Captain as soon as she crosses the stage. Finally, we discuss her trips to Nepal where she witnessed her work of initial data collecting, grow into sustainable health care. #Classof2017 #Northwestern

“I realized that what I loved in OB/GYN was actually when I would deliver with the family medicine physicians.”Haleigh enjoyed all of her third year rotations, but her experience with Family Medicine struck a chord and it wasn’t long before she realized that was the path for her career to follow. We talk about the “womb to tomb” concept, and why it was important to her to find a residency program where family medicine was still valued. She explains what the Utah-Indiana connection is and finally, how her family reacted when she decided to punk them on #MatchDay2017. #McKayDee

“It’s definitely stressful to have an idea of what you want to do because you have this added stress of wanting to excel in that rotation. I think there’s just so much more personal stress that you put on performing well.”As the daughter of an OB/GYN physician, Melissa was able to learn and shadow the field that interested her prior to starting medical school.  Global health missions, during her undergrad years, only intensified her desire and she entered medical school strong in her passion to pursue her OB/GYN dreams.  We talk about the impact of that knowledge leading up to her third year rotations and how she fell in love again with women’s health.  She walks me through the highs and lows leading up to #MatchDay2017 and, finally, we discuss the reason behind the higher than normal match rate in OB/GYN for the #UUSOM #Classof2017.  #WashingtonHospitalCenter #Georgetown

“On my away rotations I was able to appreciate that I had learned well here and had been taught how to present well and write notes, how to be professional.”Kelly knew that with a lower board score, it would take some additional maneuvers to increase her chances of interviewing for general surgery residency spots. We talk about her decision to complete several away rotations and how the experiences impacted her. She talks about the challenge of having to tie continuous two hand knots while conversing during an interview and why she likens Match Day to the NBA Draft. #PennState

 “We kind of took a very passive approach where we just talked about it for a long time. We didn’t put a rank list together; we just kind of in all of our downtime had discussions.”Monica and George met at a Second Look Day event here at #UUSOM before matriculation. We talk about how an organized hike after the event led them to a conversation regarding gap year travel and eventually, a relationship in their first year of medical school. They offer insight to navigating a couple’s match and some of the successful strategies they used. Finally, they fill us in on how they kept their minds off of #Match2017 and their plans as they move forward in the next step of their relationship. #Stanford