Back in college, I was quite the loner, really. Never ask for help or directions. Cultural and personal baggage. As a sophomore, I had to choose a major, and being a math/science nerd, I chose chemistry. I was assigned a tutor, for that is the Harvard way. Professor Corey, later to win a Nobel Prize in 1990, explained to me what life as a chemist would be like. It was an excellent meeting, and I promptly changed my major to biochemistry. The life of a chemist looked like personal suicide!
Surprise, most of the students in biochem 10 seemed to be on a pre-med track. I had a strong interest in Social Studies as well as science, so combining social concerns with science in medicine seemed like a natural! As a bonus, I had chosen an honors major, requiring me to spend 8 of 16 courses in my major, or 7 and a thesis, BUT all 5 required courses for pre-med qualified for my major, so choosing biochemistry and pre-med left me with 50% of college to play around in anything at all! I am so grateful, for my life has been greatly enriched by Music I, French lit, fine arts, Soviet lit, sociology, psychology, moral development, medical ethics, etc. All enabled by a great major for me. A great choice.
Funny way to back into medicine, right? Well, no one in my family had ever had the opportunity, let alone the desire, to be a doctor. Many of my friends had families who would be delighted if their baby became a doctor. What’s the Jewish joke, “When does life begin? At graduation from Medical School!”
I told my father I wanted to become a doctor. He was supposed to say, “That’s great, son! I’m so proud of you!” What I got was “Why do you want to work so hard?”
An aside: I’ve had a number of high school and college students shadow me in my office. My step-niece spent a whole day and decided to become a pharmacist! Guess I scared her off good! One of my young patients is now a colleague on the WA Physicians for Social Responsibility. Two more shadowed me and went on to medical school. Another became a doc as well. These days, it’s common to apply and be rejected, but the acceptance rate seems to be higher on re-application. The following helps explain why.
In college, I was enamored of a fellow student. She was at least as smart, and when we all started applications for medical school in our senior year, I watched her get in just about everywhere. Me? I made 13 applications. My first choice wasn’t Harvard, however, it was Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Not because of Cleveland, of course. It was the “new” curriculum, which had been in place for two decades. Not based on academic disciplines, like anatomy, physiology, cell biology, infectious diseases, microbiology, etc. Instead, it was organ systems: The brain, heart, musculoskeletal system, liver, kidney, etc. That struck me, an integrative thinker, as wiser and easier to integrate. It also had no class rankings: every unit was pass/fail. I had suffered much from fear and competition at Harvard, so that also attracted me. So, I made my 13 applications and some visits. I got rejection after rejection, and then was accepted to NYU, and then more rejections. About two weeks before decision deadline, I still had not received notice from CWRU about rejection, acceptance, or even an interview. I called them. “We only grant interviews to those who request them.” I was stunned. Where in the application did it say that? “Do you want an interview?” “Yes, please!!” “Well, we have a couple of spots left. Can you be here next Wednesday?”
I said yes, booked a flight, and went to Cleveland and interviewed with new Dean Horrigan, who had just taken over. “Cactus Jack” Caughey, famous dean, had retired! I told Dean Horrigan CWRU was my first choice over Harvard, Yale, Columbia, etc. Then I flew home, went back to schoolwork, and waited. Some days or a couple of weeks later, an envelope arrived. A single piece of paper meant a rejection, and a fat envelope a congratulations you’re in. The envelope was thin, and only a single sheet
“Congratulations” it said, and the rest is my history. Class of 1978, recent attendee at my 45th Medical School Class Reunion. As we say in medicine, “What do they call the lowest ranking graduate of medical school?” “Doctor!” Nearly all of us graduated. I recall two expelled for cheating.
Back to young folks applying to medical school. Being a doctor is not just any job. I consider it a calling, as do many if not most, especially in my generation. Having the life of others in your hands is an awesome responsibility. So if that is what you want, go for it. And tell them! And if you’re rejected, try again, persist. If you don’t get your first choice, it wasn’t meant to be, but where you end up may be better and will be different from what you expect. We have a shortage of doctors, and a shortage of spots in medical school for lots of reasons. So go for it!