Humble Beginnings

Like many medical students, I knew I wanted to be a doctor from a very young age. I grew up in a developing country-- my family and I experienced many difficulties, from lack of basic amenities such as constant clean water supply & electricity, to financial hardships as my parents were civil workers who often went months without getting paid due to our corrupt government and poor economy (my dad who was a lecturer at the local university was especially affected by frequent strikes stemming from staff demanding more pay and benefits). They struggled to make ends meet but managed to persist through it all. After sending my three older siblings to college at the same time, they could only afford to send me to a public secondary school in a rural area. It was there that at the tender age of 11, I lost my best friend to typhoid fever, sank into depression, and emerged with a lot of questions... Why wasn't there a doctor at the student clinic when she fell ill? Why is the nearest hospital where she was rushed to an hour away from the school? Why didn't they have adequate medical resources to accurately diagnose and treat my best friend so that she didn't die?

Basically, losing my best friend gave rise to deep reflections within me on the devastating effects of a poor health care system. I realized then that I wanted to become a physician, and my passion grew over the next few years. I took the science track in high school, and as there weren't opportunities for formal clinical exposure, I spent more time visiting my mom at the public hospital where she worked as a nurse... the humid, open-air triage rooms packed with sweating bodies waiting long hours in despair for sub-standard care struck me as inadequate. I couldn't help but think that many more would die like my best friend did if there wasn't some improvement in health care access. Later, in fact, both my aunt (dad's sister) and her son died from asthma attacks that could have been treated with a simple bronchodilator and oxygen tank.
-- Now, this is what I call the refreshingly idealistic life stage... I wanted to "help people" and make a difference in the lives of others. I saw myself becoming a primary care physician, working in a medically underserved area providing health care to the poor, uninsured and indigent populations. I never really thought about the long journey and challenges involved in becoming a physician, nor considered other career paths that may have been just as rewarding, and more importantly less stressful, time-intensive and lifestyle-friendly. My parents were encouraging and supportive-- I was a good student in school, doing well and getting A's in my science classes, was very passionate about health care, so to them it only made sense that I pursue a career in medicine. They wanted me to be successful, financially stable/independent and not endure the hardships/struggles they did.. so it didn't hurt that a career in medicine also has the added bonus of ensuring job security, a good income and comfortable lifestyle. 

After completing high school, I immigrated to the U.S in 2000 at age 17 and started college two weeks later. Adjusting to American education, society and culture was challenging, but I managed to adapt and stayed focused on my goal of becoming a physician. I majored in Biology which allowed me to take the prerequisite courses for medical school (Biology, General & Organic Chemistry, Physics) as part of my degree requirements. I was your typical driven, type A personality, high-achieving pre-med student-- studied hard, got mostly A's especially on the science courses and a few B's. I was feeling good and everything was going well until that fateful day in my junior year when I received the result of my first attempt of the MCAT (medical college admission test)...