I am 1.5 miles and 24 hours away from starting orientation for medical school. It has taken me four years since my decision to become a doctor, two and half years of pre-med classes, a 16 foot moving van with car in tow traveling from Colorado to New Hampshire, and support from family, friends and strangers.As I begin the second phase of becoming a doctor (the first phase being actually getting to medical school), my state of mind is one of gratitude. First and foremost, I don’t know whether to be more thankful for finding a place to live on our first morning in Hanover, the discounted first month’s rent, or the surprise of having a washer and dryer in our unit (no more begging the nearby gas station for quarters). Second, I am thankful for being the one out of every two applicants in the U.S. who make it.
The African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” rings true in my case. Thank goodness I am almost grown up. I am grateful to my parents and my teachers for obviously turning me on to lifelong learning. Thank you to my hometown community of Grand Haven for keeping me on the straight and narrow (no felonies here) and cheering me on as I go through this process.
The friends and colleagues I met through working at the nonprofits Summit Prevention Alliance and Summit Community Care Clinic inspired a love for public health, community collaboration and a desire to provide quality, compassionate health care. My coworkers at Colorado Cardiovascular Center in Boulder deepened my understanding of and appreciation for the heart, the capacities of the human body, and patient care.
One of the medical school application essay questions I never received but think is relevant is “Describe your support system and how you will survive medical school.” With this in mind, I thank past and future study partners. I thank Jake, Wiley and my friends for providing pleasant and needed distractions from studying and becoming a one-sided bore. It helps too having a husband and family, both mine and Jake’s, who support the dream.
Jake and I are moved into our new place in Hanover and my parents can breathe a sigh of relief that I will not spend the rest of my life in the mountains of Breckenridge or Boulder, CO living as a ski bum. As for tomorrow, I look forward to meeting my 89 classmates as the Class of 2014 at Dartmouth Medical School. May we survive our first year with perspective and gratitude.
