Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Congratulations on getting accepted into medical school during an unprecedented application cycle

Jason-Flor Sisante, PhD
Education
April 19, 2021
206 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As a fortunate incoming medical student, I would like to congratulate my future physician colleagues on getting accepted into medical school during an unprecedented application cycle. This piece is dedicated to the members of the class of 2025. Like you, I worried about matriculating into the class of 2025 on top of all the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic threw at all of us: worries about our loved ones, our personal physical and mental health, job security, and decline in social interaction. As if facing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic was not enough of a challenge, we had to worry about scheduling and taking the MCAT, submitting our primary and secondary applications, securing letters of recommendation, and preparing for — and acing — virtual interviews. However, we overcame all these obstacles, and soon, we will be attending medical school orientation and taking part in the honored white coat ceremony. Whether the white coat ceremony is virtual or in-person, please savor the moment with your loved ones who helped get you to this special day.

In fact, take time to be thankful for the fortunate position we are in. We have many reasons to be grateful. We have our health. We have our cognitive faculties, our perseverance, our leadership abilities— attributes which no doubt made an impression upon the medical school admissions committees. We made it through the most competitive medical school application cycle. We get to be at the forefront of tradition and innovation as medical schools evolve to educate the next generation of physician leaders —us.

Perhaps physician leadership has never been more needed than now. The current pandemic has taught us the price of being a physician leader, both positive and negative. Further, the current pandemic has taught us the need for effective communication by not just health care officials, but by everyone in the system who has a vested interest in their community’s health. That means that even the lowly medical student, who sits at the bottom of the hierarchy in the clinical space, must exhibit compassionate, yet effective, communication skills to those who will see us in our short coats. Perhaps our patience will be tried by anti-vaxxers. Perhaps our patience will be tried by those who suspect us to be beholden to Big Pharma. Perhaps our patience will be tried by those who think only certain people should be physicians because their prejudice is based upon sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or religion. Perhaps our patience will be tried by those who lash out and exclaim that medical students “don’t know anything.” Nevertheless, we must always strive to meet them with compassion and understanding.

Compassion and understanding are also key elements to fighting imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is that insidious, confidence-robbing feeling that creeps into many health care professionals’ minds, and for many, it starts in medical school or residency. However, we can take steps towards fighting this dread; we can work to feel deserving of our spot in medical school and our future positions as physician leaders. We must acknowledge that we have unique strengths, and thus our uniqueness is a net positive to health care because diversity builds strength. We must understand that we have attributes that are worthy of compliments. For instance, the “average” medical student has above-average qualities in the three examples I mentioned above: cognition, perseverance, and leadership characteristics. We must show compassion towards ourselves and allow ourselves some grace because we are ultimately imperfect humans training in an imperfect system. Yes, that means forgiving oneself when making an error, or over-napping after an exhaustive school day, or not completing a full Anki review deck. Finally, remember to seek out help. In “Scrubs” parlance, remember that you’re “no Superman.” Rely on your classmates to vent. Approach your senior classmates for survival tips. Your clinical mentors and favorite physicians will be happy to share their advice and validate your feelings of imposter syndrome with their own anecdotes about how they dealt with their imposter syndrome.

In closing, congrats again to the class of 2025. You beat seemingly insurmountable odds during the most competitive application cycle that coincided with a once-in-a-century crisis. You belong here, and I cannot wait to address you in the future as “Doctor.”

Jason-Flor Sisante is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Saving our mothers requires taking more than baby steps 

April 19, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Physician morale and the doctor's voice [PODCAST]

April 19, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Saving our mothers requires taking more than baby steps 
Next Post >
Physician morale and the doctor's voice [PODCAST]

Related Posts

  • I was accidentally accepted to an Ivy League medical school at 17

    Eliza
  • End medical school grades

    Adam Lieber
  • The medical school personal statement struggle

    Sheindel Ifrah
  • Why medical school is like playing defense

    Jamie Katuna
  • The unintended consequences of free medical school

    Anonymous
  • A meditation in medical school

    Orly Farber

More in Education

  • The secret to success in medical school: self-awareness and courage

    Kaelor Gordon
  • Is mandating pre-medical training widening disparities in the U.S. physician workforce?

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Equalizing the future of medical residencies: standardizing work hours and wages

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • From studying to baby kicks: Navigating motherhood in medical school

    Natalie Eichner-Seitz
  • The power of advocacy: a medical student’s journey to helping an uninsured immigrant

    Fabiola Plaza
  • From AI to love: the key to a better future in medical education

    Stevan Walkowski, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

      Liudmila Schafer, MD | Tech
    • Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Do residents deserve the title of physician?

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A new era of collaboration between AI and health care professionals

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • How Did Pulse Oximeters Perform in Black Kids?
  • Coffee and Heart Function; Ionizing Radiation and CVD
  • Health Inequity Should Be Labeled as a 'Never Event'
  • Healing the Damaged Nurse-Physician Dynamic
  • Doc Moms, Mind the Gap -- $3M Earning Difference by Sex

Meeting Coverage

  • Switch to IL-23 Blocker Yields Deep Responses in Recalcitrant Plaque Psoriasis
  • Biomarkers of Response With Enfortumab Vedotin in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
  • At-Home Topical Therapy for Molluscum Contagiosum Gets High Marks
  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

      Liudmila Schafer, MD | Tech
    • Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Do residents deserve the title of physician?

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A new era of collaboration between AI and health care professionals

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...