Let’s preface this by saying that I have known I wanted to be a doctor since I was small. From glancing through anatomy book pictures before I could even read, to falling in love with biology (due to very amazing biology teachers over the years), being around the science field has brought me a lot of happiness in general. Even now I love the challenges that being in the science field has brought me. The science field forces me to take a step back and really get to know how the world works from something as small as an atom to as large as evolution and the universe itself.

Learning science is hard, but it's a challenge I adore.

I’m also a very compassionate person and I love taking care of people, so being a doctor has always seemed like the perfect fit for me. However, science and math are not subjects that come easily to me. I have to study for hours upon end just to get even close to the academic level that some of my peers are at. I don’t have perfect grades either. My GPA is only about a 3.6 (chemistry being a natural weakness of mine).

However, it's what I need for medical school, and I have plenty of other experiences. I do research and I’m an executive member for two philanthropy organizations on campus. I play in the symphony at my university, am working towards a Spanish minor, and I volunteer and shadow doctors. But this brings this to the main question I always seem to be asked.

“What if you don’t make it into medical school?”

This question, while practical, drives me insane. It's one I ask myself all the time. It keeps me up at night some nights. It's on my mind 24/7. It also typically brings me nothing but absolute panic. Now to elaborate: plan B’s are necessary. I have ideas of what I want to do if medical school doesn’t happen. Are my plan B’s perfectly planned out? No. But they are on my mind, and I have discussed them with advisers and professors. I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket, as I know that’s not practical.

However, I also can't put all my focus into planning for the worst.This is something I have wanted since I was small, so premed is where my focus is right now. And if I constantly plan for the worst, it’ll become harder to put focus into the dream I’ve has since I was small. It needs to be known that there is a lot I do and WILL continue to do to make this happen.

So please don’t ask me what I will do if I don’t make it into medical school. Because even though I have plan B’s, the thought still petrifies me. By constantly asking me (and other premeds) this question, you’re simply reiterating the fear just about every premed has. To answer your question: if I don’t make it into medical school, I will still be in the medical field as a physicians assistant or a nurse.

Or I can do research and/or teach down the road if I find the medical field isn’t for me. And not making it into medical school doesn’t negate the experiences I have had either. I’ll still have a science degree in addition to volunteer, leadership, and research experience. So I find being asked the question is unnecessary. Just let me focus on what I’m doing now as opposed to asking what will happen if I cant make this doctor thing happen.