What is this all about?

I assume that since you made it to this site that you have some amount of desire to be an MD. Congratulations for making it here because I have the 20/20 hindsite that you can benefit from. Whether you are in high school, university or past all that and still struggling I can help you. This is not the kind of site where you will get hugs and peer support nor is it the site where you have to doubt the sincerity. This is the place where you can get the down and dirty truth. It may not be pretty but you’ve got to realise that sometime and now is better then later. I will go through all of our trials and tribulations in a true Jekyl and Hyde manner so as to inform and entertain at the same time.

Who the hell am I?

Sex: XX

Age: 24

Degree: University of Alberta BSc in Immunology and Infection

Hometown: Calgary

Interests: Travel, hockey, music, snowboarding.

Why should you listen to me?

Well, over the years I have probably read every website about medical school in Canada, asked every question that could be asked of friends in med, read every how to book from Amazon and read every blog and website that I could find. I feel that now, after four years of applications mind you, I have fine tuned and perfected my knowledge of what it takes to get into medical school in Canada and have succeeded! The perfect person to teach you how to do something is someone who has done it before. A lot of people claim to know how to do something but until they themselves have been through all the nooks and crannies of the process in my mind they have no credibility. Unfortunately for me and maybe fortunately for you, the process of learning how to do this has made me cynical, sarcastic and somewhat angry making my writing quite interesting.

My Promise to you

Absolutly no BS.

- Danielle

What is this all about - the dark side of the moon!

I could tell you lots of humbling things about myself; but only one thing is for certain – I’m a failure. This past year was my third year applying to medical school, and despite being wait-listed I was too far down on the list to be accepted. In the face of all clichés, the third time isn’t a charm. Luckily, Barney Stinson and I have a similar attitude on life; when I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome!

I completed a B.Sc. in Immunology and Infection at the University of Alberta. This is where I met Danielle, who was also in the same immunology program; as such, we quickly entered a state of competition with each other for the higher grades. Sadly, what seems like a marginal defeat on my behalf was actually a full-blown ass-kicking. I probably spent at least double the time studying in the library than Danielle did. Luckily, I’ve been told it’s the paths we take and our experiences which define who we are, not the end result. As a result, I am now left wondering if all this means I am some sort of library-hermit?

After graduation, I started graduate studies in the Department of Medicine (at the University of Alberta), studying the stereotyped molecular phenotypes of inflammation and the immunological mechanisms of organ transplant rejection. …Wow, I am a library-hermit! I think I just reached self-actualization on Maslow’s hierarchy.

Later this summer I should graduate with a M.Sc.; but I am undecided on what my plans will be for the next year. Of course I will be applying to Canadian medical school again. I figure at the very least one school will accept me 20 years from now – by then the admission’s committees should be tired of reviewing my application year after year and sending me annual rejection letters.

Despite what I have led you to believe this far, I have an awesome life outside school. Most notably, I have been studying karate for about 18 years now (which means Chuck Norris is the only man I fear). Apart from my own training I’m actively involved in teaching and I also sit on my organization’s executive as Vice-President.

I thoroughly enjoy the outdoors; skiing in the winter and backpacking in the summer. Over the past few years my best friend Matt and I have hiked well over 700 km of multi-day hikes around Jasper, Vancouver Island and South America.

However, that’s all I’m going to reveal about myself for now. As this blog progresses, I hope that I am able to provide valuable insight towards the considerations one should contemplate before deciding to pursue medicine, and of course the application process itself. Although I am not in medicine yet, three rounds (soon to be four) of applications have provided me with more experience than most applicants. …Besides, coming from someone who has yet to succeed, if any of the insight I provide in this blog helps you, I must be one legendary person.

Ciao,

Jeff