Too few items on the extracurricular activities list prognosticated a tough interview, if one were lucky enough to be granted one. The personal statement must encapsulate all of my aspirations, passions, achievements, and perhaps even failures. In other words, it was the one chance to justify my desire to go to medical school, to prove my worth, all in the confines of a singular piece of white paper. Filling in applications has always been difficult for me. They demand time and often money, neither of which I have in abundance.
People offer advice based on their own experiences.
However, the hardest part is not necessarily failure itself but the fear of it, and the anxiety of waiting for the letter or the phone call which never comes on time. Now a fourth-year medical student, I am in the unpleasant situation of applying for residency programs. With this next cycle of applications comes the next cycle of advice, anxiety, and anticipation. Of course, I am not the only one experiencing the pre-application symptoms. Most of my friends and classmates are making the same important decisions.