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I’m Glad I Put the MCAT & Medical School on Hold

Mayra Flores
5 min readNov 20, 2021

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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Things don’t always work out the way one would expect. You audibly express your plans for your successful future and your relatives have plenty to say. Then it doesn’t happen in the order it was supposed to happen.

I was honest and said I wanted to be a doctor. Some said, “That’s too hard, pick an easier career,” and some patronizingly say, “Sure, whatever you say.”

Undergrad

Starting my first semester of college made me feel like I was too stupid to be anything. I was too stubborn to stop, so I kept going. Then there was the timeline where between Junior to Senior year you’re supposed to take the medical school entrance exam (MCAT), email professors and ask for letters of recommendation, and start applying to schools.

I didn’t do 2 of those things. I did get the letters of rec, but that was about it. I wasn’t sure how to approach the exam, so I decided to take a gap year to study for it. I graduated a semester early with the first straight A’s I had ever gotten in my life.

The Cycle

I got a job that paid well, which allowed me to afford the exam, exam materials, and applications. I just didn’t know what to do or what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t structure things or properly learn without being in a classroom. I wasn’t…

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Mayra Flores
Mayra Flores

Written by Mayra Flores

I’m 24 years old, Chicana, Queer, Autistic, and have ADHD. I like learning things and sharing my story. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mayflors98h

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