In all seriousness, I feel that much of what I have to offer in the way of guidance, or pearls of wisdom, is based on lessons learned from my (many) mistakes on the road to medical school. I lost track, actually, of the number of times I had to preface my statements with, "Well, this is how I did it, and I would strongly advise you not to take this approach." Then again, hindsight is 20/20, and that really is the whole point of assembling a medical student panel like the one I was on--so future generations of pre-meds can avoid the same errors.

But at the same time, part of me worries that too many students are feeling the pressure to take the entire process a little too seriously. With all of the focus on GPAs, test scores, getting good letters, and ensuring that one's application is overflowing with activities, awards and accomplishments, it's all too easy to lose sight of the here and now and appreciate the college experience for what it is, rather than merely as a stepping stone to graduate school.

Of course, the competitiveness of the medical school application process necessitates a certain degree of conscientiousness and direction, but I believe that it's the happy medium between type-A single-mindedness and come-what-may nonchalance that we should strive for.

Ultimately, there's no one formula that a medical school looks for in an applicant. The most important qualities are almost always passion, enthusiasm, and dedication--and these are qualities that can be demonstrated in virtually any endeavor, so why not pursue what makes you happy instead of what you think you should do? (Within limits, obviously...if living the K-Fed life is what makes you happiest, we may have some larger issues to deal with here.) Now, if only I can take my own advice when it comes to residency apps... =)

Internal monologue: "Wow, I feel really, really...old. Has it really been 9 years since I started college?"

A little role reversal found me in the audience this evening, as an attendee at the annual School of Medicine Financial Aid Dinner. This was the first year that I had been invited to the event, and I was very much hoping to meet my donors, to thank them in person for their generosity in making my medical school education possible.

Unfortunately, my donors weren't able to attend, so it was a little disappointing that I didn't get a chance to do so. Still, I had a lovely time at the dinner--not only was it an opportunity to see many of my classmates (a bit of a rarity, now that we're all holed up and studying for the Boards), but it was also really interesting to chat with several of the other donors who were at the event and learn more about their fascinating life experiences.

The highlight of the evening, though, was the student speakers: three of my peers who displayed their own generosity in sharing their amazing, courageous, sometimes heartbreaking, but always inspiring stories with us.

It is supremely humbling, and at the same time incredibly uplifting, to be reminded of the fact that I am surrounded by so many extraordinary individuals--not only intellectually gifted (and artistically talented and athletically inclined), but also with such strength of spirit and so much faith in the world, and in their ability to make this world a better place.

Tomorrow: reprising my role on the pre-med panel...plus, I'm headed home for Mother's Day! (Which means it's time to pack...and what better time to do so than at 2:30 am...)