No aspiring physician should ever feel alone
Stay hungry, Stay foolish.
Shannon Coombs MS II
That is the saying that I live by. But what happens when your hunger or motivation exceeds the resources available to you? I can attest to making unwise sacrifices, while applying to medical school. In that time, a knowledgeable mentor could have prevented me from making choices that negatively impacted my wellbeing. Thankfully, this does not have to be the case for future students of color.
Back when I was submitting my application, my family was facing serious financial and emotional stressors. My parents were helping my sister pay for college; all while assisting my older brother rehabilitate after prison. On paper, my family made way too much to qualify for the medical school application financial assistance program, but real life circumstances made it difficult for them to help me cover my application fees.
Knowing all the things that were going on at home, I had to figure out not only how to apply, but also pay for medical school by myself. One of the biggest sacrifices I made was deferring for two years to save money by working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in South Korea. Just to illustrate, medical students often apply to 12 schools, which can cost over $1,000 dollars. This amounted to almost my entire monthly stipend as an ETA, but these fees do not even include the dress, flight and hotel expenses associated with interviewing. After one year overseas, I was extremely homesick but elected to renew my grant to save more money. During this time, I struggled with feelings of isolation and missed many important life events, such as the birth of my first nephew, Tyson. Silently, I struggled in order to avoid being an additional burden on my already overtaxed parents.
Back then, I justified these sacrifices as the steep prices that needed to be paid to ensure medical school acceptance, while lightening the load for my family. However, now that I have had time to look back and reflect, I realize that I was mistaken. I wish I had the support of a mentor during that time to advise me on managing the emotional and financial strains of applying to medical school. This is why I am overjoyed that ElevateMeD exists. It’s sole purpose is to equip medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine with the resources we need to not only succeed, but also exceed our expectations.
No aspiring physician should ever feel alone navigating the medical education process.
I’ve been there. I know.
-Shannon Coombs MS II
