Session 147 Our poster today is wondering about their journey and whether it's too long and too unusual that it may hurt their chances of getting into medical school. Questions tackled here are taken directly from the Nontrad Premed Forum, where you can register for free and post if you have any questions. Moreover, check out all our other podcast on MedEd Media Network to help you along this path to becoming a physician. The Premed Years Podcast features general premed advice and discussions with admissions committee members as well as deans and directors of admissions committees. We also bring in students to share with medical school application experiences. The MCAT Podcast is a collaboration with Next Step Test Prep providing you free MCAT prep help. We also have Specialty Stories where we feature physicians as they share why they chose their career, some things they like and don't like about it, and more. Also, stay tuned for more podcasts coming - one for medical students and another one for those preparing for the MCAT. [02:05] OldPreMed Question of the Week: "I've been interested in becoming a physician, practically since I pronounced the word. As such, I worked hard in school and ultimately got accepted to a prehealth high school program. Through this program, I was able to focus my coursework towards my dream of medicine by taking classes such as Anatomy, Physiology, Medical Terminology, and Nutrition, that I was able to earn a college credit for it through an agreement between high school and a local medical school. In my Junior year, I participated in a clinical where my class would visit a dementia care facility on a weekly basis for over 20 hours total, and talk, play games, etc. with patients. I was also involved in a number of ECs including marching band, leading a girl scout troop, and holding leadership positions in various honors societies. In addition, I was a member of the local chapter of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and SkillsUSA, two student organizations that host regional and national competitions in health, science, and premed related events. Through which, I placed in both state and national competitions. The high school program culminated with taking my entire senior year course load at a community college, earning a total of 35 college credits prior to high school graduation, while participating in a 150-hour internship I completed with my own pediatrician where I shadowed and got clinical experience, taking bios, medical histories, and otherwise interacting with patients, which further motivated me toward my goal. During my senior year of high school, I sustained a traumatic brain injury that resulted in memory and learning issues that were not detrimental after I had to withdraw from two of the college courses. Despite the advice from my doctors and cognitive therapist, I was determined to be in college the following fall and not delaying my progress towards becoming my dream. This resulted in an undergraduate GPA with a progressively downward trend from Freshman to Junior year, as the classes increased in difficulty and I struggled to figure out how to learn and retain information with my new challenges. I also lost all hope of getting into medical school and turned to research as a new career option. I stayed involved in my campus where I was a resident advisor. I participated in a few clubs where I held leadership positions. By senior year of undergrad, I was finally able to find a new system of learning that worked and I was able to do well enough to get into the master's program at my school. I completed a research project. I was back to earning all A's, B's, and even a few A+'s. After graduation, I took a job as an associate researcher, doing translational work with a major medical school in the area. Through my nearly years working full time in the setting, my dream of becoming a physician has now been resurrected. As I have realized that I won't feel fulfilled witho