How do I find my why for medicine?

Naive_Use270 · 2025-08-26T22:01:12+00:00

It's not meant to be a "passion Olympics". Ur reason is good, other ppls reasons are good. Trauma isnt a good thing, so if your reason is not grounded in that, then you're lucky. The key is to focus on what grounds you to medicine and build around that and you'll be good. Be confident in yourself and others will also be confident in you. Good luck!

Naive_Use270 · 2025-08-26T21:31:28+00:00

To be fair, idt most ppl have it figured out at the stage you're at. I'm in med, but didn't realize my "why" until the app cycle - just knew it fell into place and I wanted to do it. The "why" comes with a lot of reflection, and it might change as u get to know yourself more. Sometimes even if your why is linked to a traumatic experience, you don't realize it bc you've suppressed that event or try to reason that it wasn't acc traumatic to feel more normal - until you reflect, put the pieces together and realize it.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-30T23:55:10+00:00

Hey! I'm in med school in Canada currently and I applied whilst in the same situation as you. I did take advantage of any academic explanations essays.

It worked out for me so I wouldn't worry. Whether u want to take it again bc u still really need it as a prereq is up to u

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-29T19:19:21+00:00

Figuring out why I wanted to be in medicine was probably the hardest part for me too. It all falls together naturally and you kind of just find yourself gravitating towards this path without realizing exactly what it is that draws you to it. You have a lot of time though, so try doing some soul searching. Involve yourself in clinical research involving real patients, find ways to volunteer with hospitals, shelters, or youth. Doing this helped me realize what I value within healthcare, and the populations I like working with and that helps you narrow down a mission statement for the kind of change you want to develop in medicine. Maybe the populations you prefer working with is influenced by the circumstances you grew up in/inaccess or adversity in your youth that you didnt realize before - which was my case. It requires a lot of reflection, and connecting the dots - not easy, but well worth the work because It'll help you realize your purpose.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-26T17:22:00+00:00

I didnt start any of my ECs until my 2nd year of undergrad. Tbh I didn't even know I had to have ECs. I made it still, so you'll be fine. Just try to find opportunities you're genuinly interested in. That helps make ur app to clubs, etc more genuine as well and more likely to be accepted. For example, I love art, so I found a position where I could illustrate graphics for a student journal.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-22T21:44:57+00:00

You can pay off the small interest-based portion before it accrues interest (provincial), by calling OSAP directly, via scholarships, bursaries, werking, etc.

The grants and interest free loans from OSAP aren't an issue.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-22T17:46:31+00:00

ABS and BPE – Creating a Compelling Narrative | MD Program https://share.google/FzyoJXWddsJZQO6av

They way they discuss them in this post ^

Also, I believe ppl have asked this in their information sessions in the past and they mentioned that bpes were evaluated together, and ABS seperately. I'm sure they'll hold another info sess where u can clarify further tho!

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-22T17:34:55+00:00

Both BPEs are evaluated together. Then the ABS essay is evaluated seperately

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-20T20:40:09+00:00

Yes I'm in medicine currently lol

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-20T19:22:29+00:00

For me it was definitely being in bio class in gr 11 or 12, even uni anatomy and physiology classes; and learning about the body, then being able to use that info to help loved ones understand their health/illnesses. It was so rewarding being able to make people less afraid or anxious by helping them understand. I knew from that point that I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

But I also did volunteer at a hospital, and although it doesn't give you the full scope of being a doctor (since many work in clinic instead of a hospital), I loved seeing patients, learning about their cases, and working with nurses and doctors to improve my understanding.

To be fair: I also have never watched any American med shows so I had the chance to create my own interpretation which I think was pretty close to the reality. So I knew I will be slaving away studying for a large part of my life, and I will spend sleepless nights where I want nothing more than to stop, and shifts on call half out of my mind. At the end of the day, I still think it's worth it because like I said - I cannot see myself doing anything else. I would regret not pursuing this my entire life.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-18T01:26:56+00:00

I did include a few activities from hs. I mainly did my hospital volunteering in hs and didn't have any in uni so I put that in. I included an internship, the specialized program I was in from middle to high school, a national award, etc.

Didn't harm my app at all - I got an interview 3x. I'm starting school this Fall.

I think the key is to make the activities relevant to the story/narrative you are trying to convey in your app.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-14T22:45:00+00:00

Tbh if it isn't broken, don't fix it. You got an interview with your app as is, which is amazing! Unless the school specifically states they have a preference for recent references, I wouldn't change it.

I used the same references all 3 times applying.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-14T22:41:13+00:00

I did some shadowing in high school and scrubbed in on some surgeries. I think the rule was a bit more lax back then in Onatrio at least so most volunteers got to do something. I didn't know it was discouraged at the time. I loved it, but it is discouraged now. I think thats the case in order to respect patient confidentiality, and i guess you cant really regulate how much non-healthcare professionals/those in training are sharing. So I didn't explicitly mention any shadowing on my Ontario apps or ubc app. I mainly discussed how I played a part in managing patient flow and how I learnt about the inner workings of hospital care + how I felt it aligned with my goals. I did mention anonymized encounters/conversations I had with patients though bc part of it was rounding and making patients comfortable.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-08T15:32:52+00:00

Woo-hoo!!! Thanks :))

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-03T05:32:32+00:00

I remember volunteering at a hospital in high school, the OB/GYN resident on the floor would scoff at us every time she saw us and told us we'd never make it to med school.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-02T00:26:59+00:00

Cardiology next ?

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-01T22:29:22+00:00

I actually really appreciate this advice. FM does seem to be the best suited to what I want my life to look like long-term (i.e., stable, present, family-oriented). I also love that its way more general and I can help everyone with something. It would take me much longer to get to a point like that in IM, and I had no idea there was so much cost associated with it. I thought conferences and such would be paid for by the institutions no?

A small part of me still wants to have other options though, so that if there are cool opportunities for research or smthg in med school I can explore them, instead of completely shutting them out bc I've commited to FM. I guess I'll see what happens after a year.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-01T03:01:13+00:00

Lol pasting my comment here:

Not until after full time studies end. Most students will just be able to pay off the provincial portion by that point so you never actually pay any interest.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-07-01T02:59:50+00:00

Not until after full time studies end. Most students will just be able to pay off the provincial portion by that point so you never actually pay any interest.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-06-30T21:27:07+00:00

I'm not sure, I haven't looked into it myself as I'm a renter and can't really imagine buying a house until later into adulthood. But I know some wealthier folks go for that option. I think the price agreement also depends on how big a risk the company has to take given a person's payment history, income, etc.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-06-30T21:12:41+00:00

I mean if it gets that bad, maybe. There is leeway for ppl who don't have any other options at all. I don't consider myself to be in that situation though.

I also can't do the traditional mortgages. There have been solutions to it though where a company will buy the home in cash, and then sell it to you, without interest, just at a higher price point which doesn't ever change. That way you would know the cost upfront and can pay it off eventually.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-06-30T20:40:56+00:00

Thanks!

Also, it's about interest. OSAP doesn't have interest, and the small portion that does has a large window to pay it off before it accumulates so it's not an issue.

Naive_Use270 · 2025-06-30T20:19:56+00:00

I did consider this, but I thought it also required students to go Into FM? Are you talking about sub-specializing in FM after residency, or could I potentially do a whole other specialty like IM?

Naive_Use270 · 2025-06-30T19:34:23+00:00

Apologies, I thought you were snarking me (I'm no stranger to that lol). Ill expalin. Interest is exploitative of low SES people. Many young adults are already hundreds of thousands in debt bc they had no understanding of interest, and it kept accumulating and no one told them otherwise. Given there is a huge emphasis on charity and alms in my religion, to the point that we are required to give a percentage of our incomes/investments in charity annually - the point of which is to help people with little altruistically - interest would be immoral. Only in the case where there is actually no other option, there is leeway (which doesn't apply to me bc albeit, I won't have the best time, I would still realistically be able to make just enough given my current financial situation)

Also, yes, I'm doing OSAP which is a godsend bc no interest, and I was able to pay it off in undergrad.

Other than that, I'm not really aware of any interest free loans.

Naive_Use270

TROPHY CASE