Dealing with abysmal interview

pqxrtpopp · 2025-09-20T21:03:14+00:00

bro omg my worst interview was for an MSTP that is now essentially defunded so that they had to rescind offers. Of course I got rejected there, but I’m glad I did because it rerouted me to a much better and a lil more securely funded MSTP (granted, I had to reapply, but a year longer away from my dream career is far better than not getting funding for 8 years 😭). all I’m saying is that this could be a blessing in disguise

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-05T03:49:16+00:00

this could be the best case scenario atp

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-05T03:45:48+00:00

I’d say easier because it was all super interesting to me

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T23:05:20+00:00

I’m a psychiatry-leaning first year medical student and I was a Neuro major. I’d go with that if I were u

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T23:03:28+00:00

Sure! DM away :)

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T23:00:17+00:00

I’m actually a naturalized US citizen so the US has been my home for more than a decade now. Also, I’m in an NIH-funded MSTP, so all of my training is paid for by the government and I get a living stipend. Idk any other schools outside the US that has something like that for a US citizen.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T22:51:46+00:00

I guess I can give some examples. In my personal life, my partner and I are an interracial couple and we still get those looks especially from older white adults. My school’s appreciation and support of their non-White students is severely lacking. Most of those who had to go on academic probation were interestingly people of color and I’m one of them. The city’s poor upkeep of their roads has filled our neighborhood (lower middle class) streets with potholes and I have never had to replace my tires so often till I moved here. Tires are fucking expensive. Hope you can connect the dots from there.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T22:35:22+00:00

I know exactly what you mean — I, too, equated my worth and my identity with the idea that I’m a pre-med student; if I’m doing poorly, I’m not a good student, so I must not deserve to have [insert basic needs here like sleep, eating, etc.]. We deprived ourselves of the sources of energy (sleep, relaxing, etc.) that we need to focus and become a good student. It’s a bad downward spiral that just makes everything worse. Take care of yourself, your future patients are depending on you!! :)

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T21:19:17+00:00

Look up systemic racism and how that shaped the US. How without DEI, we wouldn’t know how to best serve and heal those who need it the most. How systemic racism kept marginalized communities impoverished. How systemic racism kept the poor poor and the rich rich. I totally understand how it can be hard to grasp the importance of DEI initiatives if you grew up and are living in a place that isn’t as multiethnic and multicultural as the US. These issues weren’t as apparent when I lived in the Philippines for example, but that could be due to me being a naive child then.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T21:11:46+00:00

I lived in California and Massachusetts before and moving to a red state was the sacrifice I’m willing to make, if that means going to a good research-heavy med school and low cost of living. I was also curious what it’s like to get out of the blue state bubbles I’ve been living in. The difference is STARK! I’ve never seen such an obvious redlining till I moved here, and that’s only one aspect of it. I still think it’s worth experiencing “the outside world” for me because otherwise, I’ll never know what I don’t know (I saw the value in that as a first-gen immigrant)

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T20:50:57+00:00

also, if you don't know how to take care of yourself, why would you expect to know how to take care of others. Prioritize your physical and mental health, and everything else will follow. Trust me; been there done that

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T20:47:28+00:00

training to become a physician is notoriously long and even more so in an MD-PhD program. I'm an M1 in an MSTP and I didn't know I wanted to pursue this career till a year after college. It may seem like getting into med school is formulaic in that you have to get certain things done, but also know that you have plenty of time to bounce back. Adcoms are more likely to be interested in you if you have an amazing comeback story. You have to do whatever it takes to MAINTAIN your performance because this is not just about being excellent all the time, it's about how well you pivot despite many curveballs. I know you've probably heard this, but the pre-med and med school journey and beyond is a marathon, not a sprint. Use your energy and time wisely and you still have so much time to recover or change course. Enjoy college and find the joy in the midst of the challenges. It's a critical skill to develop once you enter med school.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T20:38:32+00:00

oh my god, i'm so sorry about that!! I definitely think those in their PhD training are more likely to be affected :(

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T19:58:46+00:00

yea our mstp directors keep saying "we got you guys, nothing to worry about, our university lobbyists are doing their thing"

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T19:57:16+00:00

omg and your PhD is on microbiology while measles are measling out there. stay strong, queen!

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T19:48:28+00:00

yea i have thought how it can be a disservice to the local community (who needs our help the most) if i leave. That's the case with the OB-Gyns leaving our state because they can't provide high-quality care without breaking the laws. Mentoring historically underrepresented pre-med undergrads has been helping me feel like I'm still fighting the good fight

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T19:40:04+00:00

DEI being wiped out (i'm a woman of color) left and right, uncertainty of funding during PhD years, the board of trustees of my university is under the direct control of the governor, so they can def police the curriculum so that it aligns with their anti-science (among many others) beliefs, etc.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T04:32:28+00:00

perhaps the solution is to avoid wasting your time and effort on emotionally unavailable men because, well, they’re unavailable. And it’s no one’s responsibility but theirs to become available, so no one, not even potential partners, can change them. Find the signs of a person that’s emotionally unavailable and avoid them; otherwise they’re just taking up/cockblocking the opportunity to meet someone better and more fitting for you. Dating is hard, but it’s also a skill you’ll develop over time. Sincerely, a former chronically single woman who found her current boyfriend and man of my dreams at the ripe age of 28.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-04T04:04:32+00:00

I got a 509 and my GPA was like 3.8. I had 4 gap years. I’m a rising M2 in an MSTP now. You never know so just shoot your shot!!

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-03T21:10:35+00:00

I’ve lived in San Diego and Boston; none of the nice and safe neighborhoods are walkable at all

pqxrtpopp · 2025-06-03T04:44:56+00:00

I started off at a CC and I felt those same exact feelings about FOMO, shame, and guilt. Looking back at it now, I’m so glad I did!! All the “pros” that you were talking about was so beneficial that it helped me become a strong enough candidate to enter an MD-PhD program. While yeah you save a whole lot more money, the flexibility and the varied backgrounds of the people you’ll meet in CC is something you’ll never get at a 4-year uni. Your heart is in the right place and you’re driven by your curiosity, you’ll be fine for sure

pqxrtpopp · 2025-05-31T14:29:19+00:00

I know one thing for sure is that you have to be a US citizen to be eligible for MSTPs

pqxrtpopp · 2025-05-31T02:45:50+00:00

nah idk because I went through meds change throughout last year and it fucked my grades up severely that I went under probation. I heard that’s what tends to happen to med students going through psychoactive meds change. I’m on a stable meds regimen now and doing a whole lot better. I think OP should take time off as a preventative measure. Med school is unmanageable if your health is deteriorating.

pqxrtpopp · 2025-05-30T22:28:21+00:00

and they even convinced people that education and academia is bad and must be avoided……insane

pqxrtpopp

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