A few weeks ago, around the time I was completing most of my secondary applications, I couldn't imagine myself going to medical school and becoming a doctor. Not that it's not what I want, but I couldn't imagine it in the sense that it didn't feel real, like it wasn't going to happen. I think it's because I'm a realist/pessimist, and I think that's because I don't have huge self-confidence. My GPA's not great, my MCAT score's not great, and some schools have as little as 1% acceptance rate. I was filling out secondaries and shelling out hundreds of dollars for them just because I knew I should. I wasn't going to give up now. At least I tried.

Then when I received a personal e-mail from the University of Nevada Reno asking for a secondary, I looked up the statistics. They interview everyone who applies, and in 2008, they admitted 1 in 3. I felt a little bit more confident. I have a good chance of getting in somewhere, and an interview will be my chance to shine.

Then one of the most unbelievable moments of my life occurred this past week. I open my e-mail inbox and the sender is UC Davis, and the subject line read: Applicant Congratulation Email. I started saying, "no way, no way." As I zipped through the first sentence of the email, I spotted the words, "invite...interview." I started panting, gasping for air. Even my roommate came in to check on me. Reliving the moment in this blog even makes my heart race. Again, I looked up the statistics. In 2008, 3700 applied, 470 got interviews. I am one of the 470! Me?! It's my chance to shine!

Then yesterday, I met someone who might just change my life forever. I won't say his name, but he is a very important person. He's retired now, but he has all the influence he had when he was working for UC Irvine. His influence exceeds UC Irvine though, I think he has influence everywhere. The schools Drexel and UCLA came up in our conversation. I can't be too specific about our encounter or else it'll give away his identity. But he's expecting a call from me to arrange for us to discuss my future in more detail. He wants my MCAT score, list of all the schools I applied to, and my personal statement. He has a 100% track record in getting students into medical school. There hasn't been that many students, but that makes this experience all the more special. He's going to take me under his wing. How privileged am I.

So now I am more excited about medical school than I have ever been. Excited because it's possible. It never seemed that possible before. I want this now more than I have ever wanted it before. I want it because it's in my reach, and I will do whatever he tells me to do so I can reach it.

And in return, he asks me to bake him an apple pie from scratch independently. No problem, sir. It'll be the best applie pie you have ever tasted.