Dear “stressed out me,”

People always ask “what are you planning on doing with your life?” Or “why did you choose the school you did?” But the truth is, I really don’t know.

Even though most of the time you probably don’t really know what you’re doing and you’re just “faking it till you make it,” you always answer the same way: majoring in Biology and you’re Pre-Med. But at this precise moment you’re probably questioning why. Why do you go to classes, do homework, eat, and go to sleep and repeat day after day? Why do you put up with the total badass curriculum of becoming a doctor? Total badass being defined as nerve wrecking, heart crushing, brain smashing, anxiety riddled medical school prerequisites.

To be completely honest, I love science. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my brain and the joy I get from tinkering with chemicals and cell delights the small child of my soul. BUT, this is hard work. And I mean really, really, really hard work. Nobody talks about this in high school. Nobody tells you that you’re going to be up at 4am, after studying for 15 hours already, to pass a general chemistry II test (and this is your third time taking the class) because you really need this A to get out of your cyclic feeling of failures. There is always the dreaded emotional breakdown once a semester (or month) that definitely makes you rethink your choice once again and hope that you don’t flunk out of college altogether. But there is also nothing better than telling people that you are studying to be a doctor because people think you’re a complete madman AND one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. If you’re anything like me, those people are also hoping that they aren’t stuck under your knife one day either because they have seen you at 1am, crying over your notebook trying to pull yourself together because you got less than a 90% on your latest quiz. (I personally believe those people should feel blessed to be under my knife because clearly I am dedicated to understanding these things to save lives).

You do this for the love of medicine. These next 15 years are going to be the best of your adult life as you take on these patients and learn everything and anything there is to know about being the best damn doctor around. Do NOT let all your hard work go to waste. Get that undergraduate degree, masters and PhD degree too! Those hundreds of hours spent volunteering and shadowing and studying are going to pay off in the long run. You are going to be a doctor!

We are on the very frontier of advancements in technology and medicine, as we know it. Someone is going to find the cure for cancer or find the vaccine for Zika or whatever hefty virus comes at us next. Never give up. You want this, you know you do. When that acceptance letter comes through, the tears are going to flow and you did it! You really did it! Never give up. You are not alone in this battle. You are going to be one of the best, most innovative doctors this planet has ever seen.

Keep it up!