My journey at UW could not be represented as any sort of linear progression, exponential curve or even a bell curve. I suppose it would look like a very crude and sporadic scribble with very high peaks, dramatic dips and points of flat lining. I knew when I came here as a freshman that it would be a difficult 4 years, I never underestimated the rigor of the school, especially because I knew I wanted to go into healthcare. What I was wrong about was that I thought I would face obstacles, overcome them and then be better at overcoming the next challenge. I could not have predicted that struggle after struggle I did not feel like I was any wiser. Every challenge that came up I felt like I was right back at square one and the thought of giving up came right back.
In high school I was used to academic rigor and had been fairly successful at adapting to that environment. At UW I was surprised to be struggling academically, and in sciences of all subjects, the very field I wanted to specialize in. I continually had a hard time in some of my science classes to the point where sophomore year I seriously considered changing my major and my entire career path, I did not think that I was cut out for it. Fortunately enough for me, I had very support friends, family and advisers that urged me to try that "one more quarter". If it weren't for that decision to continue I would not be where I am today.
Now as a senior I am in a position I never imagine would have actually occurred. I was on the waitlist for both UW and UCSF dental schools, waiting for acceptance. When I started the application cycle I mentally prepared myself for two outcomes: an acceptance during winter quarter and along with it extreme relief, or rejection before graduation and along with it... extreme relief as well. I figured as long as I knew one way or the other, even if I didn't get in, I would be gearing up for the next application cycle. However, I was never prepared to handle being put on the wait list, because it meant something that I fear the most: uncertainty. By Spring Quarter I was beyond frustrated, half of my friends knew they were going to school and the other half knew they would have a gap year. I was forever in limbo. I signed up for classes that met both school's prerequisite requirements and tried to focus. Although I knew, I could be waiting until August just to find out I never made it off the list.
The second week of school, after an emotionally trying start to the quarter, it happened. I got the call I was waiting for since I was fourteen. I cried, I called my mom and I cried some more. What's even more crazy is I got another call a couple days later. I was officially accepted to my top two dental schools. This is my first year applying. I always, ALWAYS thought that with my academic credentials I would have to apply a second time. And here I was, with the decision of a lifetime.
But where do I go?
I need to look back to the past four years of my undergraduate career to decide the direction of my future.
In high school I was used to academic rigor and had been fairly successful at adapting to that environment. At UW I was surprised to be struggling academically, and in sciences of all subjects, the very field I wanted to specialize in. I continually had a hard time in some of my science classes to the point where sophomore year I seriously considered changing my major and my entire career path, I did not think that I was cut out for it. Fortunately enough for me, I had very support friends, family and advisers that urged me to try that "one more quarter". If it weren't for that decision to continue I would not be where I am today.
Now as a senior I am in a position I never imagine would have actually occurred. I was on the waitlist for both UW and UCSF dental schools, waiting for acceptance. When I started the application cycle I mentally prepared myself for two outcomes: an acceptance during winter quarter and along with it extreme relief, or rejection before graduation and along with it... extreme relief as well. I figured as long as I knew one way or the other, even if I didn't get in, I would be gearing up for the next application cycle. However, I was never prepared to handle being put on the wait list, because it meant something that I fear the most: uncertainty. By Spring Quarter I was beyond frustrated, half of my friends knew they were going to school and the other half knew they would have a gap year. I was forever in limbo. I signed up for classes that met both school's prerequisite requirements and tried to focus. Although I knew, I could be waiting until August just to find out I never made it off the list.
The second week of school, after an emotionally trying start to the quarter, it happened. I got the call I was waiting for since I was fourteen. I cried, I called my mom and I cried some more. What's even more crazy is I got another call a couple days later. I was officially accepted to my top two dental schools. This is my first year applying. I always, ALWAYS thought that with my academic credentials I would have to apply a second time. And here I was, with the decision of a lifetime.
But where do I go?
I need to look back to the past four years of my undergraduate career to decide the direction of my future.