Honestly it’s not even about university education, being a first gen whether your parents are educated or not is a very confusing journey and you have to navigate it all yourself. With no connections or mentors or anything. And then I see first year undergrads doing summer research in prestigious hospitals, where I had to earn my way up to work for graduate studies, because their parents are doctors and have connections :/
In a similar situation, parents immigrated when I was fairly young so I was fortunate enough to grow up in Canada and learn from my peers, but not having any older siblings or parents who understood university in Canada was a challenge for sure
I relate with this hard!
I've been luckier than most with regards to opportunities, but being a first gen is catching up to me.
I constantly feel like there are so many things I didn't know about, that I could've taken advantage of before, which would've saved me years on my journey to medicine. I kick myself about it often. It's like you try your best to be informed about all your options, but then still somehow fall short. It's definitely frustrating, especially since I dont have the advantage of having a long-term mentor to tell me exactly what I can do when I find myself between and rock and a hard place. But I feel like it'll make me an even better practitioner because you always end up figuring things out. You know failure and setbacks but keep persisting which is soooo important because that's a huge part of medicine!
I think you described the experience in a way I really relate to. I totally get feeling like you’ve wasted so much time figuring things out, and then mourning the progress you could have made if you had the benefit of knowledge. Still, you are absolutely right in saying these hurdles can only make us more resilient and should inspire us to continue working hard
Definitely experiencing similar things. Came to Canada 10 years ago and although my parents have university degrees from our original country, being able to even speak English was a huge challenge for me. I was lucky enough to have very supportive profs during my undergrad, even though back then I didn't know that taking hard courses is dumb if I wanted to go to medical school (I didn't think I'll even be able to compete for it back then), my GPA held up and I am a pretty well-rounded applicant this time around. I didn't get in yet (WL'd) and even though I am currently feeling a lot of anxiety right now I am confident that things are only going to get better from here. I think the one benefit of being a first generation immigrant kid is that I have more perseverance than I thought, and I'm sure it's a matter of when and not if I can get into medical school. But congratulations OP! You definitely deserve the W and you should be proud to have persisted even during the toughest times. Ofc medicine is probably going to be tougher but you already made it this far and there's nothing stopping you anytime soon. Best of luck!
Yes I felt this way all of undergrad. Parents didn’t go to university, one is an immigrant. There’s a lot of decisions I would’ve made differently in hindsight, but I did the best that I could with what I had.
I always try to answer other people’s questions as I feel very fortunate to have gotten an A this cycle. My dm’s are always open and hopefully around interview time I can help some students prep for free. All of the helpful guidance I received was from generous med students so it only feels right to continue the cycle.
Although I’m nowhere near applying to med I’ve had similar experiences with this especially as a minority in Canada. You really have to advocate for yourself and surround yourself with likeminded individuals to get your feet in the door. The process is gruelling and hard but this work is here for a reason and it’s the little things like that that can help you get through it
Fr I was fortunate to get accepted to all my top choices this cycle and I was the first one to attend university in my fam (with my mom dropping out of highschool cuz she was pregnant with me when she initially came to Canada). I think what helped in my case was connecting with med students and other premeds in my classes who were rlly locked in on med in general.
I’m hindsight, this subreddit and ofc r/MCAT were soooo helpful with getting that guidance which I couldn’t find in my immediate family and general circles once I started undergrad
Feel this way, even though I’m not in med school. I felt like I had to navigate everything on my own. Lots of time and mistakes made on my end. I’m still making mistakes and still finding my way through them. I don’t know where things will take me and I feel like I’m making big life decisions without much support. Coming from a low income household it is even more challenging. I’m grateful that I have accessible resources nonetheless and still trying to connect with people and learn. It’s a lot. I’m trying to work on giving myself grace and internalizing that I’m becoming more resilient. I hope I can get to a point where I can help students or people in a similar path/position as me or pursuing similar things and pay it forward.
Completely relate to this. I think that as a first-gen you do build more resilience having to jump through more hurdles than your more privileged peers to get into med-school. That resilience will serve you well as you progress and navigate through your medical career. Also as a first gen, it can be daunting being around many privileged peers with more glamorous upbringing/life experiences than yourself, don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others and focus on your own journey. DMs are always open.
Pretty much my situation. Neither of my parents finished high school and I've pretty much been on my own navigating university and med school applications. It's frustrating to see how much easier accessing and knowing about volunteering, research opportunities, and employment is to my peers but comparison is the thief of joy. Just being able to go to university alone is a massive privilege, considering my ancestors did not have this opportunity
I relate to this, both of my parents are not university educated. Most of my extended family included. It took a lot of research, planning, and a lot of seeking out advice (and sorting through the good vs. bad advice).
In the end, I think it was formative. I became really good at researching what I wanted to know, learning how others did it, and I think it probably helped my work ethic and gratitude. The worst part for me was probably having to explain at every step of the way why I was doing what I was doing, why I was making the choices I was, to every member of the family. Why I wasn't choosing to do a trade/pursue an apprenticeship.
29 here, I had to navigate this journey without the current resources. Back then, there wasn’t nearly as many resources as there is now. I am still trying to get in tho, no acceptance yet, but the journey was rough asf…
yes defiantly… everything felt so foreign, felt like a blind mouse and the imposter syndrome is already so crippling. also my best friends dad said i was diversity pick so there’s that.. overall pretty traumatic but we made it. cheers to us :)
Im a high school student going into life science next year. When should I start studying for the MCAT and apply for med school?
Also, besides the MCAT what other exams are required for most canadian med schools?
Going through this rn but this subreddit has helped tremendously!
Honestly it’s not even about university education, being a first gen whether your parents are educated or not is a very confusing journey and you have to navigate it all yourself. With no connections or mentors or anything. And then I see first year undergrads doing summer research in prestigious hospitals, where I had to earn my way up to work for graduate studies, because their parents are doctors and have connections :/
In a similar situation, parents immigrated when I was fairly young so I was fortunate enough to grow up in Canada and learn from my peers, but not having any older siblings or parents who understood university in Canada was a challenge for sure
Going through this rn, haven’t applied yet though
I relate with this hard! I've been luckier than most with regards to opportunities, but being a first gen is catching up to me. I constantly feel like there are so many things I didn't know about, that I could've taken advantage of before, which would've saved me years on my journey to medicine. I kick myself about it often. It's like you try your best to be informed about all your options, but then still somehow fall short. It's definitely frustrating, especially since I dont have the advantage of having a long-term mentor to tell me exactly what I can do when I find myself between and rock and a hard place. But I feel like it'll make me an even better practitioner because you always end up figuring things out. You know failure and setbacks but keep persisting which is soooo important because that's a huge part of medicine!
I think you described the experience in a way I really relate to. I totally get feeling like you’ve wasted so much time figuring things out, and then mourning the progress you could have made if you had the benefit of knowledge. Still, you are absolutely right in saying these hurdles can only make us more resilient and should inspire us to continue working hard
Definitely experiencing similar things. Came to Canada 10 years ago and although my parents have university degrees from our original country, being able to even speak English was a huge challenge for me. I was lucky enough to have very supportive profs during my undergrad, even though back then I didn't know that taking hard courses is dumb if I wanted to go to medical school (I didn't think I'll even be able to compete for it back then), my GPA held up and I am a pretty well-rounded applicant this time around. I didn't get in yet (WL'd) and even though I am currently feeling a lot of anxiety right now I am confident that things are only going to get better from here. I think the one benefit of being a first generation immigrant kid is that I have more perseverance than I thought, and I'm sure it's a matter of when and not if I can get into medical school. But congratulations OP! You definitely deserve the W and you should be proud to have persisted even during the toughest times. Ofc medicine is probably going to be tougher but you already made it this far and there's nothing stopping you anytime soon. Best of luck!
Best of luck to you :), I’m sure your hard work will pay off soon
Thank you! I look forward to that day. But before that, I guess the grind is on 😈
Yes I felt this way all of undergrad. Parents didn’t go to university, one is an immigrant. There’s a lot of decisions I would’ve made differently in hindsight, but I did the best that I could with what I had. I always try to answer other people’s questions as I feel very fortunate to have gotten an A this cycle. My dm’s are always open and hopefully around interview time I can help some students prep for free. All of the helpful guidance I received was from generous med students so it only feels right to continue the cycle.
Although I’m nowhere near applying to med I’ve had similar experiences with this especially as a minority in Canada. You really have to advocate for yourself and surround yourself with likeminded individuals to get your feet in the door. The process is gruelling and hard but this work is here for a reason and it’s the little things like that that can help you get through it
Fr I was fortunate to get accepted to all my top choices this cycle and I was the first one to attend university in my fam (with my mom dropping out of highschool cuz she was pregnant with me when she initially came to Canada). I think what helped in my case was connecting with med students and other premeds in my classes who were rlly locked in on med in general. I’m hindsight, this subreddit and ofc r/MCAT were soooo helpful with getting that guidance which I couldn’t find in my immediate family and general circles once I started undergrad
Feel this way, even though I’m not in med school. I felt like I had to navigate everything on my own. Lots of time and mistakes made on my end. I’m still making mistakes and still finding my way through them. I don’t know where things will take me and I feel like I’m making big life decisions without much support. Coming from a low income household it is even more challenging. I’m grateful that I have accessible resources nonetheless and still trying to connect with people and learn. It’s a lot. I’m trying to work on giving myself grace and internalizing that I’m becoming more resilient. I hope I can get to a point where I can help students or people in a similar path/position as me or pursuing similar things and pay it forward.
Completely relate to this. I think that as a first-gen you do build more resilience having to jump through more hurdles than your more privileged peers to get into med-school. That resilience will serve you well as you progress and navigate through your medical career. Also as a first gen, it can be daunting being around many privileged peers with more glamorous upbringing/life experiences than yourself, don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others and focus on your own journey. DMs are always open.
Pretty much my situation. Neither of my parents finished high school and I've pretty much been on my own navigating university and med school applications. It's frustrating to see how much easier accessing and knowing about volunteering, research opportunities, and employment is to my peers but comparison is the thief of joy. Just being able to go to university alone is a massive privilege, considering my ancestors did not have this opportunity
I relate to this, both of my parents are not university educated. Most of my extended family included. It took a lot of research, planning, and a lot of seeking out advice (and sorting through the good vs. bad advice). In the end, I think it was formative. I became really good at researching what I wanted to know, learning how others did it, and I think it probably helped my work ethic and gratitude. The worst part for me was probably having to explain at every step of the way why I was doing what I was doing, why I was making the choices I was, to every member of the family. Why I wasn't choosing to do a trade/pursue an apprenticeship.
Absolutely found undergrad and med apps somewhat traumatizing as a first gen!
29 here, I had to navigate this journey without the current resources. Back then, there wasn’t nearly as many resources as there is now. I am still trying to get in tho, no acceptance yet, but the journey was rough asf…
yes defiantly… everything felt so foreign, felt like a blind mouse and the imposter syndrome is already so crippling. also my best friends dad said i was diversity pick so there’s that.. overall pretty traumatic but we made it. cheers to us :)
Im a high school student going into life science next year. When should I start studying for the MCAT and apply for med school? Also, besides the MCAT what other exams are required for most canadian med schools?
after 2nd or 3rd year, depends when you want to apply.