Hanna Renaldi's Blog: 5-Time MCAT Taker and Med School Admit Shares Her Story

This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with medical school applicants and students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top medical schools and the med school application process. And now, introducing Anne Garcia…

Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from?

Anne: Hello! I am Anne, an incoming first year MD student (class of 2020). I am from Arizona, but I moved to Philadelphia for my Pathway Master’s program last summer, and will spend my next four years in medical school here.

Accepted: Can you share 3 fun facts about yourself?

Anne:

1. I am the only “civilian” in my family, as both of my parents and my brother (presently serving) have all served in the United States Navy as officers. I am also the first in my entire extended family to attend an allopathic medical school.

2. I am the only left-handed person in all the generations my family can think of off the top of their heads. On both sides. I guess I’m the unique one!

3. I travel a lot. I grew up a Navy brat, then after my dad retired he became an airline pilot and I had the privilege of flying for free on a standby pass anywhere his airline went. I have also been able to travel to some European countries when I was younger, and multiple Caribbean islands. I still have many places I’d love to visit and explore, which I intend to do whenever I find extra time and money, which both run thin these days!

Accepted: What’s your favorite non-school book (if you have time to read for fun!)?

Anne: I recently read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, MD. It was so intriguing, inspiring, and definitely made me shed a tear. I recommend it to all my friends in medicine!

Accepted: What motivated you to pursue a career in medicine?

Anne: I never had one defining moment that motivated me to go into medicine. I mostly had a general progression towards medicine being my passion, and I never looked back once I explored the prospects of going into it. I was a sick child, diagnosed with Graves’ disease at age 10, and eventually had radioactive iodine therapy a year later. I have been to many physicians, and my pediatrician was always a huge role model in my life as she was also a family friend. I became more interested in science and medicine in high school, and began volunteering at my local ER and as a student trainer on my school’s soccer team. I loved it. I couldn’t get enough of medicine, and knew that I wanted to delve deeper into my studies and passions in college. I studied biology in college, and did all of my pre-medical requirements before graduation, but I did not study for my MCAT before I graduated. I knew I needed more time and clinical experience before being ready for medical school, so I sought out a CNA class, and became a Certified Nursing Assistant after obtaining my bachelor’s degree. The clinical experience I gained through my job was amazing, and really helped me gain a new perspective on becoming a physician. After all of my challenges with the MCAT and gap years, I was still set on becoming a physician so that I could best help improve the health of others through the utilization of the most up-to-date and comprehensive medical practices with the passion I have always had for helping others in a vulnerable state.

Accepted: Your recently wrote a blog post about the MCAT. Can you tell us about your experience taking it? Were there any surprises? What were your most and least favorite parts of the exam?

Anne: My goodness this will be a long response! I have quite the history with taking the MCAT, and I hope telling my story will help others better prepare for it than I did. I have taken the MCAT a total of 5 (yes, FIVE!) times, although one was voided. I have scored four MCATS. Obviously the exam was full of surprises to me. It is really no surprise once I reflected back on it, but the MCAT will have different passages that focus on different aspects of a subject, and some times it will include the weak topic that no one would want on their exam, but you have to study all your weaknesses to prepare for the prospect of having that one or more incredibly difficult passages. I have taken the old MCAT and the new MCAT, and towards the beginning I felt that if I studied hard I would do well, but I did not go over my practice exams in depth, and I did not take the time to learn from my test taking common mistakes such as not critically and efficiently reading a passage. My second MCAT was taken in order to break the 30+ threshold, a coveted score on the old MCAT, but instead of taking the time to focus on my weaknesses I only took a couple of practice exams without comprehensive review of the exam or other weak sub-topics I needed to review. My score thus plummeted dramatically, and I created a difficult situation of needing to prove that the second exam score was not a reflection of my abilities as a pre-medical student. It wasn’t until during my time in my pathways program and its associated in-person tutoring in addition to my unparalleled discipline in studying for the MCAT that I found a way to increase my score enough to be a competitive applicant in that respect. It is safe to say in my experience that there are no favorite parts of the exam. I do not have a good history with the MCAT, and I learned many lessons about standardized test taking and how to properly prepare for such an extensive exam that I plan on applying to the my future study habits for the USMLE Step exams. My least favorite part of the exam in my opinion is overcoming any test anxieties regarding the exam. It is a huge career-defining exam, and it is easy to think about potential failures in reaching personal score goals, but it is important to always believe in your capabilities, and to be disciplined in your studies for the entire length of studying for the exam.

Accepted: Did you take a test prep course? Why or why not?

Anne: Yes. It is important to cater to your needs as a student, and I needed a structured study schedule and environment. I needed a test prep course to help guide my studies, but I realize that not all students need this structure in their studies. What’s important is planning a method for studying for the exam over an extended amount of time and sticking to the plan (staying disciplined in MCAT studies).

Accepted: Which resources did you use to prep for the MCAT?

Anne: I initially took an on-demand Kaplan course. I was pleased with the course, but on the exam I thought I could do better. Then, after my steep score fall I self studied with ExamKrackers. My score went up, but not enough to reach the initial score. I decided what I thrived on was a structured schedule with in class tutoring so that I could focus on MCAT during that time, and make a self-study schedule alongside my course. My school provided an in-class Princeton Review course, and with those resources I finally found my study niche.

Accepted: What are your top 3 MCAT tips?

Anne:

1. Make an MCAT plan that aligns with your study strengths and stick to a disciplined method and schedule of study.

2. Stay confident in your abilities as a pre-medical student and future physician. This is an exam that will open so many doors for you, but remember how far you have come to be able to take the exam and apply to medical school. You rock, don’t forget that, even during your hardest study days. It also helps to surround yourself with supportive people, whether it is family, friends, significant other, faculty, mentors, etc. and to focus on your own well-being.

3. If you don’t feel right about taking the exam, DO NOT TAKE IT. Or, void it. It does not make you any less smart to push back an exam date if absolutely needed. It is better to put your best foot forward than to dig yourself out of a low MCAT score hole (like me!).

Accepted: When did you start your blog, Something Medical? What motivated you to start it?

Anne: I saw really great medical blogs on the web, and I felt inspired to share my story so that those who may share common stories as me can feel at ease knowing it is possible to overcome challenges and to achieve your dreams. I look forward to adding to my story on my blog and hopefully reaching a greater audience that shares in my pre-medical and medical student journey challenges, frustrations, setbacks, successes, and triumphs. I also look forward to answering questions regarding the pre-medical and medical student journey in general.

You can follow Anne’s experiences by following her blog Something Medical. Thank you Anne for sharing your story with us!

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Do you want to be featured in Accepted’s blog? If you want to share your med school journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at bloggers@accepted.com.