Data of Admission for Dental School Vs Medical School in 2018

Student Admissions Representatives, Thrmiga Sathiyamoorthy and Hafsa Zia

Introducing this year's Admissions Representatives, Thrmiga Sathiyamoorthy and Hafsa Zia who are 2nd year medical students at the University of Toronto. Thrmiga and Hafsa were selected as the student representatives for the MD Program Admissions Committee. They will be contributing to and voting on admissions policies, evaluating applicant files, acting as ambassadors for the Program by giving presentations and speaking to prospective applicants, coordinating interview days and much more! They took a break from of their busy schedules to share with the admissions team about their path to medical school, and their experiences since.

1. Did you always plan on going to medical school? What sparked your interest in becoming a physician?

Thrmiga: No, I did not plan on going to medical school during my undergraduate studies. While I was in a health science undergraduate program, I always imagined myself pursuing a career in health policy and management. In my fourth year, I took two eye-opening courses: a geriatrics practicum and a thesis seminar supervised by a geriatrician, which exposed me to the versatility and scope of medicine. Initially, this exposure redefined my research interests and pushed me to pursue a research master's in geriatric care. Shortly afterwards, I worked for a policy think tank based in Toronto examining how policies overseeing various care settings such as long-term care homes, social housing, and hospice palliative care impact older adults, especially those of low-income, racialized, and immigrant backgrounds. Here, I was fortunate to have worked with physician advocates in this space, which officially confirmed my interests and commitment to the field of medicine.

Hafsa: Since high school, I always thought about going to medical school, but I didn't think that could be my reality until the first year of my undergrad. My initial interest was sparked during high school when I took biology courses and found all the human biology units incredibly fascinating. My fascination propelled me to seek out careers that involved the study of the human body and I found myself seeking out shadowing opportunities to explore the field of medicine. Subsequently, the doctors I shadowed left a lasting impression of the profession on me. Not only did they have tremendous knowledge about the human body and the ability and skill to apply that knowledge to care for their patients clinically, but they advocated for and took into account their patients other psycho-social factors to provide the best care for their patients. Furthermore, I also learned that doctors could also be educators, scientists, industry advisors, public health advocates amongst many other things. These different hats that physicians wore, while a big responsibility, made medicine such an exciting career for me.

I started my undergrad with the goal of making myself a competitive applicant. However, I had only ever heard stories about people getting into medical school and those stories made it seem like everyone who got in had a perfect GPA and incredible experiences that I could never have. As such, it seemed as if getting into medical school was to defy incredible odds, especially as a hijab-wearing Muslim women. However, during my first year of undergrad, one of my seniors got accepted at UofT for medical school. She was an incredible and inspiring individual, but I saw pieces of myself in her, pieces that I thought may not be enough for medical school, but they clearly were. That was the first time I ever believed that I had a chance as well and was motivated to work even harder to achieve my goal. This is why I am so passionate about transparency, representation and mentorship as those were key components that kept me grounded when the road to my dreams became rocky.

2. Why did you choose to join the MD program at U of T?

Thrmiga: There are several reasons I chose to go to the University of Toronto for medical school. As a first-generation student to finish high school, undergraduate studies, master's and now medicine, I realized being close to my support system is critical to my success. Second, I have always been interested in working within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) due to its unique population. As a native of the GTA, we represent an evolving and growing population made up of diverse communities with different linguistic, cultural, and psychological needs. Further, the University of Toronto has a strong emphasis on research involvement and productivity. For me, conducting research and advancing scholarly work is central to my professional identity because I am passionate about strengthening equity efforts in medicine. As a result, being in a medical program that encouraged and is committed to teaching research skills in our curriculum is very important to me. For these reasons, the University of Toronto was a strong fit.

Hafsa: I choose the MD program at UofT because I saw an incredible commitment to diversity and representation on a level that I have not yet seen anywhere else. From the Black Student Application Program (BSAP), Indigenous Student Application Program (ISAP), to visually seeing students from all different walks and backgrounds graduate from the MD program every year. I wanted to be part of a class that would be representative of the population we would ultimately serve and who would provide me with new perspectives to challenge me every day to think more openly and critically.

I'm happy to say that since joining UofT, I am so happy with the decision I made because not only do I continue to see this commitment but more importantly I see an institution that is also willing to learn and listen to their students to continue improving and making positive changes that will impact generation of students to come.

3. What has been your biggest challenge since starting medical school?

Thrmiga: My biggest challenge since starting medical school has been balancing family responsibilities, schoolwork, and extra-curriculars/hobbies. I have benefited significantly from our wellness day (i.e., one day off during the school week every week) to catch up on work, errands, and hobbies.

Hafsa: Since my class started medical school during the pandemic, we have primarily been online and are challenges have been reflective of that. I feel like the biggest struggle my classmates and I faced was social isolation. It's no secret that medical school can get challenging and leaning on your friends and family for support is crucial. My classmates and I didn't get to see each other after a test, for example, and so we couldn't have hallway conservations to debrief and reassure each other, or we couldn't see each other's faces during the lecture to gauge if everyone was just as confused. We also couldn't meet up to relax and celebrate our wins. As such, we felt isolated and overwhelmed in the beginning.

That was a challenge but to combat this we started hosting virtual socials, creating group chats, partaking in online gift exchanges, and other creative way to stay in touch and build relationships. Furthermore, all my classmates have always been so helpful and supportive to each other, including sharing our lecture notes, flashcards, jokes/memes and other little tips and fun tidbits. Even through Facebook groups and texts, we could all feel the support and love from our other. Reflecting back on this, I realize that while connecting was a challenge initially, because of the extra effort we put in to create bonds, the relationships we have built will now last a lifetime. We value and cherish these relationships and collegiality a lot more than I think we would have had the pandemic not happened.

4. What do you like to do outside of your studies for fun?

Thrmiga: I've been getting back to a lot of team sports (e.g., volleyball) and coordinating gatherings with friends and family. I recognize that the first two years of medical school is the best time to build good habits and maintain a good support system to prepare for a balanced career in medicine.

Hafsa: I love relaxing and hanging out with my family – they're my core supports, and I would not be anywhere without them. Since getting married this summer, I've been blessed to now have two families I can share both the good and bad times with. Beyond that, like most people in the pandemic, I took up cooking and baking as a new hobby and I've really enjoyed learning about new cuisines, healthy recipes and sharpening my knife skills (pun intended). I also really enjoy watching new TV shows and keeping up with pop culture references. Sometimes I get a burst of motivation to start running and working out again but I'm now trying to keep up with a regular schedule as I received a great piece of advice that the self-care, I implement for myself as a medical student, is the self-care I will carry on and continue to implement as a resident!

5. What have you enjoyed most about the MD Program so far?

Thrmiga: I appreciate the MD program for its administration and faculty. The program is very structured and there are weekly academic responsibilities. During the pandemic, many students and myself included were feeling overwhelmed by deadlines and the global crisis. I appreciated most the compassion and support the program offered (e.g., exam deferrals, extensions on assignments, access to course directors, etc.) to its students.

Hafsa: What I've enjoyed most about the MD program so far is how supported and safe I feel as a medical student. The past two years of online schooling has been a challenge, especially because all of our personal lives have also been impacted by the pandemic in some shape and form. However, the MD program has continuously asked the students for feedback, kept us informed of any new updates and they have accommodated to make sure all students receive the best learning environment. I love how much respect and autonomy we get as adult learners. It makes me proud to be a part of such an incredible community and thus eager to give back to my community as well.

6. What are you looking forward to in your future career as a physician?

Thrmiga: My journey to pursue medicine has been non-linear, branched with experiences in various health domains, all of which has made me the person I am today. Although there are several career paths I could pursue, the call for medicine is the one I am most passionate about. My goal is to make my medical practice, more accessible, culturally appropriate, and safe, and one that supports communities who have historically and systemically been underserved. As a physician, I want to bring together my passions for health equity, research, policy, and patient care into a harmonious whole to make a genuine difference.

Hafsa: On top of providing high quality, evidence-based care for all my patients, the thing I'm looking forward to the most is being a voice for my patients. I want to use my power and privilege as a physician to not only provide care for my patients within the walls of the clinic/OR but I want to advocate for them at the hospital policy level and beyond the walls of the hospital. I love how we receive classes at UofT to learn how to be an advocate and I cannot wait to start implementing what we have learnt in the classroom to my practice in the future.

Data of Admission for Dental School Vs Medical School in 2018

Source: https://applymd.utoronto.ca/news/introducing-your-2021-2022-student-admissions-representatives

Bagikan Artikel ini