When it comes to the medical school journey, everyone has their own story, but there’s one big challenge most of us have to tackle: the MCAT. In this new series, our Blueprint MCAT alumni share how they crushed the MCAT and made their med school dreams come true!

Meet Daniela, an MS1 at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She used her gap year experiences to discover how medicine can combine all her interests and passions into one fulfilling career and also managed to achieve a +23-point MCAT score increase!

Finding My Passion for Medicine

As an undergraduate student, I was fascinated by various topics such as education, global health, and medical anthropology. I was lucky to have the opportunity to work in multiple settings, from a free clinic in Tijuana to a busy hospital in Jerusalem—which were my first exposures to the world of medicine and sparked my interest in the field. 

However, when I graduated from college, I was still determining if medicine was the best career fit for me. I decided to take some gap years to gain more experience and worked as a medical assistant/scribe and medical interpreter at an infectious disease clinic. 

My experiences working at the clinic allowed me to see that medicine was the perfect blend of all my interests and confirmed my desire to become a physician.

I want to become a doctor because it truly is a combination of everything that I am passionate about: service, science, education, and innovation.

But First, MCAT Prep

I began to study for the MCAT and work on my medical school applications. I chose Blueprint over other companies because I liked the way that the Blueprint MCAT was structured. 

My favorite thing about my experience taking the Blueprint MCAT prep course was having a daily schedule that I could follow! It was so easy to see which videos I needed to watch each day which provided structure to my MCAT studying. 

Additionally, the videos were so engaging and broke down challenging topics in a way that made it easier for me to understand the concepts. I enjoyed watching videos on my own time, but also having the opportunity to meet with tutors synchronously when I needed help with certain areas. 

Blueprint helped me get the MCAT score that I needed to be a competitive applicant to my dream medical school programs! I do not think that I could have achieved the score that I did without a structured program that motivated me to study daily like Blueprint’s program did.

Staying Motivated Through the Med School Admissions Process

It was challenging to juggle all my responsibilities, including work, studying, and volunteering at the same time. There were definitely days when I felt like giving up, but I am so grateful to my mentors, family,  friends, and patients who supported me along the way and motivated me to keep going. 

I am so excited to begin my medical journey at the UCSD School of Medicine and hope to one day become an infectious disease physician or a primary care physician with an emphasis on infectious diseases! 

I’m also excited to be able to continue my passion for global health by serving global communities and potentially conducting research abroad.

Words of Advice for Premeds and Future Medical Students

The journey towards medical school can be very challenging with a lot of bumps along the way. My advice would be to constantly remind yourself of the reasons why you started this journey in the first place.

Think about the sparks that ignited your interest in medicine and do not let setbacks dim your fire. Look at everything as a learning opportunity and have a growth mindset.

Most importantly, take care of yourself along the way and have faith that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.

The MCAT is a massive test, but with a little motivation and an organized study schedule, you can reach your goal score with ease! Get started today by creating your own MCAT study schedule when you create a free Blueprint MCAT account!