A Hurdle in the Race

Every race contains hurdles and the pathway to the the finish lines in never clear, but rising above the hurdles holds utmost importance. Take risks and strive for the best!

Weekly Report 10/02/2017 to 10/08/2017

This past week began with the Business Symposium which was a great combination of exposure the field of professionalism and learn the basics of interviews. The whole symposium was an outlet to gain exposure a more narrow insight into the basics of professionalism. Not only were we required to shake hands with professional, but we also received feedback on our resumes. The primary portion that was pointed out as something that could be built on in the resume was to be more elaborate on what the awards are rather than using up space on “relevant coursework” or “skills” which seemed to have no substance to the overall resume. The professional said to minimize the portions that were not as relevant and to elaborate on areas such as Girl Scouts, or musical competitions, in my case. Personally, both interviews went very well and although it was nerve wracking to begin with, it soon transitioned into a back and forth conversation rather than something that was intimidating. In addition, the alumni also helped in gaining insight as they were people who were relatable and had graduated under the same circumstances. Through the symposium, I was able to connect with an alumni by obtaining her contact info as she was an ISM student who also studied neurosurgery during ISM II and got accepted into a BS/MD program known as UT-PACT. This connection was largely helpful in that is essentially my goal also in terms of getting into college.

Furthermore, this past week was the beginning of cold calling in which five neurosurgeons were called and asked if they would be willing to participate in a brief interview. This was the biggest hurdle this past week as most neurosurgeons are constantly in surgery or do not have the time to mentor a high school student. A few “no’s” were received but most of the time the receptionist took down name and numbers in order call back later. However, many of them didn't call back so this following week will be used to call back these professionals in order to get an answer. The goal is to stay persistent and going into the field of neurosurgery, I was aware of the difficulty that would be faced in obtaining interviews and mentors; however, with more and more calls I am sure someone will come through. This following week will be spent making as many calls as possible in order to obtain five interviews at least. The goal is to essentially get as many interviews as possible this week and begin setting times and dates for interviews.

Overall, it is evident that obstacles will come and go, but as of now it is important to make me goal clear and stay consistent in achieving it. It will take a lot of work and a lot of calls to obtain a doctor that would be willing to mentor or even do an interview, but staying determines will help me combat this.