UNTHSC Online Medical Science

Hi y'all! My name is Kimberly Wood. I am a current student, aspiring to be a physician. I live in the DFW area, so you can often find me at the UNTHSC library or hiking trails with my dog, Rue. 

I actually applied to the in-person and online Med Sci program last year in 2021 after graduating from Texas A&M with my B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, but I got rejected. This was pretty hard for me, since I was so excited to put my mistakes behind from undergrad and continue to develop my academics for my medical school applications. During this time, I decided to work at a home health company in an administrative role. I had been working in the clinical setting all throughout college, so I was ready to try out the nine-to-five lifestyle. Long story short: I hated it. 

During my year of administrative work, I would pick up shifts on the weekends at an assisted living facility that I had worked at since the COVID pandemic first broke out. I missed talking to my residents and being involved in their care at a hands-on level, rather than from behind a desk. That year I felt like I was not doing anything to develop my application, but I believe I needed that year to grow and get my priorities straight. I decided to reapply to the online Med Sci program, and I got in! Getting into the program opened the door for a second chance to prove to the admissions committees that I had what it takes to become a doctor. 

When fall came around, we hit the ground running. We started with biochemistry, a class I got a D in during undergrad. I had this problem during undergrad with putting too much on my plate. I held leadership positions in two major organizations, worked two jobs, picked up a minor in public health, and studied one of the more intense majors on campus. I didn't want to have this same issue with what could be my only shot at proving I have what it takes to be a medical student. Therefore, to avoid making another D in biochemistry, I decided to work minimal shifts at my job to keep getting clinical experience and put my studies first. It worked well for me! I ended up making an A in biochem. I continued to apply this discipline with my other courses, and it ended in my favor.

Now approaching the tail end of my graduate program, I am happy to say that I did give it my best shot and did a lot of growing. The last stretch is to get a good score on my MCAT and finish up my courses so I am eligible for graduation in August. I feel like this program did a lot of great things for me besides just learning more about science. I was able to develop time management skills to stay on top of my classes, set boundaries with my extracurriculars, and balance my social life and school life. By planning ahead, I was able to keep an eye on rough weeks when I had many assignments and still say yes to nights when I needed a mental health break. I am really grateful for the opportunity that this program has given me and the maturing that I was able to do during the program. Now, I have to finish up my applications and hope for the best.