Cinderblock Dream: Medical School Flew By

It's been a big year for our little family! I know I've said this several times, but all of Jeff's hard work has paid off. Jeff applied to medical school a year before we met and unfortunately wasn't able to get in (I always tell him, it's because we were supposed to meet and if he had gone off to some medical school somewhere else, we wouldn't know each other). Jeff says he didn't do that great on the MCAT and was discouraged from the first year of applying, so we put all of our eggs in one basket for round two of applying and got put on the waiting list at the U.

After being put on the waiting list he thought there was no way he was going to get in, and we made a backup plan. He decided he was going to take the GMAT and apply for business school, after business school he would take the MCAT again and apply for medical school for the third time. He studied for a week, took the GMAT and ended up scoring in the 95th percentile. We were ecstatic and it helped boost his spirits since med school didn't seem to be working out. We applied to several different business programs and ended up getting a scholarship to Texas Tech in Lubbock. I found us an apartment and put a deposit down to hold our spot and we were set to go to Lubbock once we returned from our honeymoon.

When we got back from our honeymoon we found a letter from the University of Utah saying we had been accepted into their medical school program. We were jumping up and down, crying, screaming, hugging - it was probably one of the most exciting moments of our lives. We cancelled everything in Texas and found our first apartment in the University Village. Jeff worked hard his four years of medical school (but who doesn't?). He studied like a mad man for step 1 - a huge exam that essentially tests you on everything you should know as a doctor. He would study everywhere and what seemed like every waking minute for several months. The wives would take turns making meals and bringing them up to the school - I say take turns, but really Kate Stoker fed Jeff more than I actually fed him, Thank you Kate! We didn't spend much time together, but I knew it was going to be that way and I wanted him to succeed. When things got hard, we always thanked our Heavenly Father for helping us get into medical school and remembered the rush of happiness we felt when we found out he had gotten in. Jeff took step 1 and his test score exceeded his expectations.

He worked hard year three and managed to honor his third year, and did well on step 2 and the other exams he had taken. Year four seemed to be filled solely of interviews and I wouldn't see Jeff for weeks at a time. He spent months and months trying to perfect his personal statement and application. He applied to a ton of programs and got interviews to places we had only dreamed about. Every time he got an interview he would call me or email it to me and I would be overwhelmed with joy and felt like crying every time. I was so happy for him, for us, and couldn't believe what was happening.

Match day came and we got our number one picks for both residency and the transitional year. On May 25th, he graduated from the University of Utah's medical school in the top 15% of his class. I am so proud of him.We are so grateful for everything that has happened and feel so blessed. He probably won't be very happy that I'm not being very humble right now, but going from thinking we weren't going to be able to get into medical school, to graduating in the top 15% - I have to brag about his accomplishments! Congratulations Jeff! We did it!