I know it sounds strange to say, but I am so incredibly proud of myself for getting my secondaries submitted, even if they are a little late. I was 2 weeks late to my primary and didn't receive any secondaries until August 4th. I was unable to do much in the way of prewriting due to an unfortunate car accident my father was in and complications of my research and volunteering positions outside of my control. Unfortunately for me, the day I was verified happened to be the day two members of my family suddenly passed. Secondaries took a backseat because of this as I attended two funerals over the course of a week. I began working on my secondaries the second week of August and managed to get a couple submitted before another tragedy struck. Again, I was somehow unlucky to be in one minor car accident in one week, then a major one the next week where my car is now totaled. I managed to continue working full time as a medical scribe throughout all of this, volunteer on weekends, and occasionally enter data for my lab. I have worked so hard to keep up, and although secondaries were put on hold for a little bit I am finally able to get back to work.

All of this is to say I am so proud of myself for continuing to push through and write secondaries at all. This month has tested me in ways I cannot explain and I hope this cycle goes well despite my rather late start. I also hope this post comes as inspiration for other applicants going through really difficult times while applying. We are stronger than we think and we can push through to make our dreams a reality.