I am going to be a doctor in USA | My NEET journey, State Rank 1 to USMLE

Summary

Dr. Rashi Mahajan shares her inspiring journey from aspiring medical student in India to matching into her dream Internal Medicine residency in the US. She discusses her early struggles, academic achievements, and the decision to pursue USMLE. Rashi's story highlights her dedication, the importance of hard work, and the value of following one's dreams, offering a motivational narrative for future medical professionals.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Rashi is a doctor from India who successfully matched into her dream residency in Internal Medicine in the US.
• 🌟 She credits her journey to the support of others and her own determination to achieve her goals.
• 📚 Rashi always had a strong desire to be a doctor and focused her education towards this goal from a young age.
• 🏆 Despite initial struggles, she excelled in her studies and topped her state in her 12th board exams.
• 🏥 Rashi chose to attend GMC Nagpur for medical college, which she considers one of her best decisions.
• 🧐 In medical college, she engaged in extracurricular activities and gained a broad educational experience.
• 🌐 She decided to pursue the USMLE to take advantage of global opportunities and further her medical education.
• 📈 Rashi found the USMLE process challenging but rewarding, noting the importance of perseverance.
• 📝 She emphasizes that the USMLE is a viable option for those considering it, even during final years of medical school.
• 🌉 Rashi completed her clinical electives in Chicago, which solidified her decision to pursue a career in the US.
• 🎯 After passing her USMLE steps, she successfully matched into a residency program, fulfilling a significant part of her journey.

Q & A

What was Rashi's initial struggle when she started preparing for medical college entrance exams?

Rashi's initial struggle was with physics, where she scored poorly in one of her early tests, which was unusual for her as she had never received a bad score before.

How did Rashi cope with the intense competition during her school years?

Rashi coped by dedicating herself to studying, waking up at 5:00 a.m., attending classes, studying, doing homework, and repeating this cycle. She filled numerous notebooks and solved many questions.

What was Rashi's score in her 12th board exams, and how did it place her regionally?

Rashi scored 97.8% in her 12th board exams, which was enough to top her city, region, and eventually the entire state of Maharashtra across all streams.

Which medical college did Rashi choose to attend and why?

Rashi chose to attend GMC Nagpur because it felt like home and she had zero regrets about her decision. It was her top choice of college.

What was Rashi's experience like during medical college?

During medical college, Rashi found subjects to be tough but interesting, made friends who became like family, traveled, participated in extracurriculars, and interacted with inspiring professors.

Why did Rashi decide to pursue the USMLE?

Rashi decided to pursue the USMLE because it offered world-class training, research opportunities, a license to practice almost anywhere in the world, and the possibility of unlimited fellowship opportunities.

How did Rashi prepare for her USMLE Step 1 exam?

Rashi prepared for her USMLE Step 1 exam during her final year of medical college and internship, which occupied most of her time. She found the process challenging both academically and personally.

What was Rashi's score on her USMLE Step 2 exam?

Rashi scored 265 on her USMLE Step 2 exam.

How did Rashi handle the interview process for her residency application?

Rashi prepared for her interviews by reaching out to programs and expressing her interest. She found the interview process to be one of her favorite parts, as it allowed her to interact with brilliant people in medicine.

What was Rashi's feeling when she found out she matched for her dream residency?

Rashi felt a mix of relief, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment when she found out she matched for her dream residency in internal medicine.

What is the purpose of Rashi's YouTube channel?

The purpose of Rashi's YouTube channel is to create a space where medical students who know nothing about the process can come to learn about exams, discuss the process, and get insights from her journey.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Journey to Medical College and USMLE

Rashi, an aspiring doctor from India, shares her journey from childhood dreams of becoming a doctor to preparing for the USMLE. She discusses her challenging academic path, including moving to a new city for higher education and the intense competition she faced. Rashi emphasizes the importance of hard work and determination, recounting her grueling study schedule and the emotional challenges she overcame. She also shares her success in achieving top marks in her 12th board exams and her entrance exam, which led to her admission into her dream medical college, GMC Nagpur.

05:02

🏆 Topping State Exams and College Life

Rashi recounts the surreal experience of discovering she had topped not just her city, but her entire state in the Maharashtra board exams. She expresses gratitude and joy at this achievement, which was a testament to her dedication and hard work. Rashi then delves into her enriching college life, where she engaged in extracurricular activities, made lifelong friends, and was inspired by her professors and peers. As her college years neared their end, she began to contemplate her next steps, which led her to consider the USMLE as a path to further her medical career.

10:03

🌐 Exploring USMLE and Preparing for Step 1

Rashi shares her decision-making process for choosing the USMLE, a path less commonly taken by her peers. She discusses her research and consultations with various individuals to understand the process better. Rashi found the prospect of world-class training, global practice opportunities, and the potential for further specialization appealing. She describes her preparation for Step 1 of the USMLE during her final year of medical school and internship, highlighting the academic rigor and personal growth she experienced.

15:06

📚 Step 2 Success and The Match Process

Rashi details her preparation and success in passing Step 2 of the USMLE, emphasizing the pressure and importance of achieving a good score. She then describes the application process for residency programs, including writing a personal statement and gathering letters of recommendation. Rashi discusses the interview season, her first experience with interviews, and the valuable connections she made. She shares the excitement and anxiety leading up to Match Day, when she found out she matched into her dream residency in internal medicine. Rashi also talks about her YouTube channel, which she created to document her journey and help others who are considering the USMLE and a career in medicine.

🌟 Reflections and Excitement for the Future

In her final paragraph, Rashi reflects on the entire application and match process, expressing her relief and happiness upon matching into her top choice for residency. She anticipates the start of her three-year program and becoming an MD in Internal Medicine. Rashi also shares her gratitude for the support she received and the messages from her audience, which motivate her to continue creating content. She looks forward to her next chapter as a resident in the US and the opportunity to inspire and assist others on their medical journeys.

Keywords

💡USMLE

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a series of exams that medical school graduates must pass to obtain a license to practice medicine in the United States. In the script, Rashi mentions her journey to prepare for and pass the USMLE, which is a critical step in her pursuit of a medical residency in the US. Her narrative emphasizes the importance of this exam for international medical graduates aiming to practice in the US.

💡Residency

Residency refers to the advanced medical training that takes place after medical school. It is a period during which doctors specialize in a particular field of medicine. Rashi's dream residency in internal medicine is a central theme of the video, and she discusses her preparation and eventual matching process for a residency program in the US.

💡Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Rashi's goal to specialize in internal medicine is a key part of her career aspirations, and she discusses her successful matching into a residency program in this field.

💡Medical College

Medical College refers to an institution that provides medical education. In the script, Rashi talks about her journey from getting into medical college to deciding to prepare for the USMLE. The medical college is where she laid the foundation for her medical career and where she began to consider her options post-graduation.

💡NEET

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is an entrance examination in India for students who wish to study undergraduate medical courses. Rashi mentions her preparation for NEET, which was a stepping stone for her to get into medical college and eventually pursue her dream of practicing medicine in the US.

💡Match

In the context of medical residency, 'match' refers to the process where medical students and graduates are selected for residency programs. Rashi describes the anxiety and excitement leading up to 'Match Day,' when she found out she had matched into her dream residency program.

💡Step 1 and Step 2

These refer to the first and second parts of the USMLE. Rashi discusses her preparation and the challenges she faced while studying for these exams, which are crucial for her to secure a residency position in the US. Passing these steps is necessary to prove her medical knowledge and competence.

💡Electives

Electives are specialized courses or rotations that medical students choose to take, often focusing on a particular area of interest. Rashi talks about doing her clinical electives in Chicago, which allowed her to experience the US medical system firsthand and solidify her decision to pursue a residency there.

💡Personal Statement

A personal statement is a written document that reflects a candidate's experiences, values, and aspirations. It is a key component of residency applications. Rashi mentions writing her personal statement as part of her application process for residency programs.

💡Interviews

Interviews are a part of the residency application process where candidates meet with program directors and other staff to discuss their qualifications and fit for the program. Rashi describes her experience with interviews, which was new to her as she came from a system where entrance was based solely on exam scores.

💡Adrenaline

Adrenaline, often used metaphorically, refers to the excitement or rush one feels when facing a challenge or engaging in an intense activity. Rashi mentions the adrenaline of taking on the USMLE exams and the thrill of facing new challenges, which motivated her throughout her journey.

Highlights

Introduction to Rashi's journey as a doctor from India pursuing USMLE

Rashi's dream to match into Internal Medicine residency in the US

The importance of early education choices for Rashi's medical career

Challenges faced during the transition to a new city and school

Rashi's strategy for overcoming academic struggles in school

The significance of determination and hard work in achieving academic goals

Rashi's experience with the competitive nature of medical entrance exams

The emotional impact of exam results on Rashi's life

Achieving top ranks in state exams and the subsequent media attention

Rashi's decision-making process for choosing a medical college

Memorable experiences during medical college and extracurricular activities

The introspection process leading to the decision to pursue USMLE

Rashi's approach to gathering information and preparing for USMLE

The challenges and growth experienced while preparing for Step 1

Rashi's experience as an international visiting medical student in the US

The importance of the electives in solidifying Rashi's career path

Preparation and success in passing Step 2 of the USMLE

The process of applying and preparing for residency interviews

Rashi's interview experiences and the value gained from them

The anticipation and outcome of Match Day 2024

Reflections on the journey and the creation of Rashi's YouTube channel

Rashi's excitement for the next chapter as a resident in the US

Transcripts

hello everyone I'm Rashi I'm a doctor

from India currently on my USM journey

to apply to my dream residency of

internal medicine in the US I mashed

into my dream residency of internal

medicine in the United States it's it's

been a dream come true for me and U

thank you so much for all your wishes

your support and being a part of my

journey so today I'm just going to talk

about all of my journey starting from

getting into say Medical College in

Medical College and then deciding to

prepare for usml and finally matching so

let's get started okay let's start from

the beginning so I've always wanted to

be a doctor and I cannot imagine like

I've never imagined myself as anything

else and um all of my school life I've

spent towards this goal somehow um

passed my 10th and um got like a 10 GPA

whatever and then move moved to a new

city a bigger city for my 11th and 12th

and basically my further education uh in

11th and 12th I picked physics chemistry

and biology as my subjects because I was

very sure that I wanted to pick medicine

moving forward this was probably one of

the most challenging times I've had in

my entire life the insane competition

just the transition from you know moving

from school to this and being placed

with so many students who are incredibly

smart and preparing for the same top 100

ranks as you is just crazy uh this was

back in

2014 so start with

preparing it was a struggle initially

especially with physics uh I still

remember it was one of the earlier tests

and I came home crying because I had

just gotten a terrible score and I had

not seen like a bad score in my entire

life but that just told me that okay

this journey is going to be tough these

couple of years will determine my life

at least a tangent of my life for the

next four or five years and um I want to

give it my all so I give it my all my

15-day work days began there woke up at

5:00 a.m. went to class ate in the car

came back went to another class then

studied did my homework slept and

repeated this cycle over and over and

over a dozen notebooks were filled too

many questions were solved all these

tests but I had this one thing that I

just want to be Dr Rashi Mahajan and

nothing else mattered and this was also

a time where I felt

like I didn't know how much I had in me

to give to something that I really

wanted but being placed in that sit

situation where you don't really have an

option I mean it is it is what it is you

just have to study I give it all more

than I had in me um and the score

started becoming better and better the

subjects started to see more familiar

physics became easier chemistry I could

finally remember how the P block works I

don't know it now but just generally I

knew how it works bio was always my

favorite so it was comfortable for me um

around you know the end of dece it was

like December is 2015 boards were just

around the corner and um I had to take a

break to start preparing for my boards

then and I still remember I had this

huge fight with my mom about you know

taking a break to start preparing for

boats because I'm like my goal is just

to get the best possible marks that I

can and get into my dream college and be

a doctor

but um reluctantly took a break prepared

for boards for like 12th boards and

wrote them the boards ended and the

exams went well but then the real prep

started neat and the entrance exam back

then that I Was preparing for called

msct it just makes me sound old I'm not

that old I promise but uh I started

preparing even more intensely as if that

was even possible for my entrance

I had around four or five 4ish months in

my hand to really you know consolidate

all of the work that I did over the last

2 years and gave it all did not I I

think I've been the most productive I

ever was in my entire life during that

period test after test every single day

every single question nothing was left

for the last minute and it was just

revision on revision on

revision come May 20 14 that's when uh

my neat was and also my m c the exam

that I Was preparing for the exams that

I Was preparing for for the past 2 years

and I want to say my entire life really

but um the exams were went well you know

nobody really prepares you

for how intense the experience is to sit

in an exam hall for 3 hours

and give it your all like I said but um

the anxiety was at Peak it's not easy no

matter and I've realized that no matter

how much you prepare for it nothing can

prepare you for the actual feeling of

giving the exam but so if you're going

through this or experience the

experiencing the same thing then you are

not alone I think everybody goes through

it it's very difficult and at that age

it's just a lot of

responsibility uh to have but uh

yeah tried to keep myself as

level-headed as possible went into the

exam Hall and I still like get

goosebumps when I think of that feeling

um exam was smooth I came back and I

cried more because I just felt like I

could have done better and uh nothing

days passed anxiously waiting for the

result but uh a few weeks later the

result came first the board's results

and the most unexpected thing happened I

opened my result the site is slow per

usual which is just so annoying because

you know that your result is here but

the SL site just won't open anyway I

opened the site and I read my result

it's

97.8% I'm like okay great I had gotten

like a 97.2 in my 10th so I'm like okay

that's an upgrade and I go about my day

slowly slowly the call started pouring

in and I realized that I might have

topped my city and then I realized I to

might have topped my region and then by

the end of the day You' realize that I

might have actually topped the entire

state of Maharashtra across all streams

and uh it was it was Unreal I I I was so

grateful extremely happy and it was just

the experience of a lifetime to

interview with like newspapers and talk

about my journey my struggles and just

you know the the part the process the

entire process and um it was it was

amazing it was an amazing experience

going through that experience made

me believe in the fact that if you put

in enough work enough heart into

anything you know it's doable it is

doable

um a few days later the entrance result

results came in I got like a double

digit state rank and I was happy that I

would get into the medical college that

I dreamt of going to my top choice of

college which was GMC nagpur it was home

it always felt like home and um I have

zero regrets of picking my college it

was the best experience of my entire

life and uh I am just happy that 18

years old Rashi chose to go to GMC and

it every decision you take I know that

it is a very big decision to take but

every decision you take has its pros and

cons but GMC nakur just felt like the

perfect decision for me and then Medical

College started things rolled around

subjects were tough interesting friends

became family I traveled a lot I did a

lot of extracurriculars that I kind of

missed out on since the past 2 or three

years with the whole competitive exam

scene I got to take part in quizzes win

quizzes become friends with new people

meet the most amazing smart professors

work with these incredible people and uh

it it's been a very inspiring experience

overall but around say final year I

started to think about and really

evaluate and introspect about what I

wanted to do after this because as much

as college is fun it's it's not for

forever and I could see that okay it's

ending and I need to think of something

that would be the perfect fit for me

going moving forward career-wise like

professionally and um USMLE is not the

commonest option that people in my

college and my city pick so I did not

even consider it in the beginning but

then the more I read about it the more I

talk to people about it I just contacted

everybody left right center people who

are even remotely associated with it

people who are like friends of friends

distant relatives just everybody to get

to know about this process and

understand how it all works um and the

more I delve deeper into it I just

realized that it was the right decision

for me it was seeming like it had

everything that I was really expecting

for the next part of my journey amazing

worldclass training research

opportunities having a license to

practice almost anywhere in the world 3

years of MD in the US and I would be bo

certified and I could practice

practically anywhere in the world that

possibility was something that I just

found very exciting the opportunities

for Fellowship it was just Limitless and

I felt like it was a challenge that I

wanted to take up I had gotten a little

too comfortable in medical college so I

was missing the adrenaline of again

writing a big exam and then I started

preparing for my step one but the sole

process took up pretty much all of my

final year and during my internship is

when I started preparing So for anybody

who's you know still undecided or maybe

in the final year or internship and

still considering USMLE I just want to

say that it is doable I mean it is

always an option if that is something

that you feel is your calling I think it

is worth worth pursuing it's never too

late so internship rolled around and I

started

preparing I gave my step one towards the

end of my internship so uh 2022 summer

is when my internship was like ending

and then I also gave my step one it was

definitely a very challenging experience

academically and it made me push myself

once again and I felt like um

15-year-old Rashi again learning to

adapt to like a new thought process and

new set of questions is always always a

challenge getting used to Step One the

type of questions like this big

questions and like more than four

options to choose from the endless

syllabus and the way the questions were

framed and how they were rarely even

ever memory based I felt like my my fire

for you know that adrenaline exams

medicine everything was just reignited

and I it was an amazing experience it

was stressful yes but it was really

amazing and I felt like it it made me

grow as a person overall so after I

finished my step one the next step was

going for my electives uh Co was still

around and there were a lot of travel

restrictions but I was very fortunate to

get into a very good University and go

there over the summer as um

International visiting medical student

and that's uh that was in Chicago and

that's where I did my clinical electives

doing my electives during my electives I

really got to see and experience the

system firsthand see the day-to-day life

of residents experience the EMR and you

know how their day-to-day interactions

work how my life would look as a

resident as a fellow and then an

attending and it reinforced and again

told me that this is the right direction

for me and this would be the right fit

for me came back from my electives and

started preparing for step two right

away I was doing more things on the side

working research just a bunch of

extracurriculars on the side as well

then in uh summer of

2023 I gave my step two now with step

one going pass and fail step two def

definitely became the most important

exam and uh if you are very new to this

process you might not know that you

cannot just repeat and repeat your steps

so if you get a bad score in a step that

is basically just stuck with you for 7

years and only after 7 years you can

retake the exam and that is a tremendous

amount of pressure to have to just ace

an exam in one go and um just first pass

it in one go and then as an exam in one

go those 12-hour work days returned uh

so I passed my step two got my score I

scored at

265 I was very very happy with my score

treated myself to a little holiday

because I just desperately needed a

break and then came back from my holiday

and started preparing for my

applications um the way this whole

system work is You in September every

year you apply to colleges and hospitals

for your PG like your md and then you

have to put together your application

you write your personal statement you

write your application itself you get

your letters of recommendation and um

put it all together and send it and the

programs review it holistically put they

look at your entire application your

academics your scores your

extracurriculars and just your

personality overall and then they send

you interviews interview season starts

in around October so October 2023 is

when it started for me I started getting

interview invites in October and um it

was a very anxious time I would say

because once you you submit the

applications it's pretty much

all that you can do you can definitely

reach out to programs letting them know

that you're very interested in them and

I did that I started preparing for my

interviews now being like raised in

Indian system I had never ever given an

interview in my entire life I just knew

to get into colleges you had to give an

exam get a score and based on your score

you just get in but system is not like

that in the US you get interviewed and

the way interviews work are since Co

they've become virtual so programs send

you invites and then you get one-on-one

interviews with the Le program

leadership so the program director

associate program directors and the

faculty the chief residents the program

coordinator sometimes and you also get

to interact with the residents and when

you're done with all of that and you do

all that so that you get a feel for the

program you get the vibe of the program

and the program uh gets to know you

better and uh the questions and

interviews are very interesting they are

not academic and I think the interview

process was probably one of my favorite

parts of the entire process I got to

meet and interact with amazing amazing

brilliant people in medicine and talk

about medicine patients life life

outside medicine and um it was a great

experience I got to learn a lot from

every single person that I talk to and

after every single interview I would

just be like in awe of the people that I

had just met interview season went on

till January and uh once that was done

it was just pretty much wait and watch

till March March is when we get our

results 11th of March 2024 was match day

so on Match Day you find out if you've

matched which means that if you got

selected for a PG position and uh March

11 2024 I remember

7:27 p.m. Indian Standard time I opened

this I got this email and I was just too

scared to look at it but I got a

notification I said congratulations

and I don't know

I it's it was a feeling of relief

happiness and just knowing that all of

my life's

work finally meant that I was getting

into my dream residency of internal

medicine it was still a a little bit of

wait till the Friday of that same week

to find out where I was going to go but

uh I was very fortunate and I feel so

grateful to have matched into one of my

top programs even during my interview I

I got along so well with everybody and

everybody seemed so warm and welcoming

and uh yeah I read the email and ever

since life has just felt unreal I'm very

excited to start this next chapter it's

a three-year program so by the end of

three years uh I will become like an MD

in Internal Medicine which is the

equivalent in India as well and another

amazing thing that came out of this

entire process is this YouTube

channel all throughout my med school I

just felt like I didn't know enough

about the process and I didn't even know

that it was a possibility for just

normal people and that it is doable but

having gone through the process

having struggled a little bit made

mistakes which would have been avoided

completely had I known better uh I feel

like I wanted to create a space where

people and met students who basically

know nothing can just come here we can

talk about exams we can talk about the

process we can you know discuss every

single thing I can document my journey

and this hopefully helps anybody who's

uh who wants to make a decision to

pursue us a mil and then uh pursue the

EMES and consequently train in the US um

and I and I am so grateful to even have

this opportunity and to receive all your

messages and emails and comments on my

videos and my post saying that okay

something that you've you are doing is

helping us and that is really all I want

to hear and all I want to know so yeah

I'm very excited for the next chapter I

am so excited that the next time I'm

going to film a video it's going to be

as a resident and from the US so bye-bye