Women Crushing It Wednesday is back with another phenomenal woman! Adrienne is a MD/PhD student who is also a mother to 3 children. She’s absolutely amazing and does so much, all while getting her MD/PhD. Hope you enjoy reading!
1) Tell me a bit about yourself.
When I was 8 I decided I wanted to be a doctor. The adults that I interacted with regularly reinforced that dream. But at 17, I had no idea how to accomplish my goal. After I graduated from high school, I joined the Army. I ended up serving for ten years. I also met my husband and had two of our children. In 2013, I decided to separate because I felt that I could no longer grow my career; but I still had the dream to pursue medicine. I went back to school after more than 10 years out of the classroom and pregnant with my third child. I graduated in 2016 from Augusta University with a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology and Chemistry and I started an MD/PhD program at University of Maryland that fall. I have currently completed two years of medical school and have started my PhD program.
2) Favorite food? Movie? TV show? Book?
Soul food; Fifth Element; The Office and Scrubs; Jane Eyre
3) Why medicine?
I read Gifted Hands when I was 8 and fell in love. I admired the fact that someone that grew up like me could rise and become the most world-renowned neurosurgeon. I also loved the description of the surgery separating the conjoined twins. I love thinking of people in two ways: the intricate balance that keeps them alive and the personality and life that makes them who they are.
4) Tell me about your family/spouse. How have they supported you through school/work?
There’s no way that I would have made it through this process without my husband. He supports everything that I’m doing. He’ll help with the kids, he’s taken over some of my household responsibilities, and most importantly he’s motivated me throughout this madness called medical school. We have three children that we homeschool, and Steven takes the brunt of that.
5) How do you balance home-work life?
Very poorly. I always think that I am failing somewhere. I feel like it’s a never ending balancing game. A lot of people think of it as two sides of a scale, where one side is work and one side is home. I think of it as a top, a circle resting on a point. Lean too far in any direction, the whole thing falls. There’s more to life than just work and home. There’s friends, extended family, obligations, volunteering, making sure your kid are happy, making sure your husband is happy, making sure you have a roof over your head, etc. I take it one day, sometimes one hour, at a time.
6) How has your experience as a non-traditional premed student helped you in school/work?
I have experience with being a coworker, especially in an intense environment. I have experience as a leader, encouraging many different people to accomplish one goal. I’ve survived adversity that most of my classmates have not had to encounter. I use these things to motivate myself and others to continue in this education marathon.
7) What is a typical day like for you?
In med school: Wake up at 6, get dressed, leave for school by 7. Mandatory class from 8-10, lecture from 10-12. Lunch, study from 1-5, go home, hang out with kids from 6-8. More studying until I fall asleep.
Grad school: Who knows, I’m still figuring this out. I’ve been going in every day but only for about 4 hours or so.
8) My friends and I talk a lot about finding the right time to have a family while being involved in medicine. What advice would you give pre-med students/medical students hoping to have a family soon?
There’s no such thing as a “good time.” There are times that are arguably worse but there is no perfect time. There’s always going to be something; it’s a big decision and there are many reasons to say no. I honestly think you should have the child after consideration of finances. You will need someone to take care of your child, especially if your partner works – and daycare is expensive. Everything else will work out, but childcare is a huge hurdle.
9) What are some experiences you had that stood out on your application?
I was a veteran, a mom, URM, research for 2 years, tutor and TA, and worked in the VA office on campus. Everyone shadows, volunteers, has good grades, etc. It’s about what you bring to the table that would improve your med school class.
10) Do you have any advice regarding studying, the MCAT, applying to schools?
I took the new MCAT the first year that it was available, and I took it without a biochem class. TAKE BIOCHEM FIRST! I believe I would have done much better if I had. I know that there are programs and study guides out there, but all I had access to was ExamCrackers, because that is what my VA office purchased for veterans to borrow. Something that I can’t say enough about is the fee assistance program. It is the reason why I am in medical school today. If you are at a financial disadvantage for applying, go on the AAMC website and look into this program. I was able to apply to 15 schools without fee, took the MCAT at half price, and some schools waived their secondary fee if you qualify for this program. Otherwise, the advice is standard: apply early, have lots of eyes on your personal statement, have good LORs. One thing I did do: once I had my essay corrected for grammatical errors, I would ask people to give me three adjectives that would describe the person that wrote the statement. If their adjectives didn’t match what I wanted to portray, I had to address the tone of my statement.
11) Finally, what is the best advice you were given as a pre-med student?
I was selected as a Tillman Scholar in 2014 (please visit pattillmanfoundation.com for more info), and, among other things, I gained access to dozens of medical students in all phases of the process. One thing that they told me was not to limit myself. Don’t think that you can’t apply to certain schools because you think they will turn you down. I wouldn’t be in the program I’m in at the school that I am if I continued to think that way. You never know what opportunities are out there if you don’t approach them.
Thanks for the interview, Adrienne! You’re truly an amazing person! How do you do it all? Follow my blog for more inspirational interviews with women like Adrienne! Keep going and remember,
Thanks for visiting my blog! Be sure to check out my other posts. More to come soon! Until then be kind and remember tomorrow depends on what you do today. Hope you enjoyed reading! — Taylor ❤
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