Margaret McCarthy
Georgetown School of Medicine MD Candidate 2018
I was born and raised in Southeastern CT, and graduated from Ledyard High School in 2007. I graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2011 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. It was during my time as an intern in Washington, D.C., working on earthquake relief efforts in 2010, when I realized I was in the wrong career. As much as I enjoyed what I was doing in policy and government, I did not want to be in D.C. “directing traffic.” I wanted to be on the decks of the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship steaming into port in Haiti filled with doctors and nurses, beds, and supplies. A string of experiences in healthcare had lead to this moment, but it was the contrast I experienced sitting in Washington, which led me to return to school for a career in medicine.
Choosing to return to the Post Baccalaureate Program was not an easy choice, but selecting the Post Baccalaureate Program at UConn was very easy: the affordability, connections to UConn Health Center and UConn School of Medicine, and the small size of the program made it the most attractive Post Baccalaureate Program on the market. During the program, I made a sincere effort to get to know professors, to volunteer in healthcare, and to do research at a local hospital. Because I knew that I would pursue the military’s Health Professions Scholarship Program, I chose to take a glide year rather than transition directly to UConn School of Medicine. During the glide year, I found work in clinical research, considered many medical schools, and took the time to travel.
During the month of September of my glide year—just after submitting my applications but prior to interviews—I traveled to volunteer in a clinic laboratory processing blood and urine samples in Arusha, Tanzania. It was one of the most life-changing experiences, and I would recommend a glide year for the opportunity to do something like this alone. But my time spent in clinical research in cardiology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine has also been incredibly valuable. I’ve been exposed to everything from bench work to clinic scheduling to electronic medical records, which I think will give me a bit of a jump start when it comes to clerkship and clinical experiences in schools.
Next year I will join the Georgetown School of Medicine’s Class of 2018. I will also be a part of the U.S. Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program. Though I certainly took a roundabout route to medical school, I have enjoyed each of the experiences I’ve had so far including my semesters in the Post Baccalaureate Program at UConn, and collectively they have begun to define the trajectory my career in medicine will take.