M1 at Washington University in St. Louis

Favour Onose Garuba

1 Gap Year

International Student

Underrepresented in Medicine

TL;DR

International student from Nigeria.
Grew up in a disadvantaged community.
Worked as an educational lab technician and a pharmacy technician during my gap year.
Decision to become a physician was inspired by father, who served as a physician in the Nigerian Air Force.
Application profile is non-traditional.

Update: FEB 2021

On September 11, 2020, after a challenging year, I officially received my white coat. That day was one of the most joyous days of my past year. Most of my exuberance originated from the satisfaction of becoming a medical student against all the obstacles I encountered last year. I am one step closer to my dream of becoming a physician who can positively impact patients and the communities I serve, and it is time for the next phase of my journey. Soon after orientation, I found myself in classes where I learn information that is pertinent to helping my future patients. I absolutely love it. The idea that whatever I am learning in class could help me save a life or promote health in my community gives me a peculiar sense of joy and comfort. However, at the same time, I often feel severely overwhelmed. My school’s curriculum is quite different from the traditional medical school curriculum. We no longer have a block of time to learn about anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and so on. We learn all these subjects in an integrated manner as it relates to each organ system or field of medicine. I now have to learn and assimilate a tremendous amount of information in a relatively short amount of time. Soon after, I noticed myself falling behind on classes. As a woman who always strives to be competent, I started to experience identity crisis and imposter syndrome. I have never felt so inadequate in my life. With everything that was going on in my life and the world, there were days that I could not work because I was not in the right mental space. On the days that I could, I worked hard to make up the work. Eventually, we had our first module exam. It was very challenging, but when it was over, I was happy to be done. Soon after, we received our scores: I passed.

Immediately after my first module, I chose to reflect on my experiences. I specifically pondered on what caused most of my stress and anxiety. First, I noticed that I was not confident about my study habits. Second, I realized that I was not taking care of myself as much as I intended to when I started medical school. After my reflection, I decided to do two things. First, I chose to treat myself with grace. Being a medical student is an entirely new experience to me. I am not going to figure it out immediately. Proper adjustment to my new reality will require consistent reflection and intentionality to discover what works best for me. Second, I decided to always put myself first no matter what. As I write this, I remember reading a book that emphasized that the product is only as good as the machine that produces it. If I am not well taken care of, everything else in my life will be negatively affected. So, I wrote out aspects of my life that are important to me, and I make sure that I schedule non-negotiable time for them. For example, connecting with family and friends is essential for my social, mental, and emotional wellbeing. My medical school friends and I have made it a habit to explore places to eat in St. Louis. We also create time to unwind and relax by taking walks through Forest Park, watching shows and movies, and playing games. I try to schedule a non-negotiable time to talk to my family and friends from home as well. I am an international student from Nigeria, and I have not seen my family (aside from my mom) for more than five years. Making sure that I’m keeping my connection with them is indispensable. I am also learning to connect more with my phenomenal classmates. No matter what I am currently experiencing, I am not alone. I have all these social support systems to remind myself of that and to receive strength and encouragement when I have none. These are the lessons that I hope to carry forward as I forge ahead in my journey to accomplishing my dream of promoting health in my community. Honestly, I am still working on incorporating these lessons. However, I am confident that with each attempt, I am becoming my better self every day.

The challenges I faced didn’t stop at connecting with family. Maintaining a relationship during medical school has been more challenging than anticipated. I found myself falling behind on texts, becoming anxious about not communicating as well, stressing about my school work, and then further falling behind on texts. I’ve been dating my girlfriend since I was a junior in college, and we’ve managed to coordinate college and long-distance schedules across different time zones for years with little to no problems. However, I’ve found the intermediate distance between us (~40-minute car ride) more difficult to manage than long distance. There’s an implicit pressure that we should be seeing each other in person way more frequently. I found that communicating this feeling with her and defining our expectations were two strategies that really helped lessen my anxiety. We worked together to create a rough visiting schedule that balanced the demands of school with trying to see each other as frequently as possible.

Background

Hey guys! My name is Favour Onose Garuba. I am 22 years old and I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. My dad inspired my decision to become a physician. He spent a lengthy segment of his life dedicating his medical services to the Air Force officers of our country. I always admired his courage, confidence, and service to our community. He is also the primary caretaker of the health and wellbeing for my family. For me, it was fascinating to watch him configure the reasons behind our sicknesses while offering solutions to help us feel better. Sometimes, I would try to mimic him by attempting to do the same for my siblings whenever my dad was not around. Often, I would run simple diagnostics, like tracing stomach aches to their last meal. For this reason, my mom never stopped reminding me of how much I resembled my dad and speculated that I would most likely become a physician like him. In elementary school, when anyone asked me what I wanted to be in the future, I replied, “a medical doctor, like my dad.”

However, I was one of the rare lucky ones who had both parents working as health care professionals that served as primary care providers for the family. For most individuals that lived in my community, health care was and still is a luxury. Lagos is one of the most populated states in Nigeria. The area is not adequately served by health care professionals, and there is a lack of facilities and equipment to sufficiently support the health and wellbeing of the members of the society. My younger self often felt disheartened when my family drove through the streets of Lagos. Nevertheless, I decided in my heart to become the kind of doctor that will transform disadvantaged communities such as mine.

High School

Albeit, at that point in my life, I was not sure that I wanted to become a physician. Nigerian parents are well-known for coercing their children into prestigious careers such as medicine, law, and engineering. Pursuing career options outside of these three were utterly frowned upon. I intended to confirm that studying medicine is what I wanted to do. In high school, we had a few career events that exposed me to more career options. During these events, I reconsidered my resolve to study medicine, mostly because my classmates kept teasing me about how taxing medical school will be. However, it was also during this time that I observed my love for learning about the intricate and delicate systems of the human body. Then, I spent almost all my free time at the library studying medical related books. Even during the summer, I would read my dad’s medical books whenever I found them lying around the house. I always thought to myself how cool it was to learn about the inner workings of the human body and how to determine solutions when there is an abnormality. It was at this point that my desire to become a physician was validated and fortified. I decided to apply to colleges in America, where I believed I would receive a world-class education to become the best physician that I could be. This decision is one of the best that I ever made.

Nonetheless, the path to commencing my undergraduate journey in the United States had its challenges. Initially, I had to convince my parents to permit me to take the SATs. I had to involve one of my teachers in this process. Eventually, we convinced my parents to allow me to take the exam. They were able to pay for my registration fees but not the materials that I needed to prepare for the exam. I borrowed materials from my friends and utilized any free time that I had to study; most of that time was after midnight when the power generator was off. I used a torchlight to study in the dark. The late nights paid off eventually; I wrote the exam, and I passed. I applied to Rutgers University, and I was accepted.

Nevertheless, with the fantastic news of my acceptance came sad news. I was not awarded a scholarship and was required to pay about $30,000 a year, which my parents could not afford. My mom decided to sell off her assets because she trusted that I could excel in my first semester and compel the school to sponsor my education. We also had to pool resources from my relatives. After compiling our funds, we sent the financial documents to Rutgers through the Nigerian post office, but they never received it. I was not surprised due to the corruption that is rampant in my country. Due to a lack of documentation, my admissions counselor informed me that it would be impossible for me to join the University for that semester. I was despondent, primarily because of all the sacrifices that my relatives had made. My parents were discouraged. Some of my siblings and friends advised me to give up. They said that attending an American University will be unattainable for me. Despite these, I kept reminding everyone around me and myself that all things are possible. I utilized my extra time at home to assist my mom with her businesses and reapplied to Rutgers University and Caldwell University. Just when my parents and I were about to give up. I received an email from Caldwell University that they have accepted my application with a $20,000 scholarship offer. I was thrilled. That was one of the best news I ever received. I am glad that I was tenacious. I mention this story because no matter what we do or plan to do, life will often greet us with disappointments, failures, or delays, but these do not have to be the end of your story; all you have to do is never give up.

UNDERGRAD

The first thing I learned when I initiated my premed experience at Caldwell University was that the road to MD is significantly different. In Nigeria, all high school students took multiple exams to prove their ability to handle the challenging MD curriculum. Students would have to score above a particular score, which was difficult to attain. Medical programs do not admit students who cannot achieve the score minimum. Instead, schools direct the students to other fields with no consideration for personal characteristics or experiences that could make these individuals competent doctors. So, when I arrived in the United States, my immediate focus was my grades. My parents’ voices continued to ring in my ears, imploring me to pursue after excellence. It was strenuous to achieve this, but I embraced the opportunity to utilize the resources that were available to me. My most challenging class during my first semester was College Writing because I adopted the British style of writing in Nigeria. I was fortunate to have a professor who went above and beyond to tutor me and help me increase my writing efficiency. Most of my classes in that semester were writing-intensive, so this was very crucial. I walked over to the tutoring center and found tutors to help me out in my problem areas, and I eventually began to adjust to the system.

Favour Garuba - Health Professionals Clu

Once I adapted and started to achieve my goal GPA, I became complacent. I thought the American medical education system was like Nigeria’s where grades are all that matter. Eventually, I discovered that I was mistaken when I became part of the Health Professional Club at my university and met an extraordinary professor who is now my mentor. She taught me an essential lesson that transformed my learning experience; Grades are simply not all that matter. After reflecting on my conversations with her, I learned that I was studying for grades. She taught me that studying to learn is more efficient. After I discovered this and adjusted my study methods, my exam anxiety decreased and my

performance on exams increased. I also started to venture out to pursue learning experiences outside of the classroom. Through the Health Professionals Club, I began to engage in community service by volunteering at the New Jersey Food Bank and collecting food items to donate to local food pantries. It was also through my mentor that I came across the idea of participating in research. At first, I was averse to pursuing research, but she convinced me by explaining how essential research is to the medical field. She also informed me that I could gain valuable skills through a research experience. After considering her advice, I chose to execute an independent project to determine the efficacy of specific essential oils against harmful oral bacteria. Through this experience, I learned that basic science research is not one of my interests. However, I was happy to learn varied skills and the ability to remain disciplined and focused to achieve a specific goal. Also, I am appreciative of the time that I spent at Caldwell University’s Center for Autism as a behavioral analyst intern. My experience at the center was spectacular. I worked with a team of graduate students to execute programs and interventions that aid individuals with autism gain efficient skills to improve their daily functioning. I enjoyed building my communication and collaboration skills in such a distinct clinical environment.

Another important lesson I learned during my undergrad was how to manage my time efficiently. Towards my Sophomore year, it was quite difficult for me to keep up with my tuition payment plan because my college increased tuition, and my country's economy continued to worsen over time. To help with my fee payments, I had to work multiple on-campus jobs. I started as a peer tutor and began to work as an accounting clerk at my school’s accounting department. Working two jobs, volunteering, serving as a student leader, and undertaking higher-level science courses was burdensome. There were times when I felt severely overwhelmed, but the thought of my family’s sacrifices and contributions to my education kept me working hard. I also believed that knowing how to manage my time efficiently would be beneficial for me as a medical student. I was happy that I learned this skill because it helped me during my MCAT prep.

I decided to register and prepare for my MCAT during my Junior year. My school did not offer the best pre-health professional mentoring, but one aspect I was grateful for was the annual Kaplan Prep Scholarship. As the recipient of the scholarship in my class, Kaplan granted me access to an MCAT Prep course that would have cost me about $3,000. I started light studying during the Christmas holiday and began my prep course at the start of the Spring semester. At first, I was able to keep up with my prep class, but once my college classes became more intense, it became more challenging to do so. It was not until the end of the semester that I started my dedicated MCAT study period. I studied dedicatedly for one month and a half. I wrote my exam on a Saturday. At the beginning of the week of my exam, I felt unprepared because I had not completed my content study and had not practiced enough, but my mum encouraged me to give the exam a try. I was nervous on the day of my exam and cried after my first session. I was tempted to hit the void button after I completed my exam, but I heard my mum’s voice reminding me to give myself a chance and trust that all my studying would count for something. So, I submitted my exam and relaxed for the remainder of the month. One month later, I got my score and learned that I passed. I was delighted and excited to commence applications.

Applications were challenging for me because I could not afford to apply to many schools. So, I had to intensely research each medical school I was interested in to ensure that my final list of schools included those that accept international students and can support them. Out of the nine schools in my final list, I completed seven secondaries. I received one interview invitation from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (SOM). Later in the year, I received my acceptance call. I vividly remember how I felt. I was almost speechless. I smiled intensely with so much joy that I had a mild headache. I was exhilarated to have the opportunity to attend my top choice medical school.

Gap year

Getting accepted was half the battle; the second part was fulfilling the international student requirement. Most medical schools in the United States require their international students to possess the means to support themselves for the course of their medical education before starting their studies. For some students, this could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am grateful to Washington University in St. Louis SOM for easing this burden by providing me with funding. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to amass the amount of money that I needed to support myself for all four years of medical school. I am not eligible for financial aid, and no student loans provide students with all four years of funding before starting school. It is for this reason that I deferred my acceptance and took a gap year to work and save money while applying for additional scholarships.

My gap year started as a tough one, but I continued to learn the lesson that delays can be blessings if we allow it to. During my gap year, I worked as an educational lab technician and a pharmacy technician. Some days, I worked long hours, leaving the house at 6 AM and not returning until almost midnight. However, I am thankful for my pharmacy job, where I continued to develop my ability to interact with patients while serving diligently to fill their prescriptions as precisely as possible. I also learned about health insurance and how to navigate insurance issues to ensure that my patients are getting the medications that they need. Honestly, aside from that, I was happy to rest and enjoy time with family and friends whenever I was not at work. I read excellent books and watched incredible movies that transformed my perspective on life. My gap year was indeed a blessing. Eventually, COVID happened, and I lost my job at the lab. My pharmacy manager gave me more hours where she could to ensure that I was saving as much money as I could for school. Eventually, with the help of my family and family friends, I was able to compile the money that I needed to commence my medical education.

I am very excited to start medical school this fall. I look forward to carrying with me all the lessons I have learned throughout my journey. I am determined to enjoy my time as a medical student believing that every situation, no matter how difficult or challenging, is preparing me to become the best physician that I can be.