External Pressure is Loud—Here’s How to Hear Yourself Instead
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Welcome Back!
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The Pressure is Pressuring…
Your cousin just got into med school. Your roommate landed a clinical internship. You’re still figuring out which prerequisites you even need.
It's hard to fully capture the pressure pre-meds face once they enter college and get swept into the whirlwind that is the pre-med track. There’s always too much to do, and never enough time or energy. It demands a level of mental resilience and emotional maturity that most 18-year-olds haven’t had the chance to develop yet. I’ve been there, and “overwhelming” barely scratches the surface.
But if there’s any reassurance, it’s this: the process of preparing for medical school does build that resilience — slowly, and often painfully — through trial, error, and repetition. And from what I’ve seen, it’s exactly those skills you’ll lean on most when you’re caring for real patients in medical school and beyond. So strangely, college is the ideal time to struggle, stumble, regroup, and grow.
Preview: In this issue, I’ll break down three major sources of pressure—and give you strategies to take back the narrative.
💥 1. Family Expectations
Especially in immigrant, first-gen, or collectivist households
The burden of being “the one who makes it”
Common feelings: guilt, fear of disappointing, living someone else’s dream
🧭 Strategy:
Reframe conversations with your family using “I statements” + long-term goals (i.e., “I want to become a doctor, but on my own timing.” “I want to explore other interests before applying to medical school to reaffirm my passion.”)
Remind yourself: Your path doesn’t dishonor your background—it expands it
📱 2. Social Comparison
The highlight reel of others can distort your own progress
Instagram acceptances, LinkedIn job updates, YouTube MCAT scores
The trap: measuring your timeline against someone else’s chapter 10
🧭 Strategy:
Use a “scroll check”: ask, “Is this inspiring or is this making me spiral?” Unfollow or click past anything that does not serve you.
Curate your feed with real talk accounts, not just polished ones
One mindset shift that has helped me is remembering that my goal is not to just achieve mindlessly, but to grow. The achievement itself, like a high MCAT score or acceptance into this or that school, is meaningless if I didn’t grow in the process. The process of getting to that milestone is what will make me into the person I’m striving to become.
🧭 3. Mentorship Gaps
Feeling lost because no one’s shown you the map
Not knowing what’s “normal” or when you’re “behind”
Feeling like you’re constantly guessing or Googling
Remember: No two people walk the same path, so you can’t be behind.
🧭 Strategy:
Actively seek peer mentors (upperclassmen, recent grads)
Consider joining national pre-health orgs that offer mentorship pipelines (i.e., AMSA, Charles R. Drew Pre-Health Society)
Don’t underestimate the value of a good advisor, even if you have to ask twice
💡 Takeaway
You can’t mute the world, but you can learn to turn up your own volume.
Pressure doesn’t have to define your path; it can sharpen your clarity. And in all honesty, since the pressure doesn’t necessarily ever go away, you become more tolerant of it.
🔄 CTA
→ What’s one external pressure you’ve been carrying lately? Hit reply or email me—it’s lighter when it’s shared.
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