Making the cut

"Congratulations," read the text message. I didn't know what that was for. When I came to Albert Hall later that day, people were congratulatory. Apparently some news broke out that I didn't know about.

I made it to the UP College of Medicine.

Like any life-changing moment, it didn't sink in on me immediately. It was only the morning after—that very moment when I lifted myself from the bed—that I realized, "I'm going to be a doctor."

For the first time, I can now give a definite answer to friends who ask me what I'd do after graduation. And I'm thankful because many of my classmates made it, too.

Again, this is because of grace. If I say I made it on my own, that would be hypocrisy, for it was the Lord who helped me write the answers in the NMAT, gave me good grades, and convicted my heart to say what needed to be said during the interview process.

Sadly some friends didn't quite make it to the cut. But like I told them, I was blessed by their reaction towards the situation. They didn't grumble or curse, but took it all humbly, in contemplative silence. Their hearts must be pierced with pangs of pain, their minds beset with questions of "what went wrong"? I encouraged them that things happen for a purpose, and until now, I still pray that the Lord guide them through these hard times.

But with the prospect of a thesis manuscript due two weeks from now, medical school is so far off the horizon. It's always one step at a time. We'll get there.