Forced Discernment

I glanced through a guide to medical school admissions at the library today. "Medical school is not for the faint of heart" echoes through such publications. Popular citations of the low acceptance rates of most schools-- often at 5%-- is accompanied by lengthy browbeating and ridiculously exaggerated deadlines-- "You should take the MCAT in April, you should devote a month to your personal essay"...... etc.
The pre- medical community itself is a bit prone to hyper- perfectionism and considerable anxiety, which is completely understandable and sometimes echoed in yours truly.
BUT is that what this experience is all about? To weed out the "weak" and thus exacerbate the already budding arrogance of those who do "make it"? Do you really want your doctor to be so full of his/her self that listening to others or taking correction from others is lost?
I attend St. Joseph's Cathedral, and in the lobby hangs a poster with pictures of all the semanarians. The caption above reads "Pray that these men discern their calling." Pray that they score well enough to make it through? No. Pray that they not make any mistakes so they'll be accepted? No. Pray that they'll do everything so early that they'll get a head start on the competition? Again no. Pray that they'll know whether they are supposed to be priests or not, for goodness sake!
The premedical process is a rigorous process of forced discernment. I believe that the difficulty is designed to help people decide what they really feel called to do. It is a process that requires regular, consistent learning and work. A bit of healthy fear and the humility of constant confrontation with personal inadequacies are usually thrown in for good measure.
So if you read this blog, pray for a pre- anything person you know. Pray for yourself and pray for me. Not that we'll "get in" but that we'll know where we are supposed to go. If we know where we are supposed to be, we can get there.