Looks like I might be sticking around...

I think I mentioned this already, but on Sunday I pretty much experienced what most people would call a breakdown. I was stressed out with a number of things, but one of the major issues was the practice MCAT test I had taken the day before. The practice test was designed to give me a baseline score that is supposed to accurately predict how I would do on the test if I were to take it at this point in time. I was worried that I would fail the test and end up an unemployed screen door salesman in Greenland.

You see, the MCAT is essentially the biggest test of my life. It will greatly influence my chances of getting into medical school. To prepare for it, I have forked over a large sum of money to a national company that specializes in helping people do well on the test. The class began on Saturday with a practice test that was only 4 hours long, and then I go to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 hours until the end of April.

The MCAT itself is about 6 hours long, with a one hour break for lunch in the middle somewhere. It tests on a general knowledge of all the sciences, like O-chem, general chemistry, physics, biology, and physiology, and it also tests critical thinking. They (medical school people) want to know if you know anything, and if you can do anything with the information you have. The highest score possible on the test is a 45. Thirty points is the average for people getting into med-school, 24 is the average on the test. It's designed to weed out those not ready for the rigors of med-school. I'm shooting for a 36.

After taking the practice exam on Saturday, I was terrified. I was pretty sure that I had not done so well on the test (I found out that I was right in my assumption in class on Tuesday). It seemed that it was about time to start making sure my passport was current and that I was up to date on the latest screen door designs. Near the end of class, our instructor announced that she would finally be handing back our tests. First she was going to go over an example test to help us interpret our results.

On the example, the person had scored a 22. She looked up at us after reading that and gave a shrug of her shoulders. She told us that although she hadn't seen the results of the test yet, she guaranteed us that none of us would actually have a score that high; all of us would be below that mark and most of us would be significantly lower. I wrinkled my forehead in thought: who was having the best sale on international flights right now? I tried to remember from all those commercials.

Then our instructor announced that it was okay because the reason we were enrolled in the class was to bring our scores up. That made me happy. I just hoped I wasn't in the "significantly lower" category. Maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have to move to Germany (That's where they train the screen door salesmen before sending them out).

When the tests were finally handed back, I found that I had scored a 23. You can imagine my joy at that moment. I had spent the past 72 hours worrying that I wouldn't get into med-school because I had bombed a practice test. I drove home that night praising God. I still had bombed the test, a 23 is definitely below average and way below the number needed to get into med-school. But, God had found a way to encourage me by letting me exceed even the highest expectations of the instructor. I wasn't so scared about the coming months. If nothing else, I didn't have to try and find my suitcase.

I have my work cut out for me. But God hasn't let me down yet, and whether my actual score in April is high or low, it's wonderful to know that he's looking out for me. When the storm of life raged, and the thunder was all I could hear, He spoke softly to my soul. I guess break downs are a piece of cake for the God of the universe to handle. And I'm sure that if I ever do end up in Greenland, selling screen doors, He'll be there too.