Anna Mori
​Hometown: Warrensburg, MO
School: University of Missouri- Columbia
Year: MS3​

What made you interested in joining GAB as a mentor?
I grew up in a small rural community and due to financial reasons chose to attend an undergraduate institution without a robust pre-medical program. Additionally, although my mother was a physician in her home country, she chose not to pursue medicine when we moved to the United States when I was 3 years old, and our family of 6 relied on a single income. As I continued the pre-med journey, I realized that some of these factors had created barriers of entry. I know how hard it is to find clinical experience with the pressure of paying your own college tuition and the small hospital in your town rarely had job openings. I know the difficulties of feeling like an outsider to a community of people with a homogeneously different background than yours. Despite it all, I know I was privileged to grow up appreciating education, hard work, and to have created connections with professors and mentors that helped me achieve my goals. In the same way, I want to be of service to anyone that has a dream and a passion to serve others through medicine.
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What's one thing you wish you knew before applying to medical school?
One of my many mistakes was not preparing for interviews. There are resources out there that share what types of questions are asked and how to methodically answer them. I also never researched/knew about forums online that shared important advice for MCAT studying, personal statements, and the general application process.

What helped you most during the application process?
I asked a lot of people to look over my personal statement and help me make edits so that my message was clear, concise, and impactful. I received great edits from my English-major friends and multiple professors​

What's a tip you'd like to share with applicants?
Be reflective of every experience you have—the good, the bad, the big, and the small. Always think: what did I learn from this? Always think of your why (why medicine?) and let that guide you to your goals. These moments are crucial to your personal statement, interview topics, and your overall motivation and inspiration to pursue medicine.

Any additional words of wisdom?
You may not succeed the first time. Be retrospective and honest with yourself to make adjustments in order to move forward. This will make you a stronger candidate and will help you grow as a person. Never give up if it’s your dream to serve others through medicine.