Mohsin A.

Photography by Emma Kraus

If you’re reading this, you belong.

Boston was a new place for me, as I had lived in Michigan my entire life. All I knew was the community of family and friends I built there. Many around me questioned why I moved to Boston and why I wanted to leave the people who supported me the most.

When I arrived in Boston, I struggled to find my place. It felt like every encounter I had was more small talk. I struggled to build substantial relationships with the people around me, which was unusual. Amidst the pandemic, our class struggled to connect, and this feeling of isolation ate at me.

In the lowest moment of my 1st year, I fully believed I could not make it through medical school. I felt the world moving around me, but I felt stuck by myself. With the world collapsing around me, my chest tightened and my breathing became shallow and rapid. I knew I was experiencing a panic attack, but I had never had one before. I laid on the floor of my bathroom, using the coldness to help recenter me. A few minutes later, my heart rate slowed and I took some deep breaths. This moment was an awakening to the turmoil I was undergoing.

I sought out therapy through our campus student health services. With my therapist’s help, I began to focus on the things outside of school that brought me happiness. I got back into the routine of working out and playing my favorite sports. Through daily basketball and frisbee games, I began making friends who wholeheartedly supported me. These people became my family in Boston and helped me through the ups and downs of medical school.

Medical school is an environment unlike any other. There are very few situations where the stress of future career outcomes exponentiates the constant rigor of academic work. Balancing excelling on exams, studying for boards, and doing all the extracurricular activities to make you a well-rounded residency applicant is a task that many people cannot handle.

Looking back on my time in medical school, I am fortunate to have found people who care for me. But finding these people was not by chance. It is a testament to the BU community – a community filled with people who care deeply about the people around them and live for the elevation of others to their full potential. You were chosen to be a part of this community because these are qualities that you embody and will make you an exceptional future physician.

You belong with your peers in this environment, continually nurturing your interests in medicine. You belong in medical school, and you belong in this community of future physicians. In our lowest moments, it can feel like the world is caving in. I used to feel alone in my struggles, but after 4 years at BU, I am happy to say that I belong.

Mohsin A., Boston University

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