At the end of undergrad, I did what so many pre-med students do:
I gave it everything.
Majored in biology
Earned straight A’s from my second semester on
Lived at home my junior and senior years to save money
Worked as an EMT, joined research projects, and padded my CV with all the right extracurriculars
Then I applied to 10 medical schools.
And got into just one:
University of Minnesota Medical School.
At first, it felt like I barely made it in.
Looking back now, I see it differently.
Rejection Is Redirection
The University of Minnesota isn’t just a backup school.
It’s actually one of the top-tier med schools in the country.
That one “yes” wasn’t a fluke.
It was validation.
What I didn’t know at the time is this:
Med schools are exceptional at selecting candidates who will succeed.
Despite how intense the curriculum is, very few students drop out or fail.
If you get in, they believe you can handle what comes next.
And what came next was life-changing.
Before Med School. After Med School.
That’s how I think about my life now.
Before medical school or after.
Because the next four years were the most difficult, transformative years of my life.
The first two years: a fire hose of complex material delivered at speed
The next two: clinical rotations, changing fields every 2–6 weeks
Report times: as early as 4:00 AM
Shifts: often 12+ hours, sometimes overnight
Schedule: 5–7 days a week, no real breaks
An “A” in college was a minimum standard in med school.
And everyone around me had been the smartest person in their undergrad classes.
It was humbling.
It was intense.
And it was the exact environment I needed to grow.
The Real Training Was Mental
Medical school didn’t just teach me medicine.
It taught me:
How to communicate clearly under pressure
How to lead and delegate in high-stakes settings
How to work with professionals whose everyday performance was other people’s super bowl
How to function when the bar is excellence and anything less could cost lives
That’s where my mindset of “make it look easy” comes from.
Be so prepared that the impossible looks like anyone can do it.
That One Yes Led to Everything
Looking back, getting into only one school was the best thing that could’ve happened to me.
I didn’t need 10 offers.
I didn’t need options to feel worthy.
I needed the right door to open.
That one opportunity led to:
The training that shaped my mental models
The challenge that expanded my capacity
The foundation for building three companies
Over $50M in lifetime revenue
A mindset that still drives how I lead today
You Don’t Need Every Door to Open
Sometimes the universe doesn’t give you options, it gives you direction.
And often, that’s all you need.
Whether you’re applying to med school, pitching investors, or launching a new product…
Don’t be discouraged by the no’s.
You don’t need every door to open. You just need the right one.
Cheers,
Sean
P.S.
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