Chanting for What You Want - And Getting SO Much More! Aaron's Medical School Experience

At the White Coat Ceremony

Here's my son Aaron Michael Silver. He's turning 23 on the 21st of April. Some of you are familiar with a little bit of his story, but today I want to tell you an experience that I hope will really encourage you. Aaron didn't get exactly what he chanted for - he really did get a bigger and better benefit. 

He knew he wanted to be a doctor for many years, and spent his undergraduate years at the University of Illinois focusing his attention on the Medical School entrance exams. During the summer of his sophomore year he stayed on campus and took MCAT (Medical School Entrance test) preparatory classes. He had a certain score he wanted to attain.  In preparation for this test he decided to chant 15 minutes a day, the most he'd ever chanted. And some days he chanted much more. 

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Aaron is the type of person who takes every opportunity to expand his life, and he has way more confidence than I ever did at his age. While in college he started a leadership program for children in the local middle school. Every month he and his fraternity brothers would have the students participate in an activity that would bolster their leadership, confidence and team building skills. In his senior year he received the Community Engagement Award for initiating this program, but he didn't start the program to win an award, of course, he started it to encourage kids. 

During his time in undergrad he also became the president of the club running team and oversaw their growth from a small team with about 8 members to a phenomenon with over 80 runners. He and his friend Jess expanded it to include female runners. He and a core of other committed runners built a whole community of friends, and in senior year they achieved national victories in both Cross Country and Track. Aaron is a go-getter and puts his heart into everything he does. 

So, summer of his sophomore year he's chanting about his MCATS with a score in mind. I encouraged him to chant for the best medical school for his life. I was chanting for that for him. I pictured him at a medical school with all kinds of opportunities for him to grow, and to enjoy his life. 

At the end of the summer he took the entrance test and did not get the score he wanted. He got a respectable score, but not the number he was aiming for. He redetermined to take the test, and continued studying and chanting.  In January he retook the test and got the same score he'd gotten before. He was not a happy guy. He got discouraged and stopped chanting as much. 

I continued to chant for him to get into the best Medical School for his life. He applied to 10 medical schools and continued his good works with the Middle School, the Running Club and the research laboratory where he worked. 

He also continued his research into medical schools by  talking to his vast network of friends. One thing kept appearing over and over. The students who had chosen Loyola Medical School in Chicago were HAPPY. One of Aaron's friends at Loyola was already working in a free clinic with doctor supervision. 

I also had a friend at Loyola. The spiritual leader of the school was an old friend of my family, and someone I'd known since I was a child. But Aaron had not gotten an interview there. He was accepted a few other places, but began to set his sights on Loyola. I called my old friend to inquire about his application, and to see if there was something we hadn't done that needed to be done. He told me Aaron's file was sitting in a YES pile, but they were waiting for Aaron to call them to reinforce his interest in the school. They get so many applications that in some cases they wait to hear from the prospective students. When I told Aaron this, he called immediately, got an interview and was admitted within no time at all. 

A year ago today we attended "Second Look Day" at the school. All the prospective students and their families come from all over the country for a chance to meet current students, have a tour and get to know the professors. It was incredibly warm and loving. 

The message was very clear "Here at Loyola we only accept 150 first year students, and we will cherish and foster them as if they were our own family. They will get a great education, not just in mechanics, but also in ethics. Our goal is to keep them in school and give them all the support they need to be doctors with heart and soul who make a difference in the world." At Loyola, entrance test scores are not all they look at. They accept students by getting to know the whole person. I got the feeling that Aaron would be in a place with others like him, and he'd really fit in and excel. 

Shortly after being accepted to Loyola, during his senior year, Aaron went away on a trip and experienced his life in a low life condition. He  realized he hadn't chanted consistently in a long time. He also saw that his best semester in school was the fall semester after he had chanted all summer, and chanted all fall. He got a girlfriend and enjoyed his life during that time more than ever. He had been chanting consistently and his life was shining from within. When he reflected on this, he knew that, for the first time, he wanted to truly embrace his practice...not because I wanted him to...but because HE saw the value. 

He has been chanting consistently ever since, and just this weekend we enshrined a large Gohonzon in his room to replace the Omamori (travel Gohonzon) he'd been chanting too since his fraternity days. 

And being a first year Medical Student at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine has far surpassed everything he could have hoped for in a Medical School experience. (Of course, it is MY great fortune that it is also the CLOSEST medical school to me! That is true fortune. No money could ever buy this!) 

He has taken every opportunity. He's going to Bolivia this summer on a medical mission. He's participated in the campus ministries as a Buddhist, He is the manager of one of the free clinic programs and loves this! He has found a loving, supportive environment of professors and students who support each other and create a genuinely happy environment. 

Today I am writing this blog because it is "Second Look Day" at Loyola, and Aaron is one of the students who volunteered to meet with the families and students considering Loyola. This makes my heart sing. 

I find this such an encouraging experience, and not just because he is my son and I am his proud Mom. He chanted for a particular score, and did not get it. Instead he got the perfect school for his life, and he took ownership of his Buddhist faith in a whole new way. Really, what could be better than that? He chanted for what he wanted...and got much more. And his prayers led him to making the internal changes to give him the foundation for creating his happy, productive, enthusiastic future.