I almost gave up.
I'm so glad I didn't.

A dream called OB/GYN

I completed my MBBS from SVS Medical College in India. From very early on, I knew what I wanted — OB/GYN. It was never easy. But it meant everything to me, and that was reason enough.

But wanting OB/GYN as an IMG? That was met with doubt from almost everyone around me. "It's too competitive." "IMGs don't match there." "Be realistic." I heard it constantly.

Setbacks that broke me — and built me

I faced setbacks I didn't see coming. Setbacks that reduced my chances significantly, at least on paper. And people made sure I knew that — every single day.

I won't pretend it didn't affect me. It did. Very, very much. There were days I felt completely alone in this. No guidance. No one who had walked this path before me to tell me it would be okay.

But slowly, something shifted. Every time someone said I couldn't — I got a little stronger. I stopped looking for validation outside and started building it within myself.

Long, expensive, exhausting — and worth it

The IMG journey is not just academically demanding — it is financially draining and emotionally exhausting in ways no one really warns you about. I experienced all of it firsthand.

I had to search for guidance in so many different places — piecing information together, making mistakes, course correcting, and pushing forward. I wish I had one place, one person, who could have given me everything I needed.

That experience — knowing how hard it is, knowing what I would have given for proper guidance — is exactly what inspired Dear IMG.

I matched. And so can you.

Every person on this journey crosses hurdles. IMG or citizen, it doesn't matter — this path tests everyone. But we all push through. And I know you will too.

I'm not perfect. I don't have all the answers. But I have lived this journey, collaborated with amazing doctors and residents, and I am here — right here — to give you the guidance I wish I had. All in one place.