Reflecting back online medical school career, here are five things I wish I had known before my first day.
Having these down will make the transition much easier.
First: Know your study style.
This is the most important factor for your sanity and success, but also the hardest to pin down prior to medical school. In college, we're able to get away with poor study habits since the academic rigor pales in comparison. Once you start med school and drink water from the proverbial fire hose, you'll quickly realize that optimizing your study techniques is the only way to succeed and have any balance in your life.
Looking back, I wish I knew how to study in college. I would have had so much more free time to pursue other interests with the greater academic efficiency and time savings. While this wasn't as crucial in college, discipline is paramount and medical school where you feel like there aren't enough hours in a day. Something as simple as going to the gym everyday at the same time will translate into an easier time maintaining good study habits, healthy eating and an appropriate sleep schedule.
Third: Prioritize your free time and don't spread yourself too thin.
Figure out what are your top two or threeactivities that bring you joy and be sure to make time for them on a regular basis. Bonus points if they are forms of exercise. My three were picking up heavy things and putting them back down, cycling and cars. I then created habits to incorporate these activities into my regular life. I would lift at least four times a week, cycleto and from class whenever possible and occasionally go on longer bike rides with friends on the weekend. I also made it to as many cars and coffeeand autocross events as possible to fuel my passion for cars. I initially spread myself too thin in medical school trying various activities that ultimately did not make me all that happy. Sometimes that exploration is necessary however to find where your passions lie. Once you figure out what brings you joy, cutout the rest.
Fourth: Make time for your own well-being.
Yes it is possible. Again, the answer here is to study smarterand not harder. Many people write off medical school as these four dark years where you lock yourself in the library and do nothing but study. While you will have to learn more information than you did in college, realize that a happy and balanced life is possible. Some blocks and rotations are tougher thanothers but you are in the same boat with all your classmates. Don't forget to have fun with the people around you and reach out for help if you're ever in a bad place. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that you need a grind day in and day out and push off seemingly less important aspects of your life. But remember, you can only be a physician and take care of other patients if you first take care of yourself.
And last: Efficiency is the name of the game.
Time is your most precious asset and squeezingthe most out of every minute will serve you well, both in medical school and just life in general. Taking a study break, use those 10 minutes to do something you have to do anyway, like shower, picking up groceries. Since you're heading to the store, offer to pick up your roommates as well and hopefully they will return the favor.
Being efficient goes hand in hand with being deliberate with your time. If you set the next two hours to study, be sure to actually focus and study. When you allocate time for exercise or relaxation,be fully present and enjoy those activities. There's no point trying to combine work and play, you end up not getting much done and not feeling that refreshed in the end. Hope you found these tips useful. The sooner you can incorporate all five, the quicker medical school will feel less like Medical School and more like College part two.
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