It has been about 10 months since my last post to this blog. I intended to keep it going all year around, thinking I would make time to write about my first year of medical school; keeping my memories fresh for you guys to enjoy as I went along. However, here I am on the eve of my second year with memories going stale, forcing words out of my mind, and wondering how I can enlighten you with my experience.
You might be guessing the reason I have not written in 10 months because I was busy studying. Well, yes and no. The first year of medical school provided more free time than I thought I would have. I thought I would be studying day in and day out as part of a nerd herd that slowly becomes less human with every test. Don't get me wrong. you will find people like that in medical school. But becoming one of them is a choice. A choice I decided not to make.
It is possible to have a life and do med school at the same time. It really depends on the kind of person you are, however. If studying day in and day out is not a problem for you, the keep doing what works for you. If you are the kind of person that needs to balance all aspects of your life: physical, mental, family, spiritual, love life, then time management will be golden for you.
Set up a designated time to do the things that are important to you, and then accommodate your study schedule around them. Leave room for freedom and adaption in your schedule. Find out what works for you and organize yourself accordingly.
I, for example, like to go running at around 5 or 6pm several times a week. So I fit my studying before working out, this way running came as a good decompressing break. Running tended to turn into a 3 hour break sometimes, considering I have to shower, cook, eat, and do dishes afterward. By 9pm I would be too tired and/or unmotivated to study. Any studying I did after this time was unproductive. So I tried to change it up to see what worked best. I tried working out later at night. But then it felt like I was not enjoying daylight or it felt heavier because my stomach still had dinner inside ( I usually run before eating).
Then I tried working out in the mornings before my 8am class. This meant waking up earlier and then by noon I already needed a nap. Where there's a will, there's a way. Running is important for both my mental and physical health. Not doing it because I had to study was simply not an option. So instead I decided to run whenever my mind needed a break the most, whenever that may be, so the benefits would outweigh the costs.
I know some of my classmates have done similar things. For some of them, Church on Sunday is a sacred time in their week and will be prioritized regardless of whether there is a test on Monday or not. One of my married classmates never studies on Friday night, because that is her date night with her husband.Another fiend likes to study while tanning by the pool. Some of my friends skip class entirely (luxury due to recorded lectures) to do everything they have to do in their day before they start studying. Many people take several days off after a test day, to recover and re-balance. People also get involved in many organizations and clubs available in medical school and then dedicate their free time to meetings, events, and activities related to these clubs.
You might be wondering, if there is such a thing as free time in med school, why did I not write? Well I was too mentally drained during this time and I wanted to use it to do something fun and relaxing, instead of exerting my brain some more. An advice that I recommend anyone in this field to do. It's important for me to feel like I am still a normal person and that I can still hold a conversation with someone that doesn't know what ptosis means. That is why this summer I have done nothing but chill by the pool, hang out with my friends, work on a research project, and enjoy myself. When second year begins the course load will be a lot heavier and the mental demand more taxing. But this just gives me more reason to prioritize balance.
You might be guessing the reason I have not written in 10 months because I was busy studying. Well, yes and no. The first year of medical school provided more free time than I thought I would have. I thought I would be studying day in and day out as part of a nerd herd that slowly becomes less human with every test. Don't get me wrong. you will find people like that in medical school. But becoming one of them is a choice. A choice I decided not to make.
It is possible to have a life and do med school at the same time. It really depends on the kind of person you are, however. If studying day in and day out is not a problem for you, the keep doing what works for you. If you are the kind of person that needs to balance all aspects of your life: physical, mental, family, spiritual, love life, then time management will be golden for you.
Set up a designated time to do the things that are important to you, and then accommodate your study schedule around them. Leave room for freedom and adaption in your schedule. Find out what works for you and organize yourself accordingly.
I, for example, like to go running at around 5 or 6pm several times a week. So I fit my studying before working out, this way running came as a good decompressing break. Running tended to turn into a 3 hour break sometimes, considering I have to shower, cook, eat, and do dishes afterward. By 9pm I would be too tired and/or unmotivated to study. Any studying I did after this time was unproductive. So I tried to change it up to see what worked best. I tried working out later at night. But then it felt like I was not enjoying daylight or it felt heavier because my stomach still had dinner inside ( I usually run before eating).
Then I tried working out in the mornings before my 8am class. This meant waking up earlier and then by noon I already needed a nap. Where there's a will, there's a way. Running is important for both my mental and physical health. Not doing it because I had to study was simply not an option. So instead I decided to run whenever my mind needed a break the most, whenever that may be, so the benefits would outweigh the costs.
I know some of my classmates have done similar things. For some of them, Church on Sunday is a sacred time in their week and will be prioritized regardless of whether there is a test on Monday or not. One of my married classmates never studies on Friday night, because that is her date night with her husband.Another fiend likes to study while tanning by the pool. Some of my friends skip class entirely (luxury due to recorded lectures) to do everything they have to do in their day before they start studying. Many people take several days off after a test day, to recover and re-balance. People also get involved in many organizations and clubs available in medical school and then dedicate their free time to meetings, events, and activities related to these clubs.
You might be wondering, if there is such a thing as free time in med school, why did I not write? Well I was too mentally drained during this time and I wanted to use it to do something fun and relaxing, instead of exerting my brain some more. An advice that I recommend anyone in this field to do. It's important for me to feel like I am still a normal person and that I can still hold a conversation with someone that doesn't know what ptosis means. That is why this summer I have done nothing but chill by the pool, hang out with my friends, work on a research project, and enjoy myself. When second year begins the course load will be a lot heavier and the mental demand more taxing. But this just gives me more reason to prioritize balance.
