So, you’re embarking on the journey of entering medical school. Congratulations! Attending medical school is going to be one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences you will ever endure. Once people found out that you’ll be entering medical school, you began to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly of medical school.
Everyone is going to tell you these stories in hopes of encouraging you and preparing you for what’s to come, right? Of course! Everyone genuinely wants to see you succeed in medical school but little did they know that the two cents they’re giving you really aren’t encouraging you at all. In fact, these so-called encouraging words of wisdom can be the last thing you need but you have to have it in your mind that you are going to succeed regardless of any horror story anybody may tell you.
Now, having that self-motivation to succeed is detrimental to you surviving medical school but there are also some medical school hacks to help you survive this new journey you’re embarking on. The road ahead Take a look at these top tips and tricks to help you not only survive medical school but thrive in medical school!
Tip 1: Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
One thing you need to do from the moment you enter medical school is to not compare yourself to others. Your medical school journey is not going to be the same as your peers. Everybody learns at different speeds, everybody has subjects that they’re better at than others, and everybody’s drive to succeed in medical school is different, so you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice by comparing yourself to others.
Psychology Today suggests instead of comparing yourself to others, why not compare yourself today to where you were in the past or where you plan to be in your future? This is a more positive and motivational way to compare yourself to yourself.
Tip 2: Be Wary of the Advice You Take From Others
As mentioned earlier, people are going to try and give you advice when they find out you’re going to medical school… Well, if you thought people were going to try and give you advice going into medical school, just imagine the advice your peers will try to give you while you’re in medical school.
That’s not saying don’t listen to what they have to say… just be cautious of the advice you take. Some of your peers may have taken a class that you’re about to take so they may have helpful advice on the workload and what the professor is going to be looking for so their advice may be helpful to you but you just have to pick and choose wisely because not everyone wants you to succeed.
Tip 3: Don’t Give In to FOMO
Everyone knows what FOMO is, right? FOMO is the fear of missing out. FOMO is also that part of the medical school horror stories that people would tell you about. Missing out on social events and functions and having a non-existent social life is the lure that will have you skipping study sessions and oversleeping on classes. So don’t fall into the trap. Once you finish medical school, you will have plenty of time to go to as many parties as you want.
You also need to know that just because you’re in medical school, that doesn’t mean that your social life is over… it’s all about creating a good balance between school and life outside of school but still keeping school your main focus.
Tip 4: Don’t Cram Before Exams
If you know that you have an exam coming up, don’t start the habit of cramming before exams. Take the time to study the materials necessary to not only pass the test but to also retain the knowledge. You have to realize that your field of study is in the medical field and you’ll be dealing with people’s lives and well-being… you can’t just be aimlessly getting through medical school off of last-minute studying; you’ll never retain any of the information you learned and it will soon catch up with you. You might barely graduate but once you get into the real world and not remember anything you learned, you’ll wish you paid more attention in class.
You Finally Made It!
At this point, you’ve made it! And congratulations to you on finishing medical school! This is a big moment for you in life and now you’re ready to start changing the world… so you think but the reality is that you’re scared. It’s perfectly normal to be scared because you don’t know what’s ahead for you. You’re not necessarily scared that you’ll find a job because you know that there are job boards specifically for doctors… You’re more so scared of can you do it? Will you be a good doctor to your patients?
Well, not knowing is also part of your journey into becoming a doctor. You had no idea what medical school would have in store for you and you didn’t just survive it… you thrived in medical school! So why wouldn’t you thrive as a doctor? As a doctor, you will constantly be learning so just take it all in stride and know that you will be the best doctor you can be.
