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.
What's going on guys?
J from MedSchoolInsiders.com.
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.
I give a detailed overview of what these study techniques are in the video above.
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 every day 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 three activities 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, cycle to 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 coffee and 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, cut out the rest.
Fourth; make time for your own well-being.
Yes it is possible.
Again, the answer here is to study smarter and 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 than others 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 lasts, efficiency is the name of the game.
Time is your most precious asset and squeezing the 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.
Waiting at the bus stop, crank out some Anki cards or respond to those emails from earlier
in the week.
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.
Thank you all so much for watching.
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New videos every week, so hit subscribe if you have not already and I will see you guys
in that next one.