FIRST YEAR MED STUDENTS!💡✨⠀
It seems like just yesterday I got the phone call that I had been accepted into med school😭🙌🏾 My sincerest congratulations to those who are starting out! Remember to cherish the moment. There are so many tips I wish I had known prior to starting. As always, I’m sharing from the perspective of what worked for ME and the mistakes I learned from.
📚Determine how you study best early on (method from last academic program?) and STICK to it. The first exam will be a good trial run and metric for how current study methods work. Not all resources that work for others will work for you and that’s ok. Find the books, question sets, etc. that do. Once you find that sweet spot, rinse and repeat.⠀
⚙️Do not try to reinvent the wheel. I did fairly well on my first exam, but was convinced I could do better. I completely overhauled my study regimen to seek after an A. Bad mistake. I ended up doing worse. Make small tweaks (when necessary) just a few at a time. No overhauls.⠀
🤭Do not succumb to pressure to share grades. So many like to share grades with others as a “metric for progress”…especially if you’re in the same study group. I refused even when I was doing well. Comparison is the thief of joy. Your grades. Your journey.⠀
💵Apply for as many scholarships as you can. Find renewable ones (National Medical Fellowships Scholarships!) Doing this set me up quite nicely. This is the year you actually have time to search AND apply. Pay attention to those emails from Financial Aid! And start putting extra cash to the side NOW so it can accumulate. You’ll need it 4th year. 💪🏾⠀
👩🏾🏫Start building relationships. Academic advisors. Professors. Go to office hours sometimes to just go over questions. Show your face so in the event something happens and you need people to vouch for you, they can and they DO.⠀
So very proud of the newest Docs to Be! Y’all got this!💪🏾👏🏾🙌🏾 And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a blog post!
xoxo,
Photos by Tina Smith
