After thousands of dollars and hours spent on MCAT prep, applications, secondaries, interview trips and second look weekends, many students are finally getting ready to start medical school. However, the road ahead is long and the journey is only beginning. Adjusting to an increased academic load is the most pressing concern for new medical students, but there are other areas where they can start off on the right foot. 1. Academics: The amount of information you will be expected to ingest during medical school will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. If your summer schedule is watching movies until 6 a.m., fix your circadian rhythm before classes start. If your undergraduate study habit was to cram a couple of days before an exam, you might considerdoing more studying as you go along. It is difficult to catch up on medical school material once you fall behind, especially since exams may be weekly or biweekly. Do your best to study materials from lecture the same day, since group-based learning activities will build on previous material. Learning small chunks of material every day will allow you to integrate information better over a period of time, which will be better than cramming a large amount of information in over a shorter time frame. Of course, the world is not ideal, so your best intentions may not always work out. Nontraditional students may have familial or other obligations to attend to. It may also turn out that going to lecture doesn’t fit your learning style and you do better watching it online from the comfort of your bed. But in the first month, try to go to lecture at least until the first test to determine what works for your situation. 2. extracurricular activities: A sizable portion of entering medical students aren't set on the area of medicine they would like to pursue. Even those who think they have an idea often end up changing their minds. Schools will often have an activities fair in the first month of school, possibly as a part of orientation. Interest groups, or clubs promoting specific areas of medicine, are low-commitment ways to gain exposure. Groups will often have panels and speakers come in to discuss their fields in depth and may offer shadowing opportunities. Sign up for whatever groups focus on an area in which you have even a faint interest. 3. Research: While the first month of medical school should be focused on settling in and adjusting, it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for research opportunities. Research opportunities were a major concern I had going into medical school. Research experience will be important for residency, especially in more competitive specialties. However, do not simply jump into the first lab you find. Attend interest meetings, find researchers whose work you are interested in and network with upperclassmen, residents and physicians. If a lecturer hits upon an especially interesting topic or mentions current research going on at your school that you would like to know more about, stay after class to ask the lecturer more questions. First year and the summer between first and second year is a good time to do some research. After doing your homework, ask if researchers can take an extra med student. 4. Personal life: During the first month of medical school, your lifestyle should ideally be arranged in such a way that you don’t burn out, get sick, or outspend your budget. Take time to exercise, which will keep you healthy and focused. You won’t have two hours for the gym every day, but your school may have a small exercise facility at the hospital or medical school campus that you can use during a break. Feed yourself healthy food. You won’t be able to cook gourmet meals every day, but subsisting only on takeout will do a disservice to your wallet and health. Buy nonperishables in bulk, freeze everything you can and consider investing in a slow cooker to reduce the time and cost of grocery shopping and cooking. 5. Social activities: The first month is the awkward phase when everyone asks the standard small talk questions and are on their best behavior. This stage will pass, if only because everyone will start remembering names and will have learned about each other after orientation. You'll see people's more regular personalities. These are the people you will spend four years with. You will bond with people through mutual admiration, common interests and failing all that, mutual suffering. Even if you are the shy type, try to put yourself out there and go to social activities. Having friends will vastly improve the coming years, and you’re really, really going to need them. source
