Since I am going into my second year of medical school I thought that I would write some helpful tips for entering into first year! 1. Spend some time setting up your apartment/house/room and making things the way you like it. You will not have much time once things get rolling to really reorganize for a while. 2. Don’t obsess over classes with your future classmates before they even start! The amount of talking that goes on about class before they even begin can be overwhelming. You will have plenty of time to talk about class when you start, trust me. . 3. Spend time socializing with your classmates before hand and realize that everyone is nervous. The first week everyone tends to bond over the chaos. Although this can change, it is nice to get a feel for who the class is at the beginning and learn about your classmates. . 4. DO NOT go buy every single book on the market for med school.Personally, I bought one book that I never used, and other than that, I just used lectures and the internet. Talk to second years and see what they used as well as check with your library to see what they might already have available for you. . 5. Do the essentials like checking to make sure all of your paperwork and administrative work is done before starting school. If there are pre-matriculation packets or other information you need to provide before starting, it will be much easier to start and complete it early before class starts. . 6. Just like college, if you have roommates, try and set some ground rules. School is stressful, so having a relaxed “home” environment makes a huge difference. 7. Start yourself on a semi regular sleep schedule. I would say set schedule but I understand that it will change and that the beginning of school can be tough. So, I would say at least pick a range of 10pm-11pm (or whatever you would like) and try to be asleep within that hour. On the same note, I would recommend picking a semi regular time to wake up also. Once I started doing this I found that I had way more energy because my body got used to a routine. 8. Buy a George Foreman (or another brand) for your countertop. If you are like me and want to cook, but do not want to spend a lot of time doing it, the George Foreman is great! It cooks most things in under ten minutes, and the food comes out pretty tasty, too. 9. If you are in a new area, do some research on the local supermarkets and find one that you like/has the best prices. We are all on a budget in med school, so getting the most for your dollar is important! 10. Finally, take a deep breath. Everyone will be stressed out, tired, and feel overwhelmed at some point in med school whether they will admit it or not. You try to learn everything you can and do the best that you can. But, especially your first year, it’s mostly book learning with minimal hands on experience. So, take this opportunity to learn without having the full responsibility of being a doctor yet and enjoy yourself as well. source
