I wish I knew how time-consuming it would be: Medical school is no joke. Studying, classes, and everything in between takes up about 90% of my days. When I come home from school, I’m exhausted and all I want to do is sleep, but I know I must push on and study until bedtime. This is what medical school does to you – but it’s going to be worth it because we must be equipped for what lies ahead. I wish I knew how discouraged I would feel on a daily basis: After a tough exam, I feel like a complete failure. I feel like my whole medical student career thus far was a waste of time and I learned nothing. After a tough study session, I feel like I didn’t retain a single thing. I had to learn to tell myself this isn’t true. One exam does not define me as a future physician. Not being able to understand one concept does not make me a failure. One minor setback does not mean I’m unfit to become a physician. Medicine is full of discouragement – but it’s also full of a lifetime of rewards and happiness. I must fight through these little discouragements to make it to my goals. I wish I knew my social life would suffer: I have missed out on countless family vacations, meet-ups with friends, and tons of parties and other social activities. I’ve stayed in countless Friday nights to study for the USMLE, or to review material for an exam. However, I am SO thankful that majority of my friends are also medical students, so they understand when I have to blow them off for school. My family understands that I am making sacrifices now to become a physician someday. I know that these little sacrifices need to be made today, in order to have a better tomorrow. I wish I knew how tired I would be: I never knew exhaustion until I entered medical school. I took for granted the “semester off” I took after graduation when all I did was work and sleep. Studying for hours really drains you, and sitting in class for lectures all day long is even more draining. Coffee has become my best friend, and I feel like I can never catch up on enough sleep. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning because I haven’t reached rotations/residency yet. Once again, another sacrifice to be made towards the end goal. I wish I knew how rewarding the little things would be: I remember the first time I set foot in a clinic to experience “real” medicine with patients. Interacting with patients and other physicians, as well as utilizing my knowledge from school and tying everything together, is one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever experienced. These little achievements remind me why I am going into medicine, and they make all the sacrifices and hardships worth every minute! Source
