Right about now you are probably enjoying your last few days of normalcy. Most likely, you don’t feel completely at ease. Admit it. You have that weird quasi vomitus inducing feeling of excitement/wonderment/anticipation/pure unbridled fear coursing through the very arteries whose names you will come to learn in a not-so-distant future (and then most likely forget). I, for one, sure as hell felt that way just two short years ago.

Whether you are a student at GW, Georgetown, Howard or any other medical school across the US, no matter where you go there are things that you should, no, you MUST know. Here are FIVE tips from someone that has survived the two years of medical school. Hopefully, they, along with hard work will help, make your first year of medical school an emphatic success.
 
1. You deserve this. The first few weeks of medical school will undoubtedly challenge your own belief in your academic abilities. Trust me. You were selected through an unbelievably competitive process, you deserve to be in medical school.  Prior to the first block of exams, our class joked about how we had already purchased our return flights home. We were that certain of our failure. Today, we are all third years, rotating through local hospitals, treating real patients. We made it. So will you.
 
2. Everyone struggles. Another key thing to come to terms with is that medical school is hard. There will be days and even whole weeks where you will feel hopelessly overwhelmed. Look to your classmates and deans for support and please realize that everyone is in the same boat, and most likely has those exact same feelings. Talk to your classmates, it helps.
 
3. Share. Your classmates and the classes above are literally your greatest resource. Medical school does not need to be a competitive environment. In fact, when there is no competition among classmates, everyone does better. At GW, we shared notes, study guides, mnemonics, files from previous classes. We shared so much that our school administration was forced to start up an entire website for us to share on. It helps everyone. I studied solely off my friends charts for several classes and did well. It allowed me to save time and study SMART.

4. Study, study and more study. Do it. Don’t slack on this. The more you put in now, the easier things will be down the road. Take time now to understand the core concepts presented during first year and then build on them throughout the second. This will make your time studying for the dreaded Step 1 exam a little less torturous. Find your learning style in the first few months and stick with it. Maybe you need to go to every class, or maybe just a few of the classes, or maybe no classes at all, instead choosing to read notetakers notes. Figure out which one floats your boat and go with it. Form a study group or find a nice library nook to call your own. Study mainly off of the slides presented in class and use textbooks and online resources to solidify the key points.

5. Don’t give into the hype. Make sure that you try to maintain some semblance of a life balance. Try to go to the gym, go for a run, play your favorite sport, go out to happy hour with your classmates, get wild on Friday night, see your non-med school friends, call your parents, talk to your partner. Make sure that medical school is a priority, but not the ONLY thing that your life is based around. Remember, that medical school is in no way a sprint, it’s a marathon and the absolutely worst thing you can do is alienate your support network and burn out during the first year.

Remember, you have been selected for something many other people want. Respect that, and respect yourself. Work hard, play a hard and you may even find your first year of medical school to be the time of your life.

Check out SIN Welcome Week events and look out for the SIN team on campus. We’ll be handing out gift bags all week!

Follow me on Instagram (@Fortenk) and Twitter (@Fortenko) and make sure you let us know how your first year is going.
 
Also Read:
Internship Openings with The President, LivingSocial & More!
 5 Things First Year Law Students Need to Know
 Introducing Student Intern Network Communities
 Your First Taxi Ride is on us! 
 
 Follow Student Intern Network: Facebook | Twitter | Join Free