A day in the life of...

[Dr.Mantix]

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Greetings, all. Just wanted to get a first person point of view on what a typical day for a Carribbean Medical Student (from the US) would be like. The reason I ask is because I'm going through a period of self-assessment and want to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting into.

I'm not exactly the most studious person around - I like to do other things aside from study, but I realize that going to Medical School and being successful will require change and a ton of discipline. Thus, if anyone has a moment to briefly talk about what they'd do from morning to bedtime (how many hours a day do you study, how many classes are you taking, how long are lectures/lab, where can you go to blow off some steam and realx, etc.) - I'd really get more of a concise picture and can mentally prep myself accordingly...and build up studying stamina (which I'm currently doing for the MCATs this August).

Perhaps I'm looking for a pat on the back subconsciously, I don't know. We all get the jitters from time to time, so please help! Hehe!

My thanks.

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

Hey, Dr. Mantix--

These sorts of things are VERY individual, but here's my take:

I was 29 when I started at St. George's, which is a few years older than most of the students there (average age was about 24 or so).

I remember first term being a time of excitement and confusion. We had lectures just about every day from 1pm until 4 or 5 usually; mornings at least 3-4 times a week were reserved for laboratories. I am not the type of student who spends 3 hours a night studying, nor was I the student in the anatomy lab at all hours of the night and on weekends. However, I didn't screw around all that much. I read during the week when I could, and studied primarily on the weekend.

The amount of information that was thrown at us (especially in Anatomy) was amazing...I remember thinking "how the hell am I going to learn all of this?" Looking back, the answer is: you don't. You learn enough for your exams, and then move on. It's hard to know this when going through, but grades during medical school aren't that important (unless you're trying to transfer to a U.S. school, which is very difficult); as long as you learn your material fairly well, you'll end up doing just fine on the USMLE, which is important. When you get to the wards, you realize that you're all in the same boat.

Anyhow, I would get usually around 7 hours of sleep a night--but I went to bed early (usually by 10 at the latest). Again, I wasn't the kid in the library studying at 3am; some people can do that. I function much better when I've had a good night's sleep.

On the whole, it wasn't too much different for me than a very full college credit load. I'm more exhausted now after a day at the hospital, to be honest!

You'll find out what works best for you during your first few weeks. It might get bumpy, but it slowly becomes normal, and before you know it, you're finished!

I hope this helped a little. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Brian
MS-3, St. George's University School of Medicine

 

[Dr.Mantix]

Thank you, man.

Hey, Dr. Mantix--

These sorts of things are VERY individual, but here's my take:

I was 29 when I started at St. George's, which is a few years older than most of the students there (average age was about 24 or so).

I remember first term being a time of excitement and confusion. We had lectures just about every day from 1pm until 4 or 5 usually; mornings at least 3-4 times a week were reserved for laboratories. I am not the type of student who spends 3 hours a night studying, nor was I the student in the anatomy lab at all hours of the night and on weekends. However, I didn't screw around all that much. I read during the week when I could, and studied primarily on the weekend.

The amount of information that was thrown at us (especially in Anatomy) was amazing...I remember thinking "how the hell am I going to learn all of this?" Looking back, the answer is: you don't. You learn enough for your exams, and then move on. It's hard to know this when going through, but grades during medical school aren't that important (unless you're trying to transfer to a U.S. school, which is very difficult); as long as you learn your material fairly well, you'll end up doing just fine on the USMLE, which is important. When you get to the wards, you realize that you're all in the same boat.

Anyhow, I would get usually around 7 hours of sleep a night--but I went to bed early (usually by 10 at the latest). Again, I wasn't the kid in the library studying at 3am; some people can do that. I function much better when I've had a good night's sleep.

On the whole, it wasn't too much different for me than a very full college credit load. I'm more exhausted now after a day at the hospital, to be honest!

You'll find out what works best for you during your first few weeks. It might get bumpy, but it slowly becomes normal, and before you know it, you're finished!

I hope this helped a little. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Brian
MS-3, St. George's University School of Medicine