How long did it take you to adjust

[Saccadic]

Hey everyone I am going to be an incoming freshman and I was just wondering how long it took all of you to adjust being a med student. That is in terms of studying, allocating time for sleep, and so forth.

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[chocomorsel]

Pretty quickly. First year, took about 2 months. That changes again second year cuz you have to up your studying even more. Good luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey everyone I am going to be an incoming freshman and I was just wondering how long it took all of you to adjust being a med student. That is in terms of studying, allocating time for sleep, and so forth.

I think you will adjust sometime in the middle of residency (unless you do a short one).

 

[chintu]

One semester to adjust for 1st year and a few weeks for the second year and one entire rotation for 3rd year so far. Constant adjustments are part of med student's life but don't worry you'll get used to it.

 

[mikedc813]

It probably took me a month or two to really get used to everything. I thought it was such a big change from college socially because you don't really have a lot of time to meet anyone outside of your class. I'm not saying you can't, but it's just a lot harder than in college.

 

[Nerdoscience]

Figured out the basic science years in the middle of my second year. Figured out the clinical years at the end of my 3rd year. Essentially felt that we were moving on to something new right when I was getting the hang of what I was doing. Not that I did horribly before then, but I didn't have the rhythm down until the end, you know?

 

[oompa loompa]

i just arrived at my med school TODAY (it's in another state, far, far away)...and it just feels all wrong. I hate it already, and I haven't even started classes or orientation . i hope this "adjustment" happens soon....I've never been good at transitions, and it's ironic that being such a huge homebody, I've always gone far away to school, starting with undergrad. Could've saved tons and dealt with minimal adjustment by just staying in-state! anyway...just ranting a little before I cry myself to sleep. So embarassing to get homesick when you're 23?

 

[Katya00]

Hey it's ok. Everyone gets homesick...I would be crazy if I wasn't with my fiance. I just deal with it by not thinking about it...it works for me. I figure I'll have a lot of time in the future to worry...

Maybe you should get a pet,

 

[oompa loompa]

Hey it's ok. Everyone gets homesick...I would be crazy if I wasn't with my fiance.

oh, that's explains it! haha, yes, it's much better when there are 2 of you.

 

[Ambs]

i just arrived at my med school TODAY (it's in another state, far, far away)...and it just feels all wrong. I hate it already, and I haven't even started classes or orientation . i hope this "adjustment" happens soon....I've never been good at transitions, and it's ironic that being such a huge homebody, I've always gone far away to school, starting with undergrad. Could've saved tons and dealt with minimal adjustment by just staying in-state! anyway...just ranting a little before I cry myself to sleep. So embarassing to get homesick when you're 23?

I know EXACTLY how you feel. Trust me, it gets better. And at other times, it also gets worse. You're going to just have to remind yourself that YOU made the choice to be where you are and are fortunate enough to do what you've always wanted to do. You'll constantly have to adjust, but I guess that's applicable to life in general. Once school starts, you'll make friends and make sure you get to know your classmates. Go out and take a break from studying, and you'll be surprised, you'll be able to go out more frequently so long as you stick to a good study schedule. Also, do things that made you happy at home, whether that's running, playing a sport, cooking, and also call friends and family often.

 

[eralza]

It took me about a year to get settled into the first year. I was still trying out different study styles up until the end. Finally, I realized... just study and stick with it. Rather than trying to get clever and personalize everything, just stick with the tried and true methods of preview, study early, repeat. In retrospect, I can't believe how much time I wasted while figuring out how to study.

 

[mikedc813]

i just arrived at my med school TODAY (it's in another state, far, far away)...and it just feels all wrong. I hate it already, and I haven't even started classes or orientation . i hope this "adjustment" happens soon....I've never been good at transitions, and it's ironic that being such a huge homebody, I've always gone far away to school, starting with undergrad. Could've saved tons and dealt with minimal adjustment by just staying in-state! anyway...just ranting a little before I cry myself to sleep. So embarassing to get homesick when you're 23?

I probably felt the same way even though I am not so far from home. You'll get through it. Don't think you're alone in how you feel... My recommendation is to make a select group of friends from the beginning to hang out with outside of school and to help you get adjusted.

 

[njbmd]

Hey everyone I am going to be an incoming freshman and I was just wondering how long it took all of you to adjust being a med student. That is in terms of studying, allocating time for sleep, and so forth.

Hi there,
Adjustment was fairly quick for me as we had our first quizzes two weeks into our first semester thus my adjustment was in about two weeks. I found that I needed to study more. The more you study, the more efficient you get at studying. It's kind of like practicing your backhand in tennis.

The most important thing in medical school is not to get behind. If you find that you are behind the class, do that day's material and catch up on the weekend.

njbmd

 

[ANCAdoc]

Took me all of first semester to adjust.

 

[Ambs]

Hi there,
Adjustment was fairly quick for me as we had our first quizzes two weeks into our first semester thus my adjustment was in about two weeks. I found that I needed to study more. The more you study, the more efficient you get at studying. It's kind of like practicing your backhand in tennis.

The most important thing in medical school is not to get behind. If you find that you are behind the class, do that day's material and catch up on the weekend.

njbmd

As always, njbmd gives awesome advice...and to add to this, if you do get behind, don't have panic attacks and stress out. It's definitely not the end of the world, and you will catch up. Just don't let it happen again...just kidding.

 

[Anka]

I found the most important thing is not to get stressed out too much. Just try to develop a rhythm where you wake up every morning and get to work (which for some involves going to class, and for others just opening up a book and getting started). I saw a lot of my classmates get into a cycle where they were so stressed out they had to spend a lot of time calming themselves down before they could really start studying. Aside from wanting to avoid ulcers, it meant they weren't having as much fun as they could have. First and second years can be a great experience -- you get to meet all of your classmates, and you really get to dedicate yourself to learning. Once you get into clinics, you're a lot more isolated from your classmates, and you're pulled between doing work in the clinic and studying whenever you get a chance.

As far as how long it takes, it depends on the person. Anywhere from a month to two months is usual. Some people never really hit their comfort zone, as the environment is always changing. Others, like njbmd, are quick adjusters.

Best,
Anka

 

[oompa loompa]

thanks for all the input, guys! it's nice just to know that many of the incoming MS2s did go thru a difficult time in MS1 and adjusted with time.

 

[Callogician]

I had about six months of ridiculous social isolation. The academics weren't too bad.

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

It took me all of freshman year to adjust. I had to learn to study when it was time to study (instead of wasting time on the internet, etc.), and to relax when it was time to have fun (instead of feeling guilty that I wasn't studying). It made a huge difference. I hated med school last year, but I am much happier now!