is there a common emotional experience in MS1?

[jessi]

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For those of you already beyond the first year, i need your pearls of wisdom. Did you notice certain trends or emotional cycles you and your classmates went through during the first year? was there a particular point that everyone flipped out? then became emotional messes? broke up with significant others? became withdrawn? was there a point where people came full circle and figured out how to cope? i know people deal in different ways but i'm just curious if there is a common process everyone goes through when faced with the emotional demands and the time commitment of med school.
thanks 🙂
~jessi

 

[Paws]

Paws wants to know this too, so upper classmen! c'mon down and talk to us ... 🙂

 

[jessi]

Thanks Paws! its nice to know i'm not the only one wondering 😕 😀

 

[Dr. Rosenrose]

1) Denial
2) Anger
3) Bargaining
4) Depression
5) Acceptance
...Oh wait, that is the stages of DEATH! Nevermind. 😱

 

[pillowhead]

At the beginning of the year, everyone knows it will be tough and the that not everyone will be in the top 5% of the class, etc, etc, but no one really believes it individually for themselves. That's what they said in college, too, right? and hey, you all aced the MCAT and made awesome grades while having enough extracurricular activities to run a small country. maybe I'll make a B or two, but I won't REALLY have a hard time. Maybe the guy next to me will. yeah, I mean, who ever heard of his XYZ University anyway?

Then you don't do well on the first exam, and think this is just a fluke, surely I'll ace everything from here on out. It's only normal to have an adjustment period (which it is). I mean, new school, new friends, new city...it's tough!

Then you get the second exam, and your grade still sucks. And your self-esteem starts to plummet (along with everyone else's). People start getting bitter about school...all the lecturers suck, dissecting sucks, touchy-feely classes suck, debt sucks, non-med school friends suck b/c they have a life, med school friends such b/c all they talk about is med school. I'd say this is when many relationships in med school fall apart or solidify. Your significant other either becomes a savior or just another burden on top of the med school pile to deal with.

Then sometime between the second and third exam, you just learn to deal with it. Somehow or another, you magically become more efficient at studying. You learn what's worth spending time on, and what's not. Some stuff actually starts seeming interesting, and your grades will probably go up for several reasons. Not the least of which is the motivation you get from upcoming winter break.

Then second semester is a breeze comparitively. I think it's usually more work, but you don't have anatomy to deal with at most schools, and you just know how the system works. Plus you're not dealing with making friends, adjusting, etc. Then there's summer when everyone goes off doing something interesting, and it least in my class, everyone gets engaged!

Second year is so much better IMO. Much more interesting, little adjustment to make. Definitely more work, but it's doable.

 

[thackl]

At the beginning of the year, everyone knows it will be tough and the that not everyone will be in the top 5% of the class, etc, etc, but no one really believes it individually for themselves. That's what they said in college, too, right? and hey, you all aced the MCAT and made awesome grades while having enough extracurricular activities to run a small country. maybe I'll make a B or two, but I won't REALLY have a hard time. Maybe the guy next to me will. yeah, I mean, who ever heard of his XYZ University anyway?

Then you don't do well on the first exam, and think this is just a fluke, surely I'll ace everything from here on out. It's only normal to have an adjustment period (which it is). I mean, new school, new friends, new city...it's tough!

Then you get the second exam, and your grade still sucks. And your self-esteem starts to plummet (along with everyone else's). People start getting bitter about school...all the lecturers suck, dissecting sucks, touchy-feely classes suck, debt sucks, non-med school friends suck b/c they have a life, med school friends such b/c all they talk about is med school. I'd say this is when many relationships in med school fall apart or solidify. Your significant other either becomes a savior or just another burden on top of the med school pile to deal with.

Then sometime between the second and third exam, you just learn to deal with it. Somehow or another, you magically become more efficient at studying. You learn what's worth spending time on, and what's not. Some stuff actually starts seeming interesting, and your grades will probably go up for several reasons. Not the least of which is the motivation you get from upcoming winter break.

Then second semester is a breeze comparitively. I think it's usually more work, but you don't have anatomy to deal with at most schools, and you just know how the system works. Plus you're not dealing with making friends, adjusting, etc. Then there's summer when everyone goes off doing something interesting, and it least in my class, everyone gets engaged!

Second year is so much better IMO. Much more interesting, little adjustment to make. Definitely more work, but it's doable.

Great post. I think a lot of people in my class are getting depressed because they believe it's not going to get better. I believe it will and first yr has very little impact on our futures anyway. What's the worst thing that can happen right now?...... even failing isn't a disaster. 10yrs from now, nobody will care 👍 First yr is about surviving, leveling and adjusting IMHO

 

[neuropain]

At the beginning of the year, everyone knows it will be tough and the that not everyone will be in the top 5% of the class, etc, etc, but no one really believes it individually for themselves. That's what they said in college, too, right? and hey, you all aced the MCAT and made awesome grades while having enough extracurricular activities to run a small country. maybe I'll make a B or two, but I won't REALLY have a hard time. Maybe the guy next to me will. yeah, I mean, who ever heard of his XYZ University anyway?

Then you don't do well on the first exam, and think this is just a fluke, surely I'll ace everything from here on out. It's only normal to have an adjustment period (which it is). I mean, new school, new friends, new city...it's tough!

Then you get the second exam, and your grade still sucks. And your self-esteem starts to plummet (along with everyone else's). People start getting bitter about school...all the lecturers suck, dissecting sucks, touchy-feely classes suck, debt sucks, non-med school friends suck b/c they have a life, med school friends such b/c all they talk about is med school. I'd say this is when many relationships in med school fall apart or solidify. Your significant other either becomes a savior or just another burden on top of the med school pile to deal with.

Then sometime between the second and third exam, you just learn to deal with it. Somehow or another, you magically become more efficient at studying. You learn what's worth spending time on, and what's not. Some stuff actually starts seeming interesting, and your grades will probably go up for several reasons. Not the least of which is the motivation you get from upcoming winter break.

Then second semester is a breeze comparitively. I think it's usually more work, but you don't have anatomy to deal with at most schools, and you just know how the system works. Plus you're not dealing with making friends, adjusting, etc. Then there's summer when everyone goes off doing something interesting, and it least in my class, everyone gets engaged!

Second year is so much better IMO. Much more interesting, little adjustment to make. Definitely more work, but it's doable.

I have to agree with your posted reply... First-year is spent adjusting and once you adjust everything is so much better. I was one of those that freaked out after getting my first grade. How could I get in the 70's...that was unheard of before, for the most part. But, I slowly came to realize that I just can't be the top of the class and once I realized that and sat back and relaxed things came together.

Though I think that second year is much tougher. The work load is ridiculous compared to first year. During first year we had so much more free time. This year free time is scarce but I have learned how to make the most of the little that I have and that is a bigger adjustment. Another difficult part about it is that when you start 2nd year you are fully aware of most of your classmates personalities and that is probably the scariet thing... You start to "prejudge" them because the last year was spent "getting to know everyone". I have found that during second year, I got to know people that I just thought weren't worth my time last year and it turns out I would have been much happier had I met them earlier.

Hang in there... It gets better

 

[jessi]

and what about those with significant others? what was that experience? did alot of people in your class with SO's go thru similar challenges in their relationships? for example, did everyone seem to break up at one point and then wind up getting back together later in the year? 🙁

 

[a_student]

and those without s/o feel even more depressed after coming back from summer cause everyones engaged!!!

 

[lattimer13]

there came a point in first year where i just wanted to slug some classmates with a baseball bat heavily wrapped in towels because i couldn't stand them anymore.

 

[kappasigMD41]

Pillowhead, you just summed up my first year. Great post!!!!!!!
You should think about writing a book.

 

[pillowhead]

Pillowhead, you just summed up my first year. Great post!!!!!!!
You should think about writing a book.

Pillowhead humbly bows 😀

 

[Paws]

Pillowhead, I also agree - you are describing my first few months exactly.

The baseball bat thing is starting to sound like an idea ... especially with the 'touchy', sexually inappropriate guys in the class ... 🙄

 

[Kimmer]

Then there's summer when everyone goes off doing something interesting, and it least in my class, everyone gets engaged!

Gotta show this quote to my bf.
Me= 😍

Him= 😱

 

[OrthoFixation]

I better figure something out by next year, my wife will be really pissed if I break up with her 😱