No life.

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Anyone else get self-conscious about this? All of us are more preoccupied with establishing our medical careers that we have much little time for leisure. This sounds terribly embarrassing, but I almost forgot what it's like to have fun. It gets awkward in social situations when a person asks what you've been up to and you're like UGHHHHH study x,y,z, research x,y,z, hospital x,y,z,.

Sorry for the mini rant but I feel like people in medical careers will only know what I am talking about.
 
Start dedicating time now to the things that are important to you, whether that be relationships, hobbies, etc. This is an important life skill that will help you maintain both physical and mental well-being, which in turn will enable you to be a better physician.

As you go through medical training, your clinical (+/- research) responsibilities will grow exponentially, and it becomes harder to learn and obtain a healthy work-life balance. Medicine will easily take over your life unless you make a conscious effort to prevent that from happening.
 
Matrix207 said:
LOL "Wow, this student has great everything...But one thing he has not mastered is the art of fun. REJECT!" hahahahaha
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You might be surprised.
We are choosing people to share our lives (for at least 4 years).
 
In the business world, any interviewer you encounter will ask themselves this question: Is this someone I could have a drink with? You don't want to work with a robot. I'm guessing the same is true for the medical world. You want someone to talk to about shows, hobbies, interests...you want someone whose company you can enjoy.
 
Matrix207 said:
I guess I am. LOL. God, I guess I'm just one of those people who has to work extra hard to get things.
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I get this, it's understandable. Work-life balance is hard, and you feel like you have to constantly be doing something productive in order to just stay afloat. This is fine if you're naturally a workaholic, and you want to dedicate all your waking hours to work. There are plenty of people who do this (though they're not often doctors, because medicine is an inherently social field.)

But you don't seem very happy with the way things are going, hence the insecurity. At the end of the day, don't make leisure time for the sake of getting into medical school or becoming a better physician. Do it because you feel like **** right now, and you're gonna burn out. Make time to do something fun or relaxing or dumb and doesn't require thinking. It doesn't need to be something super cool or time-consuming that you can put on a resume. For instance, in the time that you're spending on this forum tonight, you could be watching a stand-up comedy special on Netflix.
 
I’ll say this - as someone who had a vibrant social life as a premed that evaporated in med school - it’s important to keep reassessing where your goals lie. Every now and then take a step back, and ask yourself if your goals really require the level of work you’re putting in.

Wanna be a Doctor but don’t give a crap about the academic prestige? Great. Go have a beer with your friends. That bit of studying you missed may be difference between Harvard and UMass, but that’s ok if you don’t need to go to Harvard anyway
 
Existence is torment. We are but meaningless specs in an uncaring, cruel void. Whatever good or bad we put into the world will inevitably be undone by the eventual death of the universe. We do not know what we don’t know, and thus it is impossible to pursue perfection in learning. That’s why in my free time, I don’t study, but rather play Minecraft, WoW, and go to the gym.

Too much for an interview answer?
 
Going to class: 15 hours a week
Studying: 20 hours hours a week
Volunteering: 8 hours a week
Work: 20 hours a week
Getting ready in the morning and cooking meals: 10 hours a week
Research: 15 hours a week
Sleep: 56 hours a week
Total hours: 144

Total hours in a week: 168

Leftover hours for hobbies: 24

Assuming you are taking the maximum amount of time to check all of the boxes, you have 3 hours and 25 minutes a day to spare for hobbies.

Hobbies and having fun are a part of being human. Do it. Kill it. Be the best you.
 
imbesrs said:
I would expect med school to be a bit more than 2.75h/day, no?



edit: you talkin about undergrad? lol
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This was in the premed forum, so yah I am talking about premed.

MED school would be more like taking all the ECs I listed (work, volunteering, like half the research, even going to class) and putting them into studying. Even in school, 8hours of studying per day with 3 hours of research per day, with 8 hours of sleep per day and 2 hours of getting ready/ cooking still leaves 3 hours per day during preclinical. During the clinical years, get rid of the research, decrease sleep by an hour a day, have 12 hours a day of clinicals or studying....you still have 3 hours a day. And this is disregarding the weekends. The time is there. It is limited,but it is there. It is just up to you take keep organized enough for it. Not to say that it is all easy, as it is very difficult. But 21,000 people a year do it...so it can be done.
 
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Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
This was in the premed forum, so yah I am talking about premed.

MED school would be more like taking all the ECs I listed (work, volunteering, like half the research, even going to place) and putting them into studying. Even in school, 8hours of studying per day with 3 hours of research per day, with 8 hours of sleep per day and 2 hours of getting ready/ cooking still leaves 3 hours per day during preclinical. During the clinical years, get rid of the research, decrease sleep by an hour a day, have 12 hours a day of clinicals or studying....you still have 3 hours a day. And this is disregarding the weekends. The time is there. It is limited,but it is there. It is just up to you take keep organized enough for it. Not to say that it is all easy, as it is very difficult. But 21,000 people a year do it...so it can be done.
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Yeah word agree with this. I thought you were saying the above post about med school lol. Totally doable for undergrad, just need the discipline and recognize when to stop having fun when you need to prioritize other things. Can be hard for someone to stop/slow EC's, social events, going out, etc if they intend to prioritize and take the MCAT & apply (which is no easy task honestly to get the app stuff done in a timely fashion) during junior year/senior year
 
Can you say that you play poker with friends for fun? I'm a believer in just being yourself and let the chips fall where they may (no pun intended), but I can see how gambling as a pastime may be frowned upon by med school admissions.
 
lem0nworld said:
The other side of the spectrum is hard too. Trying to pass off "weekend binge-drinking" as "aspiring sommelier" has come with its own challenges
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Dream job tbh, but i never did the "study abroad trip on my parents money" prerequisite
 
imbesrs said:
Dream job tbh, but i never did the "study abroad trip on my parents money" prerequisite
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Actually, my university financial aid covered study abroad. It was the best part of college. I’m sorry you missed out.
 
premed20172017 said:
Actually, my university financial aid covered study abroad. It was the best part of college. I’m sorry you missed out.
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How were you able to work that in? If we studied abroad, we would've fallen behind a semester on prereqs, and a lot of those prereqs were only available either spring or fall semester, making it more like a year behind. It really sucked
 
premed20172017 said:
Actually, my university financial aid covered study abroad. It was the best part of college. I’m sorry you missed out.
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Of course fin aid for study abroad exists- its a school linked program and I had friends that did it. But it doesnt cover all expenses, at least here. Its still an expensive 6-8 months nonetheless to do the things that let you reap all the benefits. I/e eating at all the restaurants, drinking in a new country, sightseeing/traveling within the country, other just social activities with the friends you make there.

premed20172017 said:
I’m sorry you missed out.
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Never really felt that I missed out, so no need to say sorry. I have done my fair share of traveling through other means.
 
gyngyn said:
What are you going to say in your interview when they ask what you do for fun?
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The answer to this question doesn’t even need to be super interesting or unique. I usually say I like trying new restaurants and it turns into a conversation about the local food scene. And then that evening I try out one of the restaurants the interviewer talked about.
 
lem0nworld said:
How were you able to work that in? If we studied abroad, we would've fallen behind a semester on prereqs, and a lot of those prereqs were only available either spring or fall semester, making it more like a year behind. It really sucked
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I took GEs and classes for my major during study abroad. My school has a great program, so I was very fortunate.

imbesrs said:
Of course fin aid for study abroad exists- its a school linked program and I had friends that did it. But it doesnt cover all expenses, at least here. Its still an expensive 6-8 months nonetheless to do the things that let you reap all the benefits. I/e eating at all the restaurants, drinking in a new country, sightseeing/traveling within the country, other just social activities with the friends you make there.

Never really felt that I missed out, so no need to say sorry. I have done my fair share of traveling through other means.
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Mine covered living expenses, just as it would have if I were home. I was able to pay for all of the things that you mentioned between my financial aid and saving my money from work. I definitely took full advantage of my time abroad. Drinking was also WAY cheaper (not just because people buy you drinks when you’re a girl haha. The alcohol we had at home and at pubs was cheaper than where I live).

I’m glad you’ve been able to travel, but there’s nothing quite like living abroad 🙂.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
The answer to this question doesn’t even need to be super interesting or unique. I usually say I like trying new restaurants and it turns into a conversation about the local food scene. And then that evening I try out one of the restaurants the interviewer talked about.
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What a great way to get suggestions! Do they usually recommend good spots?
 
1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
I wholeheartedly do not think university is that busy. I hear every day from peers about how university is so hard and is supposed to challenge you, hear stories of mental breakdowns during exam time and dropping out because of all the stress, but I find university really easy tbh, and I take the standard, "semi-difficult" pre-med curriculum, with orgo, stats and everything.

Of course difficulty is all relative, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that university is not "trying" to break you, no matter how high your aspirations may be.
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It is no joke to say that undergrad has been the easiest part about being a premed.
 
premed20172017 said:
Don't people say it gets easier? I talked to one of my MS1 friends, but she said it just gets harder (because of the volume of info).
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I'm convinced the happiest students ive met are those attending T20 med schools but shooting for FM or another non-competitive specialty. They get accustomed to working really hard in undergrad (hence why they're at a T20 med school), but then get to med school and dont have to stress about having a 250 Step 1, perfect clinical grades, and 15 pubs, and suddenly enjoying life becomes much more of a priority. Most med students dont fall in this category though =)
 
theKingLT said:
I'm convinced the happiest students ive met are those attending T20 med schools but shooting for FM or another non-competitive specialty. They get accustomed to working really hard in undergrad (hence why they're at a T20 med school), but then get to med school and dont have to stress about having a 250 Step 1, perfect clinical grades, and 15 pubs, and suddenly enjoying life becomes much more of a priority. Most med students dont fall in this category though =)
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I am solidly in this category. I think that is why I am so non-chelant with these things...granted still a premed.

Edit: I HOPE to be in this category
 
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1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
Difference in difficulty within years of undergrad? Negligible, really, except maybe between first and second year.
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They said that they felt like they were expected to know like a quarter's worth of material in a week or two. Is it that bad everywhere?
You don't think it's worse than college?
 
I’m an MS1 so maybe this isn’t pertinent but



I’m about 6 weeks in now, and I was so worried about my social life/hobbies taking a hit.


I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out I’ve had time to hang out with my classmates outside of class, sleep in on the weekends (well, about 9am), read, and cook and still do well in my classes.


Do I have as much time as I did in undergrad? Definitely not. But I can say without a doubt I’m very happy and I encourage everyone to take time for themselves- even if just an hour per day!
 
If you don't have time for other things in undergrad you're incredibly inefficient. Instead of just putting in more hours, try to fix your study/life habits. Blindly doing more is a recipe for burn out.

Many of us made time for all of the pre-med activities, work 20+ hours per week and still had time for fun.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Yeah, if he plays his cards right he may end up at “a possibly good school.” 😉
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Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
Ok ok, yah. I called Harvard a “possibly good” school and acted a little over ambitious lol I edited in the hope to be in that boat lol My bad.
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Psh. I hear the buildings are old. Who needs that?! Hahvahd shmahvahd (omg I would cry if I got an II there, but I’m not holding my breath hahah)
 
Here's what I did with my free time today. Spun my kids at the park until they couldn't stand up anymore, took videos, and made those videos into GIFs. Probably my favorite hobby.

IMG_0009.GIF
 
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