I wrote this for a different thread a while back, doesn't really answer your question but this certainly applies to your situation/time before med school:
There was a time where I would've said, "have fun, but if you want look thru ____ book..." - in retrospect that causes more stress than the potential small benefit it might have.
Some practical things:
- if you have undergrad loans try and pay them off (especially if non-trad), get a fun job to do this, and when its not fun just quit!
- learn how to make good, healthy, cheap meals that will last a week at a time, get comfortable with this as it will be helpful to do this
- get in the best shape of your life
- get a new computer or clear off any crap that is taking up space on your old computer
- if you have any clinger girlfriends/boyfriends, or relationships that you don't want to carry into med school, end them now because 1) a relationship with an end point should just end now, and 2) you don't want to deal with this B.S. while starting med school
- similarly, if you're in a relationship you DO want to continue, start planning logistics for this now, plant the seed for the time commitment med school will be so that the shock to your significant other is less (will never be no shock) when you start, again less B.S. to deal with as you start school
- I guess in general purge your life of stuff and people that aren't true friends or people you don't like but associate with lol
- if you have a tiger mom with no boundaries, set boundaries now for said tiger mom. this is your career.
- if you know someone who is more studious than you and definitely not crazy, who will also be attending your school, look into rooming with them (as you never know with other random roommates)
All my suggestions are about removing time-wasting activities, stress, and uncertainty from your life as much as possible before you start - these things can derail you as an MS1, so do what you have to now to prevent anything from negatively impacting your start to school.
Most of these suggestions stem from problems I saw with other students, and a few from my experience. have fun, good luck!
There was a time where I would've said, "have fun, but if you want look thru ____ book..." - in retrospect that causes more stress than the potential small benefit it might have.
Some practical things:
- if you have undergrad loans try and pay them off (especially if non-trad), get a fun job to do this, and when its not fun just quit!
- learn how to make good, healthy, cheap meals that will last a week at a time, get comfortable with this as it will be helpful to do this
- get in the best shape of your life
- get a new computer or clear off any crap that is taking up space on your old computer
- if you have any clinger girlfriends/boyfriends, or relationships that you don't want to carry into med school, end them now because 1) a relationship with an end point should just end now, and 2) you don't want to deal with this B.S. while starting med school
- similarly, if you're in a relationship you DO want to continue, start planning logistics for this now, plant the seed for the time commitment med school will be so that the shock to your significant other is less (will never be no shock) when you start, again less B.S. to deal with as you start school
- I guess in general purge your life of stuff and people that aren't true friends or people you don't like but associate with lol
- if you have a tiger mom with no boundaries, set boundaries now for said tiger mom. this is your career.
- if you know someone who is more studious than you and definitely not crazy, who will also be attending your school, look into rooming with them (as you never know with other random roommates)
All my suggestions are about removing time-wasting activities, stress, and uncertainty from your life as much as possible before you start - these things can derail you as an MS1, so do what you have to now to prevent anything from negatively impacting your start to school.
Most of these suggestions stem from problems I saw with other students, and a few from my experience. have fun, good luck!
