Most of you reading this will have been undertaking vet school for at least a few months now. For all of you vet students, what has contributed most to your success in both school and personal life?---How has the adjustment been from pre-vet to vet???
Since you are in school roughly 9-5 daily, how do you make time for self, sig other, clubs, wet labs, STUDYING?
I often worry how I can continue to keep everything in check--keep grades up, take advantage of opportunities, and keep my personal life ok. Seems like the ultimate balancing act.
I would be very thankful to anyone who can share their thoughts/advice on this....
Well, I don't know if I have any true gems, but I don't mind sharing my strategy. I'm probably going to ramble a bit, but that is how I think...
I tend to run at 100% or 10%, nothing in between, so I needed to get involved in student activities. In the past, when I have tried to keep my schedule free for studying, it has always backfired--the time will fill itself. Clubs at my school tend to have meetings between 6 and 8pm (and often include dinner--last week I ate at home or spent money on dinner 0/5 days of the week--that was 4 meetings and a practice visit). I use the time between afternoon class/lab and meetings to study at school, since I am not as producive at home. Or I taking a quick nap before hitting the books. I study better with people, and just being a part of clubs has helped me get to know my classmates and potential study partners better. These are also the people I socialize with...once in awhile. I don't really get out much but we socialize over dinner before meetings. I'll admit to having no significant other--some people with s/o's aren't involved with any student activities, some are part of 1-2 clubs and keep Friday night as a "date night" with their s/o.
I go to all the wet labs and 'special opportunities' that I can. In part, that keeps me up to date with studying. Also to remind myself of why I am studying all of this boring hard-to-remember stuff. Plus, if I can't afford an hour or two for a meeting or special opportunity, it means I am not putting the time in early enough. Nobody's grade on tomorrow's exam is going to drop from an A to a C because they took 1 hour to go to their favorite club meeting. (I don't seem to convince many people of this, but for me it is true). I also have a part-time job, all after-hours and weekend. It is an on-call position, so sometimes busy, sometimes not. I make sure I do my grocery shopping and other time-eaters before my week with the pager.
Another thing is to find your best time of day to study. The mornings of exams there are the same few people at school by 6:30 am studying--it is quiet, and their friends aren't there distracting them. If you study at night it can be hard to avoid distraction, for some people that means going home to study, for others like me it means locking myself in a private study room in the library, with maybe one study buddy.
For those TV addicts out there, learn to operate the VCR. I have one or two shows I can't live without, so I tape them and watch them on the weekends (or at the end of the semester...) Also, for every 60 minutes of TV there is only about 40 minutes of show, so that commercial skip button is handy. That's 20 extra minutes right there! Grey's Anatomy seems to be a religion though, and everyone gets upset if meetings go too close to 8pm!
The most amazing thing about starting vet school is that you realize everyone else is in the same boat. And in certain ways, it is not unlike undergrad (assuming you were not an underwater-basket-weaving major)--still have school during the day, and still have to study. Just moreso. It takes a few weeks for everyone to settle in, and it is sink or swim after that.
On that note, if one need to alter one's life habits, this is a good time. I used to work a job that required me to be up early in the morning (like, the 3am hour) and late in the evening, sometimes until 9pm. This went on for over 2 years. I was very sleep deprived and was barely staying awake in undergrad classes. My gauge of whether I am sleeping enough is how easy it is to stay awake in classes. Starting vet school was the kick in the pants that I needed to put myself on a good sleep schedule and to start eating right (no more skipping meals, and I'm starving by lunch now... sitting in a chair for 4 hours is hard work!). If I hadn't made these changes for real, I would never be as well off now grade-wise.
So, my advise is to listen and be patient with yourself, and just change anything that isn't working. Hope this helps.