Showing posts with label Motivation
May 24, 2021 in , ,

Reflecting on my First Year of Medical School

Now that my first year of medical school is over, I wanted to sit down and reflect. This year was undoubtably different than I expected. I didn't expect to start medical school in the midst of a global pandemic... but I did.

I started school in a new city and I couldn't explore or even meet my classmates. It definitely wasn't ideal but I don't think I ever let myself realize how difficult of a year it really was for me. To be completely honest it wasn't the actual school part that was so difficult. I've always been good at school and studying is kind of my thing so exams weren't so bad. That was not everyone's experience and that is okay, but I am just being truthful about my own experiences. I spent most of my time studying, going on walks or going back home. I never really felt like my new home was home. I counted down the days until I could go back to my parents house. I was just generally unhappy in my new space. Over time, our class dynamics got shockingly bad, as everyone tried to cope with the stress of school and the world. We didn't know each other as humans, just as someone on the other side of the screen. The respect wasn't there and it showed. Our school switched systems in the middle of the year and we had no idea what was going on. To say it was kind of a mess is an understatement. I struggled a lot to find happiness in my new life for a while. I share all of this not because I want to scare incoming first years or make anyone feel sad for me... but to say that you can have a rough start and it can still turn out okay. Pro tip: Find a couple dog rescues in the area and help them out with dog transfers and short term fostering... it makes a HUGE difference for them and your mental health.

Though there are a lot of things about my first year that I am less than thrilled with, there were bright moments as well. I became co-president of our neurology student interest group, shadowed a few different pediatric neurologists (and LOVED every second of it) and eventually met people that are truly amazing. A year later and I can confidently say that next year will be better and I might even be looking forward to it. As this school year comes to a close, I have a lot of work to do on myself. This past year brought with it personal challenges that showed me that there are things about myself that I want to change. But it also showed me that I can go through some pretty awful times and come out okay. I'm proud that I did really well in school my first year despite these challenges. I say that because we should celebrate our wins instead of hiding them.

If you've gotten this far, thank you for reading. If you're going through a tough time with a new school or job just know that it will get better (cliche I know sorry). If you're going into your first year of medical school, be excited! But also be prepared for it to be less butterflies and rainbows than you might want. That's okay because you'll be okay.

Next block is Neurology and Psychiatry and I am SO excited. I know that is an unpopular opinion because it will be a difficult block. But, my passion is in neurology and psychiatry so I know that it'll be fun for me. I'm excited to see what the next year of school brings. I'm hoping for more substantial research experience, more shadowing opportunities and maybe even getting to know my classmates a bit better.




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March 17, 2021 in , , ,

Making Connections and Reaching Out

As a first year medical student, I am so eager to make connections with pediatric neurologists both at my school and at other California schools. At first, I didn’t really know where to start or what to say but I knew I wanted to introduce myself.

It can be nerve-racking to cold-email someone who you aspire to be one day. So, here are some tips for reaching out, asking for shadowing or research ideas and finding a mentor!

  1. Research the person you are emailing! If they have a specific area of research you are in, read the abstracts (or even better, whole papers) of their most recent publications. Mention specifics in your email or later meetings to show your interest and commitment.
  2. Have a goal in mind! This one I learned recently because I was caught off guard with this question. If you are looking for research, what are you hoping to get out of it? Do you want to create your own project? Do you want to get to know the lab and what research is like? Etc. It doesn’t have to be super specific but have an idea of what your end goal is.
  3. Respect their time but DO NOT be afraid to follow up! People are busy and sometimes they forget to respond to emails. I usually give it a week before I send a short and very respectful follow-up email. Anytime I’ve done this the person has always thanked me for reminding them that they forgot about my first email! Do not be afraid to follow up.
  4. Have some questions ready for them if you do get a chance to meet in person or over the phone. This is especially important if you are looking for a mentor in general. You want to show interest and also learn something if you are going to be taking up their time!
  5. Don’t be afraid to reach out! This is honestly the most important thing. Cold emailing is scary but can lead to so many exciting opportunities. The worst thing that can happen is they say no or don’t respond and you move on to the next opportunity.


I hope this was helpful! Be on the lookout for an email template on my instagram soon!


Much Love Always




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December 08, 2020 in , , ,

Studying for Undergrad Finals

It's that time of year again and I imagine that many of you are so overwhelmed thinking about finals. My own finals start in a week from yesterday and so I completely understand the panic. These tips are meant to help you through studying for finals in undergrad (especially as a pre-med). I am definitely using some of these tips as I study for my medical school finals but I don't want to pretend like I know the best way to go about medical school finals. I'm truly just rolling with it and hoping that I study the right way, but I guess we will see! Here are some things that worked for me when I was in undergrad:

1. Make a to-do list for each final. Include all the lectures/practice questions/etc that you want to get through. Having a list always makes me feel more in control! It is also great to be able to check things off as you go so that you can see the progress you are making. 

2. Schedule your time. I say this on my blog/instagram a lot but it really works. Schedule each day with exactly what you want to accomplish. Some people prefer to study each class for a few days before switching. I personally prefer to study for multiple classes a day. Pick which works for you and make a schedule.

3. GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Do not pull all-nighters. Really don't. It is not sustainable considering you are probably studying for a week or more and it is not going to help you learn material.  Also, fun fact, you consolidate your memories while you sleep so you need to sleep in order to remember what you learned!! 

4. Try to avoid junk food/fast food. I am in FULL support of chocolate while you study or ice cream every night as a reward. This is not me telling you to "eat healthy". I say this only because fast food and junk food can make you sluggish and tired.

5. Remember that coffee is not a meal. Another fun fact, your brain is picky when it comes to fuel. It requires glucose to work at its best so it is important that you remember to eat real meals while you're studying.

6. The library is not for everyone. Some people thrive in the library but it is okay if you don't! You shouldn't feel pressure to live in the library just because that is what people around you are doing. I hate the library and much prefer to study at home!

7. Let your meal times be a break! You don't need to study while you eat dinner, I promise. Use the time to decompress.

8. Study by yourself before you study with peers. As much as I love studying with friends, it is only helpful if you all know the material. It is very difficult to go over content or do practice questions as a group if you didn't study first. 

9. Carefully choose your study partners. Throughout undergrad I had 3 people that I consistently studied with. We worked well together, supported each other, learned the same ways and all stayed on top of the material. It was amazing and we really helped one another. Find your people and stick to them. Large study groups often turn into social hour and that isn't the best during finals week. Also, make sure to avoid people that insist on comparing themselves to you. You don't need to compare your study habits to anyone else's and you shouldn't allow others to make you.

10. Remember that it will be over soon and you will be okay. 

Happy Studying

xoxo




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October 30, 2020 in ,

Getting Through That ONE Class You Hate

We all have that one class that we cannot stand. For me, it was physics in undergrad and histology in my first block of medical school. I used to say that physics took a piece of my soul every lecture (and no I’m not dramatic thank you very much). For others it was definitely OChem. Either way, they are often pretty important classes and ones you need to do well in! I actually ended up getting an A in Physics both semesters even though it killed me. So here’s how I did it!


  1. Set aside specific time to study for that class! Mark it on your daily calendar because I promise that you will try to avoid it otherwise. It’s always that one class that you’re like… well…. I’ll just skip it and keep doing *insert better class here*. 
  2. Keep assignments at the top of your to-do list. Things at the bottom tend to get pushed until the next day and it feels better to get it over with at the beginning. Avoid having a hard assignment looming over you all day and I promise you will feel so accomplished!
  3. Do not get behind. Because then you will have to spend multiple days in a row on it and trust me, nothing is worse than multiple days of physics.
  4. Take breaks while you are studying so you don’t get burnt out. This is what I do with histology so I don’t fall asleep lol. 
  5. Reward yourself at the end of your study period! Something to look forward to (even something small like a cookie) is so helpful!
  6. Find a study group! Keep each other accountable and make studying more fun by making it a tad bit social!
  7. Get a tutor!!!!!!! If you are struggling, use resources! This does not have to be a private, expensive tutor. It can be school tutoring, a group tutor session (so you can all split the cost), or asking a friend for help. Either way, don’t make it more painful by trying to struggle on your own. For physics I would have one tutoring session before each big exam because it helped me feel more confident.
  8. Do practice problems! I’ve said this before but I think active studying is SO much less boring than passive studying. Sometimes this isn’t always applicable but for things like Ochem and Physics it is key. It also will improve your grades so much more than passively staring at your notes.
  9. Find people to complain with. This might seem silly but seriously it can be so cathartic.
  10. Most importantly, remember that it will be over soon enough!


Well, I hope those tips help you get through the class you dread the most!



XOXO, Happy Studying!






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August 03, 2020 in ,

Starting Medical School in a Pandemic

Today is my first day of medical school!! I honestly can’t believe it's here. I’m so nervous and excited at the same time. Obviously, this first semester is not going to be what I expected. Every school is dealing with the pandemic in different ways but here is how my first semester is different. As of right now, the only in-person class is anatomy lab - I was worried we wouldn’t get this experience but thankfully they found a way to make it work! Some of the changes may end up being positive while others are not going to be so great. But, I’m just excited to be here and am definitely ready to go with the flow.


Some of the changes I have noticed: 

  • Anatomy lab is split into 2 groups - each anatomy table (aka cadaver) has 5-6 people but we are split into two days. So for example, I have anatomy on Tuesdays with two of my lab partners while the rest of our group has lab on Thursdays. On Friday, the five of us will be in lab together. In order to keep room capacity low enough on Fridays, half the lab tables come in the morning and the other half comes in the afternoon. I know this is confusing but basically - anatomy lab is split into two groups.
  • We each only do ~half of the anatomy labs. To be honest, I am kind of worried about this because we will still be tested on the entire body during practical exams. Basically, the Tuesday group will do one dissection and the Thursday group will do another so that we can still finish the whole body by November. We will, of course, have an opportunity to see exactly what the other group did but it won’t be the same as doing the lab ourselves.
  • Almost all of our classes are online! Some classes are live-zoom sessions (aka we have to be there and participate at a specific time) while others are pre-recorded lectures. This honestly does not really bother me, except in the case of Clinical Skills. I feel like it is going to be so difficult to learn to do a physician exam over Zoom? I have my first class on physical exams on Wednesday, so I’ll let you guys know how it goes.
  • We have to buy more equipment ourselves. Many of the MS2’s told us not to worry about buying BP cuffs and other physical exam equipment because we would be able to use the ones in the classrooms… but obviously that isn’t the case right now. Not the biggest deal because hopefully we only need a few extra lower cost items but it is definitely making med school a tad more expensive. We also aren’t allowed to bring iPads into lab and have to buy a physical copy of the dissector (again not super expensive but still more than the free PDF).
  • Pretty much all extracurricular activities have paused. This isn’t a huge deal since most students suggest giving yourself time to adjust to medical school classes before jumping into extracurriculars. However, it is likely going to effect our ability to get involved in student-run clinics (which are huge at my school) before the new year. Super unfortunate but again, not the end of the world.
  • Our white coat ceremony was via Zoom. This made me sad because I was so excited for my family and boyfriend to come to my white coat ceremony. But, in the end, they got to watch via Zoom and I still felt so loved and supported.


The most important difference (at least in my mind) is probably that I’ve only met 2 of my classmates… and I live with them! This is super unfortunate because I was really looking forward to making new friends here. As I posted before, I have the most incredible friends from pre-med at Berkeley and I was excited to build my support system within medical school. But, we are going with the flow and luckily my housemates are great! Our class has also put together weekly Zoom Happy Hours so that will have to do for the time being!


COVID has definitely shaken up the world. I am NOT saying it has affected my life in any significant way compared to the patients and families affected by the disease, the physicians working on sick patients, or the individuals who have lost their jobs/food security/safety. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to list the small ways COVID will affect my education and hopefully that list does not grow. I’ve been asked how medical school will differ this year and I wanted to share some ways I’ve seen the effects of the pandemic on my education. Again, if you can write a list of the ways COVID has affected you, looked at it and felt okay, then count your blessings. The lovely @bri taught me a long time ago that being positive is so important for your mental health and I will never forget that. Positivity in this time is more important than ever. Maybe I’ll even do a post on this at a later date… stay tuned. This is truly a crazy world we live in and I’m just lucky to have the opportunity to enter the medical profession at such a pivotal point.
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June 26, 2020 in , ,

Top 5 Pre-Med Tips

Being a pre-med can be so overwhelming. I remember always feeling like I was drowning and like I would never make it to medical school. But I'm here to tell you that you will be okay and you will get to medical school. In fact, I start in just one month!

To help you feel a little bit at ease, I compiled my Top 5 Pre-Med Tips! I hope this helps.
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March 15, 2020 in , ,

Telling People you Want to be an MD


I wanted to touch on this first because it is something that I have
encountered this year and something that has been personally
difficult to deal with 

Unfortunately when you tell certain people you want to go to
medical school you may not be met with
"oh wow thats great" so here are some ways
to deal with those difficult interactions


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