As
my first entry, I figured I’d give you the rundown on what it is I do every
day. People ask me how I fit in
studying, working, and extra-curriculars, and the answer I always give: time
management. That’s one skill you’ll need
to succeed in medical school (and life in general). And yes, I was the girl that was involved in
college, but surprisingly, I wasn’t looking to be as involved in medical
school. It wasn’t until halfway through
my first year when I was just concentrating on studying and working that I
realized that I wasn’t as happy (for me, a day without laughter is a very sad
day), so I looked for ways to become more involved, and boom, here I am
now. Okay, so on to my schedule.
*Disclaimer:
This by no means represents the schedule
of every student at PCOM. There are your
classgoers (like me), your half-and-half goers (depending on who’s lecturing
and how close the test is), and those that only show up for required labs and
test (the ones you see on test days and go, “I have NEVER seen you before in my
life.”). Then you have your
school-studiers (me, because I get really distracted at home), your “I’ll study
at school when it’s closer to the test so I can get in the zone” people, and,
again, those who only show up when needed.
Let me make this clear: no one group is better than the other; it’s all
up to how YOU study best. Hey, if it
works, it works.
My Daily Schedule
7:45
AM: Arrive at school.
8:00
AM-12:00 PM: Attend lecture in the auditorium.
Run out of auditorium to go to the bathroom during every break because
in addition the full thermos of coffee, you drink lots of water to stay
awake. You can’t fall asleep if nature
calls.
12:00
PM: Attempt to study during lunch hour but get distracted by the newest episode
of “Grey’s Anatomy” on Hulu and the banana bread your friend (who must be
Superwoman, because you barely have enough time to study, much less bake)
brought to class.
12:55
PM: Realize you just spent an hour wandering around the hallways because after
sitting for four hours, you’re ready to sprint anywhere. No DVTs for me, thank you.
1:00
PM: Clock in to work-study job at the Office of Student Affairs (henceforth
known as “The Office,” but unfortunately, not as cool as the show).
1:00
PM-4:00 PM: Work. Try not to wander.
4:00
PM: Clock out. Debate going to the
gym. After this past holiday season, you
really should, but that would require changing, and you’re just not feelin’ it
at the mo’. Resolve to go tomorrow. Find your friends in the cafeteria (your
usual study spot, because you can’t eat/talk in the library) and set up
shop.
6:00
PM: Remember you didn’t bring anything for dinner but going home and getting
food would take too much time (and, as a med student, there is NO TIME for
anything other than studying), so buy some mysterious looking dish from the
cafeteria. Turns out it’s some sort of
fish (at least it’s protein).
11:00
PM: Leave and go home. Reprimand
yourself for not covering enough topics today.
Try to unwind by going on Facebook and seeing what your working friends
are up to so you can live vicariously through them.
12:00
AM: Collapse into bed.
6:45
AM: Repeat above cycle.
Of
course, that’s the basic skeleton (medical school pun!) of my schedule.
Afternoon activities also include OMM/Primary Care Skills lab, standardized
patients, club meetings, naps taken while studying, the occasional trip to the
gym, and more wandering (if there’s three things I like to do, it’s laughing,
wandering, and eating, in no particular order). Although my schedule second
year is a bit less intense on the studying side than it was first year (but is
by no means “easy”), it’s starting to revert back since we’re in our Neurology
course (and with boards ever-looming).
With
that, it’s back to studying for me. I gave up valuable wandering time to write
this entry, although I’ll probably find a way to make it up somehow. Time to
check out those fancy new water fountains…
