Looking forward to 2nd year: Things to think about

AH! Finally done with your semester 2 exam. Endless confusion, sleepless nights, tons of studying, a whole lot of cramming, friend drama, a mess of study space are among a looooong list (the list isn’t all that bad!🙃 ) of what made up your and my first year of med school. Hey! I know we didn’t see this coming, but life is full of surprises. This year has been about testing your patience, your limits, what you are comfortable with. You probably tried different books; the big ones (Guyton and Robbins), medium ones (BRS, Kaplan, Pathoma), and small ones (Sharjeel- shh! We aren’t supposed to talk about those 👀). You must’ve tried reading or preparing from videos, or making notes and just giving the chapter a read. Bottom line, your 1st year was one huge experiment (at least mine was). I felt my 1st year was all about figuring out how to study, where to study, how much to study, how to relax and so the list goes. I understand that the transition from college to university is enormous and can be difficult for some of us and that’s precisely what this blog is for- helping you deal with things like that! Now that you are finally done with everything and have a six week long break, here are a few things that I did and I think that y’all should too:

1. Take a break and catch your breath

First and foremost, you should focus on relaxing. I know how exhausting the last few weeks before the semester exam can get, hence, you must give your brain some time off (or chill time as I call it). Take a trip, continue with hobbies, join a gym or club, go out with your new friends, catch up with the old ones. Basically, do everything and anything that is NOT related to studying. Yes! I was worried about my 2nd year too and seeing the guidebook for 2nd year, I did freak out (4 modules in 3rd semester)!!! But you’ll get through them in due time, not now. The main aim of this break is to prevent a burnout and to do that you must spend time away from your textbooks.

2. Reflect on your previous year

"Self-reflection”, in my opinion, is THE GREATEST tool one can have in their life. It allows for critical analysis of oneself and can be immensely useful for personal growth. Coming back to the topic, you need to reflect on your 1st year by going over your mistakes, your failures, your wins, your study patterns, your strategies. You need to analyze all those to find out how beneficial they are for you. For example, I struggled with my textbooks. I didn’t know where to study from, so I tried all kinds of books: from Guyton to BRS, until I found the right ones for me (this will vary for everyone). Believe it or not this sole problem consumed the whole of my 1st year.

3. Plan out your next year

*Now this you’ll do in the last week of your break.*

By the last week, you should have received your guidebook. As you’ll open the last page, you’ll see the plan for 2nd year with the name, number, and duration of modules for each semester (see the picture below). One thing that I can tell you for sure is that there is going to be a lot of content to cover in 2nd year. As I mentioned before, your 1st year was all about how to(s), so you need to plan out how you will study and which strategies you’ll need to employ. Your real aim will be to find that sweet spot between getting all your studies done and keeping your social life together. I wish I had read this article a year ago, it would’ve helped me prepare for whatever came next, but I still did alright (or so I like to think). This brings my attention to those who can’t stick to a plan or are used to winging it. Trust me, it’s not like you are SUPPOSED to have your life all figured out. Take it a day at a time! Believe me, I’m one of you and that’s what I have been doing since my 4th semester started. Fortunately for you, you can learn from my experience.

All in all, med school is a bumpy ride, but, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Nevertheless, a seatbelt (guidance) and a good driver (YOU) can make it worthwhile. So, relax a little extra, give your family a little more time, give yourself A LOT of time, and take in some deep breaths! Happy cramming!