Preparing for Medical School (Non-Academics)
Written by Neha Deo
Getting the acceptance letter to medical school is a huge feat and for many, this is an exciting point in their life. However, as the first day of school comes near, many are wondering how they can best prepare for medical school. When asking other classmates, most will say “enjoy the free time while it lasts!”. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement - however, I think there are really valuable non-academic ways to prepare for medical school that many incoming M1s do not expect will add to their workload. Here are some tips for preparing for the M1 year:
Figure out how you study best. 1st year has a plethora of resources that are relevant to commonly taught courses such as pathology, biology, and anatomy. There are lectures, board preparation material in the form of videos and books, and classic textbooks written by professors in the field. It will be valuable for you to reflect on the studying habits that worked for you best during college/post-bacc classes. For many, this is an opportunity to explore a new way of studying at the start, or continue to utilize similar resources that worked in college.
Prepare a budget for the school year. Your class will likely meet with the school’s finance department early in the year, and all advisors suggest that it is more ideal to withdraw as much money as you need during the school year. Interest adds up fast when you factor in medical school and residency. It will be valuable to do a cost breakdown of regular financial commitments like bills, groceries, gas, etc, and also learn more about the cost of living in the city/town that you’re moving to.
Explore mental health resources available to you. Medical school can be really difficult to manage sometimes, and with compounding familial responsibilities, extracurriculars, and finding time for hobbies, things can get overwhelming. Often medical students will ebb and flow during their medical training, and sometimes things can feel more difficult to manage. I think before medical school, it is a great opportunity to explore what mental health resources are available at your school or local community.
Spend time with family and friends. Enjoy the time that you have with your loved ones without feeling that you have an x task list to complete. Medical school constantly has new things adding to the “to-do” list and time before medical school is a great opportunity to spend time with your circle to enjoy spending time with them without feeling like you have additional responsibilities thereafter.
Plan your move. Moving is tedious, expensive, and stressful. Planning can mitigate that stress so that you have a smooth start to the first week of medical school without feeling pressured to go home and unpack more things from boxes from moving. It also frees up time so that you can get to know your classmates better during the first week!
The time leading up to the first day of school is really exciting and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Congratulations and we all hope to work with you in the future!
