A Med School Memoir

Holy crap. Where does the time go? This time last year, I was nervously preparing to take the MCAT, and now, here I am, posting to my med school blog about how I’m nervously preparing to begin med school. What a difference a year makes.

So, it’s now May 13th. That means I’m less than three months away from the first day of classes. I can’t really describe the feeling I have as these last several weeks crawl by. I’m excited to finally begin my medical education. As I await the beginning of classes, I pass the time by filling my mind with all things med school. I check my Facebook account about 15 times a day to see if anyone else has joined our class group. I mentally map out how I will deal with a study load the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I try to stash away enough sleep to last me for the next eight or so years. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, if only to preemptively combat the lack of exercise that I’ll get in school. I try to make as many delicious home-cooked meals as possible, as I’m afraid I won’t have much time to cook for myself for the better part of the next decade. So yeah, I’m excited. But I’m also a little scared, if you hadn’t noticed.

See, I’m fully expecting to undergo a massive lifestyle change. The last few years have been pretty easy. After I graduated college, I bummed around as a musician for a year or so, then got a “real” job where I’ve worked 40 hours a week in a slow-paced lab. My life, while not too glamorous, has been relaxed and leisurely.

And that’s all about to change.

So, until the first day of classes, I’m going to do my damnedest to remain idle. I want to stockpile all the rest and relaxation I can get. I hope to spend as many of these beautiful summer evenings as I can on the decks and patios of my local drinking establishments. I plan on reconnecting with old friends by sharing a few pints before I leave. There are things I might not have the time to do again for a long time, and people I’m likely to lose touch with unless I make an effort to see them before I leave. It’s important to me that I wrap things up with a nice, shiny bow before heading off to school. And I’m trying to do just that. A side-effect of this laid-back mindset, however, has been that I’ve been slacking off at work. I’ll admit that the part of me that pushed me to work so hard in preparation for the MCAT last year feels guilty about not giving 100% in my job, but since no one at work has said anything, I’d imagine that I’m going to keep it up until I’m outta here.

Oh well. C’est la vie.

What is everyone else planning on doing before starting med school?

Tags:   Countdown · Pre-med · summer plans · wrapping upNo Comments