My First Term of Medical School

Reflection on my First Term of Medical School:

Walking into Term 1, I was scared, nervous and worried but also excited! I still hadn’t even processed the fact that I was in medical school until about a month into the term after the first (FTM 1) exam! Since I had taken the MSAP program in the summer prior to beginning Term 1, I was able to get a bit of an idea of the pace and some of the content. However, I still didn’t know what to truly expect as actual medical school appeared to be more difficult!

First of all, I was taking the first term virtually which had me nervous as I didn’t know what it would be like and how I’d be able to stay focused and motivated when studying from home. I didn’t know anyone else coming in and being virtual made it difficult to meet new people. Luckily, I was able to meet new friends both by social media and groups created through the university such as my AEP group and Small Group (tutorial groups) which made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and it gave me motivation to get through the term. Making friends this term was truly a major aspect that helped me get through the term, even just being a part of group chats and being able to talk about the content made me feel like it was a “family” even though I didn’t personally know anyone. It was also interesting to be able to meet so many people from all over the world! I was able to meet people from all over the USA, fellow Canadians and other students from more foreign countries which truly opened my perspective.

In terms of the course material, it isn’t hard to understand the content but what makes it tricky was the pace! The pace in term 1 was definitely something that took time to adjust to! From the very first day of the term, I was already overwhelmed with all the content I was learning. Overtime, I got used to the pace and I was able to stay caught up with the content. Don’t get me wrong, there is still some challenging content which I did struggle with such as anything involving the use of math and multiple equations. However, I did realize that even the harder content wasn’t too bad if you take the time to do practice questions and reach out for help when needed. Term 1 was truly a “trial and error” term as I was trying to use different studying techniques and schedules to understand the content. It was a challenge to find the best study technique and it’s something I’m still working on it! Each module requires a different studying technique, and it takes time to find the best technique that works best for you!

Group chats were lifesavers in term 1 to easily ask other classmates for clarification on topics or questions you may have! It’s crazy how much content you learn in Term 1, and I’m still shocked by how much I was able to learn during the term! Although the term was very hectic, it also taught me the importance of mental health and how I needed to take breaks and still balance my personal life and academic life. I often felt burnout through the term especially after exams which made me decide to always take the next day after the exams super easy where I would just do nothing except attend lectures but nothing else and really give me the time to do things I wanted to do before getting back into the grind!

Overall, Term 1 was a learning experience for me, and I was able to learn and grow a lot throughout the term. It was a trial-and-error term for me as I was trying to find the best study methods and study schedule for me! Plus adjusting to the pace of learning and the amount of content received in term 1 was something I had to get used to! Time management was key in Term 1 and it was very easy to get behind if you weren’t able to get your schedule on track and use your time wisely! Although term 1 forces you to stay on track, it also teaches you the importance of balance! As much as I wish I could study 24/7, I learned to prioritize my well-being first by ensuring I slept well, ate clean and was able to get some fresh air and exercise (even if it was just a walk)! I also noticed the correlation with my grades as when I did take better care of myself, I generally was a lot happier, and I performed better on exams!

Things I Regret from Term 1:

1. Failing to join any clubs or organizations:

I wish I had been more involved with my university through joining more organizations, but I had found it too difficult to manage as it was difficult to schedule in club meetings and events. However, I did join a local organization in my city to stay somewhat involved in my community through volunteering.

2. Putting off PQs (Practice Questions):

This was a major weakness I had during term 1! I often would skip doing PQs and leave them until a few days before the exam which would often leave me with insufficient time to complete them! I also noticed that every exam in which I didn’t do the PQs for, I generally performed worser in.

3. Spending Too Much Time on Passive Studying:

This was a major weakness for me as I often took too long “writing out” my notes instead of studying the information! I would write the content from the entire lecture out which was truly time consuming and prevented me from getting to the practice questions! I recommend taking notes but being wiser about them by making charts instead, summary diagrams that summarize most of the info, etc. these were much more helpful for me than just typing/writing out all the content! AND ONCE AGAIN- PRIORITIZE PRACTICE QUESTIONS!

Lessons from Term 1:

1. Make Connections!

Get out there and meet fellow classmates and form study groups! Group studying is something I lacked in term 1, but I noticed that when I had incorporated group studying, I performed much better on exams!

2. DO THE PRACTICE QUESTIONS DAILY!

This was the key for me! Every exam in which I was able to do practice questions for often resulting in >90% on the exams! This was also helpful for the OCEX and Lab Exam where I also was able to achieve a 98 and 95% just by forcing myself to do a whole lot of practice questions!

3. Increase Active Studying:

Once, again, as if I can’t repeat this more! Do more active studying such as a brain dump, pqs, etc. after the lecture or some sort of technique to just test what you retained so you are able to focus your time on what you didn’t understand.

4. Plan Out Your Days Off!

These are rare so definitely make sure you have a plan for them! I often found that I wasted mine doing nothing (which isn’t too bad if that’s how you want to spend them), but I regretted not doing more for mine, such as going out or going for a little trip and having fun!

5. Find the Best Study Method that Works for YOU!

This was a difficult one for me to learn as I was playing around with various study methods. I heard everyone using Anki and I attempted to use it multiple times, but it just didn’t work for me and wasted my time instead! It did cost me my grades when I tried to switch up my study techniques which taught me to just stick with my original methods because those worked best for ME and everyone studies different! Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to always try out other techniques but if it’s costing your grades and just not working, it might be something to remove!

6. Use Your Time Wisely!

You quickly realize in medical school that you are tight on time! Make sure you use it wisely by using the most effective study methods that work for you and make a schedule to plan out your time while also making sure to schedule a bit of time for yourself!

7. Plan YOU-Time:

This was vital for me to prevent burnout during the term! I had to have some time to just give myself a break from studying whether that was going for a walk, working out or just watching a show.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like any advice for term 1!