how to succeed in combined medical ba/md programs?
Hello! I’m a student in a combined and accelerated bs/md program and I haven’t graduated yet but I have noticed a few things that have helped me succeed so far and would like to share them with you. Here they are:
1. Time Management. There is a post called Under Pressure that discusses this. How many hours do you really spend studying per day? Sometimes we’re in the library for a said amount of hours but only spend half of that time studying. This is something that I’ve noticed. I might be in the library for 7 hours but take an hour long lunch break or take 10 minute study breaks that extend to 30 minutes. It is important to manage the time that you have wisely, in order to gain the most out of studying. To help with this, pay attention to your attention span. How long into reading a textbook do you have to fight to stay focused? This way, you’ll know the approximate amount of time that you’re actually contributing to studying. In addition, it is important to dedicate a specific amount of time to strictly studying.
2. Organization. Do you own a planner or a calendar? I advise that you get one and write in test dates, assignment dates, etc. Planners help with time management as well. If your program is accelerated like mine, assignments and tests tend to be in the same week or in circumstances where you’ll have a test one week and another one the consecutive week. As a small anecdote, last semester, I was in a situation where I had Genetics and Organic Chemistry exams in the same week with an assignment due the following week. It was tough. But having a planner helped me tremendously. It helped me to manage my studying time, everyday up until the exam and assignment dates. Sometimes just having dates of assignments in my head can make one seem farther from another one when they might just be a few days or a week away.
3. Passion. You have to want to be a doctor. You must be dedicated and resilient. With that being said, there will be days when you’ll question yourself. Those days are important. I think that TNQD puts it best in the post “There will be days.” It is important to stay connected to why you want to be a doctor and to make friends with people who are equally as passionate or even more passionate. I know that my passionate and encouraging classmates, family and friends are part of the reason I kept pushing even on days when i felt unmotivated, or stressed out. Also, talk to other people in your program who have either already graduated or are farther ahead in the program. My program is 7 years and I always ask people who are farther ahead in the program for advice and about how classes were for them. Yet, take their advice with a grain of salt as their experience and their experience won’t be exactly the same.
4. Self-reflection. It’s important to have a way to reflect on your self after a year or a semester. Maybe you can start a journal or write a blog about your experiences. You can reflect on the things that you have learned in a previous semester, things you want to improve on or habits that you want to stop. Self reflection has helped me in learning from my mistakes, and thinking of how to make the next year or semester better than the previous one. This helps my self-esteem in that I’m concentrating on making myself a better student instead of comparing myself to my other classmates. Try not to compare yourself to others as you can’t be like everyone else and nobody can be like you.
These are just a few suggestions that are based on what I have learned so far in my own program. I don’t know everything as I am still learning as I move on in this journey to become a Doctor. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask!
-documentingmygrowth