For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of becoming a doctor. When I first heard about the opportunity to begin medical school immediately after high school, I jumped at the chance. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into UMKC’s six-year B.A./M.D. program and I can honestly say that I have had an incredible experience that I do not think I would have gotten anywhere else. From the very beginning, I have been able to participate in classes and extracurriculars that I am passionate about, and earlier this summer, I finally received my white coat. After receiving my white coat after many semesters of hard work, I reflected on how I have changed since the beginning of my journey in higher education. While there have been many high points during my time thus far at UMKC, I have also had to learn many difficult lessons. Here are some major pieces of advice that I wish I would have heard before beginning my medical school journey.
The days of learning information solely for the purpose of passing an exam are over.
I am sure nearly every one of us has had to take a class that we would rather not be in. For these classes, it can be easy to fall into the vicious cycle of procrastination, cramming and instant forgetfulness after the exam. However, this is not beneficial in the world of higher education. I remember sitting in my medical biochemistry class last fall, and having the professor say, “You should remember this from your organic chemistry and cell biology classes.” I thought to myself, “Wait, I was actually supposed to remember that?” The structure of medical school, and higher education in general, is much different than anything I experienced in high school. In medical school, it is important to study not only for mastery on an exam, but also for long-term retention of the information. The classes build on themselves, and all of the information we learn is integrated between the different disciplines. Furthermore, the information we learn in these classes is foundational to the practice of medicine as a whole, meaning that future patients’ lives may very well depend on our ability to retain this information long term.
Imposter syndrome is very real, and it is something that many people will go through at some point.
I will let you in on a secret: if you think everyone else has their life together, you could not be more wrong. For many people that pursue higher education, it is likely that they were a high-achiever in high school, and are used to being one of the smartest people in the room. In my own high school experience, school came easily to me and I did not have to put a whole lot of work in to be successful. This all changed the moment I began medical school. Suddenly, A’s did not come around as often. I had to put in much more work in order to get grades I was satisfied with. I went through a time period of questioning whether or not I truly belonged in my program, or if I was in way over my head. After all, everyone else seemed to be breezing through the classes, absorbing all the information like sponges. This could not be farther from the truth. All it took was talking with several of my peers, and I quickly realized that almost everyone was going through the same struggles as me. There were times where they also felt like fish out of water, questioning whether or not they truly were deserving of their spot in the program. While it did not fix these feelings overnight, being able to confide in my peers and realize that many of them were in the same boat as I was brought a sense of comfort and a desire to keep persevering.
The success of others does not diminish your own successes.
I am going to say this again because it truly is that important: the success of others does not diminish your own success. This was probably the single hardest and most important lesson I have learned during my time in medical school. Again, if you are pursuing a college education, you probably were a high-achiever in high school, and it can be natural to have a sense of academic competitiveness. For my program specifically, there was a large pool of applicants, so much of my time in high school was spent finding ways to make myself stand out and craft the perfect application. In a sense, I felt as though someone else’s success — receiving a spot in the program — could have prevented my own acceptance into the program. I wish that I could go back and tell my younger self that this is not a healthy way to approach my goals. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that each person has their own unique set of skills, passions, qualities, and backgrounds that will allow them to reach success regardless of whether or not those around them are successful. There is a reason they accepted over 100 students into my program, and not just one. We need lots of good doctors in the world, not just one. So, if someone else finds an amazing opportunity, then all that means is that they found an amazing opportunity. Good for them! Just like they bring unique experiences, backgrounds and strengths to the table, so do you! I am sure that you also have had experiences that others wish they could have had.
Wellness can be a game-changer for your overall success.
I will admit, prior to beginning my time at the medical school, I was a bit of a skeptic about the whole wellness thing. I ate what I wanted, and I exercised because of the physical benefits it brought. I had never really considered that there were mental benefits to a healthy diet and exercise, and quite honestly, I did not really view these benefits as significant. I slept when I could, but if I only got 4-5 hours of sleep, I would not sweat it. Don’t even get me started on meditation. I thought it was a load of nonsense. After all, how beneficial could sitting there doing absolutely nothing really be? Most of all, I found wellness practices to be something that wasted the very little free time I did have with my busy schedule. It was not until the summer after my first year that I began to change my outlook. Throughout my entire life, I have had anxious tendencies, but I was able to push them below the surface. However, once I entered a rigorous summer semester of classwork, my anxiety reached its breaking point. I knew it was time to make a change. Along with medication, my doctor explained that he liked to use a holistic approach when treating mental health issues. Medication is only one part of the puzzle, but so are things such as diet, exercise and spiritual health. I became much more aware of these aspects in my everyday life, and I am not being dramatic when I say that the change was almost instantaneous. I began cooking healthy meals at home instead of eating out all the time, and I began incorporating exercise as a non-negotiable part of my routine. I began attending a local church every Sunday, and I tried to incorporate at least 15 minutes of meditation into my daily routine. Instead of staying up for hours on end trying to cram every last detail for classes, I learned that a full eight hours of sleep was one of the most powerful tools in increasing my productivity. Everything that I had been critical of for so long was now essential to my life, and I noticed that I was able to obtain higher grades, but without the added stress. This is not to say that my anxiety is completely cured, or that wellness is a catch-all solution. However, focusing on my overall wellbeing has made medical school much more manageable.
In many ways, entering medical school at such a young age has forced me to learn valuable life lessons that I would have otherwise learned much later. While these reflections are more specific to my time in medical school, I would argue that they are beneficial to anyone that is pursuing higher education. Over the past three years, it is hard to believe the growth that I have experienced as both a student and a person. While I still have a long way to go before I could be considered old and wise, I think that much of what I have reflected on will benefit me for the rest of my life.