Attending school in a different city, away from home, can be overwhelming enough without having to consider a heavy course load in a highly competitive environment. It\u2019s the perfect recipe to leave you feeling stressed and unprepared. Rather than let panic set in, go in prepared with our overview of what to expect from your first few months at medical school.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Textbooks<\/b><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t buy your textbooks. Your course syllabus will contain a reading list of the books that you will need for each semester. Before you spend a lot of money on a whole host of books, check to see if there are copies of these books in the library or available online. Alternatively, ask the students in the year above what books they found useful during the first year. It might help more than you think, and could save a serious amount of money, which helps to relieve the financial pressure that most medical students experience in the first few months.<\/p>\n
Plan Ahead<\/b><\/p>\n
You will be expected to absorb large quantities of information in a short period of time, and you\u2019re going to need to remember it. Don\u2019t let yourself get behind in your studying as this can lead to a snowball effect. Create a study plan that will enable you to stay up to date with your reading and any essays you have, and try and stay ahead for as long as you can. This helps to alleviate some of the inevitable stress and pressure that you\u2019ll feel as you adjust to the demands of your course.<\/p>\n
Be social<\/b><\/p>\n
Making friends with other medical students is a great way of building a support network made up of people who may one day be colleagues. You can talk to each other about the course, help each other to study and, due to the competitive atmosphere, push each other to perform that little bit better.<\/p>\n
Work<\/b><\/p>\n
University can be very expensive, but you\u2019ll need to carefully weigh up whether it\u2019s worth getting a part time job. The course load you have will be incredibly heavy and there will be very little time to yourself, especially within the first few months. Use these moments to socialise, rather than continue to work elsewhere. Many students find that it\u2019s simply too much pressure, especially during the first year, when you\u2019re adapting to a new environment, new subjects, a new location and often, coping with living away from home with lots of new responsibilities for the first time.<\/p>\n
Have a life<\/b><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t spend your entire university experience studying. Lots of knowledge is great, but it\u2019s important to give your brain a break too and get out of the house. Make sure you have some time to yourself to do the things that you like. Spend time with friends. Do something active. Finding an adequate work\/ life balance is essential when you\u2019re studying to become a doctor and can ensure that you actually perform better when it\u2019s time to hit the books.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Attending school in a different city, away from home, can be overwhelming enough without having to consider a heavy course load in a highly competitive environment. It\u2019s the perfect recipe to leave you feeling stressed and unprepared. Rather than let panic set in, go in prepared with our overview of what to expect from your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n