My crazy (but amazing) first week of medical school

Last Friday marked the end of my first week of medical school. It’s pretty surreal to say that I’m a medical student now. Here are some of the takeaways from my first week.

Class schedule/structure

The first week of medical school was mostly about getting familiar with the teaching schedule and structure for this term. We have live lectures every day, and live tutorial-like sessions twice a week. There is also supplemental material associated with each lecture topic that we have to cover on our own. It’s usually in the format of a pre-recorded video and is treated like a lecture. And of course, there are the assigned readings for each lecture.

In regards to testing, we have quizzes at the end of every week and an exam about every 3 weeks at the end of each module/block. There will be 5 exams throughout the term and a final exam in May.

When the learning structure was explained during orientation, I didn’t fully understand how it would work. Having gone through a week of this, I know what to expect for each activity and how to prepare.

What didn’t work well

Too much time on lecture previews and readings

In my first week, I spent too much time previewing lectures and doing the assigned readings from the textbooks. The books are definitely useful. I’ve noticed that I have a much stronger grasp of the topics for which I did the readings. The detailed context has really helped me understand the why and how behind different functions. In turn, that understanding has made it much easier to remember the details. However, there’s just not enough time to keep up with all the readings. Based on advice from upper-term students, I’m only going to use the textbooks when I’m struggling with a concept. The primary focus will be on lecture material and “lecture-supplement”.

Not enough time on “lecture-supplement” material

Initially, I didn’t realize that the “lecture-supplement” material is supposed to be treated like a lecture. Although I did watch them all, I didn’t give them the due attention they deserved. There were several questions from the supplement material on our weekly quiz. So I’m making more room in my schedule to cover this material by cutting down on pre-lecture preparation.

Not enough time for family

Because I spent so much time on the readings and previewing lectures, I wasn’t able to make time for some of the other things that are important to me. Like my family. I didn’t call my parents at all last week until the weekend. Whereas, my routine is to call at least every other day, if not every day. So I need to figure how I can fit this into my schedule.

What worked well

Prioritizing exercise and sleep

Before the first week of medical school, I made a conscious decision to prioritize my workouts and sleep so that I can stay healthy. (Here’s a shorter episode from the Huberman Lab Podcast about how to improve your sleep.) Although it was a bit overwhelming figuring out how and when to review all the material, I was able to make time for a daily workout last week. I also maintained my sleep schedule, meaning I didn’t need to stay up late to study. It feels really great to have followed through on that promise to myself. I know it was only the first week, but I think by starting this way, I’ve set the tone for the rest of the term.

Making time for non-academic activities

In addition, I was able to make time to write last week’s post and complete my application for a position on the student association. While this meant that I didn’t really have much time to relax, it came down to what I wanted to prioritize. In that moment, I felt it was more beneficial to work on the post and application than do something else.

Attending a workshop

I also attended a workshop last week organized by our school’s learning strategists. It was about how to effectively do a post-lecture review. One tip that I really liked was chunking the lecture into different sections and reviewing those chunks in separate timed sessions. The emphasis was on using active learning to review the material and training ourselves to stick to time limits.

With this information in hand, combined with my reflection on what did and didn’t work, I’m excited to see how I can better manage my time in week 2 of medical school.

What goals are you working on right now?

-M

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