#MEDSCHOOLDIARY- HOW TO NOT BE DEPRESSED IN MEDICAL SCHOOL

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Medical school is a great experience. You meet all kinds of people- smart, funny, weird and you have to deal with them on a daily basis which is good for the most part. It’s also a great learning experience- I don’t know of any course with a more jam-packed curriculum. And where else are you allowed to cut dead bodies as part of your education? Yeah med school is great .

But there are so many depressing aspects of it;

1.) THERE ARE A LOT OF TYPE-A PEOPLE

And this can be especially depressing for you if you are not type a. They’re everywhere- They’re there always asking the professors difficult questions on topics you aren’t even sure have been taught. They’re always there when you go to the library. They’re always pulling all-nighters even when though classes start by 8am , and of course they are always seated in the front row when you arrive at 8:05am. I would have said ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ but then you’d be at greater risk of having a heart attack. So the solution is simple: Don’t try to compete with anyone. Just pace yourself and make sure you put in as much effort as you can. Don’t worry if you can’t study for more than three hours at a stretch. Devise a study schedule that best suits you and stick to it . And RELAX! YOU’LL BE FINE.

2.) 24 HOURS ARE NOT REALLY ENOUGH

The schedule is packed!! Lectures are from 8am to 5pm (Typically with a one-hour break in between which is never really up to one hour) Then there are a lot of extracurricular activities which are important because at the end of the day, it’s important to gain as much as possible from your medical school experience (plus they make your CV look good =) Oh and there are a GAZILLION things to read. And of course, there are always in-courses( tests that are like exams) to look forward to. What bliss

3.) And even though I’ve mentioned this before, I feel the need to emphasize it …THERE IS A LOT OF STUFF TO READ!!

So don’t be surprised if after studying for an entire day, you still have 101 things to read/revise. And this makes you feel like you’re a slacker which can be very depressing. But for me, the cure is talking to my friends about things I’m struggling with and realizing that everyone feels the same way. The most important thing is to study consistently so that your work doesn’t pile up (too much)

4.)THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS until after your final exams which are after a whole year( and by that I mean 12 months) There are little breaks- public holidays here and there but that’s pretty much it. And you can imagine how frustrating it is to have classes when everyone else is on Easter break.

This particular aspect of med school really got at me last Christmas when I had an in-course scheduled for the first week of January (Thank you Dr. I) and so my christmas break was as relaxing as you’d imagine.

5.)ALL YOUR NON-MEDICAL FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS HAVING FUN …..WITHOUT YOU and have given up on you showing up for events and meets because you’re always ‘busy’  So there are two ways to cure this kind of depression- console yourself by saying service to humanity is more important than brunch with your friends or if you’re like me you can just cry ( just kidding!) The deal is that you should go out once in a while and have enough fun to last another three months of all-nighters/in-courses/ medical drama.

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But seriously it’s okay. At the end of the day, all these depressing things will be worth it ( I hope) and you can laugh about all the times you cried because you couldn’t keep up with Empire.

Of course, this list didn’t come close to exhausting all the things that can make you depressed in medical school or any kind of school! So I’d love to hear about your own experiences( in the comment section)- whether you’re a med student or not .

P.S.I really apologize that I haven’t been posting often in recent times. I’m just starting a new year and Its been kind of tough balancing the increased workload. Thank you all for understanding and for all your kind comments. I appreciate you.

Love,

The Venus blogger.