As the spring semester comes to a close, many of you may be considering how to best spend your time this summer. To provide some insight, our student co-contributors asked their fellow classmates to reflect back on how they spent, or how they wish they had spent, their summer before medical school. Here is their advice:
Henry Paiste - Take it 100 percent off and spend as much time as possible with your hobbies, friends, family, and yourself.
Miranda Worley - Finish all of the things on the admissions checklist early and ENJOY THE SUMMER! Read all the books, go on all the trips (after the pandemic is over), and most importantly don't study!
Florencia Scaglia Drusini - As an out-of-state student, I wish I would have spent more time with loved ones before moving to Birmingham. I would have also told myself to do more of the things I love--read, paint, run! Take the opportunity to build up your hobbies so that they become part of your routine in medical school.
Brett Cooke - Try to set up a solid workout routine. It’s easy to say you are going to work out before medical school starts, but it’s definitely easy to skip over it if you are not being purposeful.
Shelby Walcott - I DID: (1) Start your vaccinations over the summer! This was such a huge thing to do because you don't want to have to worry about getting those done when medical school starts. It's tedious and somehow you inevitably will need to go back to get new shots for something. (2) Enjoy yourself! Have some fun during the summer! You've worked so hard to get here so take a breather and do absolutely nothing. I spent a week in the NC mountains, watched way too much YouTube, and finished a video game I started in high school. Take some much-needed time for yourself before medical school starts.
I WISH I DID: I wish I had reviewed Biochem just a little. Fundamentals Block 1 (Biochem) in August WRECKED me as I was ill-prepared from my one semester of biochem in undergrad. For clarification: do not study. I only mean that skimming some would help. Recognizing simple stuff like the cell cycle, functions of organelles, transcription, translation, henderson-hasselbach, michaelis-menten, glycolysis, TCA, oxidative phosphorylation, etc. will give you a leg-up when you are introduced to more complicated stuff.
Nikhi Singh - Know how incredibly supportive the environment within the school of medicine is. Your classmates and professors all want you to succeed and it's a fantastic environment for learning. Also, how much of a powerhouse UAB is in terms of medical advancements and research. Many opportunities for students to get involved.
Collin Darwish - I worked all summer fixing sprinklers to pay for rent, and I would have rather done anything else. I actually quit my job as an EMT to fix sprinklers because it didn’t pay enough despite liking the job because I have loans. I think it’s important we not only present unrealistic narratives of traveling and living the dream for all students because that’s often not a reality due to the financial constraints that students like I faced. I wish I had been more supported in making that decision throughout college and before medical school and feel as though my experience is often undervalued or forgotten.
Katie McMillan - Don't worry, your life will not end with the start of school. There is time to do the things you love outside of school and it's so important to keep doing them when school starts to keep a healthy balance of school/family/friends/fun.
Nikki Panzica - Prepare for it to be harder than you expected, and prepare to maintain a positive attitude and healthy balance of work and life. Grades are not everything!!!
Charles Gagnon - Spend more time laying outside watching the stars; call distant family members more often; do not buy every third-party resource that is advertised, instead stick to only one or two at most.
Om Uday Patel - Take the summer off & travel! There is so much to see in the world; you won't get much free time after starting school. Find out about things you enjoy outside of school.
Bianca Godwins - Rest!! Rest, rest, rest. Medical school is a beast of a time commitment—don’t try to be that overachiever that starts studying in advance or works overtime. There’s enough of that when school begins. Make dedicated time to rest, rejuvenate, and spend time with family. Save and budget - Medical school is expensive. If you do not have parents who will help pay your bills (or your loan/FA amount may not cover everything) be intentional about saving. It’s not fun to begin medical school and not be able to afford to survive by the end of each semester.
Jared Halstrom - Don’t be so terrified. 1st year is a slight shock to the system but exciting and rewarding.
Emma Bryant - Spend your summer doing things you love and spend time with your family and friends. Don't think or worry about school, it'll be there at the end of July.
Channing Bruce - The summer before medical school I relaxed! I did not study or attempt to and I suggest the same for everyone else. Put away that fresh First Aid 2021 and get some vitamin D instead. Create a workout routine for the first semester, practice meal prepping, or maybe just vacation. Relax all you can!