Medical School Year 1 recap and realizations

Time flies so fast. My first year in medical school has gone by so fast, and it was indeed a very interesting part of my journey towards becoming a doctor. New school, new people, new friends, new rules, new lessons - all of which contributed to what I have become within the past year. Here are some points that I learned and realized in my 1st year in med school:

1. Studying SMART is so much better than studying HARD

You may memorize all you want, but you may still fail. The key to surviving medicine is understanding the concepts, especially the fundamentals. Memorizing the lessons for a whole week is not enough to pass, especially when questions get crazy. You have to UNDERSTAND the important details. And frankly, given all the lessons that you need to digest and inhale, no one can really study everything. Or ewan, maybe it's just me and my eternal katamaran sa pagaaral. Hehe!

photo from my classmate Aldrich

2. Mnemonics will help you in studying

They will help you remember the lessons easily. Even the hardest lesson will be easy to memorize after you constructed a mnemonic for it. However, the mnemonics we invented aren't really suitable for public blogging, so I can't share them here… hehehe! Sorry :))) Basta mapapadali ang buhay pag may mnemonics. Kunwari, sabihin na nating…. Uhmm… Example na pwede sa bata (Hehe): Deep muscles of the back: I Love Spaghetti - I-iliocostalis L-Longgisimus S-Spinalis. Hahaha. Funny dibaaa? diba??? uhhh, nope?! Well we have better ones :> :)))

3. Medical school is also like an art school

Yeahhh, drawing and coloring here and there - it's almost like an art class with our papers splashed with different vibrant colors. And for someone who can't even draw a straight line, this is such a hassle sa muscle activity for me! Although I admit, visualizing will help you understand the concepts better. In any case, colored pencils and sharpeners should always be inside our bags in case we need to unleash the inner Da Vinci within us at some time in the day. Hehe.

Brain yan. Believe it or not.

4. There are good days, there are bad days.

Like what the old cliche goes, you can't have everything. Sometimes you already did everything, studied every letter of every word of every sentence of every page of the book (but not the case of my tamad self! teehee), prayed to God and all the saints… Yet the moment you receive your test paper, you'll just wonder.. "Huh??? May ganito ba sa lessons!???!?" And you'll end up failing the test. Hehehehe.

both photos from Google

Don't worry, that's normal. :)))) When I fail my tests, I get sad for roughly 2 minutes then I move on. Sayang sa time eh. Hahaha! :)) However, there are times when you didn't study for anything and guessed almost everything, yet you get a passing (sometimes even high) grade. Or when you reported something you really prepared for and your professor praised you, you feel great and wonderful. Super puyat win! Isang malakas na: Thaaaaankkkkk yoooouuuuuuu LOOOORRRDDDD! The rollercoaster of emotions you get in medschool is priceless. Either way, good days and especially during bad days, I always tell myself: This too shall pass :)

5. Medicine means sacrifice

Sometimes you just have to accept that you do not own time. Time owns you. There are occasions you have to cancel, family gatherings you have to miss, and a whole lot more, because you need to study. But like what they always say, the road may be bitter now, but its fruit is sweet.

6. Joining medical school means getting out of your comfort zone

It means going beyond what you already know, what you already experienced, and what you think you already know. Everyone who knows me know that I hate recitation. Give me exams and quizzes and essays, I will be fine. But recitation??? Noooopey nope nope! Give me a N! Give me an O! NO! I am not a public speaker, and I hate reciting in front of a crowd. However, because of the SGDs in all subjects, as well as the laboratory conferences and figure review discussions in Physiology, medschool gave me no choice but conquer my "fear" of reciting.

7. There is more to medical school than just books, exams and discussions

Some friendly competition.. A little activity beyond medical studies… Med school is definitely more than just books. Case in point: Biochemistry Nutrifest. Here, students perform, dance, sing, etc. in order to discuss, in an unconventional way, a certain topic in Biochemistry which is Nutrition. It's a break from the common everyday toxic environment of medicine that sometimes suffocates us. It's like a breath of fresh air that makes students feel alive (and human) again (NUUUXXXX!), especially because it is held during the death March, where every waking day is an exam day.

UST-FMS Subsection D2 2017! Lord of the CALORings

8. Med friends will keep you sane.

Need I say more? Basically, they are your family that will stand by you through whatever. And because you're going through the same road, you will understand one another. From the happy moments to moments when you almost feel like giving up, it's the thought of having these amazing people by your side that will make you hold on. :) Just some take away food, drinks, good music, stories, and one another, okay na. Random beerpong sessions and spontaneous kwentuhan nights along the stretch of Dapitan, Lacson, Noval or Espana beat any failed exam. And with that, we know that we'll get through medicine together.

Cake date!

Medical school means a balance of everything: Focus, enjoyment, determination. This is where we start to dream, and where we work on those dreams. It is unity in diversity, and diversity in unity.

Our first year in medical school has taught us many lessons, both in the academics, and in life, that lie beyond what grades can measure. And because grades are only numbers, they can never measure our dreams. It's the lessons and memories that we make in our journey that make our life in medschool worthwhile. And as long as we love what we are doing, we know that we are on the right track.

2nd year, see you in July!!!! :D

UST-FMS D-2017