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Staying motivated-Getting to Medschool

hailey_medschool

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BigM Newbie

BigM

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With all due respect, you are the only one who can keep yourself motivated to get through. These forums are good for providing information but there is no one piece of advice we can give you that you haven't heard before that's going to make all the difference. Getting into a medical school is a long battle which not everyone survives, but those who do reap the fruits of their labour. But you already know this...

 

Best of luck!

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igotacookie Newbie

igotacookie

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For ecs u should really be doing something you love or at least enjoy.

For example, I could only stand one shift at the seniors home. But I ended up coaching basketball for 4 years straight.

 

I looked at ecs as a way for me to grow, to give back to the community, and for personal enjoyment. The whole med school application should be secondary to those 3.

 

As for keeping on top of school grades I was sortof in the same boat as you at first. I worked my tail off first year and was exhausted by the end of it. There was no way I could enjoy 3 more years. So instead I made sure to enjoy all the things I wanted to do especially on Friday and Saturdays. My course selection usually included one or two courses I found interesting and one or two courses I knew that were light in the amount of work required. Of course I didn't get the 4.0 as in first year but it made my time far more enjoyable.

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rollester Newbie

rollester

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I agree with the poster above. Do what you like to do. Do what you're passionate about doing. It applies to ECs, your program of choice and everything else. Also, have a solid back-up plan so you're not completely heart broken if you don't get in the first time around.

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Guest postman

Guest postman

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We all know how hard it is to get into med school, what did you do to keep up that perseverance to get that 90% GPA and EC's???

 

 

so many times i feel like giving up and i dont do the best i can.

-help me be the best i can be

 

For me, I'd say planning was most important. The key is to keep a good schedule and be disciplined. Work hard when it's work time, and play hard when it's play time.

 

Most of all, have no regrets. It's the only way you can stay fully focused on the future.

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GriffithMD Newbie

GriffithMD

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We all know how hard it is to get into med school, what did you do to keep up that perseverance to get that 90% GPA and EC's???

 

 

so many times i feel like giving up and i dont do the best i can.

-help me be the best i can be

 

 

To Hailey,

 

It is easys to understand your frustration with med school. As someone who's been through it, I know that it is definitely a grind. The first two years can be difficult because it just seems like "glorified undergrad" all over again! And the licensing exams aren't easy either. Sometimes it's difficult to stay focused through the entire thing. This can only be made more difficult if you don't have a good support structure of friends, and family.

 

Through it all, I tried to remember why I was doing all of this, and why I was working so hard! My goal was to do neurosurgery, and I knew that it would not be achieveable unless I worked hard every day. And now, as a 6th year resident in Neurosurgery, I'm glad that I was able to persist through all of those difficult times.

 

So keep your ultimate goal in mind, and use it to rejuvinate your efforts.

 

Read my latest blog post at http://www.StephenGriffithMD.com that addresses this issue of staying focused. It'll make it easier to get through all of these tough times. And please give me feedback on whether or not this is helpful for you.

 

Best wishes to you, Hailey.

 

--Stephen

@GriffithMD

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Madz25 Newbie

Madz25

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To Hailey,

 

It is easys to understand your frustration with med school. As someone who's been through it, I know that it is definitely a grind. The first two years can be difficult because it just seems like "glorified undergrad" all over again! And the licensing exams aren't easy either. Sometimes it's difficult to stay focused through the entire thing. This can only be made more difficult if you don't have a good support structure of friends, and family.

 

Through it all, I tried to remember why I was doing all of this, and why I was working so hard! My goal was to do neurosurgery, and I knew that it would not be achieveable unless I worked hard every day. And now, as a 6th year resident in Neurosurgery, I'm glad that I was able to persist through all of those difficult times.

 

So keep your ultimate goal in mind, and use it to rejuvinate your efforts.

 

Read my latest blog post at http://www.StephenGriffithMD.com that addresses this issue of staying focused. It'll make it easier to get through all of these tough times. And please give me feedback on whether or not this is helpful for you.

 

Best wishes to you, Hailey.

 

--Stephen

@GriffithMD

 

Hailey was asking about staying motivated to get INTO med school, not expressing her frustrations WITH med school.

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rollester Newbie

rollester

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The thing that always gets me motivated is this: imagine your academic competitors and enemies hard at work. Picture them fervently studying at their desk....yes......

 

Unfortunately, that kind of attitude isn't going to be beneficial for you in the long run. It's a healthy competition. Keep it that way.

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bj89 Newbie

bj89

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The thing that always gets me motivated is this: imagine your academic competitors and enemies hard at work. Picture them fervently studying at their desk....yes......

 

LMAO! I bet you're the one who knew all the random facts in biochem so that you could beat the other pre-meds on the exams

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Dongzhuo Newbie

Dongzhuo

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LMAO! I bet you're the one who knew all the random facts in biochem so that you could beat the other pre-meds on the exams

 

Yes. I memorized how many ATPs were made in every reaction, and how many water molecules participated in the reaction. Nah...just joking. But seriously, having a "competitive mindset" has helped me get to where I am.

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tooty Newbie

tooty

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The thing that always gets me motivated is this: imagine your academic competitors and enemies hard at work. Picture them fervently studying at their desk....yes......

 

^^ this, and the thought that if i don't get in i won't get no money or b*tches got me through some rough times.

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bj89 Newbie

bj89

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The best way to get motivated is to shadow a doctor and see what its like being a doctor. Experience how rewarding it is to help patients in need and their gratefulness afterwards. See the cool procedures you will get to do one day. Realize the humanity in medicine... all of these things help me stay motivated to reach my career goal :)

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panda__eyes Newbie

panda__eyes

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I told myself that:

1) I needed to work hard during school in order to reap any rewards. If I didn't get into medical school in the end, I didn't want the reason to be my lack of efforts and discipline.

2) I was doing ECs not for medical school per se but to explore other career opportunities in addition to medicine and for self-discovery

3) All this could be perceived as a test that would get me closer to figuring out my limits physically, mentally and emotionally and therefore myself.

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