With the end of my second year quickly approaching, I took time during my winter break to reflect. One strategy I use in preventing burnout and staying focused is to organize my thoughts and give myself some context: why am I here, and what do I hope to accomplish? 1. Medicine The Merriam-Webster definition… Read More Motivation
Recently, I had the chance to attend the Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring (DREAM) Conference at UAB. The conference was entirely virtual; although students gathered together in certain rooms on campus, we signed in to an online seminar series that was being broadcast simultaneously at multiple universities across the U.S. To my knowledge, this… Read More Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring (DREAM) Conference: 3 Key Takeaways
At some point, you have called Pathoma, Sketchy, First Aid, Boards and Beyond, Anki, Costanzo, or another study resource, “my best friend.” Any video content played at normal, 1x speed sounds like the slowest thing you’ve ever heard because you’ve adjusted to watching lectures with at least 1.5x speed. You know that PERRLA is not… Read More You know you’re an early medical student when…
As the fall dawns upon us, I find myself entering the third year of the MSTP. It has been a whirlwind, and it is tough to sum up some of what has happened, especially over the last year. If nothing else, I have learned that this whole journey is not the smooth process I had… Read More MSTP Life Lessons: Forward Progress Isn’t Always Linear
As I progress through the MSTP, I have realized that this journey (and this career path as a whole) is one full of ups and downs. Many things went differently than I had hoped in my second year of the program, but there has been one undeniable positive: I have been surrounded by some of… Read More Feedback Loops: Lessons from my mentors shape my own career goals
So, you got your Step I score back, and it’s not what you were hoping for… What’s there to do next? As an MD/PhD student, there are few experiences as difficult as completing your USMLE Step I exam, waiting the excruciatingly long wait period for your score, opening your results, and finding a number… Read More Advice: Navigating the Post-USMLE Step 1 Period and Score Disappointment
Congratulations!! If you’re reading this post, you may have applied to some MD/PhD programs and been placed on the waitlist. This is a position in which a school simply requests more time to make a decision about your application – you are not accepted or rejected, but the school is interested enough to continue deliberating… Read More Waitlists and Expressing Interest in Programs
