Question: I am starting Medical School next year, will I have time for anything?

This was the question I was asking myself last year at about this time. It’s hard NOT to think about, given the gargantuan pile of stories from SDN, friends, and family alike (some whom haven’t even gone to medical school). I asked one of my medical school friends this question last year who said he didn’t even have time to watch 1 hour of television during the week. During our white coat ceremony, our school dean was warning our parents that we won’t call them for months on end because we’ll be too busy.

No time to watch Modern Family? No time to call my family? Was this hyperbole or honest advice from veterans of the field? Either way, I was bracing myself for the worst…a deep spiraling hole of oblivion, piles and piles of information creating a “blood brain barrier” of sorts to the outside world. No news, popular culture, or extraneous relationships (is there such a thing?) will get through the astrocyte like piles of paper.

To be honest, there are definitely weeks like the above mentioned. Namely, the week before an exam (every 3 weeks at my school). During these weeks I sometimes feel like I don’t even have time to eat. I’ll shovel some cereal, or mac and cheese in my mouth just for the purpose of eating, but I’ll be studying at the same time. Get a call from a friend, ignore button. Season Finale of Sherlock, who cares?

But, don’t worry audience, this is at one end of the spectrum. In medical school you’ll definitely have time for hobbies, family, and the like.  I’m writing this blog after all.You’ll have a lot less time than you’re used to, so you’ll probably have to give your time management skills a revamp makeover. From my personal experience, it’s hard to be fully caught up on all the information, so you’ll always feel behind regardless of the many hours you study every day. But once you get used to feeling behind, the neurotic need to study all the time to catch up lessens (a bit), and you’ll make time to have a balanced life. 

For example, this weekend I made time to go to the beach. It was a quick half hour trip, but it was therapeutic, energizing, and still 35 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so a short trip was the preferred modus aperandi anyway. The time spent on this outing, meant I was still behind in lecture, but it was worth it.

Yes, there is some unmelted snow by the water. The juxtaposition of 
ice and beach really threw me for a loop for a bit, being from California. 

I also made time to trace this picture for a friend’s birthday card. This took about 2 hours, so I added another 1.5 lecture reviews to my backlog.

I know, it’s a horrifying looking drawing. Am I trying to scare my friend before his next exam? Maybe a little, but just kidding. It’s from a show called Attack on Titan. Its a very good anime, with a very interesting political socioeconomic premise. I highly recommend it if you can handle a bit of gore. Speaking of which, I do have time to watch shows on occasion, but keep in mind I am writing this on a post exam week. Perhaps during an exam week I would detail a completely different situation, which I presume was the reason for my friend’s answer last year.  

So a brief summation of my answer: Yes! You will have time to do other things because you will make the time, by using your time management skills and by compromising with your more neurotic tendencies.