Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Get the most out of your first year of medical school

Ken Noguchi
Education
August 17, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

As we enter the fall, we welcome a new class of bright-eyed medical students. To such students, you are about to embark on a life-transforming journey. My first year on the said journey has been full of highs and lows. There was the morning I woke up before 6 and got upset with myself for sleeping in. There was the day I received my first exam score and realized I was right smack average. There was my first patient interview, also known as the day I mumbled some inaudible questions to a standardized patient.

Amidst these challenges I developed wonderful friendships with classmates from all sorts of backgrounds. One friend had a former career as an NFL running back, another was a formerly undocumented immigrant that, against all odds, made it to medical school, yet another was a guitarist that once toured with Run-DMC.

What makes medical school such a life-transforming period that doubles as a fond source of memories for physicians everywhere is the life-long relationships. I don’t know if I could have survived the endless tedium of anatomy lab without a lab partner that entertained my love for deep conversations while picking out fat, not to mention my friends that constantly dragged me out to do push-ups in the middle of the library as a study break. I hope these friends will end up being my friends for life. So in honor of all the new med students starting fresh, here are some things that helped me make friends in med school.

Take advantage of the internet. As an introvert entering an extroverted world, I was worried that I would get lost in the crowd. What I failed to realize was that we live in the smartphone era. I took full advantage of blogging, chronicling medical school events like anatomy lab and intraprofessional day, interviewing classmates about their life stories, and writing several excessive posts complaining about the workload. In addition to blogging, Facebook has helped bring our class together. We have a Facebook page where we post events like trivia night, trips to the beach, post-exam events, and also useful study tips and fun study-break videos.

Get involved. Everyone in medical school is similar-minded, but it helps to get involved with the community to track down people you click really well with. For instance, I joined a group of guys that played basketball a couple mornings a week before class, and this was a great way for me to meet a group of similarly motivated and competitive guys.

Study in the same place all the time, like the library.  By studying in the same place all the time, you’ll develop a community around you because you’ll eventually notice the ten other students that always study in that same place. You might even get drawn into a long meaningless conversation about whether certain material is testable.

To all the first years beginning the med school journey, congrats and enjoy.

Ken Noguchi is a medical student who blogs at sidenote.

Prev

How much information should doctors give to patients?

August 17, 2013 Kevin 17
…
Next

Teaching medical students to provide high value care

August 17, 2013 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How much information should doctors give to patients?
Next Post >
Teaching medical students to provide high value care

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Ken Noguchi

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    The hidden curriculum in medical school

    Ken Noguchi

More in Education

  • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

    Anonymous
  • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

    Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH
  • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Bridging the rural surgical care gap with rotating health care teams

    Ankit Jain
  • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

    Hiba Fatima Hamid
  • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

    Momeina Aslam
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 5 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Get the most out of your first year of medical school
5 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...