Though I haven’t started medical school yet, I will employ one of the tools that allowed me to be a successful doctoral student at the University of Missouri. I kept a schedule. The amount of material that I had to learn and synthesize was vast, though not as vast as what I will be facing in medical school. Furthermore, I worked three jobs during my PhD program; there was just too much stuff for me to remember in a given day. So, I found a nice template in Excel and I kept a weekly schedule throughout my PhD program and I firmly believe that it helped to make my path easier and more palatable.
So, we were given access to some study schedule templates by our learning department and I’ve taken a first stab at creating my first week’s class and study schedule. I plan to make these each week but one thing that is important to note is that if the schedule you are making doesn’t work for you, do NOT be afraid to switch things around. You’ll notice that I included my sleep and waking times, along with the times that I eat and go to the gym. It’s important that you schedule your personal time so that they do not get left out. After a few weeks, I’ll come back and comment on this schedule.
Medical school is going to be tough so learning how to manage your time will help to maintain a strong academic performance as well as balance with the life that you want to lead outside of school. Thus, some of the things that are important to do in addition to the schedule include the following:
- Be consistent
- Eliminate distractions
- Attend lecture and pay attention (If attending lecture works for you that is!)
- Prioritize
- Schedule time for self within your study schedule
- Use the best review resources
- Take time off when needed
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