First Year Medicine: Things I wish someone told me before I entered med school| FEU NRMF MEDICINE


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Quick back drop about me, so you'll know where all of this *points at the blog* is coming from.
I've graduated from FEU Morayta last year second or third week of May 2016; and was also one of those people who were lutang enough not to take the year off for the med tech boards. (Actually took it while still adjusting-- struggling in med school)
Incoming Second Year. Regular. RMT. Fairly average learner. One of those always Summa-sabit sa cut-off students. All thanks to God!
Okay! Here Goes The list! (Hello Freshies!)
1. Entering Med School is anything but the end of your outing life. If anything, med school will be the main reason you will go out more.
    Study out (cafe's, 24/7 fastfood chains, basically anything 24/7)
    Beach trips: to take the stress away
    Movies
    Foodtrips
    Concerts
    Out of the country getaways
    Marathons ( I am serious)

2. Before starting med school, if you're not a PT graduate, YOU HAVE TO GET YOURSELF FAMILIARIZED WITH OINA. Okay? Okay? I literally was struggling in Gross HSB. I hoped someone gave me a heads up about this. And maybe, randomly read on teachmeanatomy.com and made pdf compiled print screen photos of each parts presented on aclands because that'll be really helpful. I swear. (These are for incoming feunrmf freshies)
3. You're not actually required to buy all of the books. So, Don't! Transes are the living soul of life in med school. (At least for the majority, it is)  (But, most doctors don't like seeing them, so here's your heads up! Not everything in it is proof read so be careful in using them too)
I have bought Guyton & Hall,  Burne and Levy, Snell , Harper's, and Netter's. Mostly, I used them for checking the transes. They're good for advance reading, but not for the exams. I can say, they helped.  But I also had ebooks of these books and those have helped me too.
If you're a thrifty fellow: just buy frank netter's atlas (the big one!) and use ebooks for rest. 
( You can also buy snell, Snell was a big help)
4. You can ask your upper years for the files. Don't just buy everything you set your eyes on in the internet.
Last year though, since I didn't know anyone from the upper class, me and my friend bought all the files for 600? It was good. In fact, it helped me a lot. Specially the answered manuals. But, if you could find anyone who can give them to you, don't buy anymore.  (I'm pretty sure you would, bec I did. A bunch of your classmates would share them. Just don't be afraid to ask.)
Try to be thrifty, okay? Med school is anything but cheap.
5. BUY A PRINTER. I SWEAR. THIS IS A MUST IN MED SCHOOL. If you don't have one? BUY.  And make sure you have the unli ink installed (I have no idea if that's what it's called, but make sure you avail that. You won't survive with just the regular cartridges.)
You have to have your stacks of paper bond too. 
6. Compile all your notes NEATLY. Buy those folderlike envelopes. If you have the cash, buy the compiler machine. This will make sure you won't have a hard time arranging and looking for your notes during the exam week. DO THAT. 
7. Prepare a planning notebook, or anything to keep track of all the upcoming shiftings, due dates, and activities you should do. There will be a lot, I tell you. 
8. It's okay to rest every Saturday or Sunday. Just not on both days. Make sure your weekends are productive. A light read on a subject can help a lot. 
In fact, I usually go all OFF every saturdays. I go to the beach to just relax. Sometimes, I'd go on a series of museums, or places I haven't gone to. You can do so much unwinding in just 24 hours. Just be sure, you'll have your sundays back on track. Do what I do, don't limit yourself just because you're in med school. Sometimes, your brain needs to rest. Give it a couple of hours to relax, the next thing you know... one read on the topics is enough to get you through. Unlike when you study all night, stressing yourself. 
9.  It's okay to have a drink, but know your limits. Med School is a DRINK FEST. Don't drown yourself in alcohol, it's better to just sleep or eat out. Believe me.
10. Everyone gets a little heavier in med school with all the stress and eating. Try to exercise. It also helps in clearing your head and boosts your focus.
11. Choose your friends. Be kind to all but remember to choose your friends. They will be, if not the shoulders you cry on, the hands that'll try to drag you out of your mess. (Find your tribe, that's what they like to say it)
12. It's okay to fail. Everyone in med school fails at some point. This is post grad. It's okay to fail. It has, I think, become a NORM of some kind. Just make sure to pick up yourself every single time and do your best to redeem yourself. You can do it! You have to choose to step forward every single time.
13. Everyone is in the same situation as you. You're all struggling to pass. FEU is a pressure cooker. A little smile and a nice gesture like giving  compliments to your classmates or saying goodmorning or being in a good mood, being patient, and helping out on simple things, can really go a long way. 
14. First sem is the adjustment period. Not just with you. You're family members are going to adjust as well. Keep in contact. They're not used to this setting. But, be patient with them. They're doing all they can to support and care for you. Understand why they get upset, you might even need to explain. But, if that fails, don't lose hope on them. Know that everything they do is an act of love for you. So do your best to do what you came for, here in feu: Study. They'll eventually adjust. Trust me. It'll be an emotional roller coaster if you have a tight knitted family. But, everything will always work for good in the end.
(This is speaking to those people like me who'll be the first doktora in their family and the only one in the family who took the board exam. Btw, my siblings are in the art advertisement world. )
15. Do your manuals ahead of time. A lot two hours a day, if you can. I have crammed mine every single time. It was very frustrating. I crammed them on first sem, and I crammed them on second sem. I couldnt have done it without my sister's help and my nonmedicine friends. So, make sure! FINISH YOUR MANUALS AHEAD OF TIME. It's okay if it's not good, they'll still accept it. Not everyone in our field is really good at drawing. And the handwriting? I can't even read mine sometimes. Just take the time to answer them yourself, you'll learn by answering them. I have miraculously passed majority of the written exams for Gross HSB because of the manual. ( Manual + Samplex = that's what I've reviewed every single major exam in first sem gross)
16. Study style. They say you have to know where and how you study best. For me, I have a short attention span and I know if I continue studying when I'm bored nothing will get in so what I do instead is run. Or, do whatever I want; like eat and the like. And then,  I go back when I feel like studying again. Also, I know, I study best when the sun sets and when I don't see anyone I know around or when I'm tutoring someone. 
I also tend to change the setting where I study, but I always end up at Burger King bec it's 24/7. 
You have to know yours. It's a must. This way, you won't be frustratingly wasting time sitting and staring at your readings without actual progress. If you're tired, rest. Don't burn yourself out. Medicine is a marathon, not a sprinting race.
Trying to answer the samplexes too helps after you've read the topics. This way the important things you need to remember gets ingrained more in your brain. And, you get to rationalize topics, which is way better than all the memorizing we need to do.
17. Repetition is key. If you want to fully grasp a topic, try repeatedly explaining it to yourself or to someone. Even writing them down is a plus. Mnemonics too are big in this field, haha, we'll do everything to remember what we can.
18. Take care of yourself. Buy Vitamin C tablets and Vitamin B plus. Take multivitamins. This, what you're entering, is not going to be easy. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself.
19. Get a locker. So you don't have to carry around your med bag every where; and during exams, you'll have a safe place to put your things in. You'll thank me when you're already cramming for the micro pracs.
20.  Know your school's facilities and how to use them. It'll make your stay in FEU NRMF way fun.
21. You'll learn in the long run that you don't have to go to every single class to pass.
22. Treat everyone with respect. Whether it'd be the janitors, teachers, or the dean. You are never going to be entitled to belittle others just because you think you're better than them. You are not better nor above anyone. Remember, we are here because we want to serve. Ingrain this in your head.
23. Trust Him. He placed you here for a reason. 
I've been relying on Him ever since I went in the program. I'm not your typical smart student, but he kept me passing every subject. He never fails me, I know He won't fail you too. Just trust Him. Always.
24. Med school is not just for smart people. It's for those who want it. Who will fight for it. Whatever your premed is, it doesn't matter. Yes, the others will have an advantage, but nothing beats the will to learn. I have a classmate who had english lit for his premed and he's passing med school and he's thirty! I also had a classmate who was slaying at gross hsb and she wasn't a PT student, she was an economics student. 
Don't let your doubts stop you. If you really want to become a doctor, and have the heart for it, go ahead and chase it.
25. Do not at all enter if you don't want to be one, if you're not sure. If your parents are just pushing you, If you have another dream you want to attain, go and spin the wheel and chase after that instead. 
Med school is a dream. It is hard and sometimes painful, but if you want it enough, it'll be bearable. It'll be wonderful and fulfilling. 
But, if you don't, if you're just here for the sake of someone else's happiness and not yours, if you have nothing that'll keep you grounded like a reason or anything at all, don't put yourself in hell's way. This will kill you. Little by little it will. I've seen it happen.
26. Have fun. It will feel like the rest of your life at the same time a blink of an eye.
*Take the boards. You can do it. Majority of us passed. If we can do it (average students), why can't you?+    

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