Well, I haven’t posted here in quite some time, so I thought as I near the end of my 2nd trimester of 1st year, now is as good of a time as any.
What are my thoughts so far as a first year D.O. student at GA-PCOM?
- It’s a lot of work, and the first few months will probably be among the more stressful you’ll have in life, but you’ll adjust and you’ll handle it, just like the others that have gone before you. Just keep plugging away and whatever you do, try not to get behind. It’s virtually impossible to get “caught up” if you get behind.
- You’re going to have some amazing victories, and occasionally a few defeats. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and remember tomorrow is a new day. Fortunately, I’ve only failed one test (and that was only by a couple of points), but people fail test in med school on a regular basis. Just keep getting up and working to improve and above all, don’t quit.
- If you go to an Osteopathic med school, be ready to take OMM seriously. They do…you should too if you want to pass, no…they’re not kidding. Some people enjoy it more than others, but you’ll need to put in some time. Be ready.
- The good news: med school is very cool and you learn really amazing things. Despite the stress that comes along with it, I’ve got zero regrets about my decision to go down this road. It’s completely worth it! And there’s still time to have a life (most of the time). I put in usually about 70 hours a week between class and study on most normal weeks, and that usually ramps up to 80 on test weeks, but I still usually find a couple hours to myself each day. It’s do-able.
Best wishes to all you out there, don’t give up!
Cheers,
Dan
