A good day in med school

Ever wonder why you have a good day? Today was a good day for me but I think a few simple things turned it from a fairly typical day of dragging my ass outta bed and surfing the web in class to a really good day where I can feel a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment and personal satisfaction as I get ready for bed.

Not surprisingly, most of what I did today was not medicine related although I did at least go to class in the morning and do some very productive studying in the bookstore which made me feel like I was at least doing something productive. I think the main reasons I felt good were that I learned quite a few little insights about myself.

First, I like meeting new people either as well as catching up with old friends. I spent the afternoon interviewing prospective doctors as part of my admissions committee jobs. I also finally caught up with my old high school AP English teacher whom I haven’t seen in 10 years and who amazingly lives in Deerfield MA teaching these days (I can’t wait to head over to visit later this month).

Second, I got to learn a bit about other countries and places by sitting in on a lecture on Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. I think when all is said and done it would be great to come back to a place like Dartmouth and be a professor or something . . . or just come back to do a PhD in postcolonial studies.

Third, I feel like I really got a lot done today and enjoyed doing it both personally and professionally while not pushing myself too hard. For instance, just noticing when I was drained studying and taking a break at the right time (small thing but it gave me time to call my English teacher and still rest up so that I could go back and be productive studying afterwards). And I also realized that I study better in a cafe where there are lots of people. This will definitely help when it comes to studying for boards.

Finally, I think just having a day to reflect on my day shadowing a neurosurgeon and realizing how much I value flexibility and being able to do and learn all these different interesting things really makes me feel free from the pressure that you get in med school to “specialize”

Anyway, I guess the best part about days like this is that you get a lot of perspective on where you are and where you’re going. There’s really nothing better than feeling like you are on the right path and feeling like you’ve accomplished something by learning a new and useful lesson about yourself. Good night