The ProspectiveDoctor Podcast

Podcast 91: Lessons of Studying, Love, and Friendship through Three-Fourths of My MS1 Year

Today, Spencer Evans is hosting Prospective Doctor. He’s going to share with us the lessons he has learned through the first three quarters of his first year of medical school. Spencer believes that he has already experienced the full spectrum of ups and downs in school!

[3:32] Classes.

It’s best to know that every unit is its own beast that takes a certain amount of trial and error to determine the ultimate strategy to slay it. Spencer wishes he knew this ahead of time, because he quickly learned that his strategy in anatomy did not apply in molecules and medicine.

One strategy that has been applicable to every class is doing practice questions. Spencer writes down all the information from them that he doesn’t know or gets incorrect. Writing down information that you are less familiar with helps you remember it.

[8:01] Dating.

A lot of people will caution you not to date within class, but still, a lot of people do so. It can be hard to relate to or convey your lack of time to someone who isn’t going through medical school. On the other hand, it’s kind of nice to be involved with someone who is in a different world than you.

If you are going to date within the class, remember this is someone you’re going to be seeing a lot.

[9:06] Socializing.

Spencer has found medical school to be a lot like middle school. It’s cliquey, and though you may want to be friends with everyone, that just doesn’t happen. Everything became a lot easier for him when he accepted this; he focused his energy on the people that actually did want to be friends with him.

[11:02] Maintaining work-life balance.

This balance was difficult for Spencer, because he quickly realized that he might have to sacrifice some of his hobbies if he wanted to pass. This left him feeling depressed, so he met with his school’s learning specialist to figure out the best study strategies for him. He found out that he actually needed to cut down his studying ours and to make a schedule.

 

Spencer Evans

Spencer Evans is a graduate of the University of Michigan class of 2016 with a B.A. in Screen Arts and Cultures and a Subconcentration in Screenwriting. He is a medical student in the Class of 2023 at the University of Colorado at Denver. When Spencer isn't studying, he enjoys backpacking across foreign countries, snowboarding, and beating his roommates in Super Smash Bro's. In addition to writing for Prospective Doctor, Spencer loves writing screenplays and hopes to one day write a movie that will play on the big screen!

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