I'm officially four months into third year which is totally crazy to me. This is the year we all look forward to as med students, but I often find myself looking back on my first two years with nostalgia. That's not to say MS3 isn't exciting, just that I wish I had enjoyed those first two years a little more. So here are 5 things I wish I knew as an MS1!

1. Don't buy all those books! Starting first year the biggest questions on my mind were "how do I study, and what resources do I need?" I was so accustomed to undergrad where the resources were concrete: lecture slides, notes, and sometimes a course textbook. I rushed to buy textbooks during my first block that I never ended up opening. Don't feel the need to buy every book or resource that's thrown at you. Take the first couple of blocks to understand how you learn best because the amount of knowledge you need to amass and commit to memory is unbelievable so being honest with yourself is a necessary skill. Honestly, I didn't figure out how I learned best until the middle of my second year. It's all about being honest, being flexible and listening to your needs! If I could go back I would take a more minimalist approach in terms of resources and ask for advice from upperclassmen more often.

2. Relax, you have more time than you think. One of the biggest differences between my undergrad experience and the first year of med school was how much time I had. Whereas I was struggling with juggling multiple majors, volunteering, work and my personal life during undergrad, my med school schedule was a lot more simple because the scheduling was done for me. I actually had way more time the first two years of med school than I ever expected. If I could go back I would tell myself to take advantage of that time. Besides studying I would spend more time on myself and less time worrying about not having enough time!

3. Shadowing is important. I think I greatly underestimated the value of shadowing. I was wrong to think I would be "in the way" and wish I would have taken more advantage of the free time I had my first two years to shadow. If I could go back I would tell myself to shadow in every single specialty I find even a little intriguing. I think it would have helped me shape my vision of a career sooner and with more confidence. Plus, shadowing in medical school is so much better than shadowing as an undergrad. Physicians are incredibly receptive to med students shadowing and some will even let you actively participate.

4. Spend more time with ones you love / doing what you love. It was easy to get caught up in the "I need to study 16 hours a day to be a successful med student" mentality when I was surrounded by my competitive classmates. My second semester of MS1 I decided to podcast from home and only attend required lectures and it did wonders for my sanity, lol. I think it's super important as a med student to keep parts of your life separate from medicine, and I have a feeling this will remain true during my career! If I could go back I would tell myself to slow down and take more time for J & Melo, my family, my interests and my inner peace overall.

5. Enjoy it. It is such a privilege to be able to study medicine. I often think of all of the factors that have lead to my ability to pursue my dream and it helps me to put things into perspective. I always try to keep a positive outlook on life and the last two years have been no exception. This is a point I would recommend to anyone, even if you're not going into medicine. If you're doing what you love, why not just enjoy the process and do good along the way?

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