How to Survive Med School Tip #15: Learn a Different Language

Yes, those words above are in English. This is a slide presentation taken from Biochemistry class, one of the major subjects in the College of Medicine curriculum.

If you're planning to enter med school, be sure to choose a pre-med course that has a medical background / subjects such as chemistry, biology, anatomy or in other cases take some science program of the course beforehand. Or else, be ready to bleed out (more like, hemorrhage) when you start your med school.

I never did get along with Chemistry when I was in my BS Nursing, all the more with Biochemistry right now. So how do I cope? Simple. Milk some guy who knows more about the subject and let him teach you. OF COURSE I'M JOKING! (Never do this, they might find out) :D

In med, you cannot thrive if you're lazy. Lazy reading, lazy studying, lazy eating and yes even lazy partying (You read that right, partying). You really have to read your books and allot time on studying. Another factor is a sharp mind and memory. This is your armor for battle. It isn't necessary to memorize everything, what's important is that you get to know the how-why-when-what mechanism of the subject being discussed, and of course not forget about it.

Psalm 37:30

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.

How to Survive Med School Tip #28: Know How to Reward Yourself

Starbucks. One word comes in mind - coffee, a med student's daily dietary supplement wouldn't be complete without this. But besides having coffee, coffee shops can be a relaxing place to unwind for some of us (I meant for myself). Although I don't really drink coffee on a regular basis and maybe that's why I never finish reading a darn chapter in Anatomy, I go here when I need to reward myself after a hard day's "work", to take a moment and reflect on action potentials, carbohydrate metabolisms, hamstring muscles and of course, to relax :)

And what other way to pamper myself but to order their sweet waffle topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup - Chocolate Belgian Waffles ^_^

Being someone who nearly has their life cycle broken down to an eat-study-read-sleep process (wait I forgot, there is no sleep, again, eat-study-read-read process) allows you to appreciate the simpler things in life - in my case, a piece of sweet bread and the company of a friend.

After more than a month of going to med school, you begin to finally realize that riding a public jeepney was more fun than driving/taking a cab, that eating street foods and having a laugh with friends is better than a 15-minute lunch in a resto and that sleep is way priceless than any other high profiled party or event you're invited to.

Mark 6:31

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.