A letter to an Incoming Medical Student

Dear Colleague,

Congratulations! Welcome to an exciting time and the beginning of a life-altering experience. You are now part of a group of extraordinarily talented people in medicine. As someone who was in your shoes a year ago, I know you are both eager but also apprehensive. These feelings are rightfully so.

You will be fascinated by how much you can learn and even more by how much you can forget. Medical school is all about long-term retention and you will figure out in the first few months how to study. Try not to be overwhelmed—this is everyone’s trial period. Talk to upperclassmen about what worked for them and what didn’t. The great part about medical education and training is that you will continue to see a lot of the same topics over and over, so don’t worry if you don’t master all the material the first time around. In this first year, you will build a framework for the rest of your medical education, and I can tell you, you will be incredibly proud of how much your brain transforms in a mere year. It is truly one of the best feelings I’ve experienced and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.

It will be challenging though. You will spend so much time pouring over lectures that you may even start to even dream about diagnoses as you attempt to get a peaceful night’s sleep. Some days you will cry, and that is okay. The sheer volume of knowledge you must gain to be responsible for people’s lives is terrifying. Find your support system and lean on them.

You need to become comfortable with not knowing everything. This is harder than it sounds. Medical schools select people just like you,  who are intelligent and have excelled in life, but it just isn’t reasonable to retain every single detail of every biochemistry pathway or disease pathology. If you are a machine and can do this, good for you. As for everyone else, remain humble and open to learning. Never think you know it all and never become too confident in your skills.

This will take time. Medical school is a marathon not a sprint. You must be kind to yourself. Take study breaks to work out or cook a healthy meal. Learn to accept that not every single day will be a great study day, and even more importantly, learn when to call it quits. You need to have a life outside of studying so go to movie night with your friends; call your mom; make time to play that instrument or go dancing. Hold on tight to what makes you human and do not leave behind your other passions just because you are working to become a physician. Your future patients will appreciate this.

Lastly, I have to warn you, that some things will challenge you more than the heavy science load. You may question yourself and whether you belong at times. One of the hardest obstacles you will have to overcome in medical school and residency is the one inside your head. This is where I really need you to listen. My future colleague, you are not a fraud. You are a unique and capable individual with your own flaws just like me, just like everyone in your class, and you deserve to be here. Don’t lose your sense of purpose in comparing yourself to others. It may be hard to appreciate what makes you unique at times but I hope that you will come to embrace it.

If you ever need to get in touch with someone else going through this journey, feel free to reach out (on Instagram @jocelynscarnival). Enjoy the ride and know a fellow medical student believes in you!

Sincerely yours,

Jocelyn Carnicle