Letter to My First-Year-Self: Reflections on my Medical School Journey

It’s been a few months since the medical school year started anew. For the first year students, the #FirstDayofSchool selfies have long been posted. The white coat ceremony has come and gone. Students have already had their first exams, and for some, the difficulty of this journey is already clear.

Just before my medical school graduation I wrote a letter to my first-year-self, to reflect on my journey through medical school and on what I wish I’d known when I started. I want to share that letter as the new school year is half way through, and there may be many medical students who are struggling.

The letter, along with some broader reflections on the darkest moments of my life —  navigating my mental health in medical school and the support system that nurtured me —  is featured in this podcast interview with Dr. Mary Tate, Editor in Chief of the “Dear Premed” podcast. If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, check it out!

I’ll leave you with an excerpt of the letter below:

“I just want to share a few thoughts about the journey ahead of you, to prepare you for the journey but also to motivate you. I want to warn you that the road will be long, and that you will struggle. Deeply, in ways you haven’t struggled before. But I always want to remind you that you are capable, and that the fact that you will struggle does not mean you aren’t capable. I want to remind you also that the mission is worth it – that the mission that you have established for your life is worth it.”

Find the “Dear Premed” podcast and powerful interviews with other incredible physicians at www.dearpremed.com or on Apple Podcasts, or follow Dr. Tate on Twitter and Instagram at @marytatemd.