Philadelphia, PA - Studying to become a doctor is one of the hardest things a young adult can get into. It's not very easy being away from your family and friends for many years. The separation could induce anxiety, and you're not even away yet, but you feel your chest tightening already.
Moving Into Philadelphia For Medical School?
But this is your long-time dream. This dream needs to materialize and going to the best medical school, even if it’s far away, will be the key to achieving this. You may check this list of the best medical schools in the United States that you can get into without the MCAT or medical college admission test.
Did somebody mention medical school is hard? It’s indeed, and you need to have a firm conviction and an even more robust support system as you navigate the long grueling hours of studying. If you wish to apply to a medical school in Philadelphia, here are a few survival tips that might help you:
1. Get An Apartment Convenient For Daily Commutes
Depending on your living arrangements, you can choose to live inside the university or off-campus. Around the vicinity of the university, there are many comfortable apartments that you can reach on foot. If you find they're not within your budget, you may go farther since the commute is very convenient. Additionally, you may acquire public transportation discounts exclusive to students. After your first year, you may apply for university-affiliated housing, which would make it budget-friendly in your case.
2. Build Relationship With Mentors
You’ll be spending a lot of time being shadowed by mentors and to say that you’ll learn a lot from them is an understatement. More than the theories presented in the books, experience is crucial in medical school. You need to build great relationships with your mentors as they can share immense key learnings based on personal experiences since they were once students too.
A mentee's success is highly dependent on the educational, mental, and emotional support those above them offer. Knowing that there’s someone you can confide in if you need help is a great relief and can lift a burden off your chest.
3. Take Care Of Your Physical And Mental Health
You may have your peers and support group, but you must remember your responsibility to your body. No one will know your struggles and successes better than you. Allowing yourself to be nourished physically and mentally is crucial in surviving medical school in Philadelphia and anywhere in the world. Eat healthy, exercise, do recreational activities, and sustain healthy relationships with people around you. If you're a spiritual person, praying and attending church activities could help a lot as well.
4. Know The Great Food Places
If, after a few years, you'll say that the best food you've tried in Philly is the cheese steak, you've been living under a rock! There’s more to Philly than their iconic cheese steak. Sure, you can live off of hoagies and sandwiches, but Philly has evolved so much in recent years that the city is showered with great food places from all over the world. You better try the soft pretzels dipped in mustard and the rich tomato pie offered by the Italian bakeries around Philly.
5. Sign Up For The Weekly Resident-Organized Happy Hours
The university acknowledges the student's hard work and the need to blow off steam. Happy hours supervised by more experienced and responsible residents are encouraged weekly in the university. Being surrounded by people who share a common interest with you will be a healthy way to channel your frustrations and whatnots.
6. Never Compare Yourself To Others
Each student on their journey to become a successful doctor shows different progress and displays various strengths. If you compare yourself to your peers, you won’t be able to see your worth and your growth and development.
You’re your own person, maybe your co-intern is the way she is because she is gifted with an eidetic memory and that’s rare. You would only be stressing yourself out thinking of the whys. What’s best to do is just work hard and crawl at your own pace.
Medical school isn’t a race. If you start your journey with that mindset, you might spread yourself too thin and you might miss out on the more important things. You might not be able to see the beauty of the journey because you were solely focused on the destination.
Conclusion
Acknowledging the challenging aspects of medical school is the first step, but doing something about it is the most vital component in building your career as a future doctor. Many resources and things could help you succeed in your goal, but knowing how to use them and apply them in your journey is essential.
