Well it is official!  In a few short hours, I will be officially done with my bachelor’s degree in Human Biology.  This week has been packed with class finals each and every day, which is why I didn’t have time  to post anything on Tuesday like I have done in previous weeks so far.  My time in college has been a mixture of difficulties, adventures and celebrations and since I have been so focused on my upcoming graduation, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my experience through undergrad.  I think that everyone should try to make the most out of it, no matter what your career goals are.

Deciding on My Career Path

For me, this was the most frustrating aspect of going to college.  I always had people come up to me asking what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I couldn’t seem to have any kind of answer for them. It was only during my first Anatomy and Physiology class in college, that I found out that a career in the medical field would better suit me than anything else. As a result, I ended up going from an Associate’s degree in Spanish, to a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. For all of those who are still deciding on what they want to do, my advice to you is to not worry about it. You’ll figure it out sooner than you think.

Balancing School Life and Social Life

When you go to any School (high school, college, etc.) you’ll run into two types of people: those who care more about their social life and those who care more about their grades.  In all honesty, I think being in either one of these categories 100% is not necessarily a good thing, but if you can learn to balance both a social life and good grades, college becomes an amazing experience.  I always tried to make sure that I spent plenty of time to doing homework and studying on the weekdays (Monday through Friday) and found that I had more time to have some fun with friends on the weekends (Friday night through Sunday).  I feel that everyone should try to find that perfect balance between their social and academic life, whatever it may be.

Getting Involved/ Getting Hobbies

Getting involved with clubs and societies really helped me solidify my desire to go to medical school.  Each group meeting provided me a lot more insight into the profession and allowed for me to talk to others that either had the same desire as I did, or was already in the profession.  Hobbies are necessary for unwinding after a hard day of homework or perhaps studying for a test.  Blogging is one of my many hobbies that I enjoy doing in my free time.

Staying Organized

I think after having incorporated all of the items above, it was important for me to stay organized and prioritize my tasks from day to day.  I always kept a planner where I would note assignments, events and other commitments so that I was able to balance everything and keep my head above water.  Especially when you are also working a part-time job on top of everything else.

Sorry that this post isn’t exactly pre-med specific but I think it is still applicable, at least for those still in school.  I’m excited for this new adventure.  This is an opportunity for me to focus on preparing myself by focusing on other aspects of my medical school application other than my grades for once.  Will I be sad if I do not get accepted anywhere this time around?  Of course I will, but I will be sure to brush myself off and try again if that does happen.  After all, a lot of us pre-meds have come too far to give up so easily!