The road ahead is well traveled

Second year of medical school is nearly over. Finals will be done this Wednesday. Assessment Week will end on April 23. Boards are scheduled for June 4. Wow, how time has flown by.

To celebrate the first two years of medical school, our class hosted a little shindig atop the hills of Westwood, with free booze and food and some speeches. The event was not bitter-sweet. I feel ready to move on. Perhaps the sentiment will change. Maybe not.

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my two years in medical school. I could not have asked more from my peers and mentors. I’ve grown in a comfortable environment. While the curriculum was not perfect, it was good. If I had to enter my third year of medical school, I feel like I would be ready. I’m on my way to adult-like responsibilities that are real and serious. Strange.

I don’t know what to expect of graduate school. But I am mentally ready. I am mentally ready to finish the year strong with boards, a break, and research. I’ll take more classes and do more research. I’ll stop taking the classes and continue research until I’ve completed enough to resume MS3. The granular roadmap is in place. Now it is time to fill in the details.

I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. First things first: i.e. 1) study hard through finals and until boards, and 2) stay healthy by a) exercising, b) eating well, c) sleeping, and d) valuing my relationships.

The road ahead is well traveled with a lot of trails. A picture of my path is attached below.