Wednesday, August 31, 2011

And so it begins!!

Today is the first day of the semester at UMD, tomorrow is my first graduate class, tonight marks the end of my sanity…or not!

For the first semester I have decided to work part time and go to school full time (brief update- I am starting a PhD program at UMD). This decision has been frowned upon by a few but is also not completely uncommon..many people work and go to school full time (and some raise kids too!) because, let’s face it, life ain’t cheap! I am definitely scared but also very confident that I will survive (maybe exhausted, sleepless, and angry…but I will survive). So I have asked around for words of wisdom going into this crazy journey of becoming a doctor and here is what I have heard:

1. BALANCE- Maintain a work/life balance. Make sure to continue doing the things you enjoy and make time for them because they may be what keep you sane. For me, this includes my personal relationships and exercise. I really believe that my relationships will help me get through this stressful period (if I don’t go tooooooooo crazy haha). But in all honesty, the support I’ve been given gave me the courage to apply and accept and I have no doubt that that same support will make sure I don’t give up! And…yes, yes I know (everyone has told me...) it will be hard to maintain my current (mildly insane) workout routine with this work/school schedule and I AM (sort of) mentally prepared to cut back (a little...haha, noticing my hesitation?). But I also know how much these hobbies mean to me and how sane they keep me, and therefore will continue to make an effort to always make time for exercise (to the best of my mental and physical ability…).

2. PRIORITIZE- It was recommended to prioritize your work/school tasks. Then figure out which time of the day you work best and assign the most important tasks to that time. I work best in the morning hours and plan to schedule accordingly :)

3. SAY NO- I was told it was okay to say no (who knew!). So I hope to carry the confidence to say no to additional work/life/school tasks when I know I can’t handle it. I do not want anything to suffer because I have willingly taken on too much.

Now, one would hope that I am able to take my OWN advice, read through all these uplifting and motivational blogs I have written, and do what I tell others to do…but usually those that can’t do, teach ;) I will keep you all updated on my highs and lows throughout this experience and will hopefully be able to share words of wisdom (or “what not to dos”) for balancing life and taking on HUGE challenges. I have no doubt this will be the hardest thing I take on in my career, I am hopeful that it takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to work on my weaknesses, and I..am…READY! Here’s to sleepless nights, brutal critiques, overload, exhaustion, knowledge, experience, networking, and GROWTH!

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