Two weeks in!

And just like that, two weeks have flown by. We had our first exam on Monday morning (I passed everything! woohoo) and then dove in to the week's lectures. This week has really been packed, but I'm really glad I got a chance to talk to my childhood friend L (seriously, since Kindergarten) who's just starting medical school as well. We compared notes about our first days and what we're feeling. It's just nice to talk to someone who is going through the same thing AT THE SAME TIME. I hope we can keep a schedule of checking in maybe on a biweekly or monthly basis. :)

Class officer positions were also this week. I seriously considered running, but ultimately decided not to so that I can jump on some other opportunities that should be coming up later this block. I don't want to commit to too many things and then not be able to focus all of my energy on each adequately (or sleep, ha!). I really need to work on adjusting my sleep schedule. I've been going to bed around 1am, so when that alarm rings at 6:30, I just ignore it and then have to rush to get to class on time. Goal is to go to bed at least one hour earlier. I think that will also help me concentrate better during class so I won't need to study as much in the evenings. And boy do you study a lot in the evenings. I've adjusted my study habits for some classes already, thanks to advice from the MS2s, but Physiology is taking up more of my time than I thought I would, and Histology is the one class I have not taken before, so I need to devote more time for that.

But, since this is a non-quiz weekend, I decided to go ahead and volunteer at one of the student-run clinics tomorrow. UCD has eight free clinics (EIGHT!), each focusing on a specific underserved population. I thought I'd start out with the one I'm most familiar with, which is the clinic I toured after my interview in September. I've signed up for a couple more in September, once things settle down with exams and anatomy practicals.

Speaking of anatomy, the class has been much more interesting that I expected. Anatomy during undergrad seemed like rote memorization, but I really love the way medical school incorporates clinical correlates into all the classes. It makes the learning process more integrated and easier. I seriously adore our lead anatomy professor. He explains everything so well that I feel like I've already studied right then and there. I was definitely nervous going into anatomy lab on the first day. My main concern was (and still is) always feeling like I am going to tear something or cut through a structure and ruin the dissection for the day. It helps that we alternate among our group members, but I find myself constantly asking for reassurance that I'm doing things correctly. But other than that, it's amazing. Huge amount of respect to those who have donated their bodies so that students like me can learn.

I'll try to get in another post later this weekend to talk about clinic!