Excuse the distinctly uncreative title!
Who are you and what is this thread about?
I'm Alter, and this is my thread that I've created for the course I'll be starting next January, the Doctor of Medicine, at unimelb. I have just finished my Bachelor of Biomedicine and I'm lucky enough to get to stay here for my postgrad studies. My intention in creating this thread/journal is to not only document my experiences for personal reflection, but also to share some wisdom and insights for a degree that is frequently asked about when it comes to questions on these forums.
I regret not having a journal like this for my undergraduate degree, largely because I feel like I was prone to repeating the same mistakes by virtue of not properly reflecting on semesters as they went by. I also think it'll be useful to have an outlet where I can be honest with myself, and look back on for future reference to see if I've met my goals. If nothing more, this thread will serve as a great reminder for what my initial plans and expectations were before starting my degree.
So... a bit about me: I'm a 21-year-old guy from country Victoria. I did my VCE way back in 2015, studying a bizarre array of random subjects (from German to Legal Studies to Chem and Psych... there was no common thread), without any real clue of what I wanted to do "when I grew up". I enjoy writing, music (listening and playing), and rotating my Vance Joy avatar on this forum. Talking hobbies, hit me up with good music/video games suggestions and I'll likely make an effort to get to them. Back to academics - I probably went into biomed without a clear picture of what I was getting myself into, likely citing my reason as wanting to go into 'something related to neuroscience/the health sciences' - which, while true, probably wasn't the most thought-out decision. I did, however, end up majoring in neuro in my degree and thoroughly enjoyed it. At the end of the day, things seemed to work out, so no harm no foul.
Putting into words exactly why I've chosen to pursue medicine is a lot easier said than done; I end up backspacing any sentence I type out right here, telling myself every combination of letters I put down is far too clichéd. This might come as a surprise, given how much I had to prepare for that exact question, but it's astonishingly difficult to articulate while also doing both myself and the profession justice. And hey, maybe I'll figure out the perfect answer for this over the next four years. If not? I won't be too fussed, because I believe I'm making the right decision for me.
Looking back
Applying for med school was an extremely hectic process, starting all the way back at the start of the year when I was preparing for the GAMSAT and thinking about which unis I wanted to apply to. The whole process of applications can be a breeding ground for a great deal of anxiety and paranoia... and that's coming from a person who is typically quite good at dealing with uni-related stress. I consider myself really lucky to have gotten in on my first try, because it can undoubtedly be a draining process no matter how confident you are. In that way, I do not envy anybody following the same path, and can't highlight enough the importance of acknowledging that medicine is not the be-all and end-all. This is rich advice for someone already at the top of the metaphorical hill, but perspective is crucial here. I read something on another forum about there simply not being enough places in medical school for all the smart, talented, and deserving applicants, and this is definitely rings true.
Looking back really quickly, I'm pretty proud of the decisions I made with my subjects in undergrad - I took a lot of language classes (German, Spanish), a really intellectually stimulating major, and even pursued a couple of undergrad research opportunities. I think this catered to my interests the best and I got heaps of rewarding experience. I'm also happy with the activities I did outside of classes at university, such as being involved a tonne in the BSS (our cohort's students' society) and getting further involved in the family business.
Going forward
I think that going forward, I really want to maintain a life outside of med school, because I can see how all-consuming it can be for people that don't learn this vital separation. Maintaining my hobbies (like playing guitar!) and friendship groups outside of the medical school will be a huge goal going forward, so maybe I'll keep myself to account in this thread. I think I'd also like to continue on with life in students' societies, because I see great value in 'paying it forward' to future students and getting more involved beyond superficial university happenings. Another big goal for me will be putting more effort into my studies and learning to discipline myself a lot more. Truthfully, my grades were quite mediocre during undergrad, and a large part of me getting a place, in earnest, was because of my rural background and stronger GAMSAT/interview skills. I should concede that a part of this desire to improve my grades is probably more subtly about me wanting to prove to myself that I do belong in the degree and am genuinely capable, because I foresee running into some predictable imposter's syndrome issues (which I'm sure every medical student faces at one point!).
What lies ahead for me over the next two months will mostly be admin stuff: doing my first aid course, getting vaccinations, police checks, etc. After that will come a very hectic year. I'm 10% anxious and 90% excited for what has been described me to as the hardest year of the degree: MD1. For those unfamiliar, the MD at unimelb is a bit atypical in that it only has one pre-clinical year, and then three clinical years after (4 overall). The obvious implication of this is that there will be a lot of stuff going on to make next year academically challenging. At the moment I'm in a particular mindset where I know MD1 will be challenging for me, because my strengths and interests in medicine typically lie more towards the side of the humanities than they do to the concrete scientific learning (seriously, fuck the Krebs cycle). I think this means that I'll also have a lot to look forward to in the clinical stages of the degree, which I think I will enjoy more than any other educational experience so far. On that note, I'm also fortunate enough to have received my clinical zone in the Inner/East area, so I've started having a look at some of the hospitals that I might be interested in preferencing when that time comes next year.
I'll update this thread as I get closer and closer to starting, but any questions/comments/fanfare are welcome in the meanwhile.