Mastering the Spring Semester: 5 Essential Strategies for Pre-Med Success and Well-being

Ever feel like you've blinked and an entire semester of college has slipped through your fingers? Say goodbye to end-of-term regrets with our latest B-MED podcast episode, where we lay out a blueprint for academic triumph and personal fulfillment. As a student aiming for a career in medicine, you'll discover five strategic tips to navigate the spring semester maze with finesse. We're not just talking about acing exams; we're talking about crafting a college experience that's as enjoyable as it is enlightening.

From the first bell to the final paper, we cover it all – reflecting on past wins, setting attainable goals, and penciling in some much-needed R&R. There's no guest this time, just pure strategy session vibes to guide you from overwhelmed to overachiever. We understand the pre-med hustle is real, and that's why we're dishing out wisdom on balancing coursework, extracurriculars, and your social life. Tune in for real talk on creating a sustainable study plan, integrating fun, and the necessity of self-care to power through your pre-med journey with energy to spare. Let's make this semester the one where you come out on top, with memories as bright as your GPA.

Transcript

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 0:00

Hello everybody, welcome back to the BlackMedConnect podcast, affectionately known as the B-MED podcast, where we share inspiring stories of Black physicians and physicians in training. We are so excited for season two, and today I want you to think about this. Imagine that it's May. You're a college student, your whole semester has gone by and you've blown it. You didn't get the grades you want, you didn't accomplish the tasks that you wanted to accomplish and you don't even know where the time went Well. Today we're here to talk about how to make sure that does not happen to you. So I know you're back on your campus and I want to share five tips to make sure you strategically plan for your spring semester. So let's jump right in. So tip number one make sure you review and reflect on your past semester. I want you to think back to the fall. What went well? What classes did you take? Did you learn any new study strategies to help you? Did you find a partner to help you study that really, really was effective in getting your work done? Make sure you take a moment to think about what went well last semester so you can duplicate it for this semester. That breaks down into a few key parts. Number one you're in college to have a good time, yes, but you're also there to make sure you do well in your classes. So let's focus on that first. What are your goals for each class? What do you need to make sure you do to be successful at hitting those goals? Be sure to think about your classes and how you're going to plan and strategize how to do well. When you're also setting clear goals, you need to think about the bigger picture of being a pre-med. Where are you in the journey? Are you a freshman? If so, you need to go ahead and think about your summer semester. Are you going to take classes? Are you going to work? Are you going to do shadowing? You got to go ahead and think about that now, because you have to create that plan. The third thing to think about is how are you going to have some fun? How are you going to integrate your life, your social life and your schoolwork all together to make sure you're having a balanced, fun time in college but also getting the job done?

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 2:32

Tip number three make sure you actually map out your goals. So I want you to actually pull up your calendar, put your class schedule on it for the year and for the semester and actually map out when are you going to do the things you need to do to make sure you're going to be successful. If you know it takes you three hours to study for chemistry, go ahead and put that on the calendar that you need three hours to study for chemistry. If you know you are in a sorority and you've got these activities, go ahead and put it down so you know exactly what you need to do as you move from one week to the next. I often find that students may think they have a plan, but when you ask them where is it written down, they don't have it written down and they can't go back and review it. So make sure for tip number three, go ahead and pull out your calendar and actually put the tasks on the calendar.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 3:23

Tip number four make sure you actually set a realistic plan. If you have 25 credit hours, that's probably not a good idea, right? Make sure you take enough classes to meet the needs that you have for the semester, but also be realistic about what you can handle. If you can't take four sciences at one time, that's okay. Make sure you go based on what you can do and what you can do well, it's better that you do a few things well and get good grades in those classes, focus on one or two organizations and get ready for your summer than it is to pile on more than one thing at one time. So make sure you set realistic plans when you are preparing and creating your strategy for your spring semester.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 4:08

Tip number five is to make sure you take time to recharge. You know that this is a long journey. If you want to become a physician, you're just at the beginning as a college student and as a pre-man. So throughout the semester I want you to build in some time where you take time with yourself for self-care and spend time with your friends. Go ahead and build that in as you develop your study strategy and you're really focused and going hard. Make sure you take that time to recharge. And I have a bonus tip for you too.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 4:40

Tip number six is make sure you get some support around you and use the resources that you have. Something my mom always says is use the resources available to you. So don't just be out here on an island by yourself trying to figure it all out on your own, disorganized and not knowing how to go forward. Make sure you reach out to the student organizations on your campus to help you create the strategy. Utilize your pre-health and pre-med advisors and in that office to help you Make sure that you have a strategy and, last but not least, check in with your friends to see if they can help push you along the way too. So be sure to seek out support and the resources that are close to you as well. Those are my five tips for you as you build a strong strategy for your spring semester.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 5:28

Remember I want you to review and reflect on the first semester of the year what went well and what would you like to change. Step number two is to set clear goals and expectations for your semester. What do you want to accomplish, not only for your classes but as a pre-med? What do you need to accomplish to make sure you're getting ready for medical school? Step number three is to make sure you put it on the calendar and update that task list so that you know, week by week, exactly what you need to do. Step number four is make sure you set a realistic plan.

Dr. Jasmine Weiss: 6:07

Don't try to do too much all at the same time in the spring. I know it's plenty to do, but be clear instead of realistic goal, and step number five is to make sure you take time to recharge to make sure that your semester can go as smooth as possible. So remember, on your journey throughout this spring semester, don't do it alone. B-MED is here as a resource. We're here to help you succeed on your journey to med school. We're here to help you build community and, most importantly, we're here to connect you to the right resources. Remember to like, share and subscribe to Black Med Connect and we'll catch you in the next episode. Always remember to dream without limits ُ.