2nd Test & Adjusting to Med Students

I feel officially like a medical student now! This is indicated by
1.) my set of scrubs finally being stinky enough from anatomy to bring them home to be washed
2.) we had our 2nd Biochemistry exam this last Friday, and as you can see below, I'm feeling pretty hardcore with my new found highlighting skills. All of us students find our different methods for studying, I just happen to like the Fluorescent Triage method, where different colors represent my understanding of the material.

Now to jump back to one of my transitions into medical school:

Time circuits on. Flux Capacitor... fluxxing. Engine running. All right!

One of the exciting parts of starting medical school was getting to know our fellow classmates. Southwestern had a special retreat weekend for us to get to know one another and the faculty which was great because we quickly became so engrossed with learning once school started that we stopped meeting new people. At that retreat, I found out that a fair number of my classmates already finished graduate work, several having PhD's already. Now that school has begun, seeing these brains in action only makes me more impressed. For example, one student doesn't take notes in class from what I have seen, but from what I hear he knows the information with greater depth than anyone else and so far he has finished the tests in one hour where most students take 2.5 hours. It's incredible.

I feel like my class is just incredibly intelligent which makes going to school a lot of fun. Although it's great to have smart students to study with, it's even more fun to have smart students to discuss ideas with as well. I never really liked discussing politics at BYU because politics tended to inflame passions one way or the other (Granted, I was in the College of Life Sciences, not a political science by any stretch... and I did have quite a few good experiences at forums in the Kennedy Center). Here at Southwestern, with a generally similar student body, the students also have strong opinions but are much more willing to have friendly discussions. They leave me with better answers and help me refine the questions I ask myself as I examine my own values. I'm loving that.

(Don't get me wrong, I loved my time at BYU, but this comic reminds me of many discussions there)
from toothpastefordinner.com

One thing the pre-med advisers didn't warn us about medical school was the danger of bringing into proximity so many brains. Not only does our class consist of great intellectual potential & the great future doctors, but also the biggest local chapter of Overachiever's Anonymous. Basically, I think everyone that made it into our school is at least a mildly neurotic overachiever (including myself) such that if at any time you are not doing something productive, you feel guilty. One of my fellow LDS students compared this to being on an LDS mission where we feel like the need to use all of our time to promote sharing the gospel, now we feel like we should be using all of our time to prepare for the next test or the day when we'll need this information to help a patient. It's pretty hilarious actually. Pre-med advisers warn you about the long hours, the many pages of you will read, but they don't warn you that at the end of the day, medical school will make you feel just a little guilty when you're sitting down, relaxing, and enjoying yourself.