While the undergrads are already out celebrating their freedom, medical students are still cooped up in lecture halls, grinding out the last month of the school year. The interesting journey of 2^nd year medicine is near its end and I can’t wait to cross the finish line.

I look back at this school year with ambivalent feelings. I started the year with some major goals:

1. Making MedChatter the biggest premed website in Canada

2. Being fully prepared for the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam)

3. Committing myself to a medical specialty

4. 90+ in all of my courses

5. Publishing a paper

Did I meet my goals? Let’s take a look:

1. Currently MedChatter is ranked 10,603 in traffic in Canada. Premed101, the biggest Canadian premed community is ranked 11,749 (based on Alexa.com). Despite MedChatter having a higher ranking, premed101 is without a question a more robust community. Most of MedChatter visitors are here to view content rather than to interact with other members. So based on this, I would have to say that I have not achieved goal #1. But it will happen.

2. I laugh as I write about goal #2 because I’ve purchased a total 10 books to prepare for USMLE, and I’ve gone through maybe 5 chapters of book 1. FML (if I’m allowed to say that here).

3. Goal #3 is a success. I’m pretty sure that I want to go into Radiology (esp. neuro-radiology). It’s the specialty that suits my abilities/interests the best.

4. Didn’t quite meet my mark… but its close. I’ll see what I get on the last exam.

5. Research for the year did not culminate into a paper, but potentially an abstract/presentation.

So for the year, I’m 1 for 5! Do I know what I did wrong? Absolutely. It’s all because of my lack of focus. My mind was always in a frenzy of activity with random ideas. For example, one day I just decided that I want to invest my line of credit in real estate, and started looking for properties in Toronto. Another day, I would spend 8 hrs straight learning about the web domain business. Currently I’m laying down the ground works for 2 books that I’m considering writing, and I just signed up to help writing another book (in fact a textbook). As you can see, there is no focus. My productivity is being diluted by my ambition. In the end, I’m left with a tough decision. I have to choose which projects I need to drop so that I can ensure the success of the other projects.

Although I didn’t meet many of my goals, I do feel that I’ve learned quite a bit about myself this year. I have a much better sense of what I want in life, and I’m as hungry as ever in achieving my goals. What I need to work on are habits and methods, and needless to say, I need to FOCUS. I’ve consider myself a hard working person, but now I feel I’m ready to give my 110%.  As I write this I recall watching a youtube video of Arnold Schwarzenegger saying in his Austrian accent:

“There are 24 hours a day. You sleep 6 hours and work 18 hours. Some people tell me they need 8 hours of sleep, but I would tell them: you need to sleep faster”.

It was such a great speech that I had to get the youtube link for you :):

After looking back at the year, I now need to look forward. Summer is approaching, so I need to get down to some serious business. Most students (maybe 50%) have exciting summer trips planned out – Peru, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, just to name a few. One of my classmates is going to be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro! I’m uber jealous.

So what’s in store for me for the summer? Two words: research + USMLE.

I will be doing full-time research under a neuro-radiologist for 3 months with $5,500 of funding, and a potential scholarship. In addition to this 8-5pm commitment, I will be preparing for the USMLE a necessary exam if I ever wanted to go to the U.S. for residency or fellowship. I don’t plan to move down south, but it would be a backup to fall on if I ever go unmatched in Canada for a competitive specialty. This would also mean that I have to CRUSH this exam (i.e 99%). I didn’t even get 99 percentile on the MCAT, now imagine beating 99% of medical students on a test. Nevertheless, I’m up to the challenge.

I think I’ve blabbed for long enough. Why did I write this entry? I guess I feel a revived sense of commitment; a clear appreciation of the value of hard work. I just wanted to put it in writing. I’ll conclude this post with a poem that you may be familiar with:

"I bargained with Life for a penny,

And Life would pay no more,

However I begged at evening

When I counted my scanty store.

For Life is a just employer,

He gives you what you ask,

But once you have set the wages,

Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire,

Only to learn, dismayed,

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid."

Btw – the video that I promised is still under production. It will probably be on the site by the end of the month.