Six Things to Do the Summer Before Medical School Starts

You’re finally (FINALLY!) accepted into medical school, and you are beyond excited to get started. You ask everyone what you should do before medical school starts, and they all say the same thing: 

RELAX. 

Spend time with family. Catch up with friends. Travel, explore the world. RELAX, already.

Well, yes. You should. You absolutely, 100% should. But if you’re anything like me, you can’t relax. Now that you’ve done that trip and you’ve seen all your extended family and you hung out with your friends, well, now what? You’re way too excited to just “relax”, and you want, no, NEED, to do something. 

My Tips

So here are the six things that you can actually do to get ready for medical school…and no, it’s not “study ahead.” 

1. Keep the medical passion alive – read! there are a lot of medical books out there, and I read voraciously the summer before. I have a list of favorite med reads. I also LOVED medical TV shows because they made me excited to be in their shoes one day. Here’s a list of some favorites. 
2. Develop healthy life habits – sleep, exercise, food; find a routine that works for you, that you can then alter a little bit to fit into your medical school life. Figure out what type of workouts work for you. Experiment with easy/quick recipes that you enjoy. Start to get into sustainable sleep habits (aka fix your sleep schedule).
3. Declutter your life – this is your chance to fix your room! Get rid of old clothes you’ll never wear, throw out old notes that you’ll never look at again. Start your med school journey with a fresh start (especially if you’re moving: downsize and pretend you’re a minimalist!). 
4. Dive into hobbies – do that thing that you’ve always wanted to. Make that scrapbook that you’ve been putting off, go hiking with your friends, try a new workout class or start learning a new language. 
5. Learn Anki – get familiar with the flashcard program (it’s free to use on your computer – check out my blog post on the reasons why Anki is amazing), and watch YouTube videos; maybe even think about using it for your hobbies (want to learn a bit of medical Spanish? Download some free decks).
6. Learn how to study – studying is a skill, much like everything else. There are so many different ways you can study; watch some vlogs and productivity gurus and get familiar with different techniques. 

Bonus tip:

Get into the med school mindset with some podcasts. My personal favorite was Bedside Rounds, which covers fascinating topics about the history of medicine; I LOVE his style and learned tons. Some other common ones are “The Undifferentiated Med Student” and “The Short Coat”.

These tips will not only keep you busy but also help you transition smoothly into the rigorous academic environment awaiting you. By taking these proactive measures, you’ll feel more prepared and confident when your first day of medical school arrives. So, while relaxation is crucial, channeling your excitement into productive pre-medical activities can set a positive tone for your upcoming journey in the world of medicine.