I don't think I've ever studied this hard in my entire life.

Like, I've really been putting major hours in ever since this study block started. The only thing that comes to mind to compare this amount of studying to is the summer that I studied for the MCAT…but even that pales in comparison to this. I mean yeah I've been studying hard all throughout med school too, but this has been quite different. Throughout my coursework up until now, I was learning about one organ system each block, so I was focused solely on that topic. I also balanced my time out and did a number of other things outside of studying in my past blocks. However, now I'm studying every damn thing there is to know about the human body and the drugs that affect it, including some things that I've never actually learned. Also, I'm pretty much entrenched in my studies all day with small breaks in between, which is quite different from what I'm used to. I'm usually the type that is pretty flexible with time and who prefers to go with the flow rather than keep to a structured schedule. So the fact that I actually currently have a schedule I stick to (for the most part) is pretty wild to me. Like, I actually wake up around 7:15-7:30 AM each day and am usually fast asleep by 11:30-11:45 PM. I'm still a bit flexible with my daily schedule here and there, but I'm nowhere near as malleable with my time as I was before I started dedicating my time to Step.

Speaking of time, these days have all been a blur man. Truth be told, I've actually forgotten what day it was on numerous occasions last week. Also, time flies so fast throughout the day when you're intensely focused…one minute it's 12:55 PM and then when I look up again, it's 5:34 PM. It's annoying how quickly time can zip by when you would rather have it slow down a bit. Smh. And don't even get me started on these UWorld questions man…these questions are just ridiculous. They're hard as hell, even with all the studying that I've been doing! But on the flip side, I've been learning a ton from them and I've actually seen some steady improvement in my scores within this past week! I did have a sharp nosedive in the score of the most recent question set I answered, but I'm considering that set a fluke lol. Plus, it just gives me a great opportunity to learn more information that I either didn't know before or hadn't stuck as well with me as I previously thought! What's important is that I'm seeing a steady improvement in applying my knowledge to new questions while retaining information that I'm continuously acquiring. I'm still on a treacherous uphill battle but as long as I keep calm, confident and determined, nothing will stop me from soaring to that mountaintop!

With that said, I'm getting back to the grind. Y'all keep me in your prayers and I'll keep y'all in mine! Have a sensational week!

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.” – Tommy Lasorda

– Black Man, M.D.

P.S. – Congratulations to all the medical students who matched this past Friday!! That's a MAJOR accomplishment to have achieved! I pray to be in y'alls shoes one day!