itsartipatel

[4C curriculum]

Semester 4 had a lot of random study days included in the schedule and I think it’s extremely important to not abuse those. It’s easy to think that since there is so much more time to study that you can take the day off and lounge around. Now, I’m not saying abuse your mental health and not take care of yourself. But, it’s good to keep a healthy balance between your academic and personal life. 

Basic Sciences

Clinical Sciences

[The ups of Semester 4]

Having done so well in Semester 3, I knew exactly how to start off the new semester. I didn’t have to contemplate how my schedule needs to look or what I need to do to keep improving. The only difference between Semester 3 and 4 was the way I took my notes. Although handwritten notes have always worked for me, the amount of material presented in Semester 4 was a lot heavier. I knew I had to change some things up. I decided to start typing out my notes into a table format. It felt different at first, but it was definitely a good different. I was hesitant at first that it may not be useful but Mini 1 proved me wrong. Seeing how well I performed on Mini 1 with this study method, I continued to use this method throughout the entire semester. It helped me save so much time when it came to reviewing the lectures for the day and I was able to go through the material multiple times before each exam. One of the highlights of Semester 4 was scoring the highest in my class cohort for Mini 3. I know what you guys might be thinking. That I’m bragging about my score and rubbing it into other peoples’ faces. But that’s not what this is about. It wasn’t about being better than anyone else in my class. It was about my own improvement and performing better than I ever had in previous exams. I felt proud of my accomplishments at that moment and it made me realize that I finally overcame my previous failures and became a better student. The biggest highlight of Semester 4 was being able to draw blood from a real patient during a clinic visit. It might not seem as exciting for those who already have clinical experience but for me, it’s an experience that I will always remember. The doctor I shadowed was incredibly nice and let me have this first experience with her patient. I was super nervous, but she made it into a learning moment and helped me through the entire process. Semester 4 overall was one for the books. I made a huge improvement as a student and there were many moments when I felt confident in knowing what I was talking about. 

[The downs of Semester 4]

There will always be some downs in life. Although academically, the semester went super well for me, I was a bit upset when I didn’t make Dean’s List by a little less than 2%. I wish I had studied a bit harder for the final exam. But in the end, I knew I had to be satisfied with what I had. I looked back at all my successes over the semester instead of focusing on that one score. The hardest times of Semester 4 was being away from home and family for the holidays. I spent Diwali and Thanksgiving with my family almost every single year and it was difficult when the days came around. I had to keep pushing myself to end the semester strong. It was the first year at RUSM where Christmas break would be a month long instead of 2 weeks. I was going to New York/New Jersey to spend the holidays with my niece. I had a countdown set on my phone and it made me excited as the days got closer to go home. 

[Lesson learned from Semester 4]

Celebrate the little victories. 

It’s become human nature to want big successes in life and we overlook the little achievements. We forget what happiness is because we’re too focused on the end result. There were so many little victories and achievements throughout Semester 4 that made it memorable for me. We can’t keep telling ourselves “I’ll be happy when I reach this goal” or “I’ll be happy when this finally happens.” It’s the little victories that keep us going in life.