Residency Recap: Joys, Surprises, and Challenges of Intern Year (Part 1)

My intern year of residency has been an utter whirlwind. Time is passing by in what seems like unprecedented speeds. In the midst of the chaos, I allow myself moments of quiet reflection. I often stop, reflect, and give thanks for being exactly where I’ve always wanted to be. I am practicing medicine as a resident physician, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Throughout the nearly five months that I have worked as a psychiatry resident, I have learned so much more than I could have imagined about myself, clinical practice, and the fragility of human health. A mixture of…

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Best Questions to Ask on the Residency Interview Trail

Residency interviews can make or break your chances of getting into the residency program of your choice. Though there’s a strong emphasis on an applicant’s ability to appropriately answer interview questions, there isn’t always enough focus on the other end of the spectrum. Fourth-year medical students should all be prepared with a list of questions to ask on the residency interview trail. It’s essential that you think about what information you hope to gain from the process to ultimately help you decide on your rank list. Using this perspective, your questions should allow you to leave an interview day equipped…

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5 Residency Application Tips for Success and Peace of Mind

Every year, fourth-year medical students stress about the September 15th deadline to submit residency applications. If you found this post, you are likely in pre-panic or full-on panic mode right now. More than that, you are looking for final-hour residency application tips to put your mind at ease. The process of compiling recommendation letters, transcripts, a personal statement, a CV, and a list of professional and personal activities can be quite daunting. I surely spent my fair share of time stressing over varying parts of this process. However, I compiled this list of residency application tips that can help you…

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The Best Extracurricular Activities for Premeds

One of the most common questions I get from premedical students is “What extracurricular activities should I do to get into medical school?” Though there are definitely some “check the box” items that all medical school hopefuls should complete, I generally offer this advice to my mentees: Do what you love, and do it excellently! Instead of thinking about what will get you into medical school, think about what you like doing and what brings you joy! As a result, you’ll either 1) have amazing experiences to share in your medical school application and personal statement or 2) realize there’s…

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6 Questions to Help You Decide If You Should Go to Medical School

Choosing to go to medical school isn’t something that should be taken lightly. Medical school and a career in medicine for that matter are part of an incredibly long and challenging journey. It’s a decision that you should make sure to spend a lot of time thinking about. I wrote this post to help walk you through the decision process of how to decide if you should really go to medical school. Contemplation: Should I Go to Medical School? Using the Stages of Change Model as a guide, the question of whether or not to go to medical school falls into…

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