People often ask me how I made it to medical school with a 3.3 science GPA (3.5 overall). First, an upward trend and finishing strong is key. I went from a 2.7 to 3.6 in one semester and then maintaining a 3.8-4.0 GPA, but this could not have been possible if I hadn’t realized the importance of mental health and stress management!
I struggled with juggling school, work, and my emotional health, as many first-generation college students with immigrant parents do when they first come in. Those who are not first-gen may or may not understand this, but some of the challenges that come from being first-gen include:
- limited education in your family = limited income and financial resources
- limited mentors
- working part-time to sustain yourself financially
- no idea on how to study effectively
- no idea on how to cope emotionally and stigma surrounding mental health
Even if you aren’t a first-gen, taking care of your mental health is the key to stepping into the right mentality for succeeding! Managing your stress effectively enables you to study effectively, which in turn empowers you to succeed whether you are a pre-med, pre-pharm, etc. My GPA during my last two years of college ranged from 3.8 to 4.0 even though I was working MORE (25 hours a week vs. 15-25), studying LESS, and spending more time with my friends and family!
Tips for Stress Management
Find your support system. Work hard now, play hard after.
During my first two years of college when I averaged around 3.0 to 3.2 GPA, it wasn’t because I wasn’t studying. In fact, I was studying too much, but not very effectively. I rarely made time for myself. To be frank, I didn’t have a social life! I convinced myself (wrongly) that I didn’t have time for friends, that I should only focus on working and school and studying because that would help me succeed. Coming from an immigrant household, this is also what we were taught.
Find your support system. As an example, I joined a pre-health professional fraternity (Delta Epsilon Mu aka DEM) my third year of college and that’s when everything changed for me. You might be thinking, how does joining a fraternity help? Well, for starters, it’s helpful if it’s a professional fraternity. It also helps if it’s a pre-health fraternity (or pre-med, or pre-whatever) because you will be around people with similar goals and ambitions. It also depends on the individual. For those who neglect their studies and have unhealthy study/work habits to begin with (you know what I mean), then of course it would be detrimental! But for those who are seeking professional growth AND a strong support system, then joining a professional, pre-health fraternity can be a positive change.
The people I met in DEM became my strongest support system and I still remain close friends with them ’til this day! What I learned from them was that it is absolutely 100% acceptable to play hard, but work hard first and then play after. Do it together. I also learned that mental health is real, how to study effectively, and professional skills (presentations, resume/CV, interview skills, etc.)
Rewarding yourself after you’ve done the work is key because you will need to reset in order to keep going. No one can be on their A-game all the time. You need to recuperate. Surround yourself with people who can do the same!
Know your limits. Set boundaries. Be honest with yourself.
Know your limits and set them. How many activities are you going to commit to before you’re overwhelmed? For me, it’s 3. Whatever it is, stick to it. Basically, avoid spreading yourself too thin. Not only is it better for your mental health, it’s also better for med school apps. People don’t care if you’ve been involved in 10 organizations because it’s likely that you were only involved on a superficial level. It’s better to do a couple things WELL, than a bunch of things half-assed (for lack of better word, excuse my language). You’re not superhuman!
Set boundaries. Make your boundaries known to yourself, your family, and your friends! If you’re taking on too much, realize this and learn how to say no politely. “I have a lot going on this weekend, how about next weekend?” or “I’d love to, but I have this paper I have to work on. Rain check?” or “I’d love to join, but I’m a little overcommitted at the moment. I can let you know if that changes!”
Just be honest with yourself. Denying that you are stressed is no bueno. People will notice. Listen to those people. It’s sort of akin to being intoxicated/drunk. If they say they aren’t, they probably are. The same goes for stress! Don’t try to say you aren’t stressed because it will show one way or another, whether you like it or not. Especially the people who KNOW you! Listen to them. If not, then be honest with yourself and listen.
Stop using other people’s successes to measure yours.
This is the hardest rule to follow – I still struggle with this ’til this day! But the truth is you will never believe you are succeeding if you keep using other people’s successes as the standard. Sit down and ask yourself what succeeding means to you. For me, it was making my family proud and proving to myself that I could still pursue medicine despite the odds. For me, succeeding is simply finding joy in my life, like traveling, spending time with family, etc! It can be anything! Success does not have to mean an achievement. As long as you are happy and find joy in your life, you are succeeding because not many people do. You can be a doctor, have all the money in the world, but still be unhappy. I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily succeeding.
Tell yourself this: it does not matter what other people are doing. It matters what you are doing.
This is such a huge source of stress for me personally and for many people. Again, easier said than done. Countless times I’ve found myself complaining how unfair it is that my classmates can study 6 hours a day and still score higher than me on an exam when I studied for 12 hours. But it’s important to remember that you still made it. But you didn’t just make it, you also worked harder. And it’s also important to remember that strong work ethic is hard to come by and people will notice it. This will be your special thing!
Hope that was helpful! As always, let me know if you need anything!
With lobe,
<3 Kelly
You have shared good tips on how to dealing with stress. thank you so much for sharing great information with us.
Author
Happy to help!!