You’ve spent months or even years preparing to don your scrubs or order your very own engraved Littman, and you’ve sat more exams than you care to remember. Getting into medical school is an enormous achievement, but it’s also a huge transition. Now you’re here, you might have some questions. What’s the best way to learn? How can I make friends? What is student living like? It takes time to adapt to your new lifestyle, so here are some tips on the transition.
Academic
Whilst school often features one textbook to learn per subject, reading medicine requires continuous active learning. Preparing for university may involve refreshing your scientific knowledge, but it should also include familiarising yourself with helpful resources.
Throughout your time at medical school, you will need to learn so much content, and though textbooks are useful for details, testing yourself is a popular consolidation method. Firm favourites include PassMedicine, BMJ OnExamination, and Geekymedics, all helping with revision. YouTube has countless handy topic summaries, and when you begin anatomy, resources like Acland Anatomy (available for free to LMS students) are infinitely helpful. SCRUBS sessions are another great way to recap topics and build friendships. To see more free resources for medical students check this article out!
Social
Lincoln Medical School has a small cohort. Within a few weeks, there are few anonymous faces when you look around the room or glance at a WhatsApp group. The strong feeling of community and the course structure offers countless opportunities to build close friendships. You will be assigned to groups, some as small as six: once you can recognise some friendly faces, the experience of larger group integration is often much less daunting. Societies allow you to meet people with similar interests, particularly other students outside the medical sphere, which can help diversify your friend group further. Try signing up to one when you start – there’s everything from karate to wildlife conservation!
Lifestyle
Moving to university is usually equally exciting and intimidating. You wave a temporary goodbye to familiarity, finding yourself in a new environment and city. Lincoln is a lovely place to live, with modernity and history colliding, so prioritise getting out of your accommodation and exploring the city! Student accommodation can pose its own set of challenges, from refining your culinary skills to shopping on a budget and negotiating chores with your flatmates. Taking the time to bond with your flatmates when you arrive can really improve your university experience, and scoping out cookbooks and websites like BBC Good Food can help you find balanced and affordable student recipes.
Many students relish the transition to medical school, but it can still be complicated and stressful at times. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please reach out to your friends, personal tutors, medic family, or peer mentor. The Student Wellbeing team can offer you support and guidance if you’re struggling, and Student Services can help with any questions you have. Ultimately, being an LMS student is wonderful, and studying medicine is a well-earned reward for all your hard work. Congratulations on getting here, and good luck!
About the author
