Well this is like week 8 of 16 and now it finally feels like PA school has officially taken over my life. When everybody used to tell me "PA school is like medical school on crack" I kind of did not pay attention to it, but now I am really living it. Not to scare anyone, it really is doable and it does get a little bit overwhelming at times, like these two previous weeks for me. They have been the hardest two weeks so far and we literally had 4 exams, 3 quizes, 2 research papers, in the midst of long lectures and classes from 8 - 5 pm everyday. It was during these weeks where I realized "OMG this is what PA school is suppose to feel like." I literally had to choose between sleeping, or taking a break from studying, or eating, or sacrificing a quiz that was not weighted as heavily as exams so I can study for the next test ahead.
It really comes down to having your priorities straight and being able to manage your time, but when you have 4 exams in the next four days there is NO time, so even if you are the best at juggling your time, something is going to be cut short or something is not going to stick and thats okay. I felt like I was running a marathon, just running through material non stop. I could feel my heart racing as I took an exam and had one day to prepare for the next, it was like my body had some sort of adrenaline rush to get all the information inside my brain as fast as I could before it was 10 AM the next day for the following exam. Somehow your brain manages to absorb it all and do well. The best thing is that putting in the time in PA school is going to pay off and you will excel. It's not like those organic tests in undergrad that tried to trick you every way possible to fail half of the class. PA school or at least FSU PA program has resources to make all of us successful PA graduates. As long as you put in the time and you work hard, you will succeed.
BOOM! When you think you can finally take a break from studying and maybe have a day off, you open your planner and see the next exam coming up. I have learned to take it day by day and treat each day with a goal in mind. For example, if anatomy exam is coming up, that is my main priority, however you have to try to keep up with other material thrown at you in the other 6 classes, so thats where the challenge comes in, know what the priority is at the moment, but manage everything else in the side the best you can.
PA school becomes a repetitive cycle, and once you get the hang of it and you know what works for you, stick to it. For me that means waking up at 7:00 AM and getting to school by 8:00 AM. Not going to lie I am fast at getting ready and I live close to campus so that is always an advantage. Class is from 8- 5:00 PM and after that my brain is fried. I remember for the first few weeks of class, my head would hurt, it was overwhelming, and I felt like I could not take any more information or my brain was going to explode, however now reflecting on it, I have gotten the hang of it, and no longer feel so overwhelmed. Anyhow, my secret of all times is napping. I only sleep about 5-6 hours at night so a nap for me during the day is LIFE =P. I come home nap for about 40-50 minutes everyday. This helps me take a break from class all day, recover my body and feel at ease to be able to head to the library and study another 5-6 hours. I know what works for me, so I have been doing this since day one, however, some people are not able to take naps during the day, therefore they keep studying and go to bed earlier. I am definately not a morning person so I rather stay up late and sleep as much as I can in the morning. After my naps, I eat something quick for dinner and head to the library for about 5-6 hours to study. I leave around 12:00 PM and then the cycle continues everyday.
One thing I am glad about is that I had my mind set for this studying struggle ever since I got in. I knew it was not going to be easy and that I was going to be studying 24/7 just like those draining days of preparing for the MCAT exam ( 10-12 hrs of studying) exactly the same thing. If you are prepared for it, you have a positive attitude, and enjoy what you are doing, you will not drain putting in all the work. Mentally preparing yourself for PA school is crucial and one thing I will recommend is enjoying your time off. I will talk more about mentally preparing yourself for PA school in my next post =)
Currently 1:00 AM and I need to wake up for school tomorrow =)
Thanks for reading,
Daniela
