My Promised Land

It took 2 years of labor to get here, the terrain where I plan to make my mark in history, a place I have belonged even before I stepped foot on its solid ground - My promised land.

I finally crossed and made it to my promised land this month, your girl is officially a medical student. This land is also known as the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Having concluded my first week in my new academic home, it would be weird not to document my experience.

So, in a series of Q/A, welcome to my first week of medical school!

How did you feel on the first day of medical school? Were you excited, nervous, or a combination of both?

For starters, I thought it was the calmest place I’ve ever seen after walking through the gates. The whole atmosphere was so serene, it was bordering on creepy but I went in anyway. I am not ashamed to say I got lost on my first day, actually ventured all the way to the morgue, more creepy stuff I tell you. Luckily, I found my way to class and I haven’t been on that route since then.

Class was a whole other new experience, there is only one door to the class and apparently everyone stares at you when you walk in, that wasn’t so fun. I am also not ashamed to say that class was boring, sigh, it was so lengthy and I think that’s my life now but it all comes with the territory, hopefully I adjust.

I recall that the major feeling I had was excitement - I was ecstatic to be in an environment with just medical students, just medical facilities, just medical air, I felt like yes, this is the school life I want, lab coats and scrubs and those foul chemicals, the absolute dream for someone like me.

Can you describe your first impression of your professors and fellow students?

Most med-students looked like a nerd to be honest, especially those in the front row, I fear I’m a nerd myself. I also thought everyone looked so dapper, I found myself wondering how laundry is managed by most of them, I am quite lazy in dressing fancy, it’s been a struggle.

The professors on the other hand looked like they had been in the college since they could talk. They had that seasoned, brilliant, confident appearance about them and I have to say, I actually loved it. Its inspirational. I even think they seemed happy; I couldn’t have been more impressed. I do wish they taught more than they told stories though.

Did you encounter any memorable challenges during the week, and how did you handle them?

I have no in-school accommodation yet so I’d say coming from home was not fun, I often had to wake up early, get on the road early and be in transit for hours daily which made me tired a lot in my first week. By Wednesday, it was so annoying already.

How’d I handle it? Missing school…. twice!

Share a funny or quirky moment or anecdote from your first week.

During my first set of registration, I was standing outside an administration office in school and an aged professor saw me and he said, “This your hairstyle is bond abi”

It was so funny to me because I am on wool twists and I just packed it in an up-do girls like to call a bun but he got it wrong and he was so pleased while he said it. I was also flustered that a professor was actually talking to me so I think I stared weirdly first before answering, and guess what I said?

I said ‘yes, its bond sir’ with a big smile. Don’t judge me, I want to pass my courses in this school.

Did you make any new friends during the first week? Share a story or experience about connecting with classmates.

Yes, I did, it was nice to meet new medical students and I was especially happy to meet my co-mentee because she’s adorable. She was outside the lab, I was in, we locked eyes and hit it off. Shout out to you if you read this!

I also bonded with some seniors I am familiar with virtually; it was surreal to finally be in the same school as they are after looking at them from a telescopic view. It was fun, meeting people is always fun.

How did you manage your time between classes, studying, and personal life during your first week?

I don’t think I managed time for classes and studying right, cause even as I write this right now, I have four pending topics to read, one pending payment, one pending entry and I have not done any laundry. I have been very swamped so I definitely think I need to do better, if you have any advice for me, let me know in the comments section!

As regards to my personal life, I don’t have much of one to begin with, it’s school and work for me, personal life is probably resting time or Instagram time. Yeah, so no, I did not manage that right either because I could not watch reels as much as I wanted to this week neither did, I get 8 hours of sleep on any day I attended school. Help!

What's the most valuable lesson you learned from your first week of medical school?

In two words, Wing It.

It’s not always going to be all according to plan and sometimes you realize you just have to deal with the day as it comes, it provides peace of mind trust me.

Taking things one day at a time and leaving no scraps for the next makes things easier especially when they are out of your control. For instance, missing classes for registration purposes was not in my agenda but after I finished registering, I could attend and attempt studying with a clearer conscience than when I hadn’t done it.

How do you plan to maintain work-life balance and self-care throughout your medical school journey?

Step one – Get a space to live, transit kills.

Step two – Finally have a consistent time table after settling down as a student.

Step three – Implement my already adjusted work schedule into whatever time is left for me in a week.

Step four – Be consistent and diligent in the work-study schedule I create.

Step five – Selfcare = weekends.

Share any resources or study techniques you discovered during your first week that you found helpful.

Diagrams are key dear readers, there are so much gibberish in slides, illustrations helped me relate to that gibberish and even remember them. I won’t be reading without my atlas anytime soon.

What are you most looking forward to as you continue your medical school adventure?

A fun semester with rewarded hard work, in and outside school experiences, broader research and networking and a new medically inclined project to keep me psyched.

There you have it, my first week of medical school in a nutshell, if you have any questions or more things you’d like to know, feel free to ask me in the comments section.

If you also have any experiences to share or something you could relate to let me know, leave a like for me and hey, thank you for being a part of my journey!

Happy resumption to all newly approved medical students like me!

Have a better and happier new week.

Don’t give up.