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January 23, 2024 7 mins

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Ever feel like you've blinked and an entire semester of college has slipped through your fingers? Say goodbye to end-of-term regrets with our latest B-MED podcast episode, where we lay out a blueprint for academic triumph and personal fulfillment. As a student aiming for a career in medicine, you'll discover five strategic tips to navigate the spring semester maze with finesse. We're not just talking about acing exams; we're talking about crafting a college experience that's as enjoyable as it is enlightening.

From the first bell to the final paper, we cover it all – reflecting on past wins, setting attainable goals, and penciling in some much-needed R&R. There's no guest this time, just pure strategy session vibes to guide you from overwhelmed to overachiever. We understand the pre-med hustle is real, and that's why we're dishing out wisdom on balancing coursework, extracurriculars, and your social life. Tune in for real talk on creating a sustainable study plan, integrating fun, and the necessity of self-care to power through your pre-med journey with energy to spare. Let's make this semester the one where you come out on top, with memories as bright as your GPA.

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Episode Transcript

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Dr. Jasmine Weiss (00:00):
Hello everybody, welcome back to the
BlackMedConnect podcast,affectionately known as the
B-MED podcast, where we shareinspiring stories of Black
physicians and physicians intraining.
We are so excited for seasontwo, and today I want you to
think about this.
Imagine that it's May.
You're a college student, yourwhole semester has gone by and

(00:22):
you've blown it.
You didn't get the grades youwant, you didn't accomplish the
tasks that you wanted toaccomplish and you don't even
know where the time went Well.
Today we're here to talk abouthow to make sure that does not
happen to you.
So I know you're back on yourcampus and I want to share five

(00:55):
tips to make sure youstrategically plan for your
spring semester.
So let's jump right in.
So tip number one make sure youreview and reflect on your past
semester.
I want you to think back to thefall.
What went well?
What classes did you take?
Did you learn any new studystrategies to help you?
Did you find a partner to helpyou study that really, really

(01:18):
was effective in getting yourwork done?
Make sure you take a moment tothink about what went well last
semester so you can duplicate itfor this semester.
That breaks down into a few keyparts.
Number one you're in college tohave a good time, yes, but

(01:39):
you're also there to make sureyou do well in your classes.
So let's focus on that first.
What are your goals for eachclass?
What do you need to make sureyou do to be successful at
hitting those goals?
Be sure to think about yourclasses and how you're going to
plan and strategize how to dowell.
When you're also setting cleargoals, you need to think about

(02:00):
the bigger picture of being apre-med.
Where are you in the journey?
Are you a freshman?
If so, you need to go ahead andthink about your summer
semester.
Are you going to take classes?
Are you going to work?
Are you going to do shadowing?
You got to go ahead and thinkabout that now, because you have
to create that plan.
The third thing to think aboutis how are you going to have

(02:20):
some fun?
How are you going to integrateyour life, your social life and
your schoolwork all together tomake sure you're having a
balanced, fun time in collegebut also getting the job done?
Tip number three make sure youactually map out your goals.
So I want you to actually pullup your calendar, put your class
schedule on it for the year andfor the semester and actually

(02:44):
map out when are you going to dothe things you need to do to
make sure you're going to besuccessful.
If you know it takes you threehours to study for chemistry, go
ahead and put that on thecalendar that you need three
hours to study for chemistry.
If you know you are in asorority and you've got these
activities, go ahead and put itdown so you know exactly what
you need to do as you move fromone week to the next.

(03:06):
I often find that students maythink they have a plan, but when
you ask them where is itwritten down, they don't have it
written down and they can't goback and review it.
So make sure for tip numberthree, go ahead and pull out
your calendar and actually putthe tasks on the calendar.
Tip number four make sure youactually set a realistic plan.

(03:27):
If you have 25 credit hours,that's probably not a good idea,
right?
Make sure you take enoughclasses to meet the needs that
you have for the semester, butalso be realistic about what you
can handle.
If you can't take four sciencesat one time, that's okay.
Make sure you go based on whatyou can do and what you can do
well, it's better that you do afew things well and get good

(03:52):
grades in those classes, focuson one or two organizations and
get ready for your summer thanit is to pile on more than one
thing at one time.
So make sure you set realisticplans when you are preparing and
creating your strategy for yourspring semester.
Tip number five is to make sureyou take time to recharge.

(04:12):
You know that this is a longjourney.
If you want to become aphysician, you're just at the
beginning as a college studentand as a pre-man.
So throughout the semester Iwant you to build in some time
where you take time withyourself for self-care and spend
time with your friends.
Go ahead and build that in asyou develop your study strategy

(04:33):
and you're really focused andgoing hard.
Make sure you take that time torecharge.
And I have a bonus tip for youtoo.
Tip number six is make sure youget some support around you and
use the resources that you have.
Something my mom always says isuse the resources available to
you.
So don't just be out here on anisland by yourself trying to

(04:55):
figure it all out on your own,disorganized and not knowing how
to go forward.
Make sure you reach out to thestudent organizations on your
campus to help you create thestrategy.
Utilize your pre-health andpre-med advisors and in that
office to help you Make surethat you have a strategy and,
last but not least, check inwith your friends to see if they

(05:16):
can help push you along the waytoo.
So be sure to seek out supportand the resources that are close
to you as well.
Those are my five tips for youas you build a strong strategy
for your spring semester.
Remember I want you to reviewand reflect on the first
semester of the year what wentwell and what would you like to

(05:36):
change.
Step number two is to set cleargoals and expectations for your
semester.
What do you want to accomplish,not only for your classes but
as a pre-med?
What do you need to accomplishto make sure you're getting
ready for medical school?
Step number three is to makesure you put it on the calendar
and update that task list sothat you know, week by week,

(06:00):
exactly what you need to do.
Step number four is make sureyou set a realistic plan.
Don't try to do too much all atthe same time in the spring.
I know it's plenty to do, butbe clear instead of realistic
goal, and step number five is tomake sure you take time to
recharge to make sure that yoursemester can go as smooth as

(06:22):
possible.
So remember, on your journeythroughout this spring semester,
don't do it alone.
B-MED is here as a resource.
We're here to help you succeedon your journey to med school.
We're here to help you buildcommunity and, most importantly,
we're here to connect you tothe right resources.
Remember to like, share andsubscribe to Black Med Connect

(06:45):
and we'll catch you in the nextepisode.
Always remember to dreamwithout limits ُ.
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