T-4 Days Until Exam Day.

T-4 days until exam day.

I am a stressed noodle. High cortisol levels and all. I don't feel 100% prepared, but I know that I'll never be so I'm just going to try my best and see where that gets me. I shouldn't stress myself out since if I don't do well I can study some more and retake it. Just because I "failed" once doesn't mean I'll never succeed and become a doctor.

So keep on trying everyone! Remember bow great it will be to add that 'Dr.' to your name 😄

T-11 hours til Exam Day

Today I have officially not looked at a single MCAT thing. I took my friends' advice and decide to just let myself have this day. I went to work in the morning, came home, took a nap, bought groceries, made spaghetti, watched Eternals, and then showered. I'm now going to pick out my outfit for tomorrow so I don't have to stress myself with anything else since I already know I'll be at PEAK stress levels.

As I head into this exam I am just going to keep telling myself that I studied to the best of my current abilities and that this was enough. I have had to deal with so much emotionally and mentally, that it is a miracle that I have even made it to this day. Even if I were to absolutely bomb the exam (which I'm really hoping is not what happens) I can always try again. Med school isn't going anywhere and somewhere is bound to give me a chance.

Well wish me luck! And good luck to everyone else during this MCAT season :)

Borrow books, share pdfs, email ebooks. Understand that academia is expensive. Make it more accessible, help someone gain knowledge. Dismantle the disparity with second-hand books and hand-me-downs. Share. Share. Share.

Study Motivators That Work

The 3 Minute Rule

When you have a task that you don't want to complete, just get started and keep going for 3 minutes. If you still don't want to complete the task after 3 minutes, stop and start another task

This method can be very challenging during the initial stages of trying it

When you procrastinate, you tend to find something else to do first to dodge the main task at hand

This rule forces you to immediately avoid any deviation from completing the task for 3 solid minutes with the option to stop after those 3 minutes

Discipline plays a crucial role in this motivation technique as starting the 3 minutes requires you to overcome procrastination

Something that helps in this process is trying to slightly mentally detach yourself from the situation to have an objective view on it

You need to look at the situation and acknowledge that you have the freedom to stop the task after 3 minutes if you truly cannot complete it and that you absolutely must start the task immediately

Often times, I keep going once I start which results in significantly improved productivity

Flexibile Schedules

Often times, I plan out the perfect study and work session with my tasks and times detailed to the second

However, sometimes, life gets in the way of these plans and I'm forced to reschedule everything

Something like this can be extremely demotivating, especially if your day revolved around your very detailed plan

To help solve such issues, there are 2 options for 2 different scenarios

The first option is to prevent the situation from occurring at all

Extremely rigid and detailed plans are very easy to disrupt

Preventing the situation would be done by outlining more flexible study and work plans that can be done at most times and don't rely on strict timings (I will post another article on creating a flexible and functional study schedule)

The second option is how to move forward if you do find yourself in a situation where your study plans have been disrupted and you're demotivated

In this instance, the first step is to list the topics you need to cover and sort them from most important to least important

Estimate how much time each topic will take and look at how much time you have available

Evaluate if the time you have available is adequate to completely cover all of your listed topics

If not, choose as many topics with the greatest priority that will be able to be completed within your available time

Remember, these steps should be completed within 5 minutes at most to prevent you from losing any more time

There's always a plan for every situation. It just needs to be found.

Justify It

If you truly feel like there's no reason to compete the task, find a reason

If the task is important enough for you to lament over it, it's certainly important enough for you to complete it as soon as possible

Clear your mind of any frustration and just relax

Think of what the purpose of the task is

Do you need to complete an assignment that will be a part of your final grade?

Do you need to complete a report for your job?

Will this benefit you in the future - near or far?

If you need to study, what is your end goal?

When I hesitate with my studying, I always remind myself that what I'm learning now will one day help me improve as a doctor

Once you identify a reason, act on it and complete the task

The reason will help you sense that what you're doing has meaning and purpose, making the task less of an inconvenience and more of a duty

Knowledge is always valuable.

FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT DOING YOUR BEST DOES NOT MEAN WORKING YOURSELF TO THE POINT 0F A MENTAL BREAKDOWN.

to all the people who used to top their classes but can't find the energy to do that assignment now, to all the people who watch dance covers in awe and imagine themselves doing the choreography wearing crop tops and cargo pants, to all the people who love watching aesthetic videos and vlogs and yearn for their home to be cottagecore with soft radio in the background someday, to all the people who stare at pretty strangers, wishing they had their eyes, or their hair or their pretty smile, i just wanna say that i see you and you are a beautiful soul. you are worthy and capable of living the life of your dreams. ♡♡♡