I have always been an overachiever, no doubt about it; always wanting to be one step ahead of the rest, always ahead of the game. For example, if I finished a\u00a0school assignment\u00a0by 7 o\u2019clock in the evening, instead of taking the night off, I\u2019d start on another\u00a0assignment I knew was coming up. This was the motto I lived by all my life, until I finished\u00a0my 1st year of medical school, that is. As a pre-med and 1st year medical student, I constantly told myself I\u2019d fill my summer up\u00a0with resume-building extracurriculars. But people\u00a0kept telling me, \u201cIt is your FINAL summer off for years to come, enjoy your time!\u201d Me?! Taking time off? Not being productive? I couldn\u2019t even bear the thought. By midway into my 1st year, I already had research for the summer set up, in addition to potential shadowing opportunities in fields of interest to me. I factored it all into the schedule for my seemingly lengthy, but in reality limited, 6 weeks of summer: research, volunteering, shadowing, studying for boards. My plan was to complete all my research and volunteering positions throughout the days, and study a few hours for Boards at night.<\/p>\n
Today, 2 days into my official summer vacation, I realized I had failed to factor\u00a0some crucial aspects\u00a0into my schedule: my family, friends, & outright sanity! I have worked too hard\u00a0all year not to\u00a0enjoy a few weeks of bliss. I deserve to wake up to a day filled not just\u00a0with endless studies and a \u201cTo Do\u201d list the size of my Grey\u2019s Anatomy textbook, but rather to a day of, yes, some work and productivity, but also some well-deserved fun! Since this realization, I have altered my schedule drastically, allowing myself to live the next 6 weeks with this new mindset. On top of everything, my sister is tying the knot the last weekend of my summer, an event I underestimated in terms of the time and effort it would take to plan for. These happy times with family and friends will be memories I will cherish forever. Ok, so you can\u2019t exactly add \u201cplanned sister\u2019s wedding and hung out with friends and family\u201d to your resume, but one cannot compare the value of building those precious memories with a completed \u201cTo Do\u201d list. I know I will regret it down the line if I don\u2019t allocate some time during the\u00a0summer for my loved ones.<\/p>\n
Of course, I am filling my schedule with productive, career-building endeavors; however, I am not overwhelming my life with these plans. I plan to enjoy my time and to experience exciting pursuits with my loved ones. I am extremely satisfied with the decision I\u2019ve made: the decision to have a summer I can remember for the rest of my life, yes, but one that also includes a realistic amount of academic accomplishments.. I mean, after all, how much of my Boards studying am I REALLY going to remember? Five percent, if I’m lucky. And at the end of it all, I know one person who will be\u00a0the MOST thankful and excited about my decision: my loving sister. I can spend some quality time with her, helping make the happiest time of her life one to cherish forever. For those of you who wish to fill your summers with career-building activities (a.k.a. my fellow overachievers), below I have listed some things that were on my list to achieve this summer. I hope they spark some inspiring ideas and fuel motivation that may have\u00a0dwindled if you are anywhere close to the state of mind I am in after a year of hard work! Good luck to you all!<\/p>\n
There are many many more, these were just a few. Above all, remember to always update your resume (you will regret it if\u00a0your achievements pile up and you forget the details), and remember to enjoy life!<\/p>\n