In this post I would like to point out my mistakes from MD1; I learned lessons which I learned through experience while staying in Bonaire.
Room Mates
The people who I roomed it were not the people who they claimed to be. The Chicago office does a good job in pairing people, but once you live with them then it’s whole new story. People who I roomed with talked about studying and getting serious, but after a month or so, they got caught up with island parties. Not only that, I had stay with sport fanatics, who would keep up with scores the night before the exams. I’m not saying I’m perfect; I have my flaws of paranoia which pissed them off. I met my roommates on Bonaire so, I had to deal with them. One thing you’ll learn, never room with your friends, because you will loose friendship with them.
Showing Desperation
In Bonaire, my roommates showed desperation in getting a place to stay. For that, the landlord charged 3 times the normal price for rent. Never show desperation to the landlords, because they don’t care that you’re a student with limited money; they’ll do their best to suck out all the money out of you and leave you stranded. However, I’m sure it’s the same anywhere else in the world, but this relates to Bonaire only.
Don’t Wait for Anything or Anyone
In Bonaire, you would think people are laid back, which is true, but you shouldn’t be laid back. You’re a foreigner, and a student; therefore, don’t ever wait till last minute to do anything because you may suffer for it. If a payment is due at a certain date, don’t worry about any grace period, just pay it off ASAP.
Don’t Study Continuously
This is a major lesson I learned. I used to study 9 hours continuously, and 6 hours continuously, with little to no break; BAD IDEA. Your brain has limited capacity to absorb the medical concepts so, you need to give your brain some resting time. If you feel sleepy, then take an hour nap or two hour nap, once you wake up you’ll feel refreshed and ready to study again. When you’re reading and nothing is going in to your head, then stop and go out and walk around.
Eat
If your stomach is grumbling for food then shut it up with food. Your mind cannot function without food. Don’t eat junk food, that’s for pre-med students (just kidding =P), eat healthy foods. And eating Ramen noodles isn’t going to get the job done, eat diverse healthy foods. And don’t be cheap with yourself when it comes to food. You have paid a lot of money to study in Bonaire, you need to study well in order to do well in the boards; and eating well will allow you to study well.
Don’t Procrastinate
This should be a no brainer from undergrad. I didn’t procrastinate in my studies, but I did do it for certain important concepts in certain subjects. Medical studies needs to be studied piece by piece, you cannot do so the night before the test.
Voice Recorder
I should’ve gotten this in MD1 semester. A voice recorder helps a lot if you loose attention in class. A lot of these teachers have monotone voices, so it’s easy to get distracted with some other thought in your head. When you’re in school from 8 AM to 5 PM, you will be tired and you will miss important things that the instructors tell you.
Mistakes of MD1
at Sunday, May 16, 2010
3 comments:
Hey there,
Another very insightful post! Thanks for sharing. I was just wondering if you have any tips/info on modes of transportation on the island. From what I hear, most people drive. do they not have public transportaion there? what about taxis? Do any students bike to school/supermarket?
About about the party scene, it seems quite popular on the island. It just doesn't make sense to me....I added a few students on FB and not to be nosey or pass any judgements, they seem like party animals. How do they manage to party and be in med. school at the same time?
Thanks for reading, as for transportation, most people do not drive, they walk. Only some students drive. Most students live walking distance to school so there’s no point of buying a car. I found a place 7 minutes walking distance from the school for this semester’s MD1 students so a car not necessary. I don’t know where you got your information, but the truth is not many of us can afford cars in Bonaire. There are no public transportation. There are taxis but they are expensive. As for supermarket grocery shopping, students with cars help out or they get together with other students and rent a car for a day to do all the errands.
As for the party scene, students who enjoy island parties go there; I don’t know how they balance their studies. I’m not a fan of the party scene here because I am more concerned about studying as much I can in these 16 months than enjoying the island. The school gives absolute freedom to do anything you want so, it’s up to the students to make the best out of it; most students in the school do go out to parties. However, if you can balance your studies and go to these parties then do so, but if these parties demand a lot of time then it’s better to stay inside.
Lol about 1 and 3, I've made those same mistakes before and it may have even caused me to do poorly my first semester because my roommate and his whole party scene was too distracting.
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