Dear M1s,
Be wary of seeking advice from my medical school class. As the class of COVID-19, we first met our classmates one hot August afternoon during the first of many COVID-19 tests. We took the Declaration of Geneva in our living rooms during a BlueJeans video call while wearing pajamas and gym shorts. Our command of anatomy is through (valiant, well made, and yet improvised) pictures, videos, and iPad apps rather than fascia, bone, and viscera. In addition to the knowledge of pathology, biochemistry, and (if we’re being generous to ourselves) infectious disease, our class learned to improvise. We improvised cardboard sleds to ride down South Street Bridge, potlucks in the park, and zoom trivia nights. If you’ve lived on this planet this past year and a half, the odds are good that you too are a master of improvisation.
Medical school is unlike anything you have ever done. That is why you are here. There will be times where things feel unfamiliar or even scary. Especially in a pandemic where the rules and expectations constantly change with an evolving crisis, it is exceptionally easy for learned helplessness to creep in. There were times where I felt like all of the skills, interests, and passions that I had carefully honed did not matter to my medical education. It can feel like you buried a part of yourself. My unsolicited advice is to chase those things that matter to you. As Utpal Sandesara, a Penn MD-PhD grad once told me, “write down why you are here on a piece of paper and tuck it away in your back pocket for when you need it.” You did bury a piece of yourself, but that is why you are here. You are also dynamic, a master of improvisation, and constantly changing into someone remarkable. Trust yourself enough to carry that which matters to you and embrace the chaos that will transform you into someone new.
Also, not sure what your dietary needs/preferences/restrictions are but I would definitely recommend the JMEC grilled cheese in a pinch. 10/10.
Best,
Nipun Kottage (MS2)
Nipun Kottage is an MS2 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Image by Tracy Du, an MS2 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
