This marks the start of my SECOND year in medical school. I am still getting used to it since I almost walked straight into our old classroom during the second day (it's across the hallway). 

Last spring, my friends and I asked the third and fourth years who were our teaching assistants what they did over the summer in between their first and second years. A lot of them mentioned that they took time off and spent it with their family and did minimal studying. Now of course everyone will have different opinions of what to do over the longest break I will ever have during my medical school career, but I also chose to take a break from any intense studying. I had the chance to shadow for a week and spent some time reading a book about some medical cases. I also spent a lot of time with my family, friends, and my now fiance! And I also spent lots of time at the beach. Taking that mental break was the best thing I could have done.

As I sat through our second year orientation, it was so surreal to me that I have had one year of medical school down. This year we will be learning even more, and preparing for the most difficult exam (as some would dub it) of our medical careers - STEP 1. To be honest, I do get scared about it, but I believe that going through the preparation and the exam will only teach me to become a better person, as well as a better future physician. Nothing is impossible! 

So as the weeks of studying rolls in and eventually turns into months of studying, eventually I will see myself on the other side. I'm excited to grow more as a student this year and to continue to find balance throughout it all.