In a competitive world where everyone is trying to get ahead and people are pushing the boundaries of achievement, one of the greatest resources we have at our disposal are the people ahead of us. Someone who had our aspiration when they were our age will be reminded with fond memories of days where they struggled to get where they are today. Such a person will be able to give us the guidance we need to move towards our goal.
I've seen a great example of this in medical school. It became obvious to me early on in the course that medicine is really a band of brothers and sisters when I was assigned a "medic parent" on the first day of school – someone to go to for any sort of help you might need. Since then, I've expanded my circle of senior students to include 3rd/4th/5th years and first-year doctors (called F1s). Anytime I've approached them for career advice or to find out what's in store for me in the future, they have gone beyond what I've expected and given me lots of useful information. Just yesterday I asked a 4th year friend of mine what his schedule was like at that stage in his training, and not only did he give me his perspective, he showed me the log books we have to get signed off, told me about the choices we have to make with our time, and gave me tips on some of the 'extras' you can do to be ahead of the game.
Isn't that amazing?! I'm really glad that we've got this support network between students, and I'm happy to participate in it by giving guidance to the 1st year students that I come across in my anatomy teaching.
Now, if the whole point is to "get ahead" and do things that other students might not be doing, why am I standing on the roof top of the medical school via this blog and publicizing the idea? Because I would much rather have everyone around me strive for this type of excellence and raise the bar in terms of what we expect of ourselves as medical students, and what I expect of myself relative to everyone around me.
I don't believe in secretive competition – the type which fosters sabotaging others for your benefit. I much prefer every student openly trying to be their best, and encouraging the people around them do to the same. The most important tool for success is to surround yourself with the type of people you want to be like. So maybe I'm writing this because while it might help you, it will help me too!
@vgupta11