Advice

Welcome!

I hope each of you takes a moment to breathe, take pride in your accomplishments, and to thank those who have helped you to achieve them. You have earned your place in this class, you absolutely deserve to be here, and we are so glad you are here! I have had the privilege of teaching, mentoring, advising, and supporting medical students and residents for over 20 years now — it has been one of the greatest joys of my life and the focus of my career.

Here are a few things to consider as you progress through medical school and the rest of your career as a physician:

Reflect on what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy. When you have a really great day, ask yourself what made it great and why? When you have a bad day ask the same. Look for patterns so that you can know what things really motivate you and will keep you happy and engaged in your career for the next 50 years — yes, it likely will be that long. Your coaches and coaching groups will be helpful partners as you reflect on these things to choose your next steps.

Learn about the different specialties and what the day-to-day work in those careers is like. Often, we come to medical school with fixed assumptions about what we want to be or what specific careers are all about. Try to push those biases aside and really experience it and what it would be like for you if you were doing that work. Talk to people about their jobs, what they love about them, what they like less. See how much those things align with your own self-realizations about your passions and interests.

Take care of yourself. Each person has different things they need to be well — exercise, time with friends, reading for pleasure, cooking, etc. For me it’s exercise and time with family that really ground me. Figure out what yours are and prioritize them. You will struggle to perform well if you are not well. You will benefit from these habits and patterns for the rest of your career.

Get to know your patients. We can become wrapped up in only learning the medicine, but our patients have amazing personal stories and those stories help us understand who they are and what they really care about. These stories help us tailor their care in partnership with them and their priorities. Moreover, when patients feel seen and heard, they experience better care.

Get to know each other, the other students on campus, the residents and fellows you work with, and the faculty. You are part of an amazing community of people who care deeply about your education and your interests, but also about you as a person. Many of these folks will become your lifelong friends and colleagues.

Ask for help when you need it. We have a variety of resources from peer advisors, to the Medical Student Government, to Student Affairs and the Student Success Team, the ombuds office, Dr. Winters and Student Health Services, and, of course, your administration, faculty, and peers. We are all here to support you!

Finally, enjoy the ride. You will work hard — likely harder than you have ever worked in your life. You will see and experience things that are unfair and unjust. You will have the privilege to share some of the happiest and saddest moments of your patients’ lives. You will learn more than you ever thought possible. And, you will serve others and feel the joy that only a career of service can bring. Ultimately, you will help to make the world a better place. What could be better than that?

Choosing a specialty within clinical medicine is one of those fundamental questions tied to your identity as a medical student. Your parents want to know, your residents and attendings will want to know, and you want to know for yourself what you’ll spend the next 20-30 years doing day in and day out!

First, let’s remind ourselves that life is long and flexible. Even once you commit to a specialty field, you will have flexibility to take on additional fellowships or different jobs to practice aspects you love and avoid parts you find tedious. With that said, here is a relatively simple algorithm to follow: Do you like surgery or medicine? Now, you can go forth and explore the various subspecialties within general surgery and surgical subspecialties (neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastics, urology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, etc.) or in medicine and pediatrics (allergy, rheumatology, cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, etc). For example, if the OR is your favorite place in the hospital (but not in the world), choose anesthesiology. If you like cerebral medicine but don’t like patient contact, consider radiology or pathology. If you like a bit of everything, consider internal or family medicine. Women’s health plus surgery? Obstetrics and gynecology. And once you’ve narrowed down your choices to similar subfields, you should consider lifestyle and financial aspects of a typical practitioner within those fields to differentiate.

I came into medical school knowing I was most interested in surgical care, started research in a niche-surgical specialty subfield to give myself options in the future, did rotations in almost all the subspecialties, and came down to two similar choices. Ultimately, I chose a field whose people I most enjoyed spending time with and that gave me the most flexibility in future types of fellowships, practices, and lifestyles that I could accommodate alongside my non-medical interests. At the end of the day, being around people you enjoy, patients who appreciate your care as much as you appreciate them, and clinical experiences that make time fly by, will keep you uplifted.

-Kwasi E., M4

I started medical school thinking that I would go into psychiatry or orthopedic surgery. I started shadowing both to get a better feel for the specialties and knew that I would get even more exposure during clerkships. Now that I'm in my fourth year, I'm applying into emergency medicine. Picking a specialty can be a challenging process, and it's important to not rush through it. My advice would be to think about the day-to-day in a given field, not just about the most exciting parts. For me, there was a lot to love about both psychiatry and orthopedic surgery, but the day-to-day of emergency medicine had me waking up even more excited to go into the hospital. I've found that the actual experience of rotating with a certain specialty can feel vastly different than what you might imagine, so make sure to rotate through as many services as you can. There are always rotations that you will enjoy far more than expected and rotations you enjoy far less than you imagined. Lastly, I find it helpful to write about my experience on each rotation both during it and immediately afterwards. It'll be helpful to reflect on months later when you're looking to make your final decision.

-Justin Y., M4

Medical school is an exciting time and can be all-encompassing. But you need a break. I suggest finding something else that really takes your mind away from it. It should be something you can do regularly without too much planning. Ideally the “something else” gives you real pleasure. When you are doing the “something else” you need to let yourself be fully present to enjoy the activity. This can be harder than it sounds. For me, the things that work are swimming and ice skating. I’m not too skilled at either one, but every time I swim or skate, I always take a moment to reflect on how happy I feel getting to do something I love. I never regret the time I have spent on these activities when I get back to work.

Being a physician is an incredible and humbling experience. You will be invited into the most intimate moments of life with people you may have never met, but whom you will never forget, and who will certainly never forget you. You will become an integral part of their life stories, forever entwined in their most life-changing moments. It’s quite a privilege, and it comes with responsibility that can seem overwhelming at times. With that in mind, my two biggest pieces of advice as you embark on this journey are to invest in relationships and to take care of yourself.

Relationships are essential to the practice of medicine. The relationships you develop with patients, peers, faculty, and other colleagues will impact the care you are able to provide. These relationships — along with those in your personal life — will also help keep you balanced and bring meaning to your work. In every interaction, pause to think about what biases you may have and how you can mitigate their impact, what barriers to care may exist and how you can help overcome them, and above all — remember the person inside each patient, caretaker, and colleague. When we’re tired or stressed, it’s easy to forget that they all have their own stories, but one of the most important things we can do as a physician is to ensure that people feel heard and cared for. Remember the wise words of St. Louisan Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

In addition to investing in relationships, take care of yourself in other ways — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There’s a reason they tell you on airplanes to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others; if you aren’t taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of anyone else. So be yourself and make time for what matters to you, whatever that may be. Give yourself grace when things are hard, and ask for help when you need it. There are so many people at WashU Med who truly care about you as a person and want to support you however we can. Remember what motivated you to attend medical school, and keep your eye on your long-term goals. As you experience different specialties and career paths, reflect on what brings you joy, what energizes you, what it is that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning — because a career becomes a calling if it’s your heart’s work.

Finally, remember that nobody knows everything; being a physician means committing to lifelong learning. So never stop learning — about science, medicine, cutting edge technologies … about life, death, joy, grief, hope … about what it means to be human and to share the human experience with others. I look forward to accompanying you on this exhilarating journey.

Welcome, class!

It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to connect with you. I hope you are as excited about getting started as we are to begin another year.

Other contributors on this page have shared many valuable insights and lessons learned. I agree with it all but want to share a few things that have shaped my own path and academic priorities. I was an MSTP student and have always been excited by science, and particularly biology. For me, medical school was transformative. I had the opportunity to take deep, and often independent, dives into human biology, the mechanisms of disease, and investigation. I loved it, and it was these experiences that led me first to pathology and independent research, eventually to laboratory management, and increasingly to medical education.

Regardless of your current goals, it is important to find and follow your passions, and when special opportunities present themselves, to also explore new ones and evolve. Nearly every physician will confide that medical school provided the best opportunities to do that exploration. It is an unfortunate reality that you will probably never find a better time. Demands of work and life will inevitably pull you in many directions. The broader the foundation you build today and the more learning skills you master, the easier it will be to succeed in your career, whether as a physician, scientist, educator, and/or advocate.

As faculty, we spend more time than you can imagine trying to create a curriculum that will prepare you for your future careers in medicine. Although it is important to achieve the stated educational objectives, it is just the beginning. There is just too much out there and so many new and important things to learn. Plan to take full advantage of the unique opportunities that Gateway will bring to you.

If you would like some assistance, just seek us out. We are always here for you.

Happy learning, happy exploring ... 

Even before entering your first class and donning your first white coat, I’m sure you’ve already been asked, “So, what kind of doctor are you going to be?” You will likely be asked this every time someone learns you are a medical student. I would challenge you to think of that question differently than typically intended — not what specialty you will pursue but how you will doctor, what patients you will serve, and what attributes you will bring to the practice of medicine. One key way to do this is to keep an open mind in every lecture, patient interaction, and clinical encounter. Even if you are 100% certain you will pursue orthopedic surgery or pediatrics or dermatology, I promise you can learn something unexpected from patients, peers, and faculty in every other specialty you work in. These small nuggets will give you a richer foundation for your future career in medicine. And, you may even find many other specialties you are excited to explore. (It’s actually amazing to love multiple specialties and have the freedom to choose among multiple career options!) 

As a program director, I’m often asked — even by M1s! — how to build a strong residency application. My advice is to put residency applications out of your mind for as long as possible. Trust me, I know that’s hard! I would challenge you to look at medical school not as the time to build your application for residency but rather as the place to develop the foundation to serve as a physician in whatever capacity is most meaningful to you. Remember that a career in medicine is not limited to the clinical practice of a specific specialty. Many physicians (including almost all of those you will work with throughout the next four years and beyond) have multi-faceted careers where, in addition to patient care, they engage in research, advocacy, education, or policy (or several of these!). Pursue the activities and experiences that you find personally and professionally fulfilling — regardless of what specialty they may be attached to. Your journey through medical school should be unique and incredibly personal to your own story, aspirations, and mission. And believe me, if you forge your own path founded on your passions and values, that will shine through when you’re ready to apply for residency. Most importantly, you will be well on your way to crafting a meaningful and fulfilling career that will last well beyond your residency training. Enjoy this time and make the most of it.

The “reminiscence bump” is a psychological phenomenon where older adults preferentially remember autobiographical information from adolescence and early adulthood. Researchers think this is because these memories contribute most to one’s sense of self. You are now (most likely) at an age that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Most physicians (this one included) would tell you that their profession is a part of their identity. And your process of becoming a physician starts now. Like it or not, these are the times of your life you’ll look back on often.

That said, my advice is that medical school probably matters less than you think it does. “Being a doctor” will only be a part of your identity. Don’t let yourself believe that your success is solely based on what and how you do in school for the next four-plus years. Don’t forget to focus on life outside of the classrooms, hospitals, clinics, and studying, so that you can have experiences that you’ll want to remember.

Think for a minute about all it took for you to be here starting medical school at WashU Med: where you came from, the people supporting you, your hard work and commitment to others, sweating the MCAT, capitalizing on what makes you you, crying in organic chemistry lab because you discarded the solution and not the precipitate (don’t pretend that was just me). Each of your classmates had an equally as interesting journey to medical school. The same is true of all your instructors. Even more so, your patients all live interesting lives, and are a part of amazing communities. One awesome privilege you’ll have as a medical student is meeting and developing relationships with people that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Learn from them all. Let them pull you outside of your comfort zone. Be curious. Share yourself with others. The work of medicine will cause you to grow as a person. Let your experiences outside of medicine do the same. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Have fun. The future of your memories depends on it.

You will spend the next four-plus years at WashU Med with your peers, and they will be your lifelong friends and colleagues. Form strong bonds with your classmates, collaborate, and support each other. Get to know the faculty, administration, and staff. We are here to help you succeed. Find an advisor or mentor who takes an interest in you. Your mentor will help you navigate medical school, and if you’re lucky, you may get a home-cooked meal out of it. Stay grounded by volunteering in the community. Have fun and stay healthy by getting involved in school clubs and continuing with your hobbies. Get to know St. Louis; there is no shortage of entertainment, including the world-champion Cardinals and Blues, the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. In addition, there is a world-class symphony, many music venues, and plenty of nightlife. Pay attention to your academics. Take your basic science courses seriously. They will come in handy in later years, and your future patients will thank you. Don’t worry about your residency match yet. Most importantly, get enough sleep, exercise, and have fun. Oh, and if you want to do research, just email me (chungk@wustl.edu).

Visit Dr. Chung for guidance on research opportunities and to ask her about her favorite rapper. (Hint: He’s slim, and he’s shady.)

Congratulations on beginning your career in medicine! The volume of medical knowledge and vast complexity of skills that a physician needs to master can feel overwhelming for a new student. After 20 years of practice, I find that I am still learning every day. Some of this stems from the rapid changes occurring in medicine every year as we learn more about disease processes and discover better ways to care for our patients. It also comes from the wonderful environment that the WashU Med community provides for all of us to learn in. This is a place of discovery and innovation where our physicians and scientists are leading the research and development important for the future of medicine. It is a place where teachers and mentors patiently guide students and residents through their education. And finally, it is a place where everyone is empowered to ask questions with the intention of providing better care for our patients. I encourage all of my students to challenge me and ask me why. As you ask questions to seek to understand my clinical reasoning surrounding a case or understand the foundational principles underlying a patient’s condition, you are contributing to this community of learning and culture of growth. Medicine will continue to evolve and the pace of change will very likely accelerate over the course of your career, so developing a mindset open to learning and improvement will be a critical skill.

During your time in medical school, embrace all of the learning opportunities. You may not see yourself pursuing a specific field in medicine, but take the time now to learn all that you can learn about it. Run towards opportunities to practice skills or to try new things. Don’t worry about being wrong or failing, but rather be open to feedback so that you can learn to do it successfully the next time. Remember that you can learn from anyone in the clinical environment; value the pearls of wisdom and seek feedback from health care professionals who are not physicians. Finally, take a moment every day to reflect on a small accomplishment along your path to becoming a physician to remind yourself that you are capable of reaching your goal at the end of the long journey.

Welcome to WashU Med! My name is Tim Yau, and I am one of your clinical skills directors for the Gateway Curriculum. Our team is here to teach you all the “non-science” stuff that is necessary to becoming a great physician.

The qualities that will make each of you outstanding doctors is so much more than test scores, which all of you already are capable of. We’ll teach you all the things you expect — how to talk with and examine patients, how to formulate diagnoses, how to interpret labs and tests. But you will also learn how to see your patients as individuals, how to involve them in patient-centered decisions, and how to navigate the complicated societal and structural barriers to their health. The amount of information you will learn in the next four years is both staggering and intimidating. Your learning will not end with medical school, and we hope to light a fire for you to never stop learning!

During medical school you will have opportunities over the next four years to do things that you may never again do in your lifetime. I am a kidney specialist, but I still delivered plenty of babies as a third-year medical student! Learn for the sake of learning (rather than just to pass the test) and you will find the pursuit of knowledge more worthwhile, more meaningful, and longer lasting. Your individual path to fulfill your potential to be a great doctor will be decided by you. Faculty like myself are your mentors, role models, guides, and colleagues in this journey.

Lastly, we hope you are eager to learn, but also want you to ENJOY your medical school experience. Some of the strongest bonds are forged here, and you will need support from family, old friends, and the new friends you will make. Get outside, eat some good food, and have a drink to relax. Take time to enjoy things that make you happy, whatever they are! This advice sounds generic, but I live by my own words: Playing music kept me happy during medical school, and even now at the age of 40+ I enjoy competitive video gaming. In 2018, we even started the official WashU Med Gaming Club! I have instruments and consoles in my office, and you're welcome to stop by for a game or to play a tune!

It’s exciting to be a first-year medical student! You will learn how the human body works in detail, from head to toe, from gross anatomy to subatomic structures. However, some of the current concepts and “facts” you will learn will prove to be wrong. That’s right (actually still wrong!). It’s not that you’re being deliberately taught misinformation. It’s just that we don’t know our own ignorance (yet). Keep in mind, what you’re learning is how we understand things, circa 2024. But we don’t know what we don’t know.

While it is certainly much easier to learn the materials if you just try to absorb it verbatim, my advice is to spend some time thinking about what you’re learning. I can now reflect on the lectures I heard as a medical student touting that the cause of peptic ulcer disease was too much acid. In retrospect, that couldn’t be right because acid is always there! I didn’t think about it then, but I should have, because now we know (I think pretty conclusively) that ulcers are often caused by a bacterial infection! Keep track of things that don’t make sense to you along with those that are incompletely understood (there are lots of them!). For aspiring scientists, they will be great projects on which to work in the future. For future clinicians, they will be the ones that you will reflect on, and cause you to go back over your old medical school texts and notes — if not when you’re practicing, certainly a great retirement project!

Clerkships are one of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of medical school. It’s a time where the most growth happens, but like with any major life changes, it comes with some growing pains.

When it comes to preparing for the actual clerkship, advice for success will really vary per clerkship, so the best advice is to ask your Big for their tips, or to connect you with someone who has been through that rotation. As clerkships move along, you can also start asking your classmates for advice. Each rotation will have its specific challenges and tips for success, and I really relied on talking to someone who has been through the rotation for key information.

Generally, though, it's important to be prepared. Read up on patients and make sticky notes in Epic so you can see them efficiently in clinic. Read up on conditions that are highest yield for your rotation, and set expectations with teams on the first day. When you have at least some background knowledge and are able to stay engaged, it makes the learning stick so much better and makes everything so much more interesting.

Self-care during this year is critical to prioritize. Build routines that work for you — whether that be meal prepping, grocery shopping on certain days, setting a day aside for chores, or building in time dedicated to your hobbies or exercise. Also, build time for relaxing and turning off your brain! Something that keeps me motivated throughout each clerkship is scheduling activities with friends to have something to look forward to, especially during the weekends. Some of my friends and I always have a paint night during each clerkship, and it has been one of the things I look forward to the most. Clerkships can feel extremely time consuming, particularly with all the studying, but being able to connect with your people can help you stay grounded and de-stress. Don’t be afraid to take a day — or more — off if you need it.

Also, a quick plug for mental health services that WashU Med's Student Health offers at really reasonable co-pay rates ($10 per session). It can be extremely helpful to have someone to talk to through the ups and downs of clerkship year, and I know many students have really benefited from seeing a therapist regularly. You can find more information at studenthealth.med.wustl.edu/students/mental-health-information/.

Remember, you will learn SO much during clerkships, but the reality is that it can be super tough to juggle it all. Be kind to yourself if you can’t follow the rigid study schedule you had set for yourself at the start, or when you incorrectly answer a question your attending asks. It is all a part of the process! At times you may feel incompetent or like a deer in headlights on a new rotation, but the whole point of this year is to learn things you have never experienced before. You are not expected to know it all. At the end of the day, you are finally doing what you came to medical school to do — to take care of patients. Don’t forget that! Build relationships and go the extra mile for your patients. Often times, medical students can make the biggest difference, and it is truly a rewarding experience to finally be able to make a real difference in patients' lives.

I've always found it grounding to have close relationships with people who are not in medicine. As a former pre-med and current medical student, I've realized that it's so easy in spaces with our peers to get caught up in the realm of grades, exams, publications, etc. and lose the bigger picture. However, my time spent with my non-medical friends always serves as a nice reality check that there’s life outside of medicine and helps remind me of my priorities. It also helps me support a better school-life balance because whenever I'm with them, I get to show up as my whole self and not just as a medical student. Maintaining long-distance relationships with friends and family can be difficult but is worth prioritizing. A little communication is better than none, so I often find myself sending random texts, memes, songs, etc. as I think of loved ones. I also utilize my walk home from school and mealtimes at home for catch-up FaceTimes and phone calls, especially with my parents. Phone calls with my mother always remind me that school isn’t everything and that self-care is a top priority. Overall, fostering relationships with those outside of medicine helps keep me balanced, on both a personal level and as a medical student.

In my short time here so far at WashU Med, I've realized three things: there’s always another research project to work on, another specialty to shadow, and another specialty interest group to get involved in. And while you'll want to get involved in these opportunities, you may also feel the pressure to do it all within the context of being a medical student. You'll be faced with a lot of material to digest, and not a lot of time to do so; this will only become truer over time.

All this means is that it may be tempting to let your health and hobbies take a backseat, especially if you see some classmates doing "so much more than you." However, remember that the things that keep you well will also keep you successful in class. Module 1 is a great time to learn how and when to say “I’m done for today.” Sometimes that means leaving a lecture video for tomorrow because it’s already 12 a.m., or skipping optional morning sessions in favor of a run in Forest Park. Other times, it may even involve taking an entire day off because you feel particularly worn out. (I speak from experience in all three cases.) Phase One grading is truly pass/fail, and students aren’t ranked, so use this opportunity to lay the foundation for both your academic and personal success through a healthy school-life balance, whatever that looks like for you.

Learn to get comfortable with saying “No” when you’ve already got a lot going on. Your health is worth more than an extra line on your CV.

Most of you reading this will probably ignore my advice, and that’s okay. BUT, and I cannot stress this enough, take it one day at a time. Medical school is a lot, and the amount of information you receive can be overwhelming. However, as you learn and realize just how much you’re learning, the whole experience becomes really rewarding. In medical school, you’re also surrounded by people with so many shared formative experiences and interests, which makes your time so much more enjoyable. Because of this, there’s always more to learn and to do. But if you earnestly engage with all of it, you’ll look up after a while and wonder where the days, weeks, and months went. So save time in the day to relax, engage with your hobbies, catch up with family and friends, and reflect. You may not realize it now, but the time will truly fly by.

I'm doing a dual MD/MPH degree at WashU. This means that I finished three years at WashU Med, hopped over to the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis this year for an accelerated one-year MPH, and then will complete my last year of medical school next year. I've really enjoyed diving deeply into public health and using a different side of my brain this year. There are so many different options for taking an extra year at or outside of WashU Med in all interests, from research to entrepreneurship to health equity. WashU Med also gives you plenty of flexibility and support along the way. My advice would be to keep an open mind and to talk to older students and faculty mentors if you are interested in taking an extra year!

Every incoming WashU Med student is paired up with a Big Sib in the class above them based on their hobbies, backgrounds, and/or medical interests, and it’s a channel to direct any questions you may have about St. Louis, medical school, or life in general. And while Big-Little relationships vary quite a bit, I personally view both my Big and my Little simply as close friends. Don't get me wrong — it’s been super helpful to be able to ask my Big Sib about topics like study tips, recommendations for the best scrubs, or the clerkship experience. However, my favorite thing to do with her has just been getting “girl brunch” and talking about life. Meanwhile, my Little and I are exceptionally similar and have a shared interest in good food, so we spend time cooking together and exploring the restaurants in St. Louis. Personally, I try to hang out with each of them at least once a month and find it to be a great way to get out of the bubble that is my own medical school class. The Big Sib system provides a way for classes to mingle among each other, and I’ve met so many of my friends in the year above by going to events with my Big.

Phase Three begins after you complete your clinical clerkships. During this time, you're expected to write two of your board exams (Step 1 and Step 2), complete two mandatory Keystone integrated science courses (KISCs) and two advanced clinical rotations (ACRs — one in your selected specialty and one in medicine), prepare your residency applications and interview for residency spots, and complete a Capstone course aimed at preparing you to be a rockstar during your intern year. It can feel overwhelming at the start, but there are resources available at WashU Med to ease your experience.

Your coach, specialty advisor, mentors from your chosen field, Dean Kathy Diemer and Angie MacBryde from Career Counseling, and Phase Three/Year Four medical students applying to your chosen specialty will be your trusted guides to ensure your Phase Three experience goes smoothly. Therefore, my first tip for maximizing Phase Three involves engaging and staying connected with all the aforementioned individuals from the end of Phase Two until Match Day. They can advise you on how best to schedule your rotations (including away rotations) and board exams to ensure that you obtain everything you need to prepare for residency applications, which open in early September. They can read your personal statement, which you should start writing as early as possible in Phase Three, and help proofread your residency application.

Making the most of your sub-internships and elective rotations is also equally essential for refining your clinical skills and clarifying your career goals. These rotations aren't just about showcasing your medical knowledge. It is also about improving clinical skills and demonstrating teamwork, communication, and adaptability, providing you with meaningful experiences to discuss in your personal statement and during your interviews. It is also the best time to gather stellar and outstanding recommendation letters from faculty. After submitting a great application with all the necessary materials, utilize available resources — mentorship, mock interviews, and workshops — to fine-tune your interview skills. Approach each interview as an opportunity to showcase your capabilities and assess the program's fit with your aspirations. Additionally, as interview season can be stressful, it may be best to schedule vacation blocks or non-hectic rotations to ensure that you have time outside of interviews and rotations to relax and take care of yourself. Finally, celebrate all the little successes (every interview matters) and hope in the fact that all your hard work, dedication, and perseverance will eventually pay off when you match and become the amazing physician you have been working so hard toward becoming.