Back when I heard my university (and many others) weren't planning on having students come back after spring break, I put together a post about my tips for learning online. Now having heard that new students are going to have to start their programs from home over the summer, I want to share a few more tips that have helped me be successful.
No, it's not the same as all hunkering down in a study room at the library together, but being able to talk things through with other people and quiz each other is invaluable. Figure out who your people are, and get on a video chat regularly. This will help you stay accountable to getting your work done, too! Before COVID (BC), I would get together with a couple of friends the weekend before big exams, grab coffees, and study together. Now, we get together on a Facebook Messenger video chat and talk for anywhere from 2-4 hours about the topic at hand. And it has still been amazingly helpful, even if it wasn't an in-person.
Being a little stir-crazy is awful for my concentration, which is why before the pandemic, I would change up the scenery by going to a coffee shop or the library to study. But since my options are now limited to my desk or my dining room table, its been a little more challenging to stay on task. As I've mentioned before, having a schedule is a must. But more than that, I'd recommend also setting timers for your study time. For me, I set a timer for 50 minutes and study without distractions during that time. Then, I set a timer for 10 minutes. I get up, stretch, play with my dog, get a snack, refill my water, scroll through Instagram, whatever. And then the cycle repeats.
I'm lucky in that I have a house and was able to re-purpose a spare bedroom as an office. My desk is right by a sunny front window, I have a big whiteboard for making lists and charts, with a chair and ottoman for when I'm sick of sitting at my desk. Even better is the second monitor I purchased. If I recommend any one bigger purchase, this would be it. I can have my lectures playing on the monitor and be either typing or writing out my notes on my laptop (which flips into a tablet). Additionally, my study spaces are limited to my office and occasionally my dining room table (more room to spread out, haha). My couch is for relaxing and me bed is for sleeping -- not studying! I think this division of space helps me stay focused as well.
I live alone so I don't have good advice in this area, unfortunately. But I do think this may be the #1 most challenging part for students. The workload in PA school is immense and the learning curve is steep. When I was a full-time student last summer, I basically would eat, sleep, and breathe PA school. My meals were simple, my free time was extremely limited, going to the grocery store was my "break", and honestly, I don't even think I did my laundry very often. Your boyfriend, or wife, or kids, or whoever is close to you may think they understand that you're going to be busy, but this is going to be an adjustment for everyone. A big one. Try to prepare them as best you can and set clear boundaries on your time.
PA school is hard. And as we're all learning, social distancing is hard. Take this time before school starts to really figure out how you're going to manage your stress and start building good habits. Sleep, exercise, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, Zoom happy hour, hiking, yoga, phone calls with Grandma. Whatever gets your head in the right place, do it. Whether we like it or not, this is going to be the new normal for awhile. And while the safer-at-home order may affect you differently by the summer, I think it's a good idea to be prepared, especially since the intensity of PA school can be very isolating, even without a pandemic.
You are not alone. Your family, friends, fellow students, faculty ... they all have your back. My university hooks up new students with both a faculty mentor and a student mentor -- use these people! They are there to help you. If you don't have a mentor, I strongly encourage you to find one. Being able to bounce questions or thoughts off of someone who had been there is an amazing resource. Plus, you wouldn't be in PA school if the admissions committee didn't think you could handle it. You totally can handle this. Yes, there may be days that you ugly cry in the shower, but you're strong enough to dry your tears and move on. So remember, you are not alone and you've got this!
For more tips, check out this post about how to have a successful semester in PA school. For thoughts on how to be an efficient and focused online learner, check out this post. For a picture of a cute dog chilling in my office chair, look no further.
Thanks for reading,
Olivia
1. Study with other students.
No, it's not the same as all hunkering down in a study room at the library together, but being able to talk things through with other people and quiz each other is invaluable. Figure out who your people are, and get on a video chat regularly. This will help you stay accountable to getting your work done, too! Before COVID (BC), I would get together with a couple of friends the weekend before big exams, grab coffees, and study together. Now, we get together on a Facebook Messenger video chat and talk for anywhere from 2-4 hours about the topic at hand. And it has still been amazingly helpful, even if it wasn't an in-person.
2. Set timers to stay focused.
Being a little stir-crazy is awful for my concentration, which is why before the pandemic, I would change up the scenery by going to a coffee shop or the library to study. But since my options are now limited to my desk or my dining room table, its been a little more challenging to stay on task. As I've mentioned before, having a schedule is a must. But more than that, I'd recommend also setting timers for your study time. For me, I set a timer for 50 minutes and study without distractions during that time. Then, I set a timer for 10 minutes. I get up, stretch, play with my dog, get a snack, refill my water, scroll through Instagram, whatever. And then the cycle repeats.
3. Set up a great study space.
I'm lucky in that I have a house and was able to re-purpose a spare bedroom as an office. My desk is right by a sunny front window, I have a big whiteboard for making lists and charts, with a chair and ottoman for when I'm sick of sitting at my desk. Even better is the second monitor I purchased. If I recommend any one bigger purchase, this would be it. I can have my lectures playing on the monitor and be either typing or writing out my notes on my laptop (which flips into a tablet). Additionally, my study spaces are limited to my office and occasionally my dining room table (more room to spread out, haha). My couch is for relaxing and me bed is for sleeping -- not studying! I think this division of space helps me stay focused as well.
4. Set clear boundaries with your family.
I live alone so I don't have good advice in this area, unfortunately. But I do think this may be the #1 most challenging part for students. The workload in PA school is immense and the learning curve is steep. When I was a full-time student last summer, I basically would eat, sleep, and breathe PA school. My meals were simple, my free time was extremely limited, going to the grocery store was my "break", and honestly, I don't even think I did my laundry very often. Your boyfriend, or wife, or kids, or whoever is close to you may think they understand that you're going to be busy, but this is going to be an adjustment for everyone. A big one. Try to prepare them as best you can and set clear boundaries on your time.
5. Start working now to manage stress.
PA school is hard. And as we're all learning, social distancing is hard. Take this time before school starts to really figure out how you're going to manage your stress and start building good habits. Sleep, exercise, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, Zoom happy hour, hiking, yoga, phone calls with Grandma. Whatever gets your head in the right place, do it. Whether we like it or not, this is going to be the new normal for awhile. And while the safer-at-home order may affect you differently by the summer, I think it's a good idea to be prepared, especially since the intensity of PA school can be very isolating, even without a pandemic.
6. Know that YOU'VE GOT THIS.
You are not alone. Your family, friends, fellow students, faculty ... they all have your back. My university hooks up new students with both a faculty mentor and a student mentor -- use these people! They are there to help you. If you don't have a mentor, I strongly encourage you to find one. Being able to bounce questions or thoughts off of someone who had been there is an amazing resource. Plus, you wouldn't be in PA school if the admissions committee didn't think you could handle it. You totally can handle this. Yes, there may be days that you ugly cry in the shower, but you're strong enough to dry your tears and move on. So remember, you are not alone and you've got this!
For more tips, check out this post about how to have a successful semester in PA school. For thoughts on how to be an efficient and focused online learner, check out this post. For a picture of a cute dog chilling in my office chair, look no further.
Thanks for reading,
Olivia
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