Burnout When Applying for Medicine
My Experience and Tips to Get Through
By Adam Ho.
Let’s get real – Med school applications aren’t just about grades and resumes. They’re a marathon that tests your grit. Though, if you’re not prudent, they’ll chew you up.
I’ve been getting through the process. I was staring at my laptop at 2 AM, questioning every life choice while chugging my third coffee. There were moments I felt like a zombie – physically present but mentally out of focus.
That’s when I learned burnout isn’t weakness; it’s your body screaming for a course correction.
Don’t forget to check out MED SCHOOL ENTRY. This online platform helps you to prepare for everything that’s needed from start to finish with med school applications.
Spotting the Signs
UK Medical schools require you to jump many hurdles. Med School Entry can guide you to explore the specific entry requirements for each university.
Burnout doesn’t announce itself with a clear sign. Here’s what creeps up:
- You sleep 8 hours but still feel like you ran a marathon.
- Suddenly, everything about medicine annoys you – even that “Follow Your Dream” poster you used to love.
- Reading the same UCAT question five times? Yep. Been there.
My wake-up call? I started to address my burnout precisely like a surgeon (not yet one though).
Here are my 3 approaches:
Time management and systems I use
The “25-Minute Rule”: Study in 25-minute fire bursts with 5-minute breaks.
The “Power Hour”: Pick one nightmarish task daily (personal statements, anyone? Join Dr Ahmed’s Personal Statement Webinar).
You need to tackle it FIRST.
Your future self will stumble upon, if you deviate from the track.
Med School Entry has plenty of blogs and services to coach you on how to prepare for your desired UCAT score and other goals.
Time Blocking: Reserve a specific time of the day just to complete a certain job or task. No negotiation, no excuse, just do it religiously.
Self-care practices
Move Your Body – Anyhow: I did squats during flashcards. My friends did scream-singing in the shower. Find you’re weird.
The 5-Minute Mind Reset: Try box breathing (4 sec in, 4 hold, 4 out) between application portals. UCAT application responds like a system reboot. So you must have spunk to deal with it.
Guilty Pleasure Time: Bake obsessively? Paint terrible landscapes? Play some video games (like me)? Do it.
Time management and systems I use
Find your study partner: Text a pre-med friend “U alive?” and trauma-bond over caffeine.
Talk to humans who aren’t pre-med: My sister became my go-to for application rants. She didn’t know what UCAT stood for, but her laughter healed my soul.
Therapy isn’t taboo: My counsellor taught me to reframe “I’m failing” to “I’m calibrating.” Game-changer for me.
Conclusion: You’re much more than an UCAS ID Number
Here’s the hard truth I learned:
Med schools want humans, not robots.
That kid who volunteered at the clinic? They’ll remember her passion, not that she missed one comma in her essay. Your health isn’t a sidebar—it’s the foundation.
So ask yourself tonight:
When’s the last time you did something *unproductive*? Your future patients need you healthy and whole, not just smart. Keep the fire alive – even if it means letting it smoulder sometimes.
If you need help MED SCHOOL ENTRY is there for the entire process. From your personal statement, A-Levels, and UCAT to interviews, by Senior Medical Consultants.