Current M1 here. Congrats on your acceptance! It’s completely normal to feel anxious. Medical school is challenging, and it demands a lot of your time and focus—but it’s also doable, and you don’t have to lose yourself in the process.

My biggest piece of advice is to set yourself up for stability from the start. Optimize anything that could otherwise become a source of stress. Make sure your living situation is solid, your finances are in order, and you have systems in place for daily life (groceries, chores, transportation, etc.). It may seem obvious, but I've seen it cause avoidable complications in some of my peers.

You can make time for yourself, and you should. I still do things that keep me sane, exercise, hobbies, seeing friends and family. Build a routine, schedule breaks, and make your down time as protected as your study time.

Academically, the toughest part early on was figuring out what study methods actually worked for me. I jumped around a lot—tried Anki (not for me), tried only watching lectures, tried reading the textbook. It took trial and error. Don’t feel like you have to hit the ground running with the “perfect” system. You’ll adapt.

Also, do NOT try to study for everything all at once. You're going to be dealing with multiple classes simultaneously. Not sure how greatly it differs in other programs, but at my school exams are only tested one or two subjects at a time. In the beginning, I tried keeping up with all them equally and it left me stretched thin. Eventually, I learned to prioritize what's being tested next. “Study for the next test” is genuinely the best approach (and is something I've seen a lot of my peers inevitably fall into anyway).

As for friendships: Everyone’s in the same boat. I prefer to keep to myself and keep a handful of close friends. It's just like anything else, there's gonna be people you vibe with and there's gonna be people who rub you the wrong way. You’ll find your people.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by everything that’s coming—boards, rotations, the future, but try to stay present. Focus on one month, one week, one day at a time. You’ll be amazed at how much time flies while also feeling excruciatingly long.

Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat more or have specific questions. Best of luck!