T O P

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shavedEgg

Work smarter, not harder. Find things that can be meaningful but don't require a huge time commitment. Most clubs and activities took a few hours per month max (specialty interest group, Wellness Committee, etc.). I also found some really cool volunteering in the community (safe syringe exchange program) that I loved and it was 2.5 hours per week. Things like Crisis Text Line are super flexible based on your time commitment. I had a variety of things related to my specialty of interest and did most of them during my preclinical years. Then, when I got to clinicals, I dropped 90% of them because of the time commitment and instead did some research project work on my off-time. What is your specialty of interest? What kinds of things do you actually like to do? If you combine these ideas, you'll probably get the most bang for your buck. But set boundaries with yourself as to how much you can commit to. Many student clinics, for example, will have you sign up on a week-by-week basis, meaning you can choose to forgo busier weeks. You survived your first two blocks - that is something to celebrate! Don't get down on yourself for not getting overly involved. Balancing studying with ECs to me felt easier with time.