What Is Common Among Medical Students? (Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Medical School)

Don’t Think It’s Strange

When I started medical school, I genuinely thought something was wrong with me.

I had anxiety during exams. I experienced moments where my mind would go blank. I questioned whether I belonged. I struggled to understand material the way I had in previous stages of my education. As someone who had been in school my entire life, I never imagined I would have to learn how to learn all over again.

The hardest part wasn’t simply experiencing those things — it was believing I shouldn’t be experiencing them at all.

As a believer, I remember thinking, “I’m saved. Why am I dealing with anxiety? Why am I feeling overwhelmed? Why is this happening to me?”

Here’s what’s true though — people had told me medical school was hard. I had heard it. Multiple times, from multiple people. But there is a difference between hearing something and truly understanding it. You can receive the words without being able to receive the weight of them until you’re actually living it.

That’s what happened to me. The perspective was there. I just couldn’t fully grasp it until I was in the middle of it myself.

So this post isn’t here to tell you something no one has ever said. It’s here so that when you’re in the thick of it — when the anxiety hits, when you blank on an exam, when you question everything — you’ll have a reference point. Something to come back to that reminds you: this is common, and you are not alone.

The Reality That Doesn’t Fully Hit Until You’re In It

Every profession comes with challenges that are common to the people pursuing it.

Business owners face uncertainty. Pastors face spiritual warfare and the weight of caring for people. Parents face sleepless nights. Athletes face injuries.

Medical students face pressures that many people outside of medicine never fully see — and the ones inside of it often don’t talk about.

You may have been told it’s hard. But until you’re sitting in it, those words can only go so far.

Peter writes:

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
— 1 Peter 4:12

That verse changed how I viewed my journey. It also reminded me that God’s word already told us — it rains on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). No one is exempt. Not even the saved ones.

My Story

When I entered medical school, I had no idea what was ahead.

I knew about prerequisites. I knew I wanted to become a physician. But I had no idea how many obstacles existed beyond simply getting accepted.

Throughout my journey I have:

• Failed classes
• Repeated semesters
• Been dismissed from medical school — and fought my way back
• Switched medical schools within two weeks
• Faced financial challenges that no one warned me about
• Questioned myself and God more times than I can count
• Disappointed in God for bringing me this way because I did not like his method
• Learned entirely new ways to study
• Experienced stress unlike anything I had ever known

None of those things were part of the picture I had painted for my future.

My vision of medical school looked nothing like my reality.

I thought medical school meant learning medicine. I didn’t know it would also require learning perseverance.

The Conversation I’ll Never Forget

During my first year of medical school, I went to my annual doctor’s appointment. He asked me how medical school was going.

Without hesitation I answered, “I hate it.”

I told him about the anxiety. The panic during exams. The overwhelming pressure.

His response surprised me. He simply said, “That’s normal, Shavonna.”

I didn’t want to hear that. In my mind, that couldn’t be normal. I thought something had to be wrong with me.

Years later I finally understood what he meant. He wasn’t minimizing my experience. He was helping me understand that I wasn’t alone.

What Is Actually Common in Medical School?

Every student’s journey is different. Some people move through medical school with very few obstacles. Others experience challenge after challenge. Neither experience defines whether someone belongs in medicine.

However, there are struggles that many students encounter.

Academically

Many students experience:

• Failing an exam
• Repeating a course or semester
• Not knowing how to study effectively
• Feeling overwhelmed by the volume of information
• Changing correct answers because of self-doubt
• Imposter syndrome
• Struggles with board examinations
• Delays in graduation

These experiences often make students question their intelligence when, in reality, they are adjusting to one of the most academically demanding environments in higher education.

Mentally and Emotionally

Medical school places tremendous pressure on students. Many experience:

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Depression
• Burnout
• Overthinking
• Constant comparison to peers
• Feeling completely alone
• Feeling like everyone else has it together — when they don’t

Because people often hide their struggles, it can feel like you’re the only one who isn’t doing well. You’re usually not.

Physically

Stress affects the body. Some students gain weight. Others lose weight. Sleep becomes inconsistent. Nutrition suffers. Exercise is the first thing to go. Stress hormones stay elevated for extended periods.

Your body often reflects what your mind has been carrying.

Financially

Medicine is expensive. Students may encounter:

• Student loan debt that grows faster than expected
• Delayed financial aid
• The cost of repeating courses eating away at limited aid
• Unexpected expenses that derail timelines

These challenges are rarely discussed openly, but they are real and they affect more students than you know.

Socially

Medical school changes relationships. You may experience:

• Missing family events and milestones
• Losing friendships because life moved on — with or without you
• Feeling misunderstood by the people you love
• Watching classmates graduate while you’re delayed
• Trying to navigate relationships while your future location is still uncertain

Sometimes the journey feels lonely simply because very few people understand what you’re carrying.

A Word About Caribbean Medical Schools

As someone who attended medical school in the Caribbean, I also experienced challenges unique to that environment. Students often have to adjust to:

• Living in another country
• Being far from family and your support system
• Adapting to a different culture and pace of life
• Accelerated academic schedules
• Financial aid delays
• Building community from scratch

Those experiences add another layer to an already demanding journey. But they also build a resilience that will serve you well in residency and beyond.

What Helped Me

Although my journey has not been easy, I have learned that surviving medical school isn’t just about intelligence. It’s about learning how to keep moving forward.

For me, that has meant:

• Leaning on my faith — praying even when I didn’t understand what God was doing
• Finding mentors who could see past where I was to where I was going
• Asking for help instead of suffering in silence
• Learning healthier study strategies that actually matched how I process information
• Accepting that setbacks do not define my future
• Giving myself permission to grow instead of demanding perfection

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.”
— Psalm 121:1–2

That has been the anchor through every storm on this journey. My help has never come from my own strength. It has come from the Lord. Now don’t get me wrong there have been many times I have questioned am I even being helped? However, as time went on I realized God was doing something even when I hated his process.

My Encouragement to You

If you’re reading this while struggling, I want you to hear something I wish someone had told me years ago. Instead I struggled in silence because many didn’t understand the pressure of the assignment.

If you fail an exam — get back up.

If you have to repeat a course — get back up.

If your classmates graduate before you — get back up.

If you have to switch schools — get back up.

If you feel overwhelmed — take a breath, regroup, ask for help, and keep going.

Your current struggle is not proof that you don’t belong. Sometimes it’s simply part of becoming.

Final Thoughts

One of the greatest mistakes I made was assuming that difficulty meant I was on the wrong path.

Now I understand that many of the things I experienced were common among medical students. Not because medical school is impossible. But because becoming a physician is difficult.

Peter reminds us not to think it strange when we encounter trials. That truth applies far beyond medicine. Whatever calling God has placed on your life, there will be moments that test your endurance.

Don’t let a common struggle convince you to abandon an uncommon calling.

You are not alone. Keep going.

“One day you’ll look back and say it was good that I was afflicted. I know, I know that is not something we want to agree with but I have learned so many lessons that I would not have had I stayed in Las Vegas or in the country for that matter. However, not saying God couldn’t teach me the same lessons another way but I want to say what feels like it might be breaking you down to the ground is actually helping shape the physician and the person you are becoming.”

If this post resonated with you, share it with someone who needs it. You never know who is sitting in silence right now thinking they’re the only one.

And if you’re walking this road and need someone who gets it — my DMs and email are open. You don’t have to go through this alone.

— Grace and Peace, Shavonna Noble