I could hear the familiar notes of “Für Elise” resonating from the music room as I was exiting the recreational center on campus. In contrast to the library, where everyone is likely busy studying for the ‘home stretch’ or end-of-the-year exams, the recreational center was unusually ghostly empty tonight. I was a bit surprised to even see someone playing at this wee hour, let alone playing it so beautifully. Curiously, I took a peek through the glass pane and admired the person hammering away at the piano keys. I could not help but to watch her play until the final notes.
I started playing piano at a young age. Later I transgressed my musical foundation into studio recording; eventually pursued and had a successful time with a music career prior to attending medical school. My love for music has always been like a stubborn flame that can never be snuffed out. I put playing the piano aside completely when I entered medical school. I was afraid that it would be distractive to my study. That was probably a mistake, in retrospect.
When I entered medical school, I was "advised" that I would have to give up my hobbies and social life--even putting family and friendship on hold--in order to survive the “rigorous curriculum that would suck the life out of you.” Those were true words told by an upper-classmate of mine. So studying was all I did for the first year--everyday. And burn out kicked in quicker than I ever thought.
I know that many of us play some type of musical instrument, a competitive sport, or have an interesting hobby during our college years. But I wonder, how many of us have given up our hobbies or abandoned our interests when we started medical school or do most of us manage our time to continue those hobbies and interests?
*This post originally appeared on Medscape's "Differential Blog" here on April 13, 2015.
I started playing piano at a young age. Later I transgressed my musical foundation into studio recording; eventually pursued and had a successful time with a music career prior to attending medical school. My love for music has always been like a stubborn flame that can never be snuffed out. I put playing the piano aside completely when I entered medical school. I was afraid that it would be distractive to my study. That was probably a mistake, in retrospect.
When I entered medical school, I was "advised" that I would have to give up my hobbies and social life--even putting family and friendship on hold--in order to survive the “rigorous curriculum that would suck the life out of you.” Those were true words told by an upper-classmate of mine. So studying was all I did for the first year--everyday. And burn out kicked in quicker than I ever thought.
I know that many of us play some type of musical instrument, a competitive sport, or have an interesting hobby during our college years. But I wonder, how many of us have given up our hobbies or abandoned our interests when we started medical school or do most of us manage our time to continue those hobbies and interests?
*This post originally appeared on Medscape's "Differential Blog" here on April 13, 2015.