Thinking about the future students who have recently chosen the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL), we asked our students what it was like to live their first academic year in the face of a pandemic. We asked them about the difficulties they had, how it was for them to make friends with their new colleagues from a distance, what marked them the most and how they went through some moments that are not always easily manageable.

And so they did, with the purpose of inspiring and helping those who are now arriving.

 

The pandemic changed the reality at the Faculty from in person to virtual. Taking into account the fact that I was displaced, it meant that I spent most of my time in Caldas da Rainha, with my family and friends.

In fact, this new reality brings with it numerous challenges that I had to learn to live with. I also have a brother in medical school who is in year 4. Throughout my path, he has been undoubtedly a huge support, as well as his friends, my supervisor, my mentor and friends from upper years who were always available to help me, both regarding study strategies and emotional support, since we all end up experiencing times of insecurity and anguish.

Having completed year 1, I feel that it is essential to know how to manage time well, define a study plan that includes times to study, time for extracurricular activities and also to make new friends, to be able to overcome the initial difficulties. In addition, as we all have entered medical school, a degree whose admission requires high grades, it means that expectations regarding grades have to be toned-down. At the same time, it is essential not to live problems in silence and to know how to share them with someone.

The first year at university is full of positive emotions for conquering the place I've always wanted to achieve, but at the same time there are difficult times, especially during exams, when family or even high school friends are not enough. It is essential to have the support of someone who is going through the same experience, who has the same concerns and faces the same difficulties. So, in my case, making new friends in university became vital to make me feel integrated and “at home”. It seems difficult to meet new people at an early stage, I don't deny it, especially during this year when the pandemic made us perceive social life in a different way.

At the beginning of the first semester, I had some fear of not making new friends and of being on the side. However, the first days of reception were decisive and I managed to meet some people, with whom I started to have lunch and dinner. The in-person practical classes were also decisive for establishing contact with new colleagues, and social networks prevented distance when the classes were suspended. Naturally, even without the “classic” interactions, I became friends with a group of classmates, with whom I will go on holiday.

The pandemic is certainly a barrier to forming new friendships, but it is not insurmountable.”

The first semester went well. I was also lucky enough to have some molecular and cell biology and biochemistry classes, which gave me the opportunity to have human contact. I had my first oral exam, in anatomy. This oral exam was very demanding, but I managed to pass with a wonderful 10. I spent most of my time at home, where I studied most of the day. I also signed up for university futsal, but there was only one practice. I was missing sport, and this year I intend to do it more.

I spent most of the second semester at home in Madeira, as the pandemic conditions got worse. An important fact to mention is that second semester anatomy is a thousand times more interesting compared to the one taught in the first semester. I found another method of study, I used anki cards, which are flashcards. It worked and I liked it, I had 18.5 in the second semester oral examination. I think this is very important, I felt lost many times, because I didn't know how to study. I knew what I had to study, but there was so much that I didn't know where to start.

It was hard getting there and accepting it, but I realized that it's impossible to know everything. It's necessary to find a point of balance, not choosing between everything or nothing. It's difficult to face this impact, because we're all top marks students in high school, and suddenly we don't have anything in control like we used to. Accepting it is not easy. I passed every subject at first attempt. However, so many successive exams is too much, nobody deserves it. I had anxiety attacks, which I had never had before.

In conclusion, it was a very big challenge, but I got there.

I very much wanted to make friends, and not knowing what it was, I signed up for the degree committee on the welcoming day. This group of people saved me, I was so lucky, they're all wonderful in their own way. They supported me when I was down, we shared the same obstacles, together we went through this atypical first year. Medicine is not a degree one studies alone. We had a lot of zoom meetings, we forgot about the degree in the midst of online laughter. We were always together at oral examinations, especially in the second semester. Outside the CC, I met someone who became a great friend from university, thanks to face-to-face classes.”

In the first semester we managed to have a lot of face-to-face classes, which helped to deal with the demands of the degree and to meet more people. In the second semester, as we were forced to return home, the degree became more challenging because it forced me to focus on the computer for several hours. Despite this, there were also advantages, because spending most of my time at home, I managed my time better and had the constant company of my family.

It is true that the pandemic has put some obstacles in my path as a student and has not allowed my first year to be the one I had hoped for and wanted. Still, I consider it a great year because it challenged me daily, allowed me to enjoy every moment similar to the pre-pandemic reality in the best way and made me yearn even more for experiencing everything that academic life has to offer.

In an atypical year like this, I was always privileged in relation to the people I met and the friends I made. From the beginning I had incredible support from my mentor and older friends who taught me how to survive the degree. Afterwards, I got to know some colleagues who became close friends and who made this first year much better. We didn't have the parties, but we had the social evenings, even if that meant a lot of zoom calls and some creativity.

At first it may seem complicated to meet new people, but in a universe with as many students as our faculty it is impossible not to find someone with whom we identify. And there is always someone available to help us, whether finding the classroom or with an existential crisis.

Early on, I met some colleagues who had my schedule and we started to have coffee after classes to get to know each other better. These moments were very important because they not only helped me to overcome the initial shock of starting the degree, but also to create a base of support that accompanied me through the various obstacles this year. It helped me to overcome some moments of insecurity that we all go through.

Medicine is inseparable from the countless hours spent studying, but, ironically, it was those hours that allowed me to meet more people. In the second semester, the university study halls filled with 20-26 freshmen, and therefore, I met many people I had never met in face-to-face classes. Some of my closest friendships came from the breaks (perhaps too long) between studies on the 3rd floor, from laughs at lunches and a few moments of despair with exams.”

Being “displaced” may seem scary at first, but the mix of adrenaline, joy and a desire to explore what's new make this experience unique.

This first year was, for all of us, atypical. The pandemic marked our times, the entrance to university, our first year as freshmen, our classes, our experiences, everything! Being the pioneers of these discoveries is not easy, but facing this new reality is something that, from my point of view, is only up to us. That it was going to be different we all knew. But the ball stayed in our court. “Are you going to point the finger at this first year and live in anguish? Or are you going to make this year an amazing year after all?” – this was the question I asked myself.

Choosing the 2nd option was not always easy, I must admit. But if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that life isn't always going to be easy, that all doors won't always open for us, we won't always see our efforts recognized, everything won't always go well. But I also learned that with a smile on my face, everything is lighter. I learned to value small gestures more, small meetings, small conversations, small help, because a year goes by and the big moments are sporadic, and the small moments are countless...

The pandemic changed the reality from the classroom to the virtual. For me and many of my colleagues, this was not a change: it was knowing a reality, the only difference being that it was unknown to everyone. While for older students there had to be an adaptation, for us, 1st year students, there had to be learning from scratch. I quickly realized that studying a long time at home is not the best option for me. Along with my siblings and some friends, I chose study rooms as a primary option for my study. Caleidoscópio, Floor 6, Anatomy, Floor 3 and aquariums (and even the Refectory, when there were no more places anywhere), became my second homes.

What I expected from this first year becomes a somewhat relative question. I already knew enough stories due to my brothers and, therefore, in a “normal” year I would know what to expect. But this being the year we all know it was, I always tried not to create expectations (maybe it's a somewhat defensive strategy, because the more you know, the bigger the fall).

On a personal and social level, I feel that it was a whole new world that I had to discover. I had to adapt, or even reinvent myself, because I was meeting new people, many of whom the only thing in common was the faculty where we studied. Meeting year 1 students was a constant challenge, because for the most part we saw each other once a week. I'm lucky to be able to say that I've made some friends that I talk to regularly and feel I can really count on! They went from colleagues to friends and this transition gives a whole new perspective to each of the interpersonal relationships.

Having brothers at university was, without a doubt, a great blessing. It is not possible to say in words how good it was. I don't say it because it made it easy to clarify doubts, ask for information or even for all the materials. I say it for all the conversations, all the coffee breaks, for all the (endless) study sessions, for all the moments we shared and, above all, for the kindness they showed by welcoming me to their their group of friends, their study group. This attitude gave me a comfort and security that I cannot describe. Thanks to Miguel and Pedro for that. It was my biggest luck this 1st year, without thinking twice.”

To the future 1st year students, we just want to wish you a year full of happiness and lots of learning. Value small moments. Remember to prioritize what makes you happy and to do your best. Your 1st year just depends on you. Let the journey begin!

 

Joana Sousa | Leonel Gomes
Editorial Team