It would be an understatement to say that most med students are well acquainted with competition. However, a delicate balance between competition and camaraderie among your classmates makes for the best learning and living environment.

Here are two rules that can help you tame the competitive monster:

Rule #1: Be aware of your competitive feelings. There is a difference between trying to do your best and trying to do better than everyone else. There's nothing wrong with setting high goals and working to achieve them, but strong competitive feelings often produce unnecessary stress and anxiety, and can get in the way of your success.

Rule #2: The only person you have to answer to is yourself. It's not where we finish, but how we get there that counts. Every time we take even the smallest step toward achieving a goal, we are successful. As a student working toward graduating from med school, you are not only successful on commencement day; you're successful every time you go to class, study, take a test, and learn something new. Your success has nothing to do with the fact that you may or may not get a better grade than others in your class.

Pressure-Cooker Schools?
Schools vary greatly in their competitive natures. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, for example, has a reputation of extreme competitiveness. Most students there say they study very hard. On the opposite end, Yale University School of Medicine has a unique evaluation system in which there are no grades. This system produces an extremely non-competitive atmosphere.

Regardless of your school's grading policies, your goal is to do your best. Most schools have a chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), the national honor medical society, a somewhat mysterious organization, as each school has its own "formula" for choosing and inducting members. AOA is not a requirement for reaching your residency goals, but it can be an impressive addition to your record.

Help, Please!
It is not unusual to find your first year of medical school intense and difficult. Many students discover themselves struggling through the strenuous academics, and some do not pass the final exams. For this reason, medical schools offer tutors to help you adopt more effective study skills. Although you may have reservations about accepting help, you should take advantage of this service, as it will inevitably pay off in the long run.

How do you know when it's time to get help? Sometimes your school may pick this up before you do, and your dean of students may ask to meet with you. If this does not happen, but you are concerned about your own performance, arrange an appointment with the dean, whose office will connect you with an appropriate person. You would not have been accepted for admission if the school did not feel you have what it takes to do well, and for many, the individual attention and support of a tutor is enough to get them back on track.

If you feel that the extra help is not sufficient and you continue to struggle without successfully passing the courses, you may consider repeating a year or slowing down and lightening your course load, thereby extending your first two years into three or more. This course of action is not unusual, particularly for people who have additional stresses in their lives, such as illness or family responsibilities. Once again, the dean will be happy to help you arrange a schedule that will allow you to reach your goal of becoming a doctor.