Uswah Shoaib
4th Year MBBS
How to Balance Medical School and
Extra-Curricular Activities
Medical school is
extremely demanding- emotionally and physically. There is always a test waiting
around the corner but it does not mean you can’t juggle school requirements
with outside interests. We all need an outlet and extracurricular activities
provide it to us. They help to improve your mental health and time management
skills and also look good on your CVs. Many of us plan or pursuing residency
abroad and during interviews a lot of emphasis is laid on your co-curricular
participation than your academic records. They can set you apart from other
capable candidates.
What
sort of Extra Curricular Activities can I Do?
Well, this really depends
on what you are interested in.
- Music
For me, my keyboard has
been a great emotional outlet. During exam time whenever I got stressed (which
will happen a lot in med school) I played my keyboard for a while which really
helped me calm down my nerves. I was able to focus better later on in the day.
If you play any instrument or sing I’d suggest to continue doing that trust me
it helps a lot. You will see quite a few people with their guitars singing at
the bleachers during break or after college hours. There is a music room on
campus and our very own music band called 'الف ب پ'
who performed live on CMH Eat 2020. They recently released their own song 'خاموشی' which was quite a hit on Instagram. Do
check it out!
- Sports
CMH offers a lot of
sports opportunities. The college offers volleyball, football, basketball,
badminton, table tennis and cricket. We have annual sports tournaments.
Volleyball is HUGE at CMH. Based on your
participation prizes are distributed on the Annual Sports Day to motivate
students more to actively take parts in sports. If you do not know how to play
these games do not worry, our seniors will help you learn. A few of my
classmates learned volleyball from our class fellows and seniors and now their
pro at it. A healthy body equals a better mental health.
- Debating
Debating is a great
platform to express your opinion, a place to face conflict head on and a place
to learn on how to respect someone else’s opinion which you will come across a
lot in your medical life. Patient’s will consult other doctors for second or
third opinions after you and in situations like these you need to respect your
colleagues point of view as well as the patient’s choice. At CMH we hold an
Annual Debating Competition and also send students to other debate competitions
around. If you’re interested sign up to be a part of the CMH Debating Society.
- Volunteering
Volunteering helps your
community and it helps the world as a whole. When you volunteer, you have the
opportunity to make a true difference in the lives of people. A lot of students
volunteer to take part in awareness programs being done on campus and in
hospitals. For example, in October student volunteers go around the hospital
during their free time telling people about the importance of self-examination
in preventing breast cancer from advancing. A lot of women did not know about
it and we helped make a lot of difference. IFMSA
Pakistan is a great platform for volunteering for such campaigns and we
have our Local IFMSA CMH Committee who annually conducts such events regularly.
I’ve been a part of IFMSA for over 3 years and have done some projects
extremely close to my heart. We did a Polio Awareness Campaign where we found
out some people from Interior Sindh were still unaware about it. These are
little things but they do tend to have a great impact on one as an individual.
Patient Welfare Society (PWS) is another organization where funds
are raised to help poor patients with their treatments. The society has been
organizing CMH Eat for a couple of years and last year they worked super hard
to raise funds for Oral Cancer Patients. They did a great job at advertising the
event and people all over Lahore came. The band ‘Strings’ was the highlight of
the event and a lot of funds were raised. It’s a great society to volunteer in.
Robin Hood Army (RHA) is an NGO which conducts regular food drives
in bastis of Lahore. I’ve taken part in them along with a number of other
students from CMH. Students from our college have been pretty active with their
food drives.
- Art
Art has always been one
of the most efficient ways to express yourselves. Drawing, sketching, painting
etc. are always appreciated. If you’re good at it make it your outlet. It helps
alleviate symptoms of depression. Take part in art competitions. Do whatever
you like as long as it helps you positively. Last year, the Art Society
arranged for a special trip to the Kartarpur Corridor for Live Sketching. It
was art and recreation combined. Everyone came back super happy.
- CMH Olympiad:
What is university life
if you don’t take part in organizing at least one event? CMH Olympiad is an
amazing events that offers a range of activities. Basically, we host it and
other medical and non-medical colleges and universities take part in it. There
are a variety of games that they compete in. From planning to decorating the
college, you name it the Olympiad has it. Activity Week is organized by the
college administration every year to relieve us from the burden of studies. If
you’re someone who would prefer to sleep in for a week that’s fine too but if
you’re interested in music, art and event organization Olympiad is a great
platform to show your talent. I’ve been
taking part in the Olympiad ever since I joined CMH. We take around a month to
prepare for the event after college hours. People draw, paint, order food,
socialize. There is a competition of the best décor done by teams. The
atmosphere is very positive. At the end of the event we host a music concert,
which is pretty lit. We had Ali Sethi perform last year. We’re hoping for the
pandemic to attend soon so that we can get back to our normal life again as
Olympiad 2020 was cancelled because of Covid-19.
- Dramatics:
The Dramatics Club is one the most famous clubs on campus. Annual Plays
are an integral part of our college year. Our Club has performs a variety of
genres. Every year the club presidents also conduct workshops to focus on
acting and speaking and they’re open for everyone. Sign-ups are announced by
the Club every year.
Extra-Curricular
activities are a great way to balance your life. However,
Doing too much: Activities should
demonstrate achievement rather than just participation. It is better to do one
activity to a fairly high level rather than five activities superficially.
Time consuming: Too much time spent
away from your studies may be detrimental to your academic grades. Your hobbies
and extra-curricular activities are a supplement for a reason, and should not
be your main focus.
Doing it for the sake of it: You should
demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm, and this will be noted. Don’t do it for
your CV, do it for yourself.
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