When you’re no longer a student—after enough time has passed—you might look back at that time with a soft nostalgic smile: the hours spent with fellow students, the coffee breaks between lectures, that one incredible professor who would always motivate you to reach for the heights – there are usually at least some positive things to look back on.

But then there are also the sleepless nights, the increased heart rate before exams (often caused by a mix of stress and immoral amounts of coffee), and many other less romanticized aspects of being a student.

But through both the fun times and the hardships, students tend to stick together, as there is a certain kind of comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. Or they find something else they can relate to, such as—in the case of med students—the posts shared by the ‘Medical Way’ Instagram account.

Started back in 2020, the ‘Medical Way’ Instagram account has already amassed a million followers, many of whom are likely to be future doctors. While for some people, choosing such a field of study might seem difficult to comprehend, for others—those who are seeking to change lives and make a difference—there is rarely any doubt about it; that is until it’s time to pass their exams. (Anyone who’s ever been a student knows just how strongly having to cram information can make you reevaluate your choices.)

In a recent interview with Bored Panda, Professor of Psychology at Williams College Dr. Nate Kornell seconded the idea that having someone you can relate to can make it easier for students to get through difficult times. “Relating to other people who are studying can help you feel like you're part of a team and working toward a common goal. It can make you feel like your studying has meaning.”

It goes without saying that studying medicine definitely calls for cramming information. Constantly. But there is much more to it. According to Dr. Kornell, “Studying medicine requires various kinds of learning, ranging from developing a deep understanding of biological processes to memorizing a lot of information; each of these poses its own challenges and benefits from different kinds of studying.”

Expanding on the topic of cramming information, the expert suggested that the most effective way to do it is actually… not cramming it. “Learning a lot in a short time can work in unintuitive ways. It requires taking time to think deeply about each new piece of information: Why is it true? Why is it important? How does it work? These modes of thinking are not as fast as zooming through, but they make the learning stick much better.

“But... The best way to cram is to avoid cramming: plan ahead, stop procrastinating, study ahead of time, space your studying out, and then when it comes time to ‘cram’ you can go ahead and keep studying, but from a much better position,” Prof. Kornell explained.

After an intense studying session—or during, for that matter—it’s important to remember to take some proper rest to recharge. According to the expert, it’s crucial to take care of yourself (to sleep well, for example) so that you have the energy you need to grind through studying. “It's like exercise – you can't have endurance without rest,” he said. “And get in the habit of studying every day; habits are powerful and make studying easier. Students who take days off and wait until the pressure is on often wish they had studied earlier and more evenly throughout the week.”

If you’ve enjoyed this list, you might appreciate these student memes that might make you laugh and cry at the same time, too. And if you’re a med student looking for some more medicine-based content, continue to browse this list featuring jokes from these hilarious doctors next.