Blueprint Med School Blog (formerly Cram Fighter & Med School Tutors)

The blog for Blueprint Medical, supporting your MedEd journey with our exam study planner, tutoring, residency consulting, and advanced boards.

Med School Burnout: Know the Signs, Causes, & How to Manage It

Burnout is a serious issue for medical students. The extensive periods of studying for exam after exam, the looming stack of write-ups and patient notes awaiting completion, and the ever-growing landscape of the medical curriculum can cumulatively generate an overwhelming burden that compounds over the four years of medical school. Empirical studies have found that

Sep 21, 2023

Choosing the Preliminary Year Residency Position That’s Right For You

Choosing the right path in your medical career is a critical decision that requires careful consideration. One option that often raises questions among medical students are about preliminary year residency programs, which serve as a year to build a solid foundation within various specialties (such as radiology, dermatology, anesthesiology, and more) before starting residency as

Sep 19, 2023

Why I Chose OB/GYN as a Specialty: My Story

Every year around September, fourth-year medical students confidently state, “I’m applying into !” when conversing with their attendings, fellow students, and anyone they pass on the street. While it certainly feels good to get to this point of assuredness, the twists and turns and (occasionally) crushing weight of making this decision are often glossed

Sep 14, 2023

A Guide to Finding Medical Student Mental Health Resources

As a medical student, you’re no stranger to the pressures and demands of your chosen path. The journey to becoming a physician can be exhilarating and fulfilling, but it can also be taxing on your mental and emotional health. Long hours, academic stress, and the emotional weight of patient care can all take their toll—studies

Sep 12, 2023

Finding Your Calling: A Guide to Choosing a Specialty Beyond Competition

I did everything they told me to do. The brilliant, high-achieving upperclassmen who were matching into competitive specialties because of their sky-high USMLE scores had given me the non-secret of how to ace boards. Turns out, it was the same guidance that any “How to score high on USMLE Step 1” Google search would have

Sep 07, 2023

7 Secrets to Success I Learned from My Greatest Med School Mentor

Someone who comes to mind when I ask myself “What does it mean to succeed in medicine?” is one of my medical school mentors, Dr. E. His work ethic and throughput were so astonishing that he has been the subject of many a blog post that I’ve written. During our years together, I learned how

Aug 31, 2023

Building Your Medical CV: Tips for Medical Students

Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a document that summarizes all of your professional achievements in an efficient and easily accessible manner. It’s an essential component of your residency application and something that program directors will take a good look at, so you want to be sure it’s up to their standards. Due to the importance

Aug 29, 2023

How to Use Blueprint’s Med School Study Planner to Prep for All Your Med School Exams

Finally, you’re done! You spent hours on Excel creating a study plan, and you’re letting out a sigh of relief. But your joy is short-lived: your professor adds another suggested book to your reviewing list, a friend insists a lecture series is a must-have based on their experiences prepping for Step, or you get an

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