I am finding first year MBBS extremely difficult and tough

"Sis.. I just joined medical college. Finding it extremely tough to study. None of the subjects seem familiar. I'm losing all my positivism and feeling helpless."

Firstly, take a moment to congratulate yourself. You've made it to medical school! New subjects is going to be so much fun!

"I feel left behind. I'm not able to answer. What is taught in lecture is very minimalistic compared to text book."

I know how it feels. It's mostly because you've been a brilliant students all your life, used to knowing and answering things. And now you're put in an environment where people are better than you and there's too much to study.

Teachers can not cover everything in the text book. There's not enough time. Unlike your school days, you'll have to read it yourself.

"What should my schedule be like? I don't understand what they mean by concepts. Will I flunk? Basically, I feel that I'm not worthy for the profession."

Your schedule should reflect how much you want to improve. Study all day if you have to. If you see yourself improving, you could ease your schedule and maybe chill for a while. But at least this month, when you're feeling so low, study as much as you can

You'll start to understand it slowly, not all at once. Don't worry, we've all been there and we all made it. If you can't understand certain concepts, you can write to me or ask any of your seniors. We're all here to help you out.

I flunked one subject in first year. It was totally depressing. You can read it in my previous post here.

Let me tell you that marks has nothing to do with how worthy you are for the profession. Your character does. And the fact that you're writing me this email, trying so hard to change, means you're hard working and humble. And that's more than enough.

"Recently, I was reprimanded by the tutor in front of all my class mates for my poor diagrams. I'm from a non science background so my parents can't help."

My histology teacher said that I've drawn grapes and apples in my diagrams. I laughed it out when I got home and drew better diagrams. It's NOT a big deal. You're becoming a doctor, not a painter :P

My parents are from a non science background too. It doesn't matter.

"How do I go about now? How do I keep myself equipped for the class with knowledge? How do I acquire knowledge and understand things without having to mug it up? How to feel positive and strong like you?"

You'll need to read, Google, YouTube and look for different sources to get knowledge without mugging it up.

It's really hard to feel positive and confident without getting the scores, answering in class or testing yourself and getting the answers right.

So start learning. Study the topic that is to be taught the next day before hand. You'll know what you don't understand, you'll also understand the professors explanation better.  Come home and review it.

Confidence is boosted by hard work. Start your day on a positive note: I can top the university. Then, study. Hard.

Stay calm and keep studying. You'll do awesome.