Skip to main content
Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Community Impact

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. News
  4. Medical Sciences Student Leah Hochman
Student

A Peek into the Life of Medical Sciences Student Leah Hochman

Wed, 07 Oct 2020

Get Started Today

You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

Apply Now
Leah Hockman

Finishing undergrad as a chemistry major, she thought her study habits were pristine and would help her coast through medical school, but she quickly learned otherwise. On orientation day, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) fifth-semester medical student Leah Hochman sensed a challenge and buckled up for the ride.

“The first semester is a fire hydrant of information that keeps coming at you,” she recalled. “With undergrad, you got it in small bursts but with med school, you’re learning so many different things so quickly that you have to find ways to compartmentalize. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Learning efficiency was Leah’s first task and she’s changed the process as needed throughout her tenure. "I did not do the same thing first semester as I did fifth.” She skipped the accelerated option, knowing she’d need more time to process, study and retain the information. Leah calls the curriculum grueling and though it can be stressful, she also finds it completely rewarding.

Know What’s Ahead

“It’s like you’re on a playground going through a covered slide on a really hot summer day, wearing shorts. You’re burning your legs and they may be a little scorched, but you get through it. It’s all about delayed gratification. If you’re in it for the long haul, then at end of the day, you’ve made it because you know what you’ve signed up for.”

During first semester, Leah created one-page study guides to help her process the material but switched to flash cards in third semester. “People are afraid to change the way they learn and that’s a downfall. Don’t get stuck doing it one way, getting mediocre results. Take a leap of faith and tweak it to find a better way.”

Leah would know best. She missed passing second semester by a small margin, and thus began studying with a peer who endured the same fate. The pair studied together for at least eight hours a day, talking out the lectures and quizzing each other; resulting in high marks for both. Her study partner switched to the accelerated track for third semester but Leah stayed put, knowing her limits.

Keeping It Real

Leah Hochman 2

Now ready to bring textbook learnings to life, Leah will start Internal Medicine Foundations (IMF) this month. Though she debated about when to take the step 1 exam, she decided to wait until after IMF to better prepare. “They tell you to start studying for step on day one. I didn’t take it 100% seriously until the end of fourth semester.” She’s dedicated seven weeks to hitting the books so far and will continue mastering the material during IMF.

Living in Louisville since COVID-19 derailed her Barbados stay, Leah has been eager to land in Miramar, closer to her native roots of central Florida. “I had an inkling we wouldn’t go back to island and I’m a little sad that I didn’t get to close that chapter with a last hurrah at the beach. Barbados had become my second home. Regardless of how that ended, I just can’t wait to be back with my Rossie family.” 

Leah understands IMF will look different with the pandemic, but she doesn’t think it will alter the direction of medicine. “We will still treat patients the same. I think I’ll just see more exhausted doctors putting in a lot of hours and dealing with all this new stress.”

Helping Others

An advocate for mental health, Leah looks forward to the psychiatry rotation. “In Kentucky, I noticed there were a lot of homeless people trying to cope with mental illness. There’s such a huge disparity in mental health. As medical students, we live very stressful lives and do not necessarily take care of ourselves. There’s a lot of pressure for us to be the best we can be at the expense of our health and mental health. Ross University does a great job of offering programs that teach coping skills and mechanisms. We need to take what we’ve learned to help those with undiagnosed mental-health disorders.”

Watching her father treat sick patients through his radiation oncologist specialty, Leah always knew medicine was her calling. Besides psychiatry, she’s also considering urology because it’s a male-dominated field she’d like to break through. “I would love to be able to cater to the female population. It’s important that we make an impact and we’re there to make our gender feel more comfortable. In the last 10-15 years, females are becoming more dominant in all the medical fields and I’d like to continue to lessen the disparity among female doctors.”

Road to Residency Library

Exploring Ways to Keep You Engaged During this Time of Limited Patient Interaction

If you have a topic you’d like to learn more about, please share your feedback with us.

Share This Article

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

Related News

 Javier Covas
Student
Javier Covas, Class of ’25, Finds a Home Away from Home at Ross Med
RUSM LGBTQ+ club
Campus
Celebrating Pride Month: Ross Med’s LGBTQ+ Doctors Association
Ryan Azarkhail
Campus
Ryan Azarkhail, MD ‘23, Nominated by Peers as Class Speaker
Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

 

Admissions Address:

10315 USA Today Way,
Miramar, Florida, 33025
Phone: +1 754.707.5547
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • Navigate
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Events & Webinars
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Academic Calendar
Branded Element

© 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Hands-on From the Start®

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

 

Policy on Non-discrimination

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

CAAM-HP logo - transparent