Medical Student Profile: Annika Deitermann

Annika Deitermann

Annika Deitermann always knew she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps and attend the University of Minnesota. As a child, she recalls looking at the billboards and dreaming about life as a gopher. Now, the third-year medical student is thinking of what’s next, even if that means missing her friends.

Community may not always be the first word that comes to mind when you imagine medical school. But, for Deitermann, community, collaboration and friendship are the best parts of attending the U of M Medical School.

As a first-year, Deitermann expected to find a group of students so dedicated to their work that competition between students was inevitable, but what she found was much different—a group of dedicated friends and peers who’ve consistently encouraged her to do her best.

“Hands-down the best thing about medical school has been my classmates and our ability to take it as it comes and laugh when we need to. We support each other,” she said. “Medical school might get a bad rap with people thinking, ‘it’s so competitive’ but we all just want each other to do well.”

Even on her toughest days, Deitermann has found comfort in a community of people who want each other to succeed. “One thing I always reflect on is our finals week first semester, which people tend to say is the hardest, and it was the night before our anatomy final. A group of us were studying for the full day—there was such a strong feeling of solidarity between all of us. It felt like we went through that together,” Deitermann said. “When I think of medical school, I will always think about that day. Yes, we were stressed, but we were all helping each other and laughing. We bonded through the stress and, honestly, that’s what medical school is.”