3.5+ GPA people. How much do you study in a week? (poll!)

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Sorry if this is a re-post (feel free to link it and i'll delete this thread).

I wanted to know how much you guys study normally in a weeks time (not counting finals/mid-term week).

*Reason why i created this thread is because I study max 6 hours a week, so I feel like I'm not committing myself fully. :/ Or maybe I am and in reality I'm just stupid lol*

1-5 hours per week (I'm guilty of being a crammer)

What I focus my time on is making great notes during lecture (they come in handy when it's time to cram) and concentrating my hardest during the lecture - it's where most of my "learning" happens.

Tip: After every lecture, try to ask your professor 1 meaningful question (Not to look like a gunner or a suck-up) but it helps you understand and connect with the material better - and the material as a result tends to stick a lot more.

Originally Posted by CanadianPremed

1-5 hours per week (I'm guilty of being a crammer)

What I focus my time on is making great notes during lecture (they come in handy when it's time to cram) and concentrating my hardest during the lecture - it's where most of my "learning" happens.

Tip: After every lecture, try to ask your professor 1 meaningful question (Not to look like a gunner or a suck-up) but it helps you understand and connect with the material better - and the material as a result tends to stick a lot more.

That sounds like the most gunner thing in the world Loool. Honestly OP just study as much as you think you need to. Some people don't need to study alot, others do. I study around 20+ hours a week, but hell its worth it when your on track to get a 3.7+

I too am guilty of being a crammer. I would say max 5 hours of studying outside of lectures/homework/finals week.

Wow, so much for pre-meds doing endless hours of studying :P lol

Originally Posted by AestheticGod

Wow, so much for pre-meds doing endless hours of studying :P lol

Well how is your GPA doing? If it is fine, no worries for now.

I know for a fact that I need to change my study habits. I'm just a reactionary creature and when I'm not punished for bad habits, I don't stop them.

I have found that studying in short, intense spurts is what works best for me. Granted it takes a lot of organization because I can't just procrastinate and try to use this technique right before the test. I make small goals for myself (review this chapter notes by a certain date, etc) and try to accomplish all of my studying in small steps. I learn a lot that way and retain a lot that way too. By the time I take the exam I have looked at the material so much that there is no reason to think that I would do badly. Also if I overlook a concept it is easy for me to catch myself and gain better understanding of it. I value my sleep which is why I am not a crammer. It does work but I forget everything after I take the test then become way too tired to do anything else. Another advantage to this is that I have time to ask my professor questions when I don't quite understand something. Nice relationship building time

I have bad test anxiety and knowing that I have studied for an extended amount of time helps calm me down when I take the exam.

But everyone is different, I know a lot of people who cram but they don't get any sleep...trust me, I need sleep!!!!

Some people can pay attention in class and study 0-5 hrs/week outside of class and make a 4.0. Others do the same in class and need 20+ hours outside of class to really grasp it and get a 4.0. This same disparity exists in med school as well. It's really a person-by-person thing and it also has a lot to do with your courseload for that semester.

I'm one of those people who doesn't start studying until a week before the test. It works for now, but I know I'll have a brutal wake up call in med school haha.

just had confirmation of my 4.0 on 16 credit hours this morning. I was taking 4 hard sciences, 2 with lab.


There were times when I went 2-3 days without studying really, and other times where I put in 33 hours of pure studying between friday afternoon and monday morning. On average though, I probably studied 15 hours per week including homework project assignments. I only studied on friday afternoon/evening twice, went out to the club every friday night I wasn't studying... Yep... still had some fun. I respond to the professor's questions every class I am in at almost any chance, and they want me to. Still humble so ppl like me.

You just have to want it enough.

I tend to study about 2 hours a week ( Reading textbooks) during the regular week and maybe about 3-5 during weeks with exams. I honestly think that I work better being caught up with the material in class ( So reading the book before or after class) and then studying two nights before the test than spending an entire week before the test preparing. So overall, I spread things out and do minimal studying and so far it has worked out just fine.

Did you get through organic doing that?

most days I didn't study at all. what took up my time was doing problem sets (engineering major). That sometimes took 6+ hours per day. I actually enjoyed studying because it was a lot easier for me. I only studied right before exams as needed.

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

Did you get through organic doing that?

I took honors organic and destroyed it. However none of what these people are claiming is completely believable. I honestly spent over 5-10 hours a week learning orgo and doing problems. I did over 1k practice problems in total but I got an A in short, do what you feel is necessary.

Depends on my courses... btwn 25-40 hrs a wk, I usually take 12-14 credits.

Originally Posted by Hemorrage

I took honors organic and destroyed it. However none of what these people are claiming is completely believable. I honestly spent over 5-10 hours a week learning orgo and doing problems. I did over 1k practice problems in total but I got an A in short, do what you feel is necessary.

exactly. I figure he either A) hasn't taken organic yet, or B) is lying. no way you can study as little as these ppl are saying lol. IT TAKES WORK! I think ppl say stuff like "oh, I hardly studied" to make it seem effortless and therefore they must be smarter.

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

exactly. I figure he either A) hasn't taken organic yet, or B) is lying. no way you can study as little as these ppl are saying lol. IT TAKES WORK! I think ppl say stuff like "oh, I hardly studied" to make it seem effortless and therefore they must be smarter.

Orgo takes a lot of work. My method: read over notes, write flash cards of relevant paths (drill those like crazy, I had orgo paths in all my notebooks) and did sample synthesis problems (my favorite).

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

Did you get through organic doing that?

If one more person insinuates that organic chemistry is difficult or hard.... Organic was almost as easy as ecology and evolution ( bio 2). And yes I managed through orgo doing about 2-3 hours a week and maybe 6 on exam week. But never anywhere near 10.

Don't study at all normally, just do hw. Day before a test I cram the whole night.

Originally Posted by serenade

I tend to study about 2 hours a week ( Reading textbooks) during the regular week and maybe about 3-5 during weeks with exams. I honestly think that I work better being caught up with the material in class ( So reading the book before or after class) and then studying two nights before the test than spending an entire week before the test preparing. So overall, I spread things out and do minimal studying and so far it has worked out just fine.

Wow! Do you retain the information though? When I took a physiology class i studied every day consistently and can still remember and explain most of the information and that was 2 and a half years ago. Then, for my gbio class in the fall I crammed and didn't study consistently and I don't remember a single thing. it's pretty sad.

I review a little of the material every day for about an hour max. Think about it like a workout routine: you're not going to be huge if you're pumping iron 12 hours straight for only 1 or 2 days.

Memorization-based science (bio): 30 mins each night going over notes + an additional 30-60 minutes for the few days leading to an exam.
Anything else math/science: however long it takes me to do my homework + however long it takes me to re-do my homework for the few days leading to an exam.

lab reports always take me forever to write. Other than that I don't study until the test.

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

exactly. I figure he either A) hasn't taken organic yet, or B) is lying. no way you can study as little as these ppl are saying lol. IT TAKES WORK! I think ppl say stuff like "oh, I hardly studied" to make it seem effortless and therefore they must be smarter.

The difficulty of Organic Chemistry is subjective. I found Organic Chemistry to be very simple. You don't even really have to do any math! Arrow goes here, charge moves here, rinse, and repeat. But you won't see me smiling after a calculus test.

I just finished organic 2 today. I didn't study at all until the week before the exams. Then I just read over my lecture notes two or three times. About 4 total hours per. No practice problems.

Usually studied 5 hours/night for the three days leading up to a test. Sometimes less if I was comfortable with the material. But I was a very inefficient studier, frequently checking forums, playing WoW on my laptop during breaks, etc

A lot of nights I just sat in the library doing nothing because I felt guilty otherwise :-/

Originally Posted by serenade

If one more person insinuates that organic chemistry is difficult or hard.... Organic was almost as easy as ecology and evolution ( bio 2). And yes I managed through orgo doing about 2-3 hours a week and maybe 6 on exam week. But never anywhere near 10.

hm. the only people that I know that talk like that in real life are of the Gunnerus annoyans/Douchebagius maximus type.

11-15. I try to review anything new every night for at least an hour, then I aim for 4 - 10 hours over the weekend, depending on how much I have to work. If I have a really busy week then I'll study during breaks/in between classes/etc so I can crash when I get home.

I think it heavily depends on the course and professor, the latter of which dictates difficulty most of the time (unless it's a premed weed out class).

6-10 for me, average between midterm/final season and regular school times (10-15 during exam, 3-5 when not)

I think learning how to study is crucial, and as many people have and will say, quality > quantity. Try the 50 minute studying, 10 minute break thing; it really gets you looking forward to that break initially but when you get into the habit of studying, the 50 mins will go by like no other. Similar tactic for writing papers has worked wonders for me.

Everyone is different, find out what works for you and stick to it. Good luck!

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

hm. the only people that I know that talk like that in real life are of the Gunnerus annoyans/Douchebagius maximus type.

LOL. If orgo was "easy" then chances are your professor just sucked. I did well in orgo but i definitely had to study, i.e theres no way one looks at a compound and can instantly realize its a retro-synthetic analysis of a Robinson annulation. (you have to practice)

Originally Posted by Ashley1989

Wow! Do you retain the information though? When I took a physiology class i studied every day consistently and can still remember and explain most of the information and that was 2 and a half years ago. Then, for my gbio class in the fall I crammed and didn't study consistently and I don't remember a single thing. it's pretty sad.

The basis of whether or not I retain information is based on whether I enjoyed the material or constantly applied it. Statistical tests and organic chemistry mechanism? I'm going to forget those within half a year or 3 months if I don't use them. But that's also because they generally are unnecessary to remember. I generally try to remember important general ideas, as those are by far more important. However in terms of physiology, I know my neurophysiology and neural systems like the back of my hand. But I like it so that's not surprising and I use it a lot so yah....
I'm ok forgetting small details. Or even big details like bones.

Originally Posted by Hemorrage

LOL. If orgo was "easy" then chances are your professor just sucked. I did well in orgo but i definitely had to study, i.e theres no way one looks at a compound and can instantly realize its a retro-synthetic analysis of a Robinson annulation. (you have to practice)

I studied, but I found orgo mentally easy. It was fun....

Probably either 16-20 or 20+ depending on the week. Guilty.

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

hm. the only people that I know that talk like that in real life are of the Gunnerus annoyans/Douchebagius maximus type.

Sorry, you call me out. And I already went off an a rant earlier this week about how organic is a big boogeyman when in reality it is not that bad... So as you were.

I barely study (1-2 hrs a week?) but I read A LOT. 10-12 hours per 24 hour period. That is actually how I know that medicine is right for me, because I always procrastinate on my assignments by reading something scientifically/medically related. In med school I'll be sure to procrastinate on learning my science by... LEARNING that science

Also, I do come up to my professors, and I make sure they know me (even if I lag in my assignments). No, I don't consider myself a gunner type, I just like to get my moneys worth when I pay more than three grand per class. Also, its not my fault others don't give a sh!t and run out of the class as soon as the time is up. I actually spend a good 30+ minutes having decent conversations with my professors - I find that I connect with them much easily than with the superficial rich brats that go to my school. Not everyone who cares is a gunner.

Originally Posted by Thego2guy

I barely study (1-2 hrs a week?) but I read A LOT. 10-12 hours per 24 hour period. That is actually how I know that medicine is right for me, because I always procrastinate on my assignments by reading something scientifically/medically related. In med school I'll be sure to procrastinate on learning my science by... LEARNING that science

Also, I do come up to my professors, and I make sure they know me (even if I lag in my assignments). No, I don't consider myself a gunner type, I just like to get my moneys worth when I pay more than three grand per class. Also, its not my fault others don't give a sh!t and run out of the class as soon as the time is up. I actually spend a good 30+ minutes having decent conversations with my professors - I find that I connect with them much easily than with the superficial rich brats that go to my school. Not everyone who cares is a gunner.

I don't know about that logic, but I do enjoy distracting myself with history and mythology. It's a great escape from the bothersome bothers more boring classes.

I would love to see you guys do the 1-5 hours/week of studying in medical school. I'll just watch you get treated like a cow in a slaughter house.

Originally Posted by shinbeats

I would love to see you guys do the 1-5 hours/week of studying in medical school. I'll just watch you get treated like a cow in a slaughter house.

I'm actually a little worried about this (assuming I get accepted this year). I'm the type of person who doesn't really pay attention in class and then tries to cram before the test. I know I'll have to change eventually if I hope to make it through medical school.

It really depends on the classes. There's classes (like my recent A&P class) that I would put in easily 20+ hours a week. However other classes like embryology or biochemistry I would only put in 2-5 hours a week. Moral of the story is adjust it based on the difficulty of your class. Don't kill yourself if you don't have to!!

Oh and my GPA is a 3.97 if that matters.

Originally Posted by TheWeeIceMan

I'm actually a little worried about this (assuming I get accepted this year). I'm the type of person who doesn't really pay attention in class and then tries to cram before the test. I know I'll have to change eventually if I hope to make it through medical school.

Many succeed with cramming in undergad but in medical school because of the sheer volume of material many get a wake up call.

Originally Posted by ineed2stpsmurfn

hm. the only people that I know that talk like that in real life are of the Gunnerus annoyans/Douchebagius maximus type.

Some people don't think orgo is that hard, because well, it really isn't. Pretty much any non-bio upper level science or math will be harder.

Originally Posted by sliceofbread136

Some people don't think orgo is that hard, because well, it really isn't. Pretty much any non-bio upper level science or math will be harder.

The objective truth is that organic chemistry isn't difficult!

Originally Posted by shinbeats

Many succeed with cramming in undergad but in medical school because of the sheer volume of material many get a wake up call.

Honestly I learn the stuff better for a test with cramming, just I won't know any of it a week later. I think that will be the real problem with cramming in med school (will need to know for step), not the fact that there is too much info.

Hmm im one of those people who study a lot but it's usually whatever I missed on the exam sticks on my memory for a really long time (lol aldol condensations....you guys sure destroyed my exam 4 and those different epithelial cells of the kidneys...yep..) but that doesn't look good on my grades of course.

As for orgo, I find it really easy now but by the time I had my "hallelujah it all makes sense to me/this is easy" moment, my grade was pretty much solidified on a grade I wasn't happy with. Before that, I found it hard, really hard and studied like crazy for it.

So yeah it really depends person by person. If i were to study 1-2 hours per week i would not have 3.5+ gpa but that's just me. I think i chose 16-20/week.

Originally Posted by sliceofbread136

Some people don't think orgo is that hard, because well, it really isn't. Pretty much any non-bio upper level science or math will be harder.

I've made quite a few A's in upper level math classes and I barely made B's in organic chemistry. With MCAT prep, I'm just finally understanding how to learn organic chemistry. It was very difficult at the time of taking it because everyone says "don't memorize." That's a load of crap -- if you don't do tons of practice problems and memorize reagents/mechanisms/reactions, you won't know what the hell you're doing.

I already graduated, but I never studied except for a day or two before an exam. Never touched textbooks or other material... just used the PP slides.

Originally Posted by shinbeats

I would love to see you guys do the 1-5 hours/week of studying in medical school. I'll just watch you get treated like a cow in a slaughter house.

To be honest, there's a lot of undergrad's where that wouldn't fly either. I'm surprised so many students go to schools where they can get away with that.

Originally Posted by circulus vitios

I've made quite a few A's in upper level math classes and I barely made B's in organic chemistry. With MCAT prep, I'm just finally understanding how to learn organic chemistry. It was very difficult at the time of taking it because everyone says "don't memorize." That's a load of crap -- if you don't do tons of practice problems and memorize reagents/mechanisms/reactions, you won't know what the hell you're doing.

I have to disagree with that... while it's true that it's important to practice, organic chemistry becomes much easier when you learn the general concepts, for example, that nucleophilic nitrogens are going to attack electron deficient carbons. I rarely memorized reaction mechanisms unless they were altogether unfamiliar to the concepts that I could apply to understand them.

Originally Posted by TheKDizzle

I have to disagree with that... while it's true that it's important to practice, organic chemistry becomes much easier when you learn the general concepts, for example, that nucleophilic nitrogens are going to attack electron deficient carbons. I rarely memorized reaction mechanisms unless they were altogether unfamiliar to the concepts that I could apply to understand them.

I agree, learning the concepts is vital. However no matter how many concepts you know if your professor asks you to reduce a carbonyl to alkane, concepts can't help you guess the clemmenson reduction, wolf kishner, raney nickel, etc. that's all memorization

Originally Posted by Hemorrage

I agree, learning the concepts is vital. However no matter how many concepts you know if your professor asks you to reduce a carbonyl to alkane, concepts can't help you guess the clemmenson reduction, wolf kishner, raney nickel, etc. that's all memorization

That's true, but knowing how they work will prevent you from having to memorize each reaction as a jumble of letters