Best way to prepare for Med School this August

[Supafly MD]

One waitlist, one school no decision yet and one acceptance.

Just wondering if it would be beneficial to start reviewing a little bit for med school. I was thinking of picking up a USMLE Princeton Review book, an anatomy coloring book, and a med school study guide? Do you think its too early? Should I just relax this summer. I am definitely no Einstein and I had to work hard to study for the MCAT and get good grades during my Biology undergrad. So I am thinking, I should start studying for the USMLE 2 years in advance!

Maybe it some review would be helpful so that when classes start I'll just be building on what I already know.

Then there's always the other problem of transporting all these extra books to med school!

What do you SDNers think?

Supafly, MD.

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[lola]

are you serious?? i think you should just RELAX!!! have fun. you'll be cooped up in a library for the next several years, so you better enjoy yourself while you can. when you are dying do you think you'll say "man, i wish i studied more that summer before med school started"? no!

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I bought the board review series physiology book for a dollar online. It makes a nice coaster.

 

[Supafly MD]

Thanks, peeps.

I guess I need to learn to chill-ax. I took a look at some USMLE questions and they got me all hot and bothered. So, I thought I need to get a head start. I hope I survive those boards!

Supafly, MD.

 

[encee]

Supafly, MD:
Most likely, if you studied now, without the threat of an exam hanging over you, you would forget the info you had to learn. Also, you probably would not study as hard as you would if you had an upcoming exam, so the studying efforts would be inefficient.
So, I say relax and enjoy yourself. You have many years ahead of studying, and way less time for relaxing, so...HAVE FUN NOW!

 

[Thewonderer]

My honest honest advice is to get out and travel. Or enjoy your last precious little time with people you care about (friends, family, etc)! Please do that!

Med school is a totally different ballgame and people are DEAD serious. So you will have no time by then.

 

[md03]

Of COURSE the USMLE questions got you all hot and bothered, you haven't learned any of that stuff yet!!! (They tend to get med students all hot and bothered, too,prior to studying for the exam. I'd say the vast majority of medical students feel like they are guessing during most of the exam and feel like they failed when they leave. The vast majority pass.)

Med school is VERY different from undergrad, mostly in the pace of things covered. I totally understand your need to feel like you need to start preparing. Don't try to study any content in advance. You wont be able to, it's too overwhelming. When you start the classes, you will have the material broken down for you with some guidance so that you learn it in reasonably manageble chunks.

However, you may want to spend a little time figuring out the best way to study. There is an excellent web site. I don't have the exact web address handy, but put the following phrase into a search engine: "Success types for medical students" That will give you some great hints for how to go about studying in medical school

Prior to my first year, I tried to study some anatomy. That didn't work at all. However, I also spent a few hours a week working on my study skills using the suggestions from that web site. THere is a book you can buy, and I did get that. It would have been nice to take that summer off, but as an older student with financial obligations, I had to continue working that summer.

So relax, don't study any actual content, don't look at USMLE questions (don't look at them until a few months before you take the exam). If you feel you must do something to prepare, look at resources aimed at helping medical students do well such as the web site which I found very helpful.

 

[Michelys]

Thanks alot MD03 --that was cool advice! I'll take a look at that webbie! And Foxy --where online did you get a BRS for a buck? Amazon? Do tell please <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> ! BTW Supafly--do what I've been doing--sit on your a$$ all summer! It feels great after bustin' it all year! LOL!

 

[FrostWeasel]

Hello All,

Here's that "Success Types" webpage:
<a href="http://www.ttuhsc.edu/success/" target="_blank">Success Types</a>
I hope you find it helpful...

Frost

 

[Supafly MD]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am definitely going to focus on improving my study skills.

I picked up this book the other day called Keys to College Studying: Becoming a Lifelong learner by Carter, Bishop and Lyman Kravits. Its an excellent book that helps you determine the best way for you to learn. Its probably a good idea to work on our study skills to maximize our learning in med school and beyond in our med careers.

I will definitely check out the Success Types website too!

 

[Anath]

Originally posted by FrostWeasel
Hello All,

Here's that "Success Types" webpage:
<a href="http://www.ttuhsc.edu/success/" target="_blank">Success Types</a>
I hope you find it helpful...

Frost

where's the descriptions of the types??

 

[Jalby]

So if you are actually interested in studying something before medical school, here is some advice. Don't do Anatomy. It won't stick without the body in front of you and a ton of time and effort. I would recommend these three books.

BRS Physio: This book is easy to understand and read. I am a biochem masters student, and was able to pick up everything without having taken a physio class before. Highly recommend it. It is also one of the books that you will use studying for the boards and most med students say it is the second most important book behind First Aid

Lippencot's biochem: Everybody hates this subject in med school, but I kind of had a lot of experience in it. I would reccommend reading this before you get to med school because it will help you out a ton in biochem and make your life easier down the road. (Hey Foxy, my roommate is in a similar sit as you with biochem and school, but when he said he couldn't take a class, USC just told him to read this book.)

Lastly Microbio made rediculously simple: This book is way to detail oriented, but it is very fun to read. Only read this if you have read the other 2. I read it, didn't remember to much of what I read, but it was fun to read. Definately a book to have in school while studying.

 

[Doctora Foxy]

Originally posted by Jalby
(Hey Foxy, my roommate is in a similar sit as you with biochem and school, but when he said he couldn't take a class, USC just told him to read this book.)

Thanks Jalby, that makes me feel so much better.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by Doctora Foxy


Thanks Jalby, that makes me feel so much better.

NP

 

[ckent]

The best way that people can prepare for medical school the summer before medical school is to make money! Any small amount you make now will be worth ~2-3X as much for you in real money because it will save you from that much in debt (and you will end up paying 2-3X or more for any unsubsidized debt you get your first yr). It is completely unneccesary to do any "studying" the summer before, you will be overwhelmed when med school starts, most people are overwhelmed at first but 90% get over it and quickly adapt. I don't think that a summer of unorganized studying would have helped those that do not quickly adapt. Oh and studies have shown that non-science majors do just as well during the first 2 yrs of med school as science majors, so it's a pretty level playing field once you get to med school.

 

[TTT]

I agree completely with ckent. From my experience, medical schools understand that many med students do not have science undergrad backgrounds and try to start with basic, easily understood material in the med courses. If you get into med school, you're going to be an MD, essentially for sure....it's actually DIFFICULT to fail out of med school!

Don't waste your time studying before med school..you'll have to do plenty of that real soon...and, when will you have another break, free of research and studying? Hmm....maybe in about nine years, if you don't take any time off. Think about it