Breaking Bad... Habits, lol (sorry)

[DrDre2017]

So... Next year is junior year for me, and the year I actually do some pre-med things / things I've been wanting to do but haven't let myself do because I've been neurotic about keeping my GPA up. I'm also taking more credits (not too sure about the classes yet, but definitely the dreaded Orgo I).

I have some bad habits that could make it a rough semester, namely procrastinating and cramming, and wasting time being a perfectionist about assignments of minute importance in the classes I find more interesting, lol. And hiding from professors (because I'm shy and because I procrastinate and fall way behind in coursework...)

I've told myself each semester that I would change these things, make the schedules, do a little each day, etc., JUST DO IT, etc. But it's too easy too fall back into the same habits... And especially once I fall behind, I'm constantly playing catch-up until the exams. I get everything done in the end, but that won't work forever. How do y'all motivate yourselves to be good students???

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[justadream]

Pretend Gus Fring is after you (and your infant daughter).

 

[TxC]

Procrastinators are not always bad students. Some of the brightest people I know are procrastinators.

One method that I've used to avoid procrastination was taking a lot of classes to the point where if I procrastinate I would actually not finish everything.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Procrastinators are not always bad students. Some of the brightest people I know are procrastinators.

One method that I've used to avoid procrastination was taking a lot of classes to the point where if I procrastinate I would actually not finish everything.

lololololol

 

[Mad Jack]

I burned every bridge I had so that failure would ruin my life. Knowing that you're completely screwed if you fail can be a powerful motivator.

 

[Theafoni]

Wait you're a perfectionist and you procrastinate..how does that work

 

[mehc012]

lololololol

Always been my strategy!
I do worst when I have free time or a class is too easy. No joke.

 

[I'mJustCurious]

Wait you're a perfectionist and you procrastinate..how does that work

I think he said he was a perfectionist about doing homework assignments and that he procrastinate about studying.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Always been my strategy!
I do worst when I have free time or a class is too easy. No joke.

Your MCAT quest actually came to mind when I saw his post. This strategy clearly works for some people-lol.

 

[meander]

A change of study environment works for me. After I get too comfortable in one place and no longer associate it with work, I move on. My apartment is the ultimate procrastination zone so I don't let myself go home until I feel OK about the amount of work I've completed that day. It means I have to pack up my entire day and carry it on my back sometimes, but it's a small tradeoff for staying on top of everything (while everything is literally on top of me, ha ha).

 

[I'mJustCurious]

Hey I was and slightly still am in your position. What had help me become a better student was doing homework as soon as possible so that I have the whole week to study. After my last class of the day I will go straight to doing homework, at least attempt to do the most you can. I always study a little bit before bed and would study hard after I finished most of my hw. Studying every day for me is a must.

 

[RIPCombo]

Commenting just because of the breaking bad reference

 

[DrDre2017]

Pretend Gus Fring is after you (and your infant daughter).

Oh my goodness, lol. I didn't know anything about Breaking Bad other than that it was about a Chemistry teacher who had some type of drug ring-thing on the side... I thought it was some type of dark comedy. Made the mistake of Google image searching that guy. His face will haunt me; that just might do it...

Wait you're a perfectionist and you procrastinate..how does that work

I spend way too much time on the classes I like (my electives), and greatly neglect the more boring and important ones (*cough cough* Chemistry). Or I spend a lot of time on homework and put off studying (it's just so vague and abstract, unlike a problem set...)

Hey I was and slightly still am in your position. What had help me become a better student was doing homework as soon as possible so that I have the whole week to study. After my last class of the day I will go straight to doing homework, at least attempt to do the most you can. I always study a little bit before bed and would study hard after I finished most of my hw. Studying every day for me is a must.

The homework part I'm good with, but I hate studying... I can see this becoming problematic.

I burned every bridge I had so that failure would ruin my life. Knowing that you're completely screwed if you fail can be a powerful motivator.

Wow... Instead of solving the problem, I let the problem solve me... Man, it's probably going to end up coming down to this. This is a really good idea, but I'm not happy about it, lol

 

[justadream]

Oh my goodness, lol. I didn't know anything about Breaking Bad other than that it was about a Chemistry teacher who had some type of drug ring-thing on the side... I thought it was some type of dark comedy. Made the mistake of Google image searching that guy. His face will haunt me; that just might do it...


I spend way too much time on the classes I like (my electives), and greatly neglect the more boring and important ones (*cough cough* Chemistry). Or I spend a lot of time on homework and put off studying (it's just so vague and abstract, unlike a problem set...)


The homework part I'm good with, but I hate studying... I can see this becoming problematic.


Wow... Instead of solving the problem, I let the problem solve me... Man, it's probably going to end up coming down to this. This is a really good idea, but I'm not happy about it, lol

Here's the relevant part:

 

[Goro]

Go to your school's counseling center. Getting help on anonymous message boards is not high yield.

So... Next year is junior year for me, and the year I actually do some pre-med things / things I've been wanting to do but haven't let myself do because I've been neurotic about keeping my GPA up. I'm also taking more credits (not too sure about the classes yet, but definitely the dreaded Orgo I).

I have some bad habits that could make it a rough semester, namely procrastinating and cramming, and wasting time being a perfectionist about assignments of minute importance in the classes I find more interesting, lol. And hiding from professors (because I'm shy and because I procrastinate and fall way behind in coursework...)

I've told myself each semester that I would change these things, make the schedules, do a little each day, etc., JUST DO IT, etc. But it's too easy too fall back into the same habits... And especially once I fall behind, I'm constantly playing catch-up until the exams. I get everything done in the end, but that won't work forever. How do y'all motivate yourselves to be good students???

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

^ I agree with above, getting outside help will probably be more efficient
However, since you are here, there are a few things that I would recommend.

• Pretend that your assignments are due a week before they actually are, and really keep thinking that way. It works great for papers in particular, as you get an extra week of editing and can potentially even get feedback from your professor.
• Use tutoring/ outside resources. Most schools provide it for free.
• Keep yourself accountable by finding other people that need to study, and if you are social, work in groups. (if not, disregard)
• Make sure you stay fit too, as it is a great way of building discipline.
• Work on slowly building that discipline over the summer, with really whatever activity, be it reading or what not. Slowly craft yourself into the person you want to be.

Best of luck!

 

[Bermie]

If your school has a tutoring service use it. You might not actually need the help but hear me out. If your school charges money for tutoring or only offers 1-on-1 then ignore the rest of this. However, if you have the option to go to a drop-in lab, use it. I find that if I am studying next to or near other people that are studying, I am much more productive. Don't go with your friends. Don't start a study group with your friends where you will constantly get distracted. Study in places with other people working hard on their school work. As a student this worked great for me, as a tutor, I have plenty of students that come to drop-in lab and rarely ask questions but just use the space to study and stay on task. I am a major procrastinator. However, there is one thing that I did not procrastinate on and that is studying for the MCAT. You cannot simply cram for the MCAT. Doing well on the MCAT is much more about test taking skills and practicing then it is about cramming like you might be used to in biology class.

Another tip I highly recommend is to not feel constrained to your notes or textbook when studying. If you are just reading and not comprehending, stop wasting your time. Get up, make some coffee and watch a few khan academy videos (If there are any relevant to what you are studying). I remember when I did physics, 80% of my studying was watching khan academy while mindlessly playing guitar. After 30 minutes or so, I would stop and do some practice problems to make sure I was understanding.

 

[DrDre2017]

@justadream Wow. If he were premed, he'd definitely be a gunner...

Go to your school's counseling center. Getting help on anonymous message boards is not high yield.

My school does have a Study Consulting program that hooks you up with a peer counselor who helps you make a schedule and teaches you study tips. I used it my freshman year, first semester, and didn't find it very helpful (because I'd always go over the allotted times I set for finishing assignments and studying). But maybe that is something worth revisiting if I can't make myself keep to a schedule; I did like the accountability... Thanks for reminding me!

@tea guzzling traveler @Bermie Thanks for the suggestions! And I definitely do use other textbooks / videos when I don't understand something (like Stats right now )

 

[MedNation907]

@DrDre2017
I fought this in UG. I conquered it by indulging myself in extracurriculars. I became a resident assistant, joined a medical fraternity, sought out an internship, volunteered and shadowed physicians. The more involved I became with other things, the easier it was for me to sit down and crank out studying/projects because I had no other choice. If you eliminate the ability to procrastinate, I bet you won't procrastinate -- after all you are a perfectionist. This method would only yield productivity for the motivated.

 

[DrDre2017]

@DrDre2017
I fought this in UG. I conquered it by indulging myself in extracurriculars. I became a resident assistant, joined a medical fraternity, sought out an internship, volunteered and shadowed physicians. The more involved I became with other things, the easier it was for me to sit down and crank out studying/projects because I had no other choice. If you eliminate the ability to procrastinate, I bet you won't procrastinate -- after all you are a perfectionist. This method would only yield productivity for the motivated.

This does remind me of something though, the other reason I didn't do that much outside of classes besides wanting a high GPA that I forgot about (IDK why, it was pretty recent... Maybe it just seems like a distant memory now). I was diagnosed with depression/anxiety back from high school, which has occurred between 9th and 10th grade, then went into "remission," then started occurring on and off my freshman year and over the summer. The most recent episode was November to early March, and it got pretty bad (skipping classes, hiding from friends and avoiding ECs, and generally not being motivated to do anything...)

I guess I'm "stable" now, on antidepressants, seeing a counselor, and keeping in close contact with parents and friends that I trust. And I should trust all of these things to work and not be afraid to move forward with my life, I guess. But if I "eliminate the ability to procrastinate" and that happens again... That could be bad... Advice?

 

[mehc012]

This does remind me of something though, the other reason I didn't do that much outside of classes besides wanting a high GPA that I forgot about (IDK why, it was pretty recent... Maybe it just seems like a distant memory now). I was diagnosed with depression/anxiety back from high school, which has occurred between 9th and 10th grade, then went into "remission," then started occurring on and off my freshman year and over the summer. The most recent episode was November to early March, and it got pretty bad (skipping classes, hiding from friends and avoiding ECs, and generally not being motivated to do anything...)

I guess I'm "stable" now, on antidepressants, seeing a counselor, and keeping in close contact with parents and friends that I trust. And I should trust all of these things to work and not be afraid to move forward with my life, I guess. But if I "eliminate the ability to procrastinate" and that happens again... That could be bad... Advice?

Personally, keeping busy was always something I used to stave off similar episodes myself. For me, being productive and avoiding depression go hand-in-hand. Things which help me achieve one naturally help me avoid the other. Perhaps that's not true for everybody, but if it's something you're concerned about, it's worth asking yourself if you think that is how you would react under those conditions.

 

[MedNation907]

@DrDre2017
It's hard for me to relate as I haven't dealt with clinical depression, so I don't qualify for any guidance with that.

However my earlier suggestion still stands. In my opinion, any derivative of increasing work load is the best way to not only prove to ADCOMs that you are able to endure medical school but to also test yourself. I honestly think that anyone applying to medical school should be able to do those things I listed above while maintaining a good GPA. If you're not already working a job on campus or researching in a lab, get into something now and slowly start including yourself in other volunteering and shadowing activities. After all, those things are essential for your application too.

It's hard to learn how to ride a bike without removing the training wheels. Right now time is your training wheels, if you remove some of the extra time you'll discover your ability to work efficiently and I think the psychological components will follow.**

I mentioned I had similar issues, and I say with certainty that becoming a resident assistant was the best decision I ever made in UG. It forced me into a life of continuous planning and social obligations which overall, I believe, really qualified myself for medical school.

That is my recommendation.

**You mentioned in your response (at least what I took from it) that you're afraid of increasing your work load because it holds potential of sending you into another episode of depression. Wouldn't you want to know before entering medical school if you can rise to heightened stress with minimal free time? I can't speak from experience of the rigors of medical school, as you can tell from my status, but the stress and mental obligation is no secret and with the price of tuition these days it should be assumed for your own sake.

 

[JimmyB123]

I burned every bridge I had so that failure would ruin my life. Knowing that you're completely screwed if you fail can be a powerful motivator.

You burned every bridge on purpose?

 

[Mad Jack]

You burned every bridge on purpose?

Yeah. I made it substantially harder for me to go back to my old life, because I knew that if I had an easy out to go back to my old job, apartment, and life, I'd take it. It paid off too- there was a month in the fall where I was just like, "if I had my old job to go back to, I'd be gone in a second..."

Undergrad was kind of the same deal- if I failed, I'd have a ton of debt I'd never repay, a job that barely put food on the table, and no home to go back to on account of a very serious falling out with my family. I succeeded because I had to, if I didn't I'd have probably ended up on the streets.

 

[DrDre2017]

@MedNation907 Very good point about med school. And it wasn't so much that I'm scared that taking on more will send me into depression, as much as it is that if I increased my workload and then became depressed again (not necessarily because of the work), the consequences of that would be worse than if I was only doing a few things. But then again, no risk, no rewards. Thanks!