Freaking out about the upcoming semester

[ILovetheOC]

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in quite some time, but oh well. I have a rather interesting first semester of medical school and now that I am on vacation, I sense that I may be burnt out. I mean, I don't know where I got the strength to study so much and to be so regimented, and I don't know if I can continue that discipline when second semester starts. Plus, I am SO sick of anatomy and I'm starting to forget things that I learned in September/October that I just don't see how knowing the minutiae of every human body part is gonna help me to continue to persevere in anatomy. Ugh, medical school is no joke. . . .anyone else feel this way? I thought I would pre-read for the upcoming semester to get a headstart on the material. After I did that, I started to panic and be like, omg, I have to know all of this?!?! Geez . . .

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[felipe5]

hey there buddy,

welcome to the life that is medical school. I can safely assure you that you are NOT alone....in fact, you may be feeling what the majority of us are all feeling. Did you look around during your last final?!? I did, and boy, did everyone look like absolute CRAP.....funny how everyone looked so different than they did during orienation: bags under the eyes, bloodshot eyes, razor sharp facial hair, and so on. Try and just relax during the break (yes I know its tough....my upcoming block has gotta be the worst one all year), because i have a feeling that we're gonna need all the energy we can get. Remember, we'll make it through one way or another. Might as well relax while we have really nothing official on our plate.

 

[JulianCrane]

I completely agree with Fleeps! Relax, chill out . . . you'll regret it if you don't

 

[thackl]

Enjoy your break, and no, you are not alone. I forget stuff a week after I learn it..... but it comes back quicker the 2nd time and even faster the 3rd. The material you actually use in practice is what will really stick.

And for you pre-allo's reading in here....... enjoy your time off before school. Despite what you think (or what you've been told by gunners), pre-studying is a complete waste of time.

 

[usmle007]

Hey guys I just wanted to tell you theat the best way to study for the board is to use the BRS material. I just fisnished the basic sciences..so it thought
I would give you guys a heads up!



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[ChiaPet312]

i agree with the previous posts: ENJOY YOUR TIME OFF.

it's really tough, retaining ALL the info we're taught. but yeah, i think this kind of helps. i bought a usmle book *first aid* and tried to write details in it as the semester went along (i.e biochemistry). by filling in the details, it helped me remember stuff. i know classes are time consuming as is, but try to make it a part of your study routine.

and remember, all of us are going through the same stuff. all of us have our doubts, all of us have our worries about not being able to make it (except the real smart a**es). in the end, though, all of us get through b/c we have each other to bounch off of.

Enjoy your break, and no, you are not alone. I forget stuff a week after I learn it..... but it comes back quicker the 2nd time and even faster the 3rd. The material you actually use in practice is what will really stick.

And for you pre-allo's reading in here....... enjoy your time off before school. Despite what you think (or what you've been told by gunners), pre-studying is a complete waste of time.

 

[ginger_flower]

Cheer up, I know it seems hard now because everyone around you is now stellar and you don't feel as special as you did in ugrad - I mean to get into med school everyone had to be something special....I suppose. I echo other's advice to enjoy your break and not worry about remembering stuff. Heck, I've forgotten tons of stuff since MS1 and to tell you the truth, the really important stuff will be reinforced over and over again, so don't worry... and, also, you know more than you think you do and it comes back to you despite you thinking its gone to memory (MS3 pimping will illustrate this to you beautifully in 2 years).

 

[shocker682]

Don't worry too much about it. You've only got one species to worry about. In vet school we deal with 5 species, each with subtle and confusing differences, but you just gotta realize that all the important stuff will be reiterated throught the 4 years. Anatomy is just a necessary evil anyways.

 

[cfdavid]

I was talking to a doctor buddy of mine today and he said he wouldn't change a thing. Then he said "well, I wouldn't have been so uptight about things, and worrying all the time."

I'm not in med school, but this is what he said.

 

[Hoo\/er]

Chill. Just remember the most important equation, C=MD, and you'll be fine.

 

[Lexian]

I was talking to a doctor buddy of mine today and he said he wouldn't change a thing. Then he said "well, I wouldn't have been so uptight about things, and worrying all the time."

Well, it's easy to say something like that after you've already been through it.

 

[closertofine]

About the pre-studying thing, I definitely agree, even once in med school...I just finished my first semester, and last week I tried cracking a book to get a quick idea of some concepts we'll be covering the first week or so (since I am generally a MAJOR procrastinator and ended up learning lots of material right before finals...so I was going to try harder to keep up).

But bad idea...my brain needed a break, it seemed...so I gave up and have been spending the last part of my break getting outdoors, playing around with photography, etc...kind of wished I hadn't even started trying to study! I feel like it wouldn't be useful anyway since I would only maybe learn the material for the first half-day of lecture! Better just to have a real break and then focus once school starts back.

But I have realized that I haven't even gotten chores and stuff done yet...one more day of freedom, and I have groceries to get, a room to clean, laundry to do, etc... (better get started!)

OK, end of my kind of irrelevant rambling...

 

[Paws]

I feel nervous about the upcoming semester too, mostly because the gentle handholding we got the first block is now gone and we are really in the soup now.

Plus, I tried to read through the information the PI gave me so I could write up a proposal for a summer research project and whoa nellie! I felt like one big dumbo. Of course, cancer immunology is hard right? I'm not supposed to know this stuff??? My poor brain is weeping and I have to somehow write something intelligent before the fire hydrant know as 'second block' starts and I am lost until late May.

Hard core research makes me feel super stupid ...