Invaluable advice to incoming med student

[megadon]

Remember after your first exams (at which point you CAN bring your grades up) What do they call the last guy who graduates in your class, doctor, what do they call the first guy who graduates in your class doctor. You class rank isn't on your diploma, so you should be here to learn, not for the grades. This is a non-gunner, non-traditional student (I'm 31) and I can tell you, it's a lot different from engineering. From what I have seen so far, this are the tips, learn the basics, they aren't hard. A lot of the questions seem out in the weeds. Focus on learning how to interact with all types of people, cause getting the histrory is probably the most important part of the exam, it will focus you on what you need to look for. If you can't talk to people, they won't tell you where to focus. Keep in mind this rave comes from someone who wants to go internal medicine or family practice. If you want to go radiology, bury your head, you need to board score, and not the people skills.
More importantly, if you have a signifigicant other, or fiancee, or husband/wife, you should remember that, or you won't at the end. They are not in med school, are there is a limit to how much they want to learn from you vice spending real time with you. I personally am afraid this will affect me. Medical school is a large part of your life, but isn't your life. If it is, which is fine, you need to reexamine your priorities and realize love is going to fall relatively lower.

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[naegleria brain]

Remember after your first exams (at which point you CAN bring your grades up) What do they call the last guy who graduates in your class, doctor, what do they call the first guy who graduates in your class doctor. You class rank isn't on your diploma, so you should be here to learn, not for the grades. This is a non-gunner, non-traditional student (I'm 31) and I can tell you, it's a lot different from engineering. From what I have seen so far, this are the tips, learn the basics, they aren't hard. A lot of the questions seem out in the weeds. Focus on learning how to interact with all types of people, cause getting the histrory is probably the most important part of the exam, it will focus you on what you need to look for. If you can't talk to people, they won't tell you where to focus. Keep in mind this rave comes from someone who wants to go internal medicine or family practice. If you want to go radiology, bury your head, you need to board score, and not the people skills.
More importantly, if you have a signifigicant other, or fiancee, or husband/wife, you should remember that, or you won't at the end. They are not in med school, are there is a limit to how much they want to learn from you vice spending real time with you. I personally am afraid this will affect me. Medical school is a large part of your life, but isn't your life. If it is, which is fine, you need to reexamine your priorities and realize love is going to fall relatively lower.

megadon makes some very good points. incidentally, the divorce rate among neurosurgeons is reported as high as 90% and upwards. competitive, time intensive fields become your life, and the rest is secondary. not everyone wants to go into ortho, derm, ophtho, but if you do, you probably need an intense schedule to make studying your life.
if that's not your aim, studying is STILL a HUGE part of your life, but it's not the only part. i'll guarantee you that relations with a bf/gf will be quite strained at first, but it can be overcome. if you become like me, it's much much harder, and i admit it, i don't got it in me to balance a girl and work and research and extracurriculars and whatnot. my sacrifice was girl; sad, but if you know youre making the right choice, the lonely spells are workable

someone previously asked when i go to class. this brings up a good point. some people need to go to class. others can go, sleep, and absorb stuff passively. others play a crossword in the back. others sleep. if you do the latter two, don't bother going
depending on the professor, i sometimes go to class in the morning. if he/she is good, i'll usually go. if theyre fast, or not reall clear, i study on my own. at my school, lectures are recorded and posted minutes after theyre given. so if its an intensive spiel on complement activating pathways, and he goes way too fast, i just wait for the recording and pause every minute and go at my own pace. only the worst lectures will take a full two hours to do, but i usually know it pretty well by the end.
i recommend you go to class for anatomy, or whatever your first block is, and get the feel for it. next block, go for a week, and then try to figure out if you really should or not. i didn't attend a day of biochem or physio. but after that i started screening professors. if they were new, i never gave them the benefit of the doubt; i either studied on my own, or snuck in an extra hour of sleep before listening.

some guys are nice and tell you what's on the test. so always find this out!

my schedule i know is really intensive, and may scare a lot of you. but not everyone does it. yes i make sacrifices. but i shared it to show you that extremes in medical school are possible. you CAN study, work, research, have executive positions in clubs, and sleep all at once. you can also study less, have a SO, and drink once in a while with buddies too on the other end. doing it all though is tough. most of you are very intelligent people, and when it comes to school and life, not everyone has had to make sacrifices. some of you, esp. the aspiring dermatologists and orthopedic surgeons out there, are going to start making them here. that's what i'm trying to get across, so don't let my posts on this thread freak you out too much, it's not my intention!

 

[spreebee]

I am not sure if this has already been said, but SPEND YOUR TIME LEARNING. That should be your motto for surviving the basic science years. Different people learn in different way, so find what works for you. Ignore everyone else's methods of learning. This includes teacher suggestions, classmate suggestions, etc. If you learn gross anatomy best by sitting in a coffee shop with an atlas and a textbook and get nothing out of lab, then go sit in your coffee shop and don't listen to the nay-sayers. I'm not saying you shouldn't at least try what other people say, but if it doesn't work for you then you should not keep doing it. And do not feel guilty about skipping class, etc. I could learn 10X more in medical school with a quiet room and a pile of the right textbooks with a good syllabus telling me what chapters to learn. Other people I know learn 10X more by sitting in class. So do what works for you!!!

Oh, and have some fun too!

It always makes me laugh in undergrad when a professor gives us notes and says no one will be able to study them 2 days before an exam and do good... Hell, I study them 2 days before an exam and get A's... Or those professors that have given you a research paper and say your pushin it if you haven't started it the week of the deadline... Hell, I'll sit there 2 days before the deadline and pump it out of the press after 12 straight hours and get an A... Point is, your right... Don't listen to what your professors say and do it how you do it best....

 

[psipsina]

megadon makes some very good points. incidentally, the divorce rate among neurosurgeons is reported as high as 90% and upwards. competitive, time intensive fields become your life, and the rest is secondary. not everyone wants to go into ortho, derm, ophtho, but if you do, you probably need an intense schedule to make studying your life.
if that's not your aim, studying is STILL a HUGE part of your life, but it's not the only part. i'll guarantee you that relations with a bf/gf will be quite strained at first, but it can be overcome. if you become like me, it's much much harder, and i admit it, i don't got it in me to balance a girl and work and research and extracurriculars and whatnot. my sacrifice was girl; sad, but if you know youre making the right choice, the lonely spells are workable

I just want to add to this by telling y'all that yesterday my hubby came up to me and told me that none of his fears about me starting medschool have come true and that he feels like our relationship is just as strong as before. I'm definitely not a slacker and my grades are good, I just make sure that the time I do spend with him is quality (and doesn't always consist of me rambling about medschool) and that on non test weekends we always have a "date" together. I also let him whine about whats stressing him out without interjecting the "ooohh, you think thats bad, well listen to what I did today. . " you will always have something that was more stressfull or worse or whatever but they don't always have to hear about how your life is so much harder, we all chose this path and it helps to keep that in mind sometimes. Anyway we had a really good relationship going in, we'll be married 7 years in June, and with a little bit of effort I have attained both academic achievement and maintained my personal relationships, you can have your cake and eat it too, you just have to prioritize it.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

I just want to add to this by telling y'all that yesterday my hubby came up to me and told me that none of his fears about me starting medschool have come true and that he feels like our relationship is just as strong as before. I'm definitely not a slacker and my grades are good, I just make sure that the time I do spend with him is quality (and doesn't always consist of me rambling about medschool) and that on non test weekends we always have a "date" together. I also let him whine about whats stressing him out without interjecting the "ooohh, you think thats bad, well listen to what I did today. . " you will always have something that was more stressfull or worse or whatever but they don't always have to hear about how your life is so much harder, we all chose this path and it helps to keep that in mind sometimes. Anyway we had a really good relationship going in, we'll be married 7 years in June, and with a little bit of effort I have attained both academic achievement and maintained my personal relationships, you can have your cake and eat it too, you just have to prioritize it.

Prioritization and time management are the keys. I am doing really well in my classes and my important relationships are not suffering in the least, but I have learned to be absolutely ruthless in managing my time. I am constantly amazed by my classmates that complain (loudly) about the 'impossibility' of the academic pace, but spend hours on drinking/carousing, video games, pickup basketball, and endless ping pong games in the lounge. Basically if you can pretty much eliminate all the time most people spend just d*cking around, you'll have plenty of time for school + what's important to you.

 

[psipsina]

Prioritization and time management are the keys. I am doing really well in my classes and my important relationships are not suffering in the least, but I have learned to be absolutely ruthless in managing my time. I am constantly amazed by my classmates that complain (loudly) about the 'impossibility' of the academic pace, but spend hours on drinking/carousing, video games, pickup basketball, and endless ping pong games in the lounge. Basically if you can pretty much eliminate all the time most people spend just d*cking around, you'll have plenty of time for school + what's important to you.

unless d*cking around is important to you, in which case you should prioritize that by all means. I know what you mean, I get asked alot how I find the time to do everything I do, by my fellow classmates and even by my non-med friends. On non-med friend recently asked me how I find the time to meditate every day because they just can't seem to squeeze it in, what can you say except make it a priority? It was really hard not to just laugh at the idea of not being able to fit something in when you have a 40hr workweek and no kids or other obligations. Just sit down and ask yourself what's really really important to you. For me its my hubby, my career and keeping myself well physically and mentally. Then identify stuff that you're willing to let go when you are crunched for time, for me its hair/makeup/nonscrub clothing, some of my less important hobbies (like SDN ) and some of my less close friendships. If you find yourself not having enough time, analyze how you are spending your time and I guarantee you're doing something that falls into the not so important list that you could cut out and replace with something from the important list.

 

[tkatchev]

unless d*cking around is important to you, in which case you should prioritize that by all means. I know what you mean, I get asked alot how I find the time to do everything I do, by my fellow classmates and even by my non-med friends. On non-med friend recently asked me how I find the time to meditate every day because they just can't seem to squeeze it in, what can you say except make it a priority? It was really hard not to just laugh at the idea of not being able to fit something in when you have a 40hr workweek and no kids or other obligations. Just sit down and ask yourself what's really really important to you. For me its my hubby, my career and keeping myself well physically and mentally. Then identify stuff that you're willing to let go when you are crunched for time, for me its hair/makeup/nonscrub clothing, some of my less important hobbies (like SDN ) and some of my less close friendships. If you find yourself not having enough time, analyze how you are spending your time and I guarantee you're doing something that falls into the not so important list that you could cut out and replace with something from the important list.

When you call your husband your "hubby," does he call you his wifey?

 

[naegleria brain]

I am constantly amazed by my classmates that complain (loudly) about the 'impossibility' of the academic pace, but spend hours on drinking/carousing, video games, pickup basketball, and endless ping pong games in the lounge.

bingo. once you've got that under control, it's amazing how much you can get done.

 

[Surg Path]

It's refreshing to hear naegleria brain's enthusiasm for research while in med school. But, Mr. Brain, if you are really into research, why do neurosurgery? Seems like a post grad track and career in which there will be little time for significant research time. Then again, I don't know what kind of research you're talking about. I've been involved in cancer cell bio research for some time (have several first author publications and so forth), and can't imagine continuing research at my current level while in med school (I start in august). In fact, I'm really sad to leave the lab.

Anyone else have opnions on research while in medschool?

 

[naegleria brain]

It's refreshing to hear naegleria brain's enthusiasm for research while in med school. But, Mr. Brain, if you are really into research, why do neurosurgery? Seems like a post grad track and career in which there will be little time for significant research time. Then again, I don't know what kind of research you're talking about. I've been involved in cancer cell bio research for some time (have several first author publications and so forth), and can't imagine continuing research at my current level while in med school (I start in august). In fact, I'm really sad to leave the lab.

Anyone else have opnions on research while in medschool?

hey surg path,

is your medical school near your lab? it's possible to keep up, but at reduced hours of course.
i like surgery for certain reasons, and research for others. it seems to me you are doing basic science research, whereas i do clinical research.
i'm absolutely sick and tired of schooling. clinical research gives me professional contact, exposure to surgery, patient contact, and seemingly useful work with residents that maintains my sanity. i also have mild OCD, so the publication at the end does wonders for anxiety.
certain fields are very research oriented. one of them is neurosurgery. a second, i believe, is radiation oncology (i may be mistaken, but a very high percentage of PhD's go there). the pathologists at my school are also very research oriented. in fact, most academic specialists are active in research.
you won't spend the majority of your day in a lab in those fields, but a significant proportion of your time is indeed spent w/ basic science and clinical research.
i also believe that it's not only our duty as doctors to treat, but really push the frontiers forward and constantly improve what we know. medicine, unlike accounting or law, has an ever-expanding, ever-improving standard of care which i, as most doctors, want to be a part of. research is a strong component of that.

in summary, research keeps me sane, establishes an "end in sight", strengthens an application, and sets a foundation for your future practice, especially if you're looking for a position in academic medicine. when you begin in august, you'll see how active your MD professors are in research, and while probably not spending time like you in a lab, do make it a significant part of their profession.

good luck in august. if, like your name suggests, you are interested in surgical pathology, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised as to how much time the pathologists at your school spend researching.

 

[psipsina]

When you call your husband your "hubby," does he call you his wifey?

No he calls me Doctor, as it should be.

 

[Surg Path]

hey surg path,

is your medical school near your lab? it's possible to keep up, but at reduced hours of course.
i like surgery for certain reasons, and research for others. it seems to me you are doing basic science research, whereas i do clinical research.
i'm absolutely sick and tired of schooling. clinical research gives me professional contact, exposure to surgery, patient contact, and seemingly useful work with residents that maintains my sanity. i also have mild OCD, so the publication at the end does wonders for anxiety.
certain fields are very research oriented. one of them is neurosurgery. a second, i believe, is radiation oncology (i may be mistaken, but a very high percentage of PhD's go there). the pathologists at my school are also very research oriented. in fact, most academic specialists are active in research.
you won't spend the majority of your day in a lab in those fields, but a significant proportion of your time is indeed spent w/ basic science and clinical research.
i also believe that it's not only our duty as doctors to treat, but really push the frontiers forward and constantly improve what we know. medicine, unlike accounting or law, has an ever-expanding, ever-improving standard of care which i, as most doctors, want to be a part of. research is a strong component of that.

in summary, research keeps me sane, establishes an "end in sight", strengthens an application, and sets a foundation for your future practice, especially if you're looking for a position in academic medicine. when you begin in august, you'll see how active your MD professors are in research, and while probably not spending time like you in a lab, do make it a significant part of their profession.

good luck in august. if, like your name suggests, you are interested in surgical pathology, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised as to how much time the pathologists at your school spend researching.

Thanks naegleria brain. The research I do is translational, which essentially means a combination of cell bio and biochemistry (lab) along with biostats, pathology research and correlative science with clinical data (survival studies, biomarkers, disease classification, ect). That's pretty vague, but you probably get the basic idea.

If I had to choose now, I'd do medical oncology, but of course things change. I do love path, and my PI is an MD/PhD and pathologist. If you pubmed: Gerald WL you will see what he (and some of what I) have been uo to.

As far as advancing science and medicine as physicians, I couldn't agree more with your attitude. Sounds like you will have an active research career whatever subspecialty you choose.

As for me, I'm still debating whether to take an MD/PhD offer, or an MD offer for next August. Why I'm debating this is another story, but suffice to say that some senior MD/PhD's have suggested that after 4 years in research with an independent project, the PhD years may only delay research I could do in fellowship years if my PhD lab is less strong than that which I'm in now.

No doubt my research will slow down while in med school, but perhaps I'll be able to keep something simmering along on the backburner as you suggested.

thanks for your advice!

 

[Surg Path]

Question: What are people's general experiences with the "problem based learning" approach? Any advice on ways to help make this strategy successful? Any significant weak areas of this srategy with regard to Step-1 preperation?

thanks

 

[indo]

PBL is a massive waste of time around these parts. Massive. I honestly believe that they subject us to it just so they can put PBL in the MSAR book.

 

[Surg Path]

PBL is a massive waste of time around these parts. Massive. I honestly believe that they subject us to it just so they can put PBL in the MSAR book.

Why? What school are you from? (if you don;t mind saying)

 

[psipsina]

Question: What are people's general experiences with the "problem based learning" approach? Any advice on ways to help make this strategy successful? Any significant weak areas of this srategy with regard to Step-1 preperation?

thanks

Having never taken the PBL type curriculum I can't speak to its strengths, but I know that most of my learning occurs with my but in a chair with my textbooks/notes/powerpoints etc, . . learning styles are just so different that no single way is going to work for all 12 people in a room, so I think the major disadvantage in PBL is that you have to be there. In a lecture based school, if you find that you are one of the many that doesn't absorb this volume of info via auditory osmosis you can just stay home (or go to the coffee shop or whatever) and do it your way. This means that you can acutally have free time almost everyday. If you go to a PBL school and find that it doesn't work for you, your stuck attending those sessions, but still have to do it your way in outside time which means a net loss in free time, which sucks.

 

[Surg Path]

Having never taken the PBL type curriculum I can't speak to its strengths, but I know that most of my learning occurs with my but in a chair with my textbooks/notes/powerpoints etc, . . learning styles are just so different that no single way is going to work for all 12 people in a room, so I think the major disadvantage in PBL is that you have to be there. In a lecture based school, if you find that you are one of the many that doesn't absorb this volume of info via auditory osmosis you can just stay home (or go to the coffee shop or whatever) and do it your way. This means that you can acutally have free time almost everyday. If you go to a PBL school and find that it doesn't work for you, your stuck attending those sessions, but still have to do it your way in outside time which means a net loss in free time, which sucks.

Thanks. From my experience I'm pretty certain that the PBL type style is the way I learn best. Certainly it is varies for each person. I'm planning on going to Drexel, which in fact offers a choice of PBL (they call it PIL) and IFM (traditional lectures and no PBL style).

There's been some discussion on PBL styles in a few med journals and there are clearly positives and negatives to the approach. I suppose the key is to find what works for you and stick with it.

 

[psipsina]

Thanks. From my experience I'm pretty certain that the PBL type style is the way I learn best. Certainly it is varies for each person. I'm planning on going to Drexel, which in fact offers a choice of PBL (they call it PIL) and IFM (traditional lectures and no PBL style).

There's been some discussion on PBL styles in a few med journals and there are clearly positives and negatives to the approach. I suppose the key is to find what works for you and stick with it.

Here's some education about PBL, bon apetite!
[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJeXDhI7L5g"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJeXDhI7L5g" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJeXDhI7L5g

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/un4ULrgVYMY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/un4ULrgVYMY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4ULrgVYMY

 

[8744]

Remember after your first exams (at which point you CAN bring your grades up) What do they call the last guy who graduates in your class, doctor, what do they call the first guy who graduates in your class doctor. You class rank isn't on your diploma, so you should be here to learn, not for the grades. This is a non-gunner, non-traditional student (I'm 31) and I can tell you, it's a lot different from engineering. From what I have seen so far, this are the tips, learn the basics, they aren't hard. A lot of the questions seem out in the weeds. Focus on learning how to interact with all types of people, cause getting the histrory is probably the most important part of the exam, it will focus you on what you need to look for. If you can't talk to people, they won't tell you where to focus. Keep in mind this rave comes from someone who wants to go internal medicine or family practice. If you want to go radiology, bury your head, you need to board score, and not the people skills.
More importantly, if you have a signifigicant other, or fiancee, or husband/wife, you should remember that, or you won't at the end. They are not in med school, are there is a limit to how much they want to learn from you vice spending real time with you. I personally am afraid this will affect me. Medical school is a large part of your life, but isn't your life. If it is, which is fine, you need to reexamine your priorities and realize love is going to fall relatively lower.

No no no. This is bad advice. They will tell you this at orientation but if you decide you want to do one of the more competitive specialties, your grades will be extremely important. And trust me, your zeal for primary care may wane once you see what's involved. Better to have the grades for Radiology but decide on Family Medicine then wanting to match into Radiology but only having the grades for Family Medicine.

If I could make you unlearn one cliche it would be "P=MD." Of course it does but there are different kinds of doctors and "P does not equal Neurosurgeon."

 

[francisdoss]

The first page of the thread were very interesting then like always... came the garbages...

 

[francisdoss]

The first pages of the thread were very interesting then like always... came the garbages...

 

[Pinkertinkle]

No no no. This is bad advice. They will tell you this at orientation but if you decide you want to do one of the more competitive specialties, your grades will be extremely important. And trust me, your zeal for primary care may wane once you see what's involved. Better to have the grades for Radiology but decide on Family Medicine then wanting to match into Radiology but only having the grades for Family Medicine.

If I could make you unlearn one cliche it would be "P=MD." Of course it does but there are different kinds of doctors and "P does not equal Neurosurgeon."

Agreed. Keep all your doors open for as long as possible. There's some really good reasons why primary care isn't competitive.

 

[Northerner]

No he calls me Doctor, as it should be.

Wow, that's an annoying thing to say. You're not a doctor, after all...

No no no. This is bad advice. They will tell you this at orientation but if you decide you want to do one of the more competitive specialties, your grades will be extremely important. And trust me, your zeal for primary care may wane once you see what's involved. Better to have the grades for Radiology but decide on Family Medicine then wanting to match into Radiology but only having the grades for Family Medicine.

If I could make you unlearn one cliche it would be "P=MD." Of course it does but there are different kinds of doctors and "P does not equal Neurosurgeon."

God, I hate that "whatever, M1/2 grades don't matter for residency anyway" attitude. Not only is it fallacious, it belittles the hard work that others do to do well in their coursework. It just reeks of insecurity. If you must downplay the importance of M1/2 grades, do it in a way that's less....annoying.

Say it like it is: "well, I'm willing to gamble my career options for the luxury of C's now, based on what what I hear from others and my own speculation".

 

[psipsina]

Wow, that's an annoying thing to say. You're not a doctor, after all...

The little winking smiley was supposed to clue you in that my post was dripping with sarcasm.

 

[Northerner]

The little winking smiley was supposed to clue you in that my post was dripping with sarcasm.

So he doesn't actually call you "doctor" ever?

...well then your post's only partially annoying and just....not funny. Take your pick: not funny or annoying.


(I usually try for both because I'm ambitious...)

 

[75969]

So he doesn't actually call you "doctor" ever?

...well then your post's only partially annoying and just....not funny. Take your pick: not funny or annoying.


(I usually try for both because I'm ambitious...)

I laughed

 

[Ashers]

No no no. This is bad advice. They will tell you this at orientation but if you decide you want to do one of the more competitive specialties, your grades will be extremely important. And trust me, your zeal for primary care may wane once you see what's involved. Better to have the grades for Radiology but decide on Family Medicine then wanting to match into Radiology but only having the grades for Family Medicine.

If I could make you unlearn one cliche it would be "P=MD." Of course it does but there are different kinds of doctors and "P does not equal Neurosurgeon."

I heard P=FP (Family Practice) from someone, and I prefer that saying.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

So he doesn't actually call you "doctor" ever?

...well then your post's only partially annoying and just....not funny. Take your pick: not funny or annoying.


(I usually try for both because I'm ambitious...)

and you're a prick. why derail a useful thread over this?

 

[Bertelman]

If you had received some advice from those already in med school what do you wish they had told you?

Use SDN...


But don't waste too much time here.

 

[Northerner]

and you're a prick. why derail a useful thread over this?

Well someone's got to. I miss the days when Allo was overridden by "What do I need to know/should I do before I start med school" threads. Those were good times. The moderators were up to their neck moving threads around. It was chaos.

 

[Northerner]

In the interest of NOT being a total burden on the SDN community, let me see if I can get the thread back on track after psipsiniapsi's little stunt (naturally I was the victim in that whole thing).

Advice? Alright, how about lists, has anyone mentioned that yet? Make lots of lists. The way to get an A on a test is to make a list of every way you can think of to go through the material in different ways. A list where, in looking at it, you think: "alright, if I did everything on that list, if I: 1) highlighted and took notes on every lecture, checking them off as I listen to the audio recordings, 2) make a review sheet of all the diseases that were presented and some key facts, 3) type up my own set of bulleted notes, 4) glance through all the text suggested readings and jot down some notes on those, 5) read through the entire notes set to make sure you've read and recognize everything mentioned, there's no way in Hell I could get less than an 85.

About 5 days before the exam, you should (ideally) be at a point in your studying where even if you took the test right then, you'd sure you'd at least pass it. Hone it all from there. Organize your time and progress. List all the lectures you have to go through and check the bastards off as you go through it in different ways.

There, you happy?! I'm a good ****ing person, damnit!

 

[khadija]

speaking of lists ... can someone give me a list of which specialties need (or as they say, prefer) students who have done research?

 

[psipsina]

I laughed

 

[naegleria brain]

speaking of lists ... can someone give me a list of which specialties need (or as they say, prefer) students who have done research?

the list is expanding. all competitive ones for now. ortho likes it, nsurg, rads, derm, ENT, ophtho, etc.

for nsurg, ophtho, and i think derm+ENT, it's not even really prefer, it's turning into need.

regardless, the fact that you ask this question means that the field in your mind is different. different usually translates into >= somewhat competitive. somewhat competitive at the minimum says that research is golden utensils instead of gold-plated ones, and at most, is pretty much a requirement since 90% of the other applicants will have it

 

[8o8o8o8]

It may be too late for this advice, but

1) Really look into the learning resources at each school. All of our lectures are uploaded online and then can be watched at any time via RealPlayer so they can be sped-up or slowed-down (with the 2xav plugin) ... and you never even have to go to class (except for small group). That format was great for me in my 1st year & a half in the classroom. My schedule was flexible and I learned at my own pace. I would highly recommend a school where video is availbe. (its also synched to the powerpoint slides which change as you watch so no fuzzy video).

2) relax, if you've been a good student all of your life, you know how to absorb material. At most schools the 1st semester is pass/fail which gives you time to figure out how you are going to make med school work for you. You'll real time to shine is when you hit the clinics.

3) You're professors & fellow students are resources not competitors. If your class is able to unite somewhat and share great resources when they find them, everyone benefits

4) Do not buy books until after starting a course (unless upper classman recommend one, or you are definitely a book, not lecture notes learner). Often times lecture notes are quite sufficient for an exam.

Feel free to pm with further questions

 

[Biscuit799]

I heard P=FP (Family Practice) from someone, and I prefer that saying.

I like it, but it leaves out the possibility of Peds, IM, PM&R... how about P=PCP?

 

[Biscuit799]

It may be too late for this advice, but

1) Really look into the learning resources at each school. All of our lectures are uploaded online and then can be watched at any time via RealPlayer so they can be sped-up or slowed-down (with the 2xav plugin) ... and you never even have to go to class (except for small group). That format was great for me in my 1st year & a half in the classroom. My schedule was flexible and I learned at my own pace. I would highly recommend a school where video is availbe. (its also synched to the powerpoint slides which change as you watch so no fuzzy video).

2) relax, if you've been a good student all of your life, you know how to absorb material. At most schools the 1st semester is pass/fail which gives you time to figure out how you are going to make med school work for you. You'll real time to shine is when you hit the clinics.

3) You're professors & fellow students are resources not competitors. If your class is able to unite somewhat and share great resources when they find them, everyone benefits

4) Do not buy books until after starting a course (unless upper classman recommend one, or you are definitely a book, not lecture notes learner). Often times lecture notes are quite sufficient for an exam.

Feel free to pm with further questions

Awesome advice, and hard to truly take in. But if you can NOT compare yourself to others, then your life will be infinitely easier. This means don't share your grades, don't ask others how they're doing. The only comparison you need is to the class average, and that's just so you can make sure you're keeping at the level you need to be at to be successful.

 

[naegleria brain]

Awesome advice, and hard to truly take in. But if you can NOT compare yourself to others, then your life will be infinitely easier. This means don't share your grades, don't ask others how they're doing. The only comparison you need is to the class average, and that's just so you can make sure you're keeping at the level you need to be at to be successful.

easier said than done. i make friends with upper year students. i can thus avoid the nonsense drama, not have anyone to compare to, and feel good about stuff. and i can get advice about next year too.

 

[lilnoelle]

I laughed

I did as well.

 

[ut2010]

As a first year student, I have been surprised by the pace and volume of medical school, even though people told me about it, I could not imagine what it actually meant until experiencing it myself.

My Advice: Keep up with the material everyday, once you get behind it is hard to catch up. What helps me is not going to class and instead taking the time to preview that day's lecture before listening to it.

Of course you have be disciplined to keep up with lectures if you are doing them on your own, otherwise go to class.

The other thing that has been helpful to me is to compartmentalize the tasks I need to get done in a day. I work, in addition to going to school, and will be volunteering soon. To get everything I done, I need to schedule specific tasks for specific times.

I also had some very serious difficulties that impacted my ability to do well during the year, it took away too much of my focus. From that experience, I learned that I need to set aside time to deal with personal issues and deal with them at that time instead of problem solving them all day long. So again, compartmentalize, both personal and professional issues.

Good luck

 

[NightnDay79]

I agree w/ ut2010. Afterall if you stay at pace with everything, then when you review it won't take up as much as your time as if you hadn't kept up with it.

If you know of old exams, check them out, not for it's substance, but ideas of what may be asked. Upper year students may also remember certain emphasis the professors put on their exam.

BRS can be a brain saver for troubled areas in a lecture. It gets down to the substance quickly.

from previous posts, Id say do some step 1 Qs along with your lectures; some professors will pull from such sources from time to time, and more importantly it will help out in the future for reinforcement.

Not sure how it is at other schools with recorder lectures, but here there are archived lectures from the previous year too. So, if this years lecture is not so straightforward, you could check the one from previous year & see if it's better

 

[lina123321]

hey everyone, i just wanted to know if there's any advice you would give to MS0's about to start their first year...is there anything you wish you knew prior to, or during the beginning of MS1 or MS2 that would have been beneficial later on during the year(s)...any strategies or tips of advice?...thanks

 

[cfdavid]

hey everyone, i just wanted to know if there's any advice you would give to MS0's about to start their first year...is there anything you wish you knew prior to, or during the beginning of MS1 or MS2 that would have been beneficial later on during the year(s)...any strategies or tips of advice?...thanks

From the perspective of doing well, I'd just say to stay on top of things. If you manage your time well, you'll do just fine. Treat it like a job. Keep a positive attitude, and know that you may not love every course. But, you just need to get through it.

Good luck, and enjoy the summer.

 

[Critical Mass]

All of the attractive women are already taken.

BYOW

 

[lilnoelle]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=95608&highlight=advice

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=385163&highlight=advice

 

[lina123321]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=95608&highlight=advice

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=385163&highlight=advice

thanks...the BYOW, priceless

 

[lilnoelle]

bump for incoming MS1s

 

[lilnoelle]

bump for incoming MS1s

 

[da8s0859q]

Man how bored, pathetic, or lonely must you have been to have wasted your time writing the most sarcastic essay of all, and I emphasize ALL, time.

Seriously. That sort of thing just isn't funny anymore

 

[njbmd]

Merged all of the "Advice Threads".