Invaluable advice to incoming med student

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Glad I found this thread! So much insight :D

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Med school is not hard, it's just time-consuming. If you put the hours in, you will succeed. In the time that you're not spending studying or in the hospital you should be recharging and doing things you enjoy. Stay sociable. ALWAYS have a smile on your face and a positive attitude. Don't let stressful tests or mean residents get to you. :luck:
 
Med school is not hard, it's just time-consuming. If you put the hours in, you will succeed. In the time that you're not spending studying or in the hospital you should be recharging and doing things you enjoy. Stay sociable. ALWAYS have a smile on your face and a positive attitude. Don't let stressful tests or mean residents get to you. :luck:

In regards to the first two years especially, I totally agree. Think about the fact that of all the subjects/concepts, there is very little, if anything, that is inherently hard to learn or understand. What I mean is that given enough time, you can learn all of this stuff to the point of being an expert. What makes med school "hard" is the absolute volume of information coming your way in a relatively small amount of time. It's an exercise in time management as much as understanding what you're learning. But if you succeed in that management (and trust me, you will be forced to), you will have time to do things that you enjoy. Don't get scared by those stories of people locking themselves in and studying all the time....those are by far a small minority, and I promise you most of them are simply unwilling to change their study habits and are unhappy. We have marathon-runners (I'm a half-marathoner), we have students teaching fitness and dance classes, students playing intramural flag football/basketball/soccer etc, and many other students doing many other non-school related things at my school. Do things like making it a rule that every Friday and/or Sat night is your night, no matter what (except maybe during exam weeks). Life is meant to be enjoyed, so let yourself enjoy it no matter what. Med school is actually FUN too. You're learning stuff and getting to do/see things that very few people in this world will ever get to. Join clubs and specialty interest groups, get to know your classmates (future friends and colleagues who you can call for advice 10-15 years later), etc. Don't get too far ahead of yourself too quickly...yes there are some tough times ahead in school and especially in medical practice, but you will burn out quickly if you don't enjoy the moment often. Good luck and congrats to those already accepted!
 
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Great advice. Only thing I'd add is that when it's time to study, do exactly that: STUDY!!! Don't get distracted and go on facebook or youtube or whatever and prolong your studying time.

Me personally, if I have to sit down and study a 1 hour lecture, you bet that in that one hour, all I'm doing and thinking about is the lecture in front of me. If you develop the discipline to focus intensely, you will end up with more free time than you'll know what to do with.

In regards to the first two years especially, I totally agree. Think about the fact that of all the subjects/concepts, there is very little, if anything, that is inherently hard to learn or understand. What I mean is that given enough time, you can learn all of this stuff to the point of being an expert. What makes med school "hard" is the absolute volume of information coming your way in a relatively small amount of time. It's an exercise in time management as much as understanding what you're learning. But if you succeed in that management (and trust me, you will be forced to), you will have time to do things that you enjoy. Don't get scared by those stories of people locking themselves in and studying all the time....those are by far a small minority, and I promise you most of them are simply unwilling to change their study habits and are unhappy. We have marathon-runners (I'm a half-marathoner), we have students teaching fitness and dance classes, students playing intramural flag football/basketball/soccer etc, and many other students doing many other non-school related things at my school. Do things like making it a rule that every Friday and/or Sat night is your night, no matter what (except maybe during exam weeks). Life is meant to be enjoyed, so let yourself enjoy it no matter what. Med school is actually FUN too. You're learning stuff and getting to do/see things that very few people in this world will ever get to. Join clubs and specialty interest groups, get to know your classmates (future friends and colleagues who you can call for advice 10-15 years later), etc. Don't get too far ahead of yourself too quickly...yes there are some tough times ahead in school and especially in medical practice, but you will burn out quickly if you don't enjoy the moment often. Good luck and congrats to those already accepted!
 
- Study like hell for step 1. This is one test that will determine how stressed out you are when it comes time for residency apps. I loved Goljan. Learning by listening and reading was much better than reading alone. Worked for me.

- Be a good team player. Your classmates are not your competition. And your residents are not your equals. Know your place and help out when you can. Being a gunner will guarantee you crappy evals.

- Anticipate. As a resident, the medical students that stand out to me are the ones who pay attention and learn to anticipate what needs to be done. They don't wait to be told what to do. As a medical student, you can either tag along or you can become an important part of the team. How proactive you are determines which of these you'll be.

- If you want to do a procedure, ask. A lot of times we are just to darn busy to look for you or get you involved in something. If you stay close by and tell us when you want to be hands-on, the procedure is yours.

- Have a positive attitude. Medical school is hard but we are extremely lucky to have the privilege of taking a patient's life in our hands.

- Have a life outside of medicine. I can't emphasize this enough. Even if it means less sleep, keep in touch with your friends and family. Exercise. Do things that make you feel rejuvenated and sane.

Best of luck!!!
 
This forum is great! I like all the good info and the explanations for what the first few years are going to be like.

I have a very specific question for those of you who were med students and parents. My kids will be 8 and 10 when I am doing my M1 year. Does anybody have advice for how to juggle being an involved parent and attend med school? I know both suck up a lot of time!! Any advice would be helpful... I'm stressing about this.
 
This forum is great! I like all the good info and the explanations for what the first few years are going to be like.

I have a very specific question for those of you who were med students and parents. My kids will be 8 and 10 when I am doing my M1 year. Does anybody have advice for how to juggle being an involved parent and attend med school? I know both suck up a lot of time!! Any advice would be helpful... I'm stressing about this.

1. Have a very supportive spouse/partner who understands that he/she will have to pick up the slack and do most of the tucking in, bedtime stories etc from now on.
2. Go to a school in a city where you have some family or lots of friends you trust.
3. Understand that you may not be able to be as involved as you want to be and dont feel guilty about it. Failing a course and having to remediate over the summer will take more time away from the kids than that PTA meeting you missed cos you were studying for an NMBE shelf.
4. Luckily, your children are old enough to reason with so take advantage of that and be open with them. I have a 3 year old and he just does not get why daddy has to read that textbook instead of watching Yo Gabba Gabba with him like we used to.
 
This forum is great! I like all the good info and the explanations for what the first few years are going to be like.

I have a very specific question for those of you who were med students and parents. My kids will be 8 and 10 when I am doing my M1 year. Does anybody have advice for how to juggle being an involved parent and attend med school? I know both suck up a lot of time!! Any advice would be helpful... I'm stressing about this.

I have two kids (<1 and 3 yo). I think it's great having kids to come home to (most days). It's nice to have a life outside of med school. I have had to come to terms with not having as much time to study as my classmates, but I've never been close to failing. And I have a very supportive spouse, which I'm thankful for.

You've probably already been balancing family and work and school for a while now. Med school may just be more of the same. You won't do everything as well as you want, but you'll learn to have realistic expectations. Or who knows, you may rock at it.
 
I was told this advice many times as an undergrad but I kind of ignored it. Three days into med school I realized how much more useful I would have been if I had listened.... This is especially true for anyone attending on practicing in California or any other similar states........

LEARN SPANISH LEARN SPANISH LEARN SPANISH.

Seriously.

LEARN SPANISH.


I'm pretty much dedicating my entire summer to doing so.
 
1. I agree with Ryserr, learn Spanish
2. don't listen to other people. study using the books that work for you, where it works for you. if class isn't for you don't worry about it. do things your own way and don't let people freak you out.
3. you don't need to study everyday but yes you do need to study. unlike in undergrad when you can just study the day before you do have to keep up. but i don't study during the weekend at all except two weekends before midterms/finals and i don't study everyday. so try to keep up but take some time for rest.
4. find other interests apart from medical school, whatever it is.
 
don't study too much for your classes. do take time for step 1.

This is easy for some measly M1 to say (that's me, not you, PBJ), but I feel compelled to point out that there is such a thing as "point of diminishing returns". I have classmates who study way, way more than I do. They probably do a bit better than I do, too. But is it ultimately worth it, all things considered? Not so sure.
 
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This is easy for some measly M1 to say (that's me, not you, PBJ), but I feel compelled to point out that there is such a thing as "point of diminishing returns". I have classmates who study way, way more than I do. They probably do a bit better than I do, too. But is it ultimately worth it, all things considered? Not so sure.

:thumbup: I'll go as far as to say I'm pretty damn sure its not worth it. But i guess it depends on your priorities and what you wanna do. Are you gunnin for derm? Might be necessary to know as much as you possibly can.
 
Don't show off even once in class during the first years or volunteer questions in class to show how "smart" you are, even if you know the material backwards and forwards you'll just end up looking ridiculous. Keep your head down and just submit to the fact that you, yes, have to memorize all that stuff.
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?
 
Assess your sensitivity to energy drinks way before exam day.
Make sure you're not doing anything for the first time the morning b4 an exam. It sucks to realize, halfway through a test that you are one of those people who has to use the bathroom every 30 mins when you drink a redbull
 
Assess your sensitivity to energy drinks way before exam day.
Make sure you're not doing anything for the first time the morning b4 an exam. It sucks to realize, halfway through a test that you are one of those people who has to use the bathroom every 30 mins when you drink a redbull

Hah, made this mistake on the morning of my MCAT. Tea, as it turns out, likes to make its way out of your body quickly. You'd think I'd have kept that in mind after drinking it religiously for years. This is bad when you're trying to figure out the force of deceleration of some silly little ball, and your bladder is hating life.
 
Assess your sensitivity to energy drinks way before exam day.
Make sure you're not doing anything for the first time the morning b4 an exam. It sucks to realize, halfway through a test that you are one of those people who has to use the bathroom every 30 mins when you drink a redbull

Hahaha, thankfully I learned this the hard way in college. My last organic chem exam, which I had to rock to do well in the class....stayed up late and drank Red Bull that morning...never had to pee so bad in my life and was only allowed to leave once for a bathroom break! Last time I ever used Red Bull...I recommend Amp.
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?
Not sure what kind of answer you're looking for... You just keep up. It's really that simple. Read a little each day...or read every other day and have a lot more to read. Save some for the weekend or use the weekend to review what you already read. There are tons of strategies that work for the different study habits of people...find one that works for you. There will be textbooks, syllabi notes, powerpoints, etc to look at....just stay on top of it and you'll be fine. Most people always feel a little behind...that's OK, just make sure you don't get too far behind.
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?

Some people are book readers and some are not. The profs at my school assign chapters they will cover in class but I find that I get nothing from reading a thick text book so I use review books instead. As for reading the notes (my school has a note taking service), I find that repetition is key. It sucks to get started but just going over and over the notes helps me absorb the material. Good luck....
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?


You just read. Do what you gotta do and put in the time necessary to finish it. That time will vary for each person and for what you are trying to get out of the read - are you trying to put it to memory or just get a first run through? You'll have so many resources that you won't know what to do with them - multiple recommended books from other students, assigned books from professors, core notes, powerpoints, etc. You cant read it all. Youll figure out which sources work for you and youll go with it.
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?

At my school, profs focus on powerpoint slides so essentially if you can (and most people do this) memorize all the slides, you can pass exams.

What I find works for me is that if I'm not genuinely interested in the topic, I force myself to find something interesting about it or to make it sound interesting in my head somehow. After this happens, reading 100+ powerpoint slides makes it less of a chore. On top of that, it makes me want to look up the topic in a review book (IMO, textbooks are pointless to study from for an exam since the material is too dense and low-yield).

But as somebody said above, and you'll hear this over and over and over from almost everyone, finding out what works for you is the key.
 
How do you guys keep up with all the reading you have to do? I'm guessing you have to read 100+ pages each week if not day?

You just put the time in, that is all. Eventually you become really efficient and almost photographic in your memory.
 
Be yourself. Just because someone else has a way of studying or goes to every class or w/e doesn't mean you have to. Just do what works best for you.
 
Hi guys,

First I just wanna tell ya'll that this thread is awesome.

I have a particular concern that I hope you all could answer for me... I'm kinda slow at memorizing things. For example, when I took biochem in undergrad (2nd year) it took me forever to memorize the pathways, structures, etc. Orgo chem was a nightmare for me as well... I'm really afraid biochem will hurt my step 1 score a lot. Any tips for memorization, not only for biochem but for all courses in med skol in general?

So far, from what I've gathered, the only tricks I've learned are mnemonics, flashcards, and repetition. Repetition works (in time) for me, but it takes too long and I know you're crunched on time during the entirety of med school, so any advice on how to memorize well and efficiently? :eek:

Thanks to everyone!!! ;)
 
Hi guys,

First I just wanna tell ya'll that this thread is awesome.

I have a particular concern that I hope you all could answer for me... I'm kinda slow at memorizing things. For example, when I took biochem in undergrad (2nd year) it took me forever to memorize the pathways, structures, etc. Orgo chem was a nightmare for me as well... I'm really afraid biochem will hurt my step 1 score a lot. Any tips for memorization, not only for biochem but for all courses in med skol in general?

So far, from what I've gathered, the only tricks I've learned are mnemonics, flashcards, and repetition. Repetition works (in time) for me, but it takes too long and I know you're crunched on time during the entirety of med school, so any advice on how to memorize well and efficiently? :eek:

Thanks to everyone!!! ;)

If you come up with an answer for that one, let me know. I've been looking for one for years.

I've got step one in two days. Thankfully, biochem is not that big a part of it.
 
Hi guys,

First I just wanna tell ya'll that this thread is awesome.

I have a particular concern that I hope you all could answer for me... I'm kinda slow at memorizing things. For example, when I took biochem in undergrad (2nd year) it took me forever to memorize the pathways, structures, etc. Orgo chem was a nightmare for me as well... I'm really afraid biochem will hurt my step 1 score a lot. Any tips for memorization, not only for biochem but for all courses in med skol in general?

So far, from what I've gathered, the only tricks I've learned are mnemonics, flashcards, and repetition. Repetition works (in time) for me, but it takes too long and I know you're crunched on time during the entirety of med school, so any advice on how to memorize well and efficiently? :eek:

Thanks to everyone!!! ;)

You're starting in the fall, right?

Best I can tell, since I'm not there quite yet: biochem is only lightly tested on Step, which is more a matter of pharmacology / pathology / physiology. So don't sweat it too much there.

As far as actually knowing stuff... for me, rote memorization is a means of last resort. I've always found it better to put things into my own words and do what I can to actually understand the material instead of just memorizing it. The bad part is that there's a lot in med school where you just gotta know it. :scared:

It's like the difference between saying "oh, sure, pilocarpine is a muscarinic agonist which constricts the pupil" and saying "oh, sure, pilocarpine constricts the pupil because it's a muscarinic agonist, and since the parasympathetic nervous system uses ACh on muscarinic receptors at its targets -- and since the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the whole 'rest and digest' stuff, when you wouldn't need your pupils dilated to gather all that light to see the lions coming to eat your ass -- increasing parasympathetic tone WOULD constrict your pupils, wouldn't it."
 
Just some general advice:

In the beginning it seems like your first test is a million years away. You don't study as much as you should until the test is next week and then you start. I know it is so hard to do, but if you can start studying early it would make med school so much better.
 
You're starting in the fall, right?

Best I can tell, since I'm not there quite yet: biochem is only lightly tested on Step, which is more a matter of pharmacology / pathology / physiology. So don't sweat it too much there.

As far as actually knowing stuff... for me, rote memorization is a means of last resort. I've always found it better to put things into my own words and do what I can to actually understand the material instead of just memorizing it. The bad part is that there's a lot in med school where you just gotta know it. :scared:

It's like the difference between saying "oh, sure, pilocarpine is a muscarinic agonist which constricts the pupil" and saying "oh, sure, pilocarpine constricts the pupil because it's a muscarinic agonist, and since the parasympathetic nervous system uses ACh on muscarinic receptors at its targets -- and since the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the whole 'rest and digest' stuff, when you wouldn't need your pupils dilated to gather all that light to see the lions coming to eat your ass -- increasing parasympathetic tone WOULD constrict your pupils, wouldn't it."

Thanks a bunch, but I think the thing is that when I was studying biochem, we had to study all of the pathways, chemical structures, all to minute detail (even stereochemistry) and piecing everything from the subatomic level up to how the body interacted as a whole was incredibly too overwhelming. Is med school gonna all be like that? My hardest year of college was 2nd year fall semester, when I took 3 of the hardest classes in my major and commuted about an hour to school each day. I went to a very competitive college (on level with Harvard, Duke, etc), so I guess it was pretty hard for colleges in general, but with everything I've been hearing and reading about on this forum, it seems like chaos. I know that there's lots of different ways to study, and that everyone studies best in a different way, but I hope that you guys can give me some advice and tips on understanding, and memorization (that stems from the understanding). Can someone please help? Thank you! :love::luck:
 
My advice is more mental stability and social than it is academic, but here goes:

1. Don't worry too much about your social life first year. Med school is a rough place with a lot of people with giant egos and people who think they're the top of the world at first. I made this mistake and ended up suffering because of the fact that I'm a quiet, generally eccentric person. You will make friends who are loyal and will stick to you, but don't expect to get along with absolutely everyone. Develop a support group who will stick with you and keep you company when life sucks, and you'll do just fine.

2. DO NOT CRAM. This might work for the 180+ IQ people who have photographic memory but it does not work for most human beings, even if it did in undergrad. It will help you in the long run understanding information as well as memorizing it.

3. Do not worry if you don't do as well as you'd like in classes. It is not the end of your dream residency. You have Step 1, third year, research, and your interviews to make up for it.

4. Exercise regularly and keep healthy habits and diets. I cannot emphasize this enough. It will keep your energy level up and you'll just plain feel better at the end of the day. Learn how to cook if you don't know, as it is far better than eating outside crap every day.

5. You will have gunners in your class. You will feel the need to retaliate. Don't do it. It's not worth your time, and you'll probably end up doing fine anyway regardless of what they do.

6. Keep an open mind. I hated orthopedics before going to medical school and thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. Now I love it and I find it utterly fascinating and enjoyable.

7. Med school is more like high school than it is like college. You are with the same 150-200 students every day and drama + friction is inevitable. People will hook up and break up within your class, and you might be one of them. People will not like you. You will not like other people. Don't worry or give a crap about it, take it in stride, and continue on with your life. You will be with these people for the next four years of your life and might even be stuck on rotation with them, so don't piss people off by retaliating but at the same time don't feel obliged to make friends with everyone. You are here to become a doctor and do the best you can--you shouldn't let nonsense get in your way, and you'll regret it (as I do) if it does.

8. Keep in contact with your friends from college and high school--or at least the ones who want to keep in contact with you. You'll find that those are the friends who last. They will keep you sane. You cannot just find friends in medical school and not feel driven crazy--not to mention during the summers you'll just feel bored and lonely.

9. If someone starts freaking out about details or listing their grades, GET OUT OF THERE. A lot of people have different expectations about what to do. You are your own person and you will determine your own destiny.

10. Your family are the only people you can ever fully rely on through thick and thin. Like it or not, you will lose friends if all you do is complain to them. Your family will support you no matter what, so if you need to complain to people, that's who you call.

11. Above ALL ELSE... if you have something which brings you comfort, whether it's a hobby, religion, an activity, prayer, meditation, or whatever, use it from time to time. It'll only help.
 
My advice is more mental stability and social than it is academic, but here goes:

1. Don't worry too much about your social life first year. Med school is a rough place with a lot of people with giant egos and people who think they're the top of the world at first. I made this mistake and ended up suffering because of the fact that I'm a quiet, generally eccentric person. You will make friends who are loyal and will stick to you, but don't expect to get along with absolutely everyone. Develop a support group who will stick with you and keep you company when life sucks, and you'll do just fine.

2. DO NOT CRAM. This might work for the 180+ IQ people who have photographic memory but it does not work for most human beings, even if it did in undergrad. It will help you in the long run understanding information as well as memorizing it.

3. Do not worry if you don't do as well as you'd like in classes. It is not the end of your dream residency. You have Step 1, third year, research, and your interviews to make up for it.

4. Exercise regularly and keep healthy habits and diets. I cannot emphasize this enough. It will keep your energy level up and you'll just plain feel better at the end of the day. Learn how to cook if you don't know, as it is far better than eating outside crap every day.

5. You will have gunners in your class. You will feel the need to retaliate. Don't do it. It's not worth your time, and you'll probably end up doing fine anyway regardless of what they do.

6. Keep an open mind. I hated orthopedics before going to medical school and thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. Now I love it and I find it utterly fascinating and enjoyable.

7. Med school is more like high school than it is like college. You are with the same 150-200 students every day and drama + friction is inevitable. People will hook up and break up within your class, and you might be one of them. People will not like you. You will not like other people. Don't worry or give a crap about it, take it in stride, and continue on with your life. You will be with these people for the next four years of your life and might even be stuck on rotation with them, so don't piss people off by retaliating but at the same time don't feel obliged to make friends with everyone. You are here to become a doctor and do the best you can--you shouldn't let nonsense get in your way, and you'll regret it (as I do) if it does.

8. Keep in contact with your friends from college and high school--or at least the ones who want to keep in contact with you. You'll find that those are the friends who last. They will keep you sane. You cannot just find friends in medical school and not feel driven crazy--not to mention during the summers you'll just feel bored and lonely.

9. If someone starts freaking out about details or listing their grades, GET OUT OF THERE. A lot of people have different expectations about what to do. You are your own person and you will determine your own destiny.

10. Your family are the only people you can ever fully rely on through thick and thin. Like it or not, you will lose friends if all you do is complain to them. Your family will support you no matter what, so if you need to complain to people, that's who you call.

11. Above ALL ELSE... if you have something which brings you comfort, whether it's a hobby, religion, an activity, prayer, meditation, or whatever, use it from time to time. It'll only help.

:thumbup: Awesome post.
 
As you all have said I have not studied this summer. However, I would like to buy some books early so that I can dive into studying asap as soon as school starts. Can someone give some insight into what books are absolutely essential?
What is the best medical dictionary?
 
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If you have anatomy - netters
CMMRS (clinical microbes made ridiculously simple)
and Robbins.

I would say those are your only three ESSENTIAL books.

I don't even know of anyone using a medical dictionary.

edit: CMMRS isn't even THAT essential. The best advice: just flip through a book and see if you like the style.
 
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As you all have said I have not studied this summer. However, I would like to buy some books early so that I can dive into studying asap as soon as school starts. Can someone give some insight into what books are absolutely essential?
What is the best medical dictionary?

Don't buy one, just search online.
 
Technically, there really aren't any essential books. So much of this will depend on the quality of your school's syllabi. Plus, many schools will purchase online copies of texts that you can use. (My school does this for Robbins, Junquiera, Vander's and a bunch of others). There's also plenty of web resources like Blue Histology. You'll also find that tons of study aids circulate amongst the students from each other and upperclassmen.

The reason everyone says don't buy texts until after a week or two of classes is noone really knows which ones will be useful to them. Everyone's got individual tastes, needs, and schools. I know plenty of my classmates who got along just fine w/o buying a single text.

That being said this is what I found useful last year

Histo: Wheater's
Anatomy: Netter's (Though a lot of my classmates preferred Gilroy or Rohen's)
Physiology: BRS
Biochem: BRS, Lippincott's
Neuro: No text - our school's materials were more than enough

I wish I had bought an old copy of FA. Lot's of my classmates found it useful to follow along with during the year and to use for review for our cumulative exams.
 
wait till you start school... your school might test you strictly from their note packs (making any book you buy obsolete)... ok, maybe netter's is worth buying... or rohen's, or both...depending on what you're into...

also, why do people keep talking about buying a medical dictionary? dude, it's called wiki, or dictionary.com, or google, or anything online...

say no to (physical) medical dictionaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D
 
Technically, there really aren't any essential books. So much of this will depend on the quality of your school's syllabi. Plus, many schools will purchase online copies of texts that you can use. (My school does this for Robbins, Junquiera, Vander's and a bunch of others). There's also plenty of web resources like Blue Histology. You'll also find that tons of study aids circulate amongst the students from each other and upperclassmen.

The reason everyone says don't buy texts until after a week or two of classes is noone really knows which ones will be useful to them. Everyone's got individual tastes, needs, and schools. I know plenty of my classmates who got along just fine w/o buying a single text.

That being said this is what I found useful last year

Histo: Wheater's
Anatomy: Netter's (Though a lot of my classmates preferred Gilroy or Rohen's)
Physiology: BRS
Biochem: BRS, Lippincott's
Neuro: No text - our school's materials were more than enough

I wish I had bought an old copy of FA. Lot's of my classmates found it useful to follow along with during the year and to use for review for our cumulative exams.

is wheaters really that much better than netter's essential histo, or langes histo? or do you not have experience with anything but wheaters?

also, i agree with gilroy!!! AKA thieme... it worked wonders for me... i'm 3-d ******ed if that helps...
 
If you have anatomy - netters
CMMRS (clinical microbes made ridiculously simple)
and Robbins.

I would say those are your only three ESSENTIAL books.

I don't even know of anyone using a medical dictionary.

edit: CMMRS isn't even THAT essential. The best advice: just flip through a book and see if you like the style.

never seen robbins being used in M1... CMMRS is great...

netter's is always a must buy...
 
is wheaters really that much better than netter's essential histo, or langes histo? or do you not have experience with anything but wheaters?

Wheater's is the only one I've looked at. Had an old copy I got for $5. Along with Blue Histology and study aids made by upperclassmen, it was more than enough for me.
 
:thumbup: Awesome post.

Thanks :)
I have a few more:

12. A lot of people will say you "have" to study in groups when you get to med school. No, you don't. If your study style works better on your own, then go for it. For me what ended up happening in groups was that it turned into socializing more than studying, and you're not there for that. You're in medical school to become a doctor, and if you want to do well, you can't screw around too much. There is always time to destress, but when you study, study HARD.

13. Chocolate makes everything better.

14. Don't get too involved in extracurriculars if you can't handle it. If anything choose an extracurricular which allows you to have fun as well, be it a sports team or whatever.
 
13. Chocolate makes everything better.

the entirety of your suggestions are awesome....and while i agree with this 1001% i have to add.....


a good cup of coffee makes everything better :)
 
I highly recommend webster's medical dictionary (the desk version, not the huge one). Sure you could look online, but it's nice to have not have to be tied down to my computer, especially since it can be a distraction at times.
 
I found that there are a *few* books that are great across the board (listed below). However, the texts you will use will vary depending on your school. For example, although Constanzo was the required text for physiology at my school, each professor taught their respective topics from the text books that they authored themselves.

Physiology: BRS physiology (Constanzo), Guyton's Textbook of Physiology was great- especially for cardiovascular phys.
Biochemistry: Rapid Review (Goljan)
Anatomy: Netter's atlas, BRS anatomy (Chung)
Histology: Wheater's Functional Histology
 
BRS physiology
Bates' pocket guide to physical examination (the big one is online)
 
Clinical ____ Made ridiculously Simple is fun read, even if its not as detailed as it should be.
 
At this point, the only thing you can be sure of is that you'll need an Anatomy atlas.

I recommend Netter's Atlas: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416059512
Netter's flash cards are also very helpful: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=143771675X

I can't really recommend any textbooks or review books to you at this point because you'll probably want to find out what the required books are at your school first.

The only review book I would say you should buy now is BRS physiology, because it's by far the most popular review book for physiology. A lot of people use it even when their school recommends a different book or provides their own notes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0781773113
 
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