I don't know about your buddies... Don't you know about something they call trade-off? Some people can keep that intensity for 3 years; I found out I that I can't after I did it... Good for you if you can!
My goal is to be a non-competitive applicant with zero regrets.
What I think is sad is when people think studying 8 hours in 1 day is somehow difficult. Do you know how you'll be studying for boards? A lot longer than 8 hours a day that's for sure.
That's a stupid philosophy. Esp. as you have no idea what will be on boards.
I totally get where you're coming from. I thought I was pretty special heading in to school, and at this point I'm worried about even passing.
Are you actually studying though? I mean really 8-10 hours and you're actually going thru material? Not on your iPhone, not on Facebook/SDN/Twitter, etc. I mean actually listening to lectures, writing and drawing things out, etc. for all 8 to 10 hours?
Then why are you still so sad in your avatar?
Yes, indeed. We all are little cogs in the wheel of CorpMed. 30 years from now, we will all have hospital insignias branded into our skin telling people which hospital system we belong to. I like your avatar name bc 1) the actual story behind it and 2) it reminds me of the song Summer Girls by LFO with the song lyric, "boogaloo shrimp".
What class(es) are you taking now?
That's one of the things I've been working on lately, is making sure that 8-10 hours is actually good study time and it's getting better. I try and avoid SDN/facebook during the day. While I do struggle with focusing while watching lectures, I'm able to snap back fairly quickly and rewind to where I was. So essentially yes, I feel like that time is spent actively trying to study.
Does your school record lectures? Many times going to class is useless when you can watch the same lecture at home and write down everything. There is also an app that can lock certain frequently used websites while you are studying, I forget the name but you can Google it.
Biochem, anatomy, clinical medicine, behavioral medicine (will be done on Friday), OMM, and some ethics class that's only met once so far.
Yeah I've talked to various second years, as well as the schools support center which was very helpful. Most of the advice I get from upperclassmen tends to be vague, like "find something that works for you," or just that their habits vary by class.
What is it with DO schools giving exams every week? I'm noticing a pattern. It's absolutely nuts.
I only watch the lecture recordings. I knew very early on going to class wouldn't work since my attention is bad I have to rewind when I space out.
Yes, so this is what I did. I would print out that day's lecture and then literally write down everything that wasn't on the slide - annotating it like you said. You have the ability to watch it up to 2x speed so this really isn't a problem as profs take pauses, breaths, ummms, etc. Don't "study" at that time, just get the **** down. Then you can commit it to memory, by reading and studying it, or what you kids do these days - Firecracker, Anki, whatever.
I appreciate the advice. Oddly enough biochem is the class I'm struggling the least in. I really enjoy studying it, and both of those tests have been good to me so far. While I've failed tests in other classes, anatomy is the class that's kicking the crap out of me. Too much information, and almost no organization coming from the professors, so I feel like I have to sort through a river of crap to even find out what I'm supposed to be studying.
I am starting anatomy in two weeks. Your struggle with anatomy will make me more 'vigilant' about it ... Do you have any specific advice/books etc... for Anatomy @DermViser ?
My sentiments exactly
I would say first you need a really good atlas. My school had all multiple choice exams, but I know some schools do practicals where a structure is pinned and you have to identify it. For dissections - Rohen's Atlas works really well when you're not in the lab.
