Time Management?

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BloodySurgeon

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HOW are these gunners have time to take like 4 science classes go to parties, volunteer and still have free time to do hobbies and sports?! Is it pure brains, time management or what?! I see alot of ppl do this but I dunno if they get As? is this rare or common? I have trouble enough to do 2 science classes and 2 major requirements! I would understand if they get B's, but i dunno if thats the case. Im too paranoid myself to go to a test without overstuding, which would probably take most of my social life. Do you guyz feel the same?

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My guess is that every minute they're not at a party or playing a sport they're studying or sleeping - unless they're one of those rare geniuses that doesn't need to study. I took almost all of my science classes during 1 year (so Bio, O. Chem, Physics, and random stuff like biochem, lab and genetics all together), while shadowing, doing research, and working part-time. I had a very needy boyfriend, too. Basically I just cut out all "me" time, and got rid of the unproductive downtime - for example, (almost) no TV, no sitting around doing nothing, (almost) no shopping, no fun little trips to other cities or the beach or whatever.

When you know you have a ton to do, you're not as likely to waste time, so it's really not as hard as it sounds. I actually do better when I know every minute needs to be productive.
 
Ive said this earlier in another post: I am interested in Keck School of Medicine and was wondering what your profile was like to get in. Also, wasn't your GPA hurt by taking all your premed classes in 1 year or did you just go in overdrive?
 
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Ive said this earlier in another post: I am interested in Keck School of Medicine and was wondering what your profile was like to get in. Also, wasn't your GPA hurt by taking all your premed classes in 1 year or did you just go in overdrive?

I answered the stats in the other thread, but as far as taking them all in one year being a problem, I actually did better in my postbac than I did in undergrad - and basic science really isn't my thing. Since I knew I had no time to goof off I was MUCH better about managing my time, and didn't procrastinate (which was a huge problem for me in college).
 
if these 'gunners' are anything like me- just don't sleep. i employ polyphasic sleeping, and that gives me SO much time to do things. i completed UG in two years and still had respectable stats. Sleep = evil.
 
gunners party? no way.
 
gunners party? no way.

yea gunners dont party. gunners only study.

balanced people party.

some genius balanced people party and slaughter their courseloads, however tough they are. its a gunner mentality to try and judge these people... to possibly gain their edge. its a fact of life, unless you're smarter than stephen hawking, there's always someone smarter than you out there.
 
Thinking of school like a 9-5 job has always really helped me. I do what I can to get all my homework and studying done by 5... and then I can justify hanging out and having fun for the rest of the night. It doesn't obviously always work out, but thinking of it like a job helps me manage my time throughout the day more efficiently so I have time for fun, too.
btw, I am not a 'gunner', just thought I'd drop my 2 cents about time management
 
yea gunners dont party. gunners only study.

balanced people party.

some genius balanced people party and slaughter their courseloads, however tough they are. its a gunner mentality to try and judge these people... to possibly gain their edge. its a fact of life, unless you're smarter than stephen hawking, there's always someone smarter than you out there.

That's true. So gunners, please take it down a peg. We all secretly hate you. :D
 
Wait is not normal to take four sciences and another credit at the same time...?

Why didn't anyone tell me this before the semester started.
 
Wait is not normal to take four sciences and another credit at the same time...?

Why didn't anyone tell me this before the semester started.

At my undergrad 90% of first year science people took chem, bio, physics, calculus, and a social science because it was almost mandatory. They designed the program in a way that gives you a lot of options of what you want to major later on, but also if you didn't have these courses under your belt by sophomore year, it was hard to get into any other upper year science courses.

5 courses per semester was considered full academic load and was needed in order to keep your chance alive at any Canadian medical or dental school.
 
Wait is not normal to take four sciences and another credit at the same time...?

Why didn't anyone tell me this before the semester started.

For any science major, it is not rare that students end up taking 3 to 4 science classes a semester.
 
I took 20 credit hours a semester (with a ton of upper level sciences and pre-med prereqs), did research, and partied my tush off in undergrad. My overall gpa isn't phenomenal because I tanked my freshman year, as I was unaware that I would actually have to make an effort in college, but I pulled 3.8s for the rest of it. The key is learning to be an efficient studier. Everyone learns differently, the key is figuring out how you can be most efficient. General tips for everyone is not to study with tv on, play classical music, sit in a comfy chair with good lighting that you never sit in unless you're studying (so your brain associates that spot with learning . . . I used to study in my bed which my brain associated with sleeping so I tended to fall asleep), also take breaks about every hour, just get up and stretch/take a walk/get a snack, if you push too long you will just be going thru the motions and not absorbing anything. If what you're doing currently isn't working, its time to change up your routine, just keep tweaking the routine a bit and eventually you will figure out how to be more efficient.
 
All premeds and medstudents are gunners by default. Maybe on different scales.
 
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