What you wish you had known/ done BEFORE starting medical school?

Started by Dr Dazzle
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Dr Dazzle

Dr Dazzle

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Hey,

For all you guys currently in medical school, I was hoping you could provide some insight into what your experience has been so far? What do you wish you would have done in terms of academic preparation/ life preparation to help you succeed in medical school?

What would you have done differently in under grad or before applying to medical school which would lead you to be better prepared now in med school?

Thanks for the insight!
 
I wish I would have...

1. Taken anatomy (everyone saiddon't take it in undergrad because it wouldn't be helpful in comparison to thedifficulty of anatomy in med school--- so I didn't take it. But I really wish I would have.)

2. Got more bookshelves

3. Bought more 3-ring binders

4. Organized my apartment when I moved in- I never got around to doing it after school began

5. I wish I wouldn't have bought text books--- I don't think med school professors understand the term"required". I would have been just fine with a Netter's atlas, dissection book, and I like using the embryology textbook...but that's it.

6. I wish I would have realized how differently exams are in med school v. undergrad. The exams at my school are alwaysbased off of lecture presentations, which is really easy...if you know thatahead of time.

7. Not told my friends (4 hrs away) I would be back to visit at least onceper month--- I have only seen them about 2 times this semester

8. I wish I would have realized that the people who always have all the answers in class are just reading it from the powerpoints they printed out before class.

More importantly...I am glad I did...

1. Aim to get 100% on my first exams (even though I only did it once, and Ireally struggled in the beginning of the year) - starting off well was a hugemotivator and it helped reduce the stress later in the course

2. Kept my workout routine and go to bed before midnight (at least most ofthe time)

3. Go to a DO school- although not initially my first choice I haveactually (surprisingly) really enjoyed the OMM class.

4. Not quit— school was a lot harder than I expected, but coming up on Xmasbreak I am really glad I stuck with it!!
 
Dr Dazzle said:
Hey,

For all you guys currently in medical school, I was hoping you could provide some insight into what your experience has been so far? What do you wish you would have done in terms of academic preparation/ life preparation to help you succeed in medical school?

What would you have done differently in under grad or before applying to medical school which would lead you to be better prepared now in med school?

Thanks for the insight!
Click to expand...

DO NOT GO TO MED SCHOOL RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE; FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BE SURE TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OFF!

Taking time off will not only make you more mature, but it gives you a perspective on how much the real world can suck.
 
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I wish I wouldn't have taken so much sh** from idiot interns and residents as a 3rd-year student. I realize this can be a dangerous approach, but the students I knew that told douchey residents where to stick it didn't end up with worse grades than anyone else.
 
modsar said:
I wish I would have...

1. Taken anatomy (everyone saiddon't take it in undergrad because it wouldn't be helpful in comparison to thedifficulty of anatomy in med school--- so I didn't take it. But I really wish I would have.)

2. Got more bookshelves

3. Bought more 3-ring binders

4. Organized my apartment when I moved in- I never got around to doing it after school began

5. I wish I wouldn't have bought text books--- I don't think med school professors understand the term"required". I would have been just fine with a Netter's atlas, dissection book, and I like using the embryology textbook...but that's it.

6. I wish I would have realized how differently exams are in med school v. undergrad. The exams at my school are alwaysbased off of lecture presentations, which is really easy...if you know thatahead of time.

7. Not told my friends (4 hrs away) I would be back to visit at least onceper month--- I have only seen them about 2 times this semester

8. I wish I would have realized that the people who always have all the answers in class are just reading it from the powerpoints they printed out before class.

More importantly...I am glad I did...

1. Aim to get 100% on my first exams (even though I only did it once, and Ireally struggled in the beginning of the year) - starting off well was a hugemotivator and it helped reduce the stress later in the course

2. Kept my workout routine and go to bed before midnight (at least most ofthe time)

3. Go to a DO school- although not initially my first choice I haveactually (surprisingly) really enjoyed the OMM class.

4. Not quit— school was a lot harder than I expected, but coming up on Xmasbreak I am really glad I stuck with it!!
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Umm...don't go to a DO school. You'll get a residency in family med or psychiatry. That's about it. MD all teh way.
 
-I took a year off before I started, felt good man.

-Years 1 and 2: Step 1 is the only thing that really matters here. People generally don't care that you honored anatomy, so don't kill yourself trying to do extremely well in your classes. Instead, your goal is to know First Aid inside and out. That doesn't mean that you need to start studying for Step 1 immediately, but you should figure out your general plan for step 1 early in second year. If I could do it over, I'd start reviewing First Aid 6 months before test day. The one or two months you get to study is enough if you just want an average score, but if you really want (or need, if you're gunning for a competitive specialty) a phenomenal score, you'll probably need more time than that. I did pretty well (255), but I'm pretty sure I could have done better if I started earlier. Some people will say, "Just do well in your classes and don't worry about Step 1", but IMO this is bull****.

-Year 3: Despite all the horror stories, most attendings, residents, and interns are actually nice people; granted, I'm only half way through third year, maybe I'm lucky, I haven't had surgery yet, and this could be specific to my school.
 
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Honors do matter for some specialties or hospitals. Why? Because class ranking matters in some specialties or top programs in less competitive specialties.

I think medical school advice should be based upon the individuals ambitions. Yet, there is some general advice:

1. No need to study in advance
2. Take everything serious from day 1
3. Focus on understanding rather than memorizing (learn for long-term / step 1)
4. Keep up, don't fall behind
5. Remain balanced (exercise/rest/hobby or socializing)

I think we can all agree that there is no secret to doing well in medical school. I would estimate that 80% or more of the students know what to do to be excellent but less than 1/3 will end up doing it. There is a difference from knowing the path and walking it.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! I am actually looking at a year off, since I didn't apply at the end of my junior year in under grad. However, currently the plan is to do a masters program which has physiology, anatomy, histology, biochem and micro included in it. While these are not all MS1 classes, I am hoping that exposure to these classes will help me be better prepared to do well in medical school. While many say it doesn't help much to have exposure to these classes since med school is totally different, at least it will help me on a psychological level that I am not starting from scratch having never taking any of these classes in undergrad.

Really appreciate your guys' insight. Step 1 is definitely a big deal for the first two years. What resources have you guys used/ and which ones did you find most useful? As mentioned, a good approach is to review first aid while going through first year courses. But med school courses do go into more detail than is required on Step 1. Like MCAT, practice is key i guess.
 
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Dr Dazzle said:
@Modsar is it really as simple as memorizing slides?
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At my school, yes, memorizing slides basically guarantees you a good score. The trouble people run into is their ability to absorb X amount of material in Y amount of time. Example: in our recent molecular biology class, we had 1500 slides to memorize over a 1.5 week period. This doesn't factor in the other fluff classes we have (and we have quite a few).
 
Brachyury said:
DO NOT GO TO MED SCHOOL RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE; FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BE SURE TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OFF!

Taking time off will not only make you more mature, but it gives you a perspective on how much the real world can suck.
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This times 1000000. I love where I'm at now because I hated my job so much.
 
OP - Think about 10, 20, 30 years from now. Are you really going to care about that one masters you got before med school? No. What would you be glad you did? I'd bet that you would remember things like - backpacking across Europe, working for an NGO in a 3rd-world country, joining the military, joining the peace corps. Learn a new language, try a new hobby, work on a political campaign. Basically, do anything adventurous or different NOW, because you will not have the time/opportunity later. It may not make you a better applicant, but it will make you a better person. I will never regret not doing more "pre-med" stuff - I will regret not having more adventures in my youth (but, I am glad that I have more than most of my peers). And they will make you a better medical student - more mature, more rested and ready to tackle a new adventure.
 
Brachyury said:
DO NOT GO TO MED SCHOOL RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE; FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BE SURE TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OFF!

Taking time off will not only make you more mature, but it gives you a perspective on how much the real world can suck.
Click to expand...

Yes, it sometimes helps to have that extra perspective.

I did not enjoy my pre-clinical years, but taking **** from some stupid ******* boss because you need the money to live was in many ways worse.

That's not to say that I'm walking on clouds now. I still take **** from attendings, but I take comfort in the fact that its a temporary circumstance.
 
numberwunn said:
OP - Think about 10, 20, 30 years from now. Are you really going to care about that one masters you got before med school? No. What would you be glad you did? I'd bet that you would remember things like - backpacking across Europe, working for an NGO in a 3rd-world country, joining the military, joining the peace corps. Learn a new language, try a new hobby, work on a political campaign. Basically, do anything adventurous or different NOW, because you will not have the time/opportunity later. It may not make you a better applicant, but it will make you a better person. I will never regret not doing more "pre-med" stuff - I will regret not having more adventures in my youth (but, I am glad that I have more than most of my peers). And they will make you a better medical student - more mature, more rested and ready to tackle a new adventure.
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I did this before medical school. When I was in Paris, I found Oscar Wildes grave and got to read all the crazy stuff on it. Now it's 2.5 years later, I'm living on bread crumbs, and I read on CNN that his grave had been completely restored and a glass wall put around it. Hahahahaha suckas.
 
Dr Dazzle said:
Hey,

For all you guys currently in medical school, I was hoping you could provide some insight into what your experience has been so far? What do you wish you would have done in terms of academic preparation/ life preparation to help you succeed in medical school?

What would you have done differently in under grad or before applying to medical school which would lead you to be better prepared now in med school?

Thanks for the insight!
Click to expand...

I wish I had believed that my prestudying would be useless. I wish I didn't pre-study... I was so very inefficient even months after graduation. This had nothing to do with burn out and everything to do with not knowing what kind of insane studying medical school requires. I look back at my pre-studying and laugh. I did over those few months what I now can do in less than a week... probably 4 days.
 
1. I second the guy that said anatomy in college. Even if it's not quite at the level of med school anatomy it will make you stress a little bit less. Most of the people in my class have taken anatomy and have at least heard the terms if not remembered it. While I was ???? the first few weeks. Some of the people in my class that know what's going on have taken anatomy 2+ times (no joke) before taking our med school anatomy.

2. Pre-study don't do it. Maybe stuff you think you already kinda know, but only if you REALLY want to. Otherwise it's just not the same. You're not going to study nearly the amount you want to/need to to do well in class + burning all that free time you could be relaxing.

3. Downtime is important!!! Burn-out is common, so you need to find something that helps you chillax. I.e. rest during your breaks and don't pay attention to the guy that says study 8 hours a day or you fail. I found doing even 2 hours a day puts me in good shape.

4. Do what works for you. For everything. Give yourself 4-6 weeks at the beginning to figure out what this is. Go to class, don't go to class, check out the textbooks, slides, syllabus, visual learning, kinesthetic etc. Everyone is different.

5. Don't let people psych you out. This is common.

6. Set your own goals and try not to compare yourself to other people. Obviously you need to pass 😛 but set your sights on what you want out of your classes. Grades don't *really* matter to a certain extent, but the other poster was right in that sometimes class ranking is based on this. So I would say don't slack off, but don't kill yourself either. Do the best that you can do, while trying to take everything with a grain of salt.

7. I second the required textbooks thing. I actually did listen to the upper years and didn't go out and buy as many textbooks as I would have otherwise. But I still bought three too many. You just don't have the time to read the chapters, and most of the time the textbooks are waaaay convoluted for what's on the exam. You *will* need an anatomy textbook: I liked McMinn's (over Rohen's simply because McMinn's labels were alphabetized which makes it a helluva lot easier to find things). There's also Netter's (get the flashcards at the very least, you'll thank me later) if you like the cartoon version of things, which isn't super helpful when you're standing in front of a cadaver that doesn't look as pretty as Netter's nor color coded. Sometimes have a reference text will make you feel a little better - so if you're struggling with a subject, look up on these forums or amazon for the best subject book to get. But don't go out off the bat and just buy the books. Like now I am debating whether to get an immuno/micro text, but I don't think they would tell me more than my slides/wiki, it would be just to look up a couple pages and make myself feel better.

8. Don't be afraid to spend money for med school resources. This applies to comfort food, textbooks, good quality pens/etc. You're paying a lot of money to go to med school, so an extra 5$ a day to get your favorite sandwich that helps you study that much more isn't a big deal or paying for a tutor if you need it. As a friend put it to me when I was debating whether or not to splurge on more food - you could be trading $50 for an entire grade higher. And is x amount of money really going to matter in the long run? Obviously don't go out and buy a BMW if you have massive loans, but a little bit is fine 😛.

Good luck!
 
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Thanks for the replies! I will qualify the Masters program by saying that my gpa is on the low side before application to med schools, so in my case it is necessary to show I can make up for the low grades I got early in some prereqs.

I will be sure to take Anatomy, Physio, Biochem and Histology through the program. As mentioned, at the very least they will get me started on the right path once med school starts up.

Any input on if you guys study for Step 1 while taking med school classes? Or will most of you take 2-3 months off after 2nd year to study?
 
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+1 for take Anatomy.

I also wish I had developed better study skills. I didn't realize how bad I was at studying until my first med school test. Preclinical for me has been learning how to actually be a good student.
 
1. would have got a guyton and read through it a year before starting if you're like me and come from a finance major. perhaps would have watched the aclands videos as well, just to get a general overview of where everything is etc, so it's not completely alien when you start.

2. give up alcohol and partying when you get to college. going out three nights a week and thinking you're the new christian troy will result in a sharp awakening when you miserably fail your first shelf exams and then have to burst your ass for the rest of the year to compensate. learn from my mistakes.

3. once you give up alcohol and stick the head in the books you'll sail that mutha!!!!!!
 
Not that the iPad was around back then, but I wish I had bought it and utilized it when it had first come out. Theoretically speaking, a bunch of books could be put on it, which books they might be, I don't know. Also, awesome annotation software, iAnnotate and Paperport (formerly Noterize)
 
1. Travel before get in.
2. Keep in touch with friends outside of med school.
3. Have an interest outside of medical school or medicine.
4. Learn to say, "I don't know" and ask for help.
5. Learn to cook efficiently.
6. Understand when enough studying is enough studying.
7. Don't screw over your classmates.
8. Exercise regularly.
9. Do not worry about Step 1 until 2nd year.
10. Even the gunners, the nice ones, the shy ones, the failing ones, and you have some personal problems or issues related to med school.
 
Brachyury said:
DO NOT GO TO MED SCHOOL RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE; FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BE SURE TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OFF!

Taking time off will not only make you more mature, but it gives you a perspective on how much the real world can suck.
Click to expand...

i agree taking a year off is nice, but i wouldndt d it just so i could work at a ****ty job. I would do it to go travel or live in a foreign country.

Dr Dazzle said:
Thanks for the replies everyone! I am actually looking at a year off, since I didn't apply at the end of my junior year in under grad. However, currently the plan is to do a masters program which has physiology, anatomy, histology, biochem and micro included in it. While these are not all MS1 classes, I am hoping that exposure to these classes will help me be better prepared to do well in medical school. While many say it doesn't help much to have exposure to these classes since med school is totally different, at least it will help me on a psychological level that I am not starting from scratch having never taking any of these classes in undergrad.

Really appreciate your guys' insight. Step 1 is definitely a big deal for the first two years. What resources have you guys used/ and which ones did you find most useful? As mentioned, a good approach is to review first aid while going through first year courses. But med school courses do go into more detail than is required on Step 1. Like MCAT, practice is key i guess.
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are you doing a masters in those classes b/c you want to boost your GPA? If you have a good GPA and you are just taking those classes b/c you think it will give you an advantage...i would rethink your decision. It really wont make that much of a difference. You are going to pass your courses regardless of if youve had one in the past. If youve taken anatomy already, then great. If you havent, don't worry about it.

My #1 advice would be to learn spanish learn spanish learn spanish learn spanish. I guess its dependent on where you are going to be attending school, but a lot of states have a heavy spanish speakin population. If you are going to be in states liK CA, TX, FL...its crucial.
 
I disagree on the anatomy class. I didn't take anatomy and I don't find it to be particularly difficult. The issue is I find dissecting to a goddamn waste of time and that's basically 9 hours out of the week sometimes. It's incredibly inefficient.

One thing I wish I knew was how bad the preclinical years would be with regard to organization and teaching by PhD's. These people are clueless on focusing on the important things and think that integrating clinical is important (by giving us waste of time physical exam sessions) even though we don't know crap as an MS1.

Second, I learned that being able to do well on an exam does not equate to actually knowing the material (they may be correlated). I would recommend anyone to learn the material to know it, and then things will fall into place (even if you don't do fantastic on the test, you will be prepared when the boards come around).
 
I wish I had known how much memorizing is required in med school. I came from a chemistry and physics background in undergrad, and we were always taught to understand concepts and then apply it to solve problems on an exam. Med school is completely different... just pure memorize and regurgitation. I wasn't prepared for that when I started, so I ended up failing my first couple exams until I whipped myself into shape and got into memorize/regurg mode.

Also, I wish I had taken the first two years more seriously. Everyone says all you need is a good Step 1 and pre-clinical grades don't matter, so I slacked off a lot during M1 and M2 because I knew I could memorize/regurg just enough to pass the class and then read board review books on the side. This didn't help me though and I felt unprepared when studying for Step 1. I still passed but scored a few points below national average and now I'm kicking myself. I guess my point is don't slack during M1 and M2 and force yourself to learn the material because most of it shows up on Step 1.
 
Dr Dazzle said:
Any input on if you guys study for Step 1 while taking med school classes? Or will most of you take 2-3 months off after 2nd year to study?
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My school gives you 6 weeks after second year. Don't count on 2-3 months.

I wish I had been a little more diligent in my studying, but I'm also really glad that I took a year off from school (doing a master's doesn't count) because it really put things in perspective when I did start school again. I'm not at the top of my class by any means (I might actually be below average now), but I'm happy that I'm able to do so much outside of class and not have to worry about the grade that goes on my transcript (because it will be a P, just like the person who gets 98% on every exam).

I wish I had started going through First Aid earlier than I did (we're on a completely integrated curriculum, so we started path along with anatomy in January).

I kinda wish I had taken another year off so that I wouldn't have to be in the guinea pig class for our curriculum, but I don't think I would've enjoyed being in the class below me as much... my class is so amazing, and we're probably the closest class to come through in a long time.

I did not take anatomy in undergrad, and while it was a bit of a struggle for me, I did fine.
 
qmcat said:
I wish I had known how much memorizing is required in med school. I came from a chemistry and physics background in undergrad, and we were always taught to understand concepts and then apply it to solve problems on an exam. Med school is completely different... just pure memorize and regurgitation. I wasn't prepared for that when I started, so I ended up failing my first couple exams until I whipped myself into shape and got into memorize/regurg mode.

Also, I wish I had taken the first two years more seriously. Everyone says all you need is a good Step 1 and pre-clinical grades don't matter, so I slacked off a lot during M1 and M2 because I knew I could memorize/regurg just enough to pass the class and then read board review books on the side. This didn't help me though and I felt unprepared when studying for Step 1. I still passed but scored a few points below national average and now I'm kicking myself. I guess my point is don't slack during M1 and M2 and force yourself to learn the material because most of it shows up on Step 1.
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I agree with this. But I find that if you just regurg without understanding/integrating concepts you are imparting that information into short term memory and it will be gone shortly. My advice would always to be looking for things to reinforce the knowledge, not necessarily straight up memorizing arbitrary details.
 
Thanks everyone! This is incredibly helpful! I guess what is the fine line between memorization and understanding things in med school classes. In regards to the MCAT, I wish I had gained a deeper understanding of the material in classes to spend less time reviewing and going straight to doing practice problems/practice exams. Is that also true for the Step 1? Perhaps focus on classes during M1 and M2 and then just do First Aid review on the side when time permits?
 
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Brachyury said:
DO NOT GO TO MED SCHOOL RIGHT AFTER COLLEGE; FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BE SURE TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OFF!

Taking time off will not only make you more mature, but it gives you a perspective on how much the real world can suck.
Click to expand...
I second that....

I took about 4 years off before applying to dental school and I'm so glad I did. I matured a lot, bought a house, and learned that non-healthcare related jobs just plain SUCK. Corporate work is for the birds and I can't wait to start dental school in the summer. Good luck with your plans, but definitely take time off to enjoy your youth.

I wish I had traveled more before starting school.
 
Don't take anatomy in undergrand, it's a waste of time and won't help you in med school. I took golf instead and I'm doing just fine. Enjoy your senior year, don't overburden yourself on your last real break!
 
JackShephard MD said:
Dental school is not equivalent to medical school.
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JackShephard what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Oh, and I logged in just to tell you that you are a huge dick
 
Freakfarm0 said:
Don't take anatomy in undergrand, it's a waste of time and won't help you in med school. I took golf instead and I'm doing just fine. Enjoy your senior year, don't overburden yourself on your last real break!
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I would say this depends right. If he's/she's got extra time to burn, why not take anatomy rather than basketweaving 101. I wish I had taken it. Does this mean you can't do well if you haven't done it before? No. But we do work harder than those that are more familiar with it.

I think it would have been a lot less stress if I had. So OP, it's up to you, but if I had to redo some things, I would have taken anatomy, especially since my undergrad had a really good prof whose lectures (some of them are on youtube) - Professor Diamond from UCB if you're curious in looking it up.

Just like med school biochem has a completely different focus than undergrad biochem - but having taken the undergrad biochem gives you a sense of familiarity. And both will overlap (hello Krebs cycle for the 100th time) at some points.

You might want to check out the Step 1/USMLE advice thread for what different people did. One size fits all won't work here. Depends on your school, depends on how well you study, depends on what the lectures cater to (PhD minutiae that the lecturer cares about random x protein that you'll never see again vs having Professor Goljan for your lecturer). I'm still in MS1 but I have flipped through FA, most of the stuff we learned so far isn't in there, not at all. And things that I thought I was good at, like micro, dear god there is a whole another level of detail in FA, not quite Fields Virology level but I can tell there's a lot of work to do. I might (thought doubt it) look at parts in FA to familiarize myself with the outline/what subjects to focus on and maybe go over what we've covered so far, but MS2 when you actually learn the stuff seems to be the time to do it.

Btw when you go the Step 1 advice threads - check the posts under Long Dong and Jalby, they are famous for their high scores and Step 1 advice. Two completely different methods but it worked for both of them.

Oh, and yes enjoy your summer before MS1. Truly. I went paintballing (hellooo headshots) and apple picking a couple days before I left, and I'm glad I did.
 
Lbgem said:
I would say this depends right. If he's/she's got extra time to burn, why not take anatomy rather than basketweaving 101. I wish I had taken it. Does this mean you can't do well if you haven't done it before? No. But we do work harder than those that are more familiar with it.

I think it would have been a lot less stress if I had. So OP, it's up to you, but if I had to redo some things, I would have taken anatomy, especially since my undergrad had a really good prof whose lectures (some of them are on youtube) - Professor Diamond from UCB if you're curious in looking it up.

Just like med school biochem has a completely different focus than undergrad biochem - but having taken the undergrad biochem gives you a sense of familiarity. And both will overlap (hello Krebs cycle for the 100th time) at some points.

You might want to check out the Step 1/USMLE advice thread for what different people did. One size fits all won't work here. Depends on your school, depends on how well you study, depends on what the lectures cater to (PhD minutiae that the lecturer cares about random x protein that you'll never see again vs having Professor Goljan for your lecturer). I'm still in MS1 but I have flipped through FA, most of the stuff we learned so far isn't in there, not at all. And things that I thought I was good at, like micro, dear god there is a whole another level of detail in FA, not quite Fields Virology level but I can tell there's a lot of work to do. I might (thought doubt it) look at parts in FA to familiarize myself with the outline/what subjects to focus on and maybe go over what we've covered so far, but MS2 when you actually learn the stuff seems to be the time to do it.

Btw when you go the Step 1 advice threads - check the posts under Long Dong and Jalby, they are famous for their high scores and Step 1 advice. Two completely different methods but it worked for both of them.

Oh, and yes enjoy your summer before MS1. Truly. I went paintballing (hellooo headshots) and apple picking a couple days before I left, and I'm glad I did.
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QFT

I really wish I had taken Anatomy, Biochem and Physio are not really that necessary in undergrad because they seem much different in med school.

The reason I think you should have taken Anatomy is just because if you will not remember much from it (which you probably wont) you will at lest remember HOW to study for anatomy which is so so important. Half of anatomy I was just trying to learn how to study for the class because it is so different from anything I had ever taken. All the other classes are just upper level undergrad science classes so youll be familiar with them but so specific that it wont help too much having taken them in undergrad.
 
Ahmed786 said:
JackShephard what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Oh, and I logged in just to tell you that you are a huge dick
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Eh, while he wasn't exactly PC about it, he has a point. I get tired of people saying this and this is exactly the same. Like I have some dental school roommates who say it's exactly like med school cause they learn exactly the same thing and have to study "a lot." But then their definition of a lot is one day before their test, and it's rare when they don't come stumbling in drunk at 3am back from a party or have come back from a trip to another city on the weekends (they don't have class on Fridays). Those are the nice days because the other days they have a massive party here til 3-4AM or are watching the ever educational Kardashian reality show. That would be a pretty sweet life if I could go out most nights and party til 3am. And then they complain that med school didn't accept them.

While I'm sure not all dental schools are like this, when my roommates say med school and dental school are exactly the same, forgive me if I don't believe them. I just think you can't get away with this much free time in med school.

And I have seen med students who party a lot too, but then they are hitting the books a lot.

This is not to say this applies to every dental school or every dental student. I know there's a lot of dental students that work hard and some slacker med students. I just wish people would avoid saying x experience is the same as y experience. Pros and cons to both.
 
I'm a graduating 4th year Canadian medical student, some of the things I wish I had knew or done before.

1. Take courses you enjoy in your undergrad - don't feel pressured to take medical courses like anatomy, physiology, etc. They'll teach you all of that in medical school. You'll never have another chance to take English Lit, History, Languages, etc. So if you're interested in those courses, go do it!

2. Travel - A medical career takes a long time to complete. Take time to go see the world, live in a different city or country.

3. Take Your Time - I entered medical school early. I didn't take any time off after my undergrad. I don't regret taking a quicker route, but at the same time, there's no big rush to get into medical school. An extra year of medicine wont' make a big different in the grand scheme of things.

4. Don't pre-study - Just don't. There's actually no point. The yield is so low. Spend the summer before medical school doing something fun please.

5. Learn how you learn - you'll figure new ways of learning while in medical school. Try different stuff, use what works for you. You'll find classmates who do all sorts of crazy things, don't let them distract you away from what works best for you.

6. Figure out what you want to do earlier - Shadow different specialties, see what different doctors do. Decide whether you want to do something surgical or medical. You can better orient your activities/interests earlier in medical school. Especially if it's something competitive.

7. Have a Life outside of Medicine - This becomes more apparent the more medicine you do. You'll realize the importance of family, friends, health, hobbies. If you played sports or music before med school, continue doing it during med school and afterwards. Don't let medicine consume you, it's just one part of who you are, but it's not everything.
 
Ahmed786 said:
QFT

I really wish I had taken Anatomy, Biochem and Physio are not really that necessary in undergrad because they seem much different in med school.

The reason I think you should have taken Anatomy is just because if you will not remember much from it (which you probably wont) you will at lest remember HOW to study for anatomy which is so so important. Half of anatomy I was just trying to learn how to study for the class because it is so different from anything I had ever taken. All the other classes are just upper level undergrad science classes so youll be familiar with them but so specific that it wont help too much having taken them in undergrad.
Click to expand...

This is exactly right and what I was trying to get at, but you put it a lot more concisely/brilliantly. And yes anatomy is really different isn't it 😛. For me it's probably the hardest class cause it's not just text to read/understand; I'm having to watch videos and look at model skeletons and touching parts on myself to figure out what does what.
 
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1. That how many times you pass/fail doesn't matter. Some people pass at the first try and don't know jack, some have a retake and know the subject. It's all about what you know in the end. And it's your own responsibility.
2. As long as you have a nice time and get to know enough medicine, so that you can become a good doctor, it's worth it. Don't overdo it so that your only memory will be tears and sweat.
3. Stop giving a damn about your classmates and get annoyed all the time. Just have a nice time.
4. Try to have a nice time.
5. For the love of God, try to have a nice time! It's a memory that you will have the rest of your life!
 
Lbgem said:
Eh, while he wasn't exactly PC about it, he has a point. I get tired of people saying this and this is exactly the same. Like I have some dental school roommates who say it's exactly like med school cause they learn exactly the same thing and have to study "a lot." But then their definition of a lot is one day before their test, and it's rare when they don't come stumbling in drunk at 3am back from a party or have come back from a trip to another city on the weekends (they don't have class on Fridays). Those are the nice days because the other days they have a massive party here til 3-4AM or are watching the ever educational Kardashian reality show. That would be a pretty sweet life if I could go out most nights and party til 3am. And then they complain that med school didn't accept them.

While I'm sure not all dental schools are like this, when my roommates say med school and dental school are exactly the same, forgive me if I don't believe them. I just think you can't get away with this much free time in med school.

And I have seen med students who party a lot too, but then they are hitting the books a lot.

This is not to say this applies to every dental school or every dental student. I know there's a lot of dental students that work hard and some slacker med students. I just wish people would avoid saying x experience is the same as y experience. Pros and cons to both.
Click to expand...

I agree that medical school is more difficult.

Ahmed786 said:
JackShephard what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Oh, and I logged in just to tell you that you are a huge dick
Click to expand...

If I have said something wrong, tell me what it is.
 
I took Anatomy in undergrad, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I actually TAed Anatomy in undergrad as well, which helped.

I came into med school feeling much more comfortable from day 1 than many other people probably felt (and I still felt scared sh*tless about it all, just much less so than many). I ended up Honoring the course, which set me up to believe that med school wasn't some insurmountable task. Prior to arriving, I had worried that I'd be a back-of-the-pack type of student since I didn't have a pure science undergrad background like a lot of the Bio majors. Kicking ass the first three months gave me the confidence to realize I was capable of doing really well, and I'm not so sure I would've done quite as well in Anatomy had it not been for taking/TAing it in undergrad. I ended up going on to Honor every other course during M1/M2, but I could've just as easily settled into the middle of the pack [not that there's anything wrong with that, depending on your goals] had the first few months gone differently.

Again, this is an n=1, but for me it was a great decision to take it in undergrad.
 
GodoShingo said:
1. That how many times you pass/fail doesn't matter. Some people pass at the first try and don't know jack, some have a retake and know the subject. It's all about what you know in the end. And it's your own responsibility.
Click to expand...

are you talking about failing classes? failing a class is a big deal and consistently failing is a huge deal. preclinical grades don't matter as long as you're passing. if you fail then it matters.
 
Here's another one:

Keep your eyes open for study methods that work and don't be afraid to experiment a bit. However, don't be too quick to throw away your old study method if it worked well. I'll admit that my old study method needed some tweaking but that is all it needed. Instead, I threw it out the window for the first 2 months of medical school pursuing instead the study methods of my peers (particularly the top scorers) and the methods recommended in a workshop on medical school study skills during orientation. After returning to the system I used for the MCAT (with some tweaking) I have a method that works (to secure high rank) again.
 
I didn't take anatomy, (the school I go to wouldn't accept it as a prereq), but I took 3 years of Latin in high school. That has helped me a great deal. Some of the structures and relationships make a lot more sense to me knowing what the root of the name is.
 
skinMD said:
are you talking about failing classes? failing a class is a big deal and consistently failing is a huge deal. preclinical grades don't matter as long as you're passing. if you fail then it matters.
Click to expand...
Failing an exam, as in you have more tries. But failing a class causes a lot of problems, as you are saying.
 
OneTyme said:
Einstein said something to the effect of, "If I had know all of this, I would have been a locksmith."

Same for me but insert bike mechanic instead in place of locksmith.
Click to expand...

You guys don't really believe that though. Nothing is stopping you from quitting and going to be a bike mechanic or park ranger.
 
Ahmed786 said:
QFT

I really wish I had taken Anatomy, Biochem and Physio are not really that necessary in undergrad because they seem much different in med school.

The reason I think you should have taken Anatomy is just because if you will not remember much from it (which you probably wont) you will at lest remember HOW to study for anatomy which is so so important. Half of anatomy I was just trying to learn how to study for the class because it is so different from anything I had ever taken. All the other classes are just upper level undergrad science classes so youll be familiar with them but so specific that it wont help too much having taken them in undergrad.
Click to expand...

I remembered all of undergrad anatomy homie. Once you have something memorized well, it really only takes another quick glance over the material and it all comes back to you. You know it now, you know it forever.
 
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