Okay, so maybe I just worry too much but here is my concern. I will be attending Vanderbilt Med School (yay!!!) and I am thrilled beyond belief. However, I am starting to worry about keeping up with everyone. I've thought that undergrad pre-med classes have been challenging, and I'm worried that med school classes are just going to be unbearably hard. Luckily, Vandy med school uses a pass/fail system. Will that help? Also, how do med students make it through without sleep? I swear, when I'm really exhausted, my brain just doesn't work. I can't imagine taking a medical school exam without any sleep, although I've done it as an undergrad. I'm just hoping someone can tell me how med students get by! Thanks for your help! 😳
Accepted..now concerns about med school itself
- Thread starter SuziQ
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i had the same doubts all through undergrad and i'm facing them again, so i know how you feel. keep repeating to yourself: if they let you in, they know you can do it
congrats 🙂
congrats 🙂
From what I hear, med school isn't that conceptually difficult; what makes it insane is the sheer volume of material you have to put in your head. So I wouldn't worry too much. There will probably be people in your Vanderbilt class who are brilliant beyond anything you've ever seen, but they won't necessarily have a huge advantage. The advantage will go to the most efficient and effective studiers (this is what terrifies me about med school).
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You suck it up and do as well as you can. There is time to sleep, even before exams. It's not that bad and it's not even that much material. First and second year grades don't matter much anyway.
Vanderbilt used to be on a letter grade system. Thank whatever is holy to you that it isn't any more.
Vanderbilt used to be on a letter grade system. Thank whatever is holy to you that it isn't any more.
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Smoke This said:
Agree with everything on this thread except the third sentence above -- it is an awful lot of material and you cannot possibly know it all, but you try to know enough. But yes, the first and second year grades are not as important as other factors when you get to the residency application stage. You need to at least pass, although doing well is nice too. And almost everyone admitted somehow manages to squeak thru -- med school attrition due to failing out is extremely low.
N
njbmd
Law2Doc said:
Hi there,
Your first and second year grades ARE quite important in residency selection so don't believe for a second that you can "squeak by" first and second year and match into a competitive residency. It just does not work that way.
Your first and second year grades often determine your rank in your class and most residency directors are very interested in your ranking. Even if your school is Pass/Fail, your numerical averages are used for ranking and again, your Dean will have this information in the letter that goes out with your residency application.
While grades during clinical years are greatly subjective, grades during the pre-clinical years are more objective. Adding this to USMLE/COMLEX which are great equalizers too, residency program directors rank applicants. The bottom line is that EVERY grade is important and you must strive to do your best.
Does it take an intellectual giant to do well in medical school? No, it does not but the students who are the most efficient and adaptable learners will often do quite well. Medical school takes discipline and a bit of compulsiveness in both the pre-clinical and clinical years. I have seen extremely intelligent folks fail classes and I have seen average intelligence folks ace classes. Again, medical school is a great equalizer for most people.
While you cannot learn everything that is presented to you, you will learn most of it because it is presented to you several times. Most medical students become quite efficient at mastering the material that is presented and incorporating it so that they are able to apply it clinically.
Yes, people do drop out and fail out of medical school. This is usually due to not being able to put in the time that it takes to master the material be it due to illness, distractions or just plain time-management or poor study skills. You would be surprised at the numbers. While lower than undergraduate school, the number of people who fail in medical school not insignificant given the competition to get into medical school in the first place. Some are given the option of re-application after sitting out but some move to other careers.
Many people feel that the great hurdle is getting in but staying in and doing well is also difficult in a different way. Is this something to worry about and fear? No, because if I can do it (and I was Alpha Omega Alpha) with my very average IQ, anyone can do it. I was just a very adaptable and disciplined student. I also liked what I was learning which made it easier to study.
Enjoy your summer and take each day in medical school as it comes. It really is fun and very doable.
njbmd 🙂
Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement, I really appreciate them. I am hopeful that I will be able to handle the academic challenges of medical school, especially following everyone's input. I definitely see myself much more as the "works really hard and studies well to succeed" student rather than the "naturally brilliant." I had always kind of seen this as a disadvantage, but it sounds like it may actually help in medical school. Once again, I really appreciate everyone's kindness! Y'all are great!
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njbmd said:
I intentionally left those "dropping out" out of my post, as there are a few in each school, and I don't consider that equivalent -- lots of folks decide medicine is not for them once exposed. But "failing out" is an impressively low figure, maybe a percent or two at most. If your school has a number I would be surprised at, it likely does not represent the norm.
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SuziQ said:
Medical school is easier than college. Here is an analogy:
College is a river of information and you are floating in it alone, trying to survive. Your classmates are trying to push you underneath in order to stay above water themselves. Your professors are on the banks of the river, uninterested.
Medical school is an ocean of information, but you are on a cruise ship with all of your classmates and professors together helping along the way.
P.S. I get MUCH more sleep in medical school than I did in college.
