Advice BEFORE starting Medical school (M-1)?

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blutie202

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Hi folks!

I feel so humbled, proud and excited for finally being accepted into a medical school (GW)! Out of my 21 programs, only GW and Sackler gave me an interview & luckily GW consequently accepted me!

Before I start in the fall though, I'd like to know how I can best prepare for medical school! Is there any material you'd read up on? Any books to buy? Any advice?? Anything here would suffice!

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I don't think you should get any textbooks or review books until school starts. Better just wait 'till then. If you're wanting to "get a head start," resist the temptation, as everyone else here will say. It won't make a big difference. If you really want to read something, it should be for leisure. What I think you should do is enjoy yourself and get rested enough so that you can start full force in the fall.
 
Hi folks!

I feel so humbled, proud and excited for finally being accepted into a medical school (GW)! Out of my 21 programs, only GW and Sackler gave me an interview & luckily GW consequently accepted me!

Before I start in the fall though, I'd like to know how I can best prepare for medical school! Is there any material you'd read up on? Any books to buy? Any advice?? Anything here would suffice!

is there any material you should go over? oh god yes.

My advice is to buy at least every book for the first year (prob first two years), and really just start your review for step one now. I mean, it' really never too early to start. If you can try to go over the entire curriculum for the first two years during this summer, I'm sure this will give you a good head start.

And when you've finished that...use the search function.
 
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I wouldn't suggest studying this summer- I would say to relax and chill because you will be exhausted before you get another break again!

The only thing I would have reviewed would have been biochem- I didn't take a course in it during undergrad and one interviewer had suggested that I do some pre-reading which I didn't and that test was my lowest grade so far in medical school. But I still passed the class so it doesn't really matter.

I also worked until 3 days before I moved across the country- and I wouldn't suggest doing that as by the time I got my apartment set up orientation was starting and I was already tired.

The only time I would order a book was if your school gives you a big sib that you can see what they recommend. So many books on the list they give you aren't needed or there are other books which are more useful and easier to get through.
 
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And when you've finished that...use the search function.

His point is that this gets asked multiple times every year. Every year the consensus advice is the same -- you cannot usefully prepare for med school. Don't try to read ahead, it will be wasted effort. Just rest up, and prepare to hit the ground refreshed and ready to run. There will be enough time to get through everything you need to get through while in med school, once you adjust to the pace and the material. I know you will ignore this advice and try to read ahead anyway --- we all did, and are now back on SDN posting how useless it was. Sage advice: You will do better in med school if you spend this summer drinking margaritas at the pool and becoming an awesome GTA player than you will by reading med school texts. Honest.
 
Hi folks!

I feel so humbled, proud and excited for finally being accepted into a medical school (GW)! Out of my 21 programs, only GW and Sackler gave me an interview & luckily GW consequently accepted me!

Before I start in the fall though, I'd like to know how I can best prepare for medical school! Is there any material you'd read up on? Any books to buy? Any advice?? Anything here would suffice!


lawrence-office-space.jpg


I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two chicks at the same time, man... I think if I were a med student I could hook that up, 'cause chicks dig med students.
 
I know you will ignore this advice and try to read ahead anyway --- we all did, and are now back on SDN posting how useless it was. Sage advice: You will do better in med school if you spend this summer drinking margaritas at the pool and becoming an awesome GTA player than you will by reading med school texts. Honest.

By far. If you're not gonna listen to us lowly M1s / M2s, listen to L2D who's certainly farther along.

Get amazing at GTA, CoD, whatever. Get in awesome shape. Do stuff with friends you may not see as much once you go off to med school. Enjoy life.

Time spent prepping for medical school is NOT an effective use of your "last summer" before becoming that caffeine-indulging creature we call a medical student. At this point, the return you will get on effort invested in an anatomy atlas is roughly the same return you could expect if you bought a pack of Wrigley's spearmint gum and stuck it in a safe deposit box, hoping it would appreciate remarkably in the coming years.
 
The only useful things that I learned before medical school were the terms anterior, posterior, medial, lateral, ipsilateral, contralateral, sagittal, coronal, axial.
 
1) Party as hard as you can, without sacrificing your new spot. Your life's about to change dramatically, in ways you simply cannot imagine.

2) Do NOT review anything beforehand. Anything you look at will simply be insufficient, and will be very low-yield compared to the deluge you will be subjected to.

3) Spend your time getting an apartment, preparing your environment, working out, reaching zen, whatever. Brace yourself.

4) Spend as much time with your loved ones (parents, girl/boyfriend, etc.) because you'll miss them.

5) Get excited - it's the most intense transformation you'll ever experience.
 
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