Advice on getting through 1st year

[Dr. Dizz]

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Does anyone have any tips on how to study during your 1st year of medical school? There just is so much material that I don't think it's possible to know it all. For those who have passed 1st year, how many hours a day did you study? Thank you for any advice.

 

[Idiopathic]

Go to class every day, and study the assigned reading. Try and stay ahead of the prof., so that you know what he/she is going to say before he/she says it. That should do fine.

 

[DireWolf]

Go to class as little as possible. Use this time to sleep, relax, exercise, and study. Works like a charm.

edit: I studied about 2-3 hours/day.

 

[Elysium]

I just wanted to jump in and say that first year blows! ARRGGGGGGGHHH!

That's all.

If anyone else has advice, please post it.

😳

 

[Idiopathic]

Go to class as little as possible. Use this time to sleep, relax, exercise, and study. Works like a charm.

edit: I studied about 2-3 hours/day.

Let me just say that we go to the same school

And now I see that you asked what it would take to pass 1st year. How about a pulse.

 

[DireWolf]

Let me just say that we go to the same school

And now I see that you asked what it would take to pass 1st year. How about a pulse.

If you want to bend the 1st year over, listen to Idio.

 

[daveyboy]

Go to class as little as possible. Use this time to sleep, relax, exercise, and study. Works like a charm.

edit: I studied about 2-3 hours/day.

This is really good advice, if you are self-directed. I find class to be a huge waste of time, but I am in the minority in my class.

The best thing you can do is try to figure out what works best for you. Nobody can do that but you.

 

[Boomer]

1. Do whatever worked for you in undergrad. If going to every lecture and studying briefly after lecture works--do that. If you do better by skipping and reading on your own--do that. If you got by on cramming, you can do this, but you probably still need to be doing some "light" studying daily (this was my method).


2. Find a hobby outside of medicine/school. Mine was golf (God, sometimes I miss Phoenix) and it worked well.

3. Drink often. It will serve you well, not only in 1st year, but in the years to come, as well.

 

[azcomdiddy]

If sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Know that statement well. If someone says she studied 4 hours the night before his or her anatomy exam and got an A, that person is lying. There is no secret to doing well in medical school. Closet gunners will try and appear laid back and sociable on the outside, but they study hard when no one is looking. If you want to be in the top 10% of your class, then you have to sacrafice your personal and study all the time every single day. I'm sure you will hear some story about how some student went to Las Vegas every weekend and finished in the top 5% of the class. Hey that's great but that's not you. Accept that and be prepared to work your tail off. Don't accept gimics or shortcuts. Don't believe anything you hear. If someone says they only read something 3 times to ace something; don't believe him or her. Do what you need to do to get your A. Know thyself. If you are a slow learner then you know it will take you 8 hours to get through material that your quick classmate can pick up in 4 hours. Don't just study 4 hours just because your classmate did.

In medical school, you will hear this crap all of the time. Someone will tell you that they only studied a minimum number of hours or only used one atlas and ignored the others blah blah. Just ignore that and check out everything yourself. Nobody does well in medical school without studying.

Remember that there is a lot of gamesmanship among classmates in medical school. The people who do well generally do not want to admit they had no social life and studied all the time. It makes them look less intelligent to say that he or she studied 40 hours for a test. Everyone and I mean everyone will downplay how much he or she studied. The funny thing is that I doubt others are intending to lie or mislead. Rather, it seems like it is etiquette to belittle the amount of studying you do on a daily basis. If someone studies 8 hours, he or she will claim 5 hours of studying. Very rarely will you get someone who is honest enough to admit he or she studied between 6-8 hours every day after class.

 

[DireWolf]

I've noticed just the opposite. Usually the people that study non-stop like to tell you that they study non-stop.

 

[DRek]

Dire wolf is probably one of the "lucky" few who can aproach med school in such manner. Truth is, most people have to and should study. You are paying a tremendous amount of money for the education that you are going to get--so make it good.
As far as strategies:
Azcomdiddy has the best idea. Know what you like and how your mind works best. If you are at a loss for ideas here are some things that people did in my class and what I tried.
For me, active learning is the best: Draw maps and diagrams. I found this works best with biochemisty pathways and anatomy for tracing the routes of blood vessels, nerves and lymph through the different compartments.
Another thing that was helpful for some in anatomy was photocopying atlas (netter) pages and then cutting off the labels. Then you test yourself on the blank labels. It is a good way to assess how much you remember.
Another idea is to go to the professor or get your class liasons to go to the professor and request objectives (if they didn't already give them to you). That way you know more or less what the most important points are and you can center your study on those points (granted sometimes profs like to test on little details to spread out the curve, but usually the bulk of the test is from things that they find important and will have put in the objectives).
Other ideas, Flash cards, Buzz words, board review books, old tests (the last two use to identify important concepts). Note: if you are going to use old tests, then you should use them chiefly to assess your knowledge. If you use them as your sole means of identifying important points, or of gaining information you will likely get burned). Some schools might not allow you access to old tests so that might not be an option to you.
But anyway. Some ideas to get you started. Most important. unless you are a brainiac, you will need to study.
Another helpful hint. Take time to play too. The best doctors balance the other important things in thier lifes with thier job. Get good excercize, pay attention to your social life, attend religious services. The best students are healthy body, mind and spirity. Good Luck

Drek
"Its not worth doing if it is not done well"

 

[Dr. Dizz]

Thanks to everyone that posted. This is really great information. I definitely will try some of the tips. Any other pointers?

 

[DireWolf]

Dire wolf is probably one of the "lucky" few who can aproach med school in such manner. Truth is, most people have to and should study. You are paying a tremendous amount of money for the education that you are going to get--so make it good.

Interesting take. I used this same strategy in college. Never went to class. I only showed up for labs and exams and ended up doing well.

But for medical school, I decided to change (for no reason) and attempt to go to every class. Ironically, my grades were not that stellar. So towards the end of first year and the entire second year, I reverted back to skipping most classes. Consequently, I started doing well again.

What was funny is that some people would make comments (some sarcastic, some mean, some jokingly) about my poor attendance. And when some of those people saw my name on the list, they quickly quieted down. In addition, I noticed that a lot more people stopped attending class (and most of their grades started to improve). Someone just had to show them it's possible to skip and do well.

But like the above posters have said, it's different strokes for different folks. Find your formula for success and stick with it.

 

[sophiejane]

But like the above posters have said, it's different strokes for different folks. Find your formula for success and stick with it.

The only advice you should listen to about first year is this: don't listen to advice.

That's not entirely true, but nothing works for everyone, and some people apply others' strategies to themselves and meet with dismal failure.

The only OTHER advice you should listen to is this: take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, breathe often, avoid mean people, and try to have sex every now and then. 😉

Good luck!

 

[VentdependenT]

Don't study with people who talk. Seriously. You can take a break every hour and kick it for 10-15 min but then get back to the books.

I always studied alone and only came into the library pre cram sessions to disseminate/collect last minute pearls from others. Then back home to my smokes, beats, and books.

Don't listen to people who flip out. Steer FAR AWAY. They will only feed your nerves and eat away at your study time.

 

[cremaster2007]

Go to class every day, and study the assigned reading. Try and stay ahead of the prof., so that you know what he/she is going to say before he/she says it. That should do fine.

Learn which classes you really need to go to, the rest just read and reread handouts. Try to sleep whenever you can. I probably studied 3 or 4 hours a day during the week. One full day on the weekend I would study, the other day I relaxed. I did however spend a lot of time studying the day before a test anywhere from 4-16 hours of studying. Basically find what works for you, and realize like you said you don't need to learn everything now. Get a good base to go off of for the rest of your career.

 

[fozzy40]

I studied between 2-4 hours per night M-F and about 5-7 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I am one of those who actually do go to class. I found that the best way for me to learn was to hear, write, and verbalize it.

Other pieces of advice:
- Once you find a study style that works, stick with it. Don't switch or vere far off from your primary study methodds.
- Exercise
- PLEASE make time to have fun...hiking...drinking...clubbing...whatever, just do something non-medical
- STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE!!!!! And if you are a negative person, try to act positive😉

 

[r90t]

Study as hard as you need to. If you aspire to go to a noncompetitive FP position in a small town in the midwest, and only want to be an average physician, then do the minimum. You can be the last guy/gal in your class and get a FP program somewhere in the country.

If you want to go to an allopathic residency, say radiology, you had better be in the upper portion of your class, with great Step 1 board scores (USMLE).

To do this, I found that I could not study in groups because it would stray off topic and waste my time. I did go to class to pick up the subtle hints from instructors on what was important to know, cough, cough. I studied my butt off monday through thursday, but made sure I left time to work out and do something fun. I travelled to San Diego almost every other weekend to see my girlfriend. I would study about 5 hours a day while visiting and while on the plane. I did not get cable tv or high speed internet access due to my ability to waste countless hours time on both.

Find something to do to enjoy life. Medicine is a career, don't let it take over your life. I had more than one friend in the ER with chest pain during finals due to the stress and had several intern friends drop out of the program due to being overwhelmed.

 

[exia80]

Interesting take. I used this same strategy in college. Never went to class. I only showed up for labs and exams and ended up doing well.

But for medical school, I decided to change (for no reason) and attempt to go to every class. Ironically, my grades were not that stellar. So towards the end of first year and the entire second year, I reverted back to skipping most classes. Consequently, I started doing well again.

that is what happens to me....but nobody seems 2 believe me and they think i make it up...glad someone else is like that 2

 

[sophiejane]

Study as hard as you need to. If you aspire to go to a noncompetitive FP position in a small town in the midwest, and only want to be an average physician, then do the minimum.

Hmmm. Surely you don't mean that FPs in small towns aspire to mediocity? Or, even more illogical, that all average physicians end up in small midwestern towns doing family medicine? There are plenty of "average" docs who both specialize and practice in urban areas. I know you were trying to make a general point, but such generalizations are usually inaccurate.

Not to veer off-course, but we need to be careful about lumping all the lazy average students with primary care and all the hardworking geniuses with allopathic radiology residencies, because that is a gross oversimplification.
Some of the smartest people at my school do family medicine, and many choose rural or underserved areas.

Also, you do not have to be top in your class or have stellar board scores to get an allopathic residency--the numbers alone prove that. Since most DOs do allo residencies, it stands to reason that they are not all the top performers in grades or boards.

 

[BACMEDIC]

Hmmm. Surely you don't mean that FPs in small towns aspire to mediocity? Or, even more illogical, that all average physicians end up in small midwestern towns doing family medicine? There are plenty of "average" docs who both specialize and practice in urban areas. I know you were trying to make a general point, but such generalizations are usually inaccurate.

Not to veer off-course, but we need to be careful about lumping all the lazy average students with primary care and all the hardworking geniuses with allopathic radiology residencies, because that is a gross oversimplification.
Some of the smartest people at my school do family medicine, and many choose rural or underserved areas.

Also, you do not have to be top in your class or have stellar board scores to get an allopathic residency--the numbers alone prove that. Since most DOs do allo residencies, it stands to reason that they are not all the top performers in grades or boards.

Thank you Sophiejane, well said.

I plan on FP in a rural area - I have not even started; yet I'm already being labeled simply because my aspiration are not the same as someone else?s.

 

[Dr. Dizz]

Ok let's say that my aspirations are for primary care. Does that mean that all I need is to barely pass all my classes and barely pass the COMLEX and I'm guaranteed a primary care residency of my choice or is that too simplistic. That is great if that is the case.

 

[(nicedream)]

Ok let's say that my aspirations are for primary care. Does that mean that all I need is to barely pass all my classes and barely pass the COMLEX and I'm guaranteed a primary care residency of my choice or is that too simplistic. That is great if that is the case.

If you want FP, yeah, you're basically guaranteed a spot.

 

[Dr. Dizz]

If you want FP, yeah, you're basically guaranteed a spot.

Ok how about if I want to go FP to a specific region. Do you think it will be competitive or is it safe to say that FP is easy to get into at any region of the US.

 

[r90t]

Look at last years match list in ACGME and AOA approved residencies for FP. Lots of empty spots nationwide. If you want to strive for the minimum and become a physician, it is possible.

A gunner can get a competitive allopathic radiology residency or can get a FP residency. However, the bottom 25% of the DO class will be hard pressed to match into a competitive DO/MD residency program (ENT/Rads/Optho/Derm).

 

[Ypo.]

Hmmm. Surely you don't mean that FPs in small towns aspire to mediocity? Or, even more illogical, that all average physicians end up in small midwestern towns doing family medicine? There are plenty of "average" docs who both specialize and practice in urban areas. I know you were trying to make a general point, but such generalizations are usually inaccurate.

Not to veer off-course, but we need to be careful about lumping all the lazy average students with primary care and all the hardworking geniuses with allopathic radiology residencies, because that is a gross oversimplification.
Some of the smartest people at my school do family medicine, and many choose rural or underserved areas.

Also, you do not have to be top in your class or have stellar board scores to get an allopathic residency--the numbers alone prove that. Since most DOs do allo residencies, it stands to reason that they are not all the top performers in grades or boards.

Good point. I'm only a lowly premed, but I think its important to study hard no matter what your specialization is. FP's must be able to recognize when its important to send their patients to a specialist-and if they slack in their studies-they may miss something important later on when they treat patients! My mom is an FP and has saved lives, both moonlighting in the ER, and at her FP practice. Its easy for an FP to miss or underestimate a symptom that is indicative of a life threatening illness.
I plan on giving it my all in medical school so that I won't miss important clues when I become a practicing FP.

 

[Ypo.]

Ok let's say that my aspirations are for primary care. Does that mean that all I need is to barely pass all my classes and barely pass the COMLEX and I'm guaranteed a primary care residency of my choice or is that too simplistic. That is great if that is the case.

As a patient, I would be kind of scared reading this comment. Its one thing if you are studying really hard but still barely passing your classes...its another thing if its your goal to barely pass!!!

 

[LovelyRita]

This is really good advice, if you are self-directed. I find class to be a huge waste of time, but I am in the minority in my class.

The best thing you can do is try to figure out what works best for you. Nobody can do that but you.

How's it goin, Scumb? You don't need to go to class 2nd year either.

OP: I danced to the beat of my own drum. I made it to approx. 40-50% of lectures. I made sure to take advantage of extra sleep time all the time.

My bed was my favorite place in the whole world. And now it's Scummy's!!!!! 😀

 

[Dr. Dizz]

Look at last years match list in ACGME and AOA approved residencies for FP. Lots of empty spots nationwide. If you want to strive for the minimum and become a physician, it is possible.

This is music to my ears. 😀

Yposhelley, I think a big part of it is that in order to do well I probably have to study 8 hours a day including weekends. It's hard to enjoy life while studying 1/3 of your day. I have always seen myself working in some type of primary care field anyway so it's a blessing that I don't have to be a gunner to achieve it.

 

[Ypo.]

Sorry if it came across like I was accusing you of being a slacker. Good luck with your studies.

 

[daveyboy]

How's it goin, Scumb? You don't need to go to class 2nd year either.

OP: I danced to the beat of my own drum. I made it to approx. 40-50% of lectures. I made sure to take advantage of extra sleep time all the time.

My bed was my favorite place in the whole world. And now it's Scummy's!!!!! 😀

Your bed is now my favorite place in the world.

I will rock my neuro quiz tommorow, homeschool style!!
Good luck on rotations!!
-scummer
p.s.- thanks for the handcuffs

 

[LovelyRita]

Your bed is now my favorite place in the world.

I will rock my neuro quiz tommorow, homeschool style!!
Good luck on rotations!!
-scummer
p.s.- thanks for the handcuffs

😀 😉

 

[azcomdiddy]

Hmmm. Surely you don't mean that FPs in small towns aspire to mediocity? Or, even more illogical, that all average physicians end up in small midwestern towns doing family medicine? There are plenty of "average" docs who both specialize and practice in urban areas. I know you were trying to make a general point, but such generalizations are usually inaccurate.

Not to veer off-course, but we need to be careful about lumping all the lazy average students with primary care and all the hardworking geniuses with allopathic radiology residencies, because that is a gross oversimplification.
Some of the smartest people at my school do family medicine, and many choose rural or underserved areas.

Also, you do not have to be top in your class or have stellar board scores to get an allopathic residency--the numbers alone prove that. Since most DOs do allo residencies, it stands to reason that they are not all the top performers in grades or boards.

Actually, r90T never made any judgements of FP, you did. Can we please put all the p.c. nonsense aside and just be a little more honest here. No one is saying that rural FP docs are dumb but let's not deny reality. The lowest ranked student in your medical school can land an FP residency somewhere in the country. That is a fact. He just said FP is a non-competitive field and it is. It is true that many of the brightest doctors in this country pursue family practice. The question that was asked is whether someone can just barely pass med school and still wind up matching into FP. The answer is a resounding yes and no PC rhetoric is going to erase that fact. On the flipside, you are not going to match into a competitive specialty like Radiology in an urban area with weak stats unless your best friend is the program director. So let's not pretend that average students match into competitive fields in urban areas because that is pretty much a bald faced lie. Finally, the man just said competitive field; he didn't say allopathic field. Most of us can deduce that the word allopathic is not synonymous with competitive. Allopathic FP and Peds spots go unfilled every year as well. I sympathize with what you are saying because many bright people enter primary care but you need to chill with accusing others of making loaded statements when they were not. If someone wants to have a good time in medical school and plans to pursue FP then let them have fun. Why do they have to cram and add unnecessary stress. They aren't going to be better docs because they did better in basic sciences. It's one thing if someone wants to do FP in a competitive program but if they have no preference where they match; let them have fun. They will be a lot happier than people who are stressing in competing for a rads spot.

 

[Dr. Dizz]

If someone wants to have a good time in medical school and plans to pursue FP then let them have fun. Why do they have to cram and add unnecessary stress. They aren't going to be better docs because they did better in basic sciences. It's one thing if someone wants to do FP in a competitive program but if they have no preference where they match; let them have fun. They will be a lot happier than people who are stressing in competing for a rads spot.

I have to applaud the above. So it is possible to have fun in medical school just as long as you will be fine with FP. I LOVE IT. 😀

 

[sophiejane]

Study as hard as you need to. If you aspire to go to a noncompetitive FP position in a small town in the midwest, and only want to be an average physician, then do the minimum.

What I was responding to was the above statement. The use of the word AND here pretty much equates small town FP with mediocrity and doing the minimum to get by.

Why is "PC" such a buzzword here? This has nothing to do with "political correctness." I was responding to the implication that is pretty obvious from the post above.

AZCOMDiddy: "Finally, the man just said competitive field; he didn't say allopathic field. Most of us can deduce that the word allopathic is not synonymous with competitive."

Actually, yes, r90t did say allopathic:

r90t: "If you want to go to an allopathic residency, say radiology, you had better be in the upper portion of your class, with great Step 1 board scores (USMLE)."

I agree with everything else you said, AZCOMDiddy. I have no delusions that the bottom of the class does normally end up in FP, but it doesn't mean they are average physicians, as you pointed out.

 

[azcomdiddy]

What I was responding to was the above statement. The use of the word AND here pretty much equates small town FP with mediocrity and doing the minimum to get by.

Why is "PC" such a buzzword here? This has nothing to do with "political correctness." I was responding to the implication that is pretty obvious from the post above.

AZCOMDiddy: "Finally, the man just said competitive field; he didn't say allopathic field. Most of us can deduce that the word allopathic is not synonymous with competitive."

Actually, yes, r90t did say allopathic:

r90t: "If you want to go to an allopathic residency, say radiology, you had better be in the upper portion of your class, with great Step 1 board scores (USMLE)."

I agree with everything else you said, AZCOMDiddy. I have no delusions that the bottom of the class does normally end up in FP, but it doesn't mean they are average physicians, as you pointed out.

He also included the word RADIOLOGY in his use of the word allopathic. I read the same thing and I never gathered that he implied FP was mediocre. He just said that small town FP is not competitive and it isn't. Now if the fact that FP is not competitive implies that it is mediocre; that is your opinion and no one elses. If that fact bothers you then that is something you have to take up with yourself because neither myself nor R90T said or implied that small town FP is mediocre. Those are the facts; do you want to dispute the fact that family practice in a small town is not competitive? This has everything to do with being PC because r90t was just being direct. I suppose he could tip toed around the issue but he didn't. He just came out and said what many of us are already thinking. This is why his statement bothered you. It's because he was direct and didn't include a bunch of smiley faces and hearts with his statement.

And I agree with everything he said. Your performance in basic sciences does not reflect your future ability as a doctor. Some of the brightest students in medical school purposefull slack off knowing they aren't going into a competitive program. He simply advised someone not to study if they want to pursue FP in a small town because they don't have to. I'm considering ENT and if it wasn't a competitive program, I sure as hell wouldn't study and sacrafice as much as I do. Unfortunately, I'm required to make those personal sacrfices because my chosen field is competitive as hell. It has nothing to do with mediocrity and status. If ENT wasn't competitive, I will be camping out Dos Gringos in Tempe. Again, I will reiterate what he said. If you want to enter primary care and you have no preference for a particular program or location, then have fun in medical school.

 

[jgrady]

It is the gerenal consensus that ENT/Rads/Optho/Derm are the most competitive areas? I thought Urology, Ortho and Anesth were up there to.

My primary question is about fellowships. After an IM or Surgery residency (DO or MD) how tough is it to get into subspecialties like Cardio, Peds Surg or Plastics? Does your MSI and MSII performance (i.e. lack of social life) have a large effect on getting into those fellowships or is it mostly your residency performance? As a parent with a working spouse, I can't match the 40+ hours of weekly studying most of my classmates are doing. I don't think that is too much of a problem for IM or Surgery, but not sure about after residency.

Btw, am I correct that OMM isn't treated as a "Board Certified" specialty? So a bottom 25% could easily go IM or FP to get through and then "specialize" in OMM?

P.S. If anyone has good, current resources on competitive specialties (salary, hours, residency, competitiveness, etc.) I would love to hear about them. I read Iserson's book but haven't found much more out there.

 

[Fenrezz]

Go to class every day.

Go to class as little as possible.

I think the answer to your question is somewhere in the middle.