Advice: Should I prep for MS1?.....

[traderjoe]

.....or go to the beach with a big bucket of fried chicken?

Seriously...I haven't been in school since the late 90's, currently work a 40 hour week in a low stress OR job, and could put some good reading time in...while I'm getting paid. And then go to the beach the rest of the week.

So any current med students/residents/docs/professors/pre-meds/hot life guards (female), I'd appreciate your thoughts on my happy dilemma about what to study (terminology, basic science, anatomy, etc), what to blow off, what beer to drink with my bucket of chicken, and any other ways to best prepare a mid-30 year old for the rigors of MS1.

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[psipsina]

Do a search and you'll get the same opinion x500

NO! If you had a strong enough grasp to take score well on the MCAT recently (as required by admission) your basic science background should be sufficient. There really is no point in trying to get ahead because there is no way to anticipate the focus of your classes (which can be very professor/school dependent in the first two years). The pace will be so wildly fast compared to even undergrad that everyone will be struggling to adjust (even the recent grads) so you'll be on equal footing. The number one thing you want to avoid is being burnt out on day one. That excitement and freshness is essential for sanity as you make a huge adjustment.

The ONLY pre-matriculation preparation I recommend is to get in a habit of working out. Its a hard habit to form once already in medschool and most of my friends agree that when we stay physically active we do better in school.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Go to the beach

 

[vinniekan]

Gym.Tan.Laundry. That's all you need

 

[Squeal]

Gym.Tan.Laundry. That's all you need

This. GTL.

 

[CaliGirl14]

Basically do whatever will get you more chicks.

A high USMLE: no chicks.
KFC: Lots of chicks.

 

[LRAccord624]

A high USMLE: no chicks.
KFC: Lots of chicks.

Actually made me laugh out loud.

 

[traderjoe]

Do a search and you'll get the same opinion x500

NO! If you had a strong enough grasp to take score well on the MCAT recently (as required by admission) your basic science background should be sufficient. There really is no point in trying to get ahead because there is no way to anticipate the focus of your classes (which can be very professor/school dependent in the first two years). The pace will be so wildly fast compared to even undergrad that everyone will be struggling to adjust (even the recent grads) so you'll be on equal footing. The number one thing you want to avoid is being burnt out on day one. That excitement and freshness is essential for sanity as you make a huge adjustment.

The ONLY pre-matriculation preparation I recommend is to get in a habit of working out. Its a hard habit to form once already in medschool and most of my friends agree that when we stay physically active we do better in school.

Not getting burned out definitely makes sense. Is it a struggle to learn medical terminology/language while learning core curriculum?

Gym.Tan.Laundry. That's all you need

This. GTL.

Basically do whatever will get you more chicks.

A high USMLE: no chicks.
KFC: Lots of chicks.

Try some Bojangles if you get to the south east. with a nice Czech pilsner.

GTL...I like it. Being married, chicks and laundry are taken care of...just good division of labor lady-docs...I do my chores, pick up the KFC/Bojangles, rub the tanning oil on the right places, and study so my lady can retire in...oh...ten years or so. She'll deserve it by then. But I'll be a good wing man for my single pre-med, bucket chicken-eating class of 2014 mates.

 

[Sweetpea MD]

chicken in a bucket kind of alarms me...

 

[psipsina]

Not getting burned out definitely makes sense. Is it a struggle to learn medical terminology/language while learning core curriculum?

Medical school is a struggle, so yes. But everyone else for the most part is learning it as they go too. There will be a few former nurses/PAs etc who will have a handle on the lingo from day one, but the rest of you will be hitting up wiki multiple times a day to clarify words that your lecturer forgets to define for you. I still do this as a third year (I have an app on my phone for deciphering medical abbreviations in charts lol). You are learning a whole new language, it will take years.

 

[traderjoe]

Medical school is a struggle, so yes. But everyone else for the most part is learning it as they go too. There will be a few former nurses/PAs etc who will have a handle on the lingo from day one, but the rest of you will be hitting up wiki multiple times a day to clarify words that your lecturer forgets to define for you. I still do this as a third year (I have an app on my phone for deciphering medical abbreviations in charts lol). You are learning a whole new language, it will take years.

Awesome...you just described what a 2 year old goes through for like 13 years...except I have a 30-something year old brain and we're talking about people's lives....but at least we have 8-10 years (sarcasm) to do it and we have Wiki! Good idea.
I'm not as concerned with being competitive as I am with studying as little as possible outside of 9 to 4 each weekday. KFC.G.T.L. time.

 

[psipsina]

Awesome...you just described what a 2 year old goes through for like 13 years...except I have a 30-something year old brain and we're talking about people's lives....but at least we have 8-10 years (sarcasm) to do it and we have Wiki! Good idea.
I'm not as concerned with being competitive as I am with studying as little as possible outside of 9 to 4 each weekday. KFC.G.T.L. time.

If you're willing to skip classes 9-4 is totally possible for most of 1st and 2nd year. You just have to REALLY use that time and not goof off (which is easier for someone who's worked a 9-5 job to do realistically). This is what I did (tho I opted to sleep in and start later lol) and I only had to ramp it up 2 weeks before each test (we test ~7 times per year). 3rd year is a whole n'other ballgame. Today I had to be at the hospital at 7am, worked until 4pm and then had to come home to study for my exam on friday (which is actually a pretty cush day, they're being nice by allowing me to come in "late" and go home "early").

 

[traderjoe]

chicken in a bucket kind of alarms me...

Keeps the sand out O' the breasts

If you're willing to skip classes 9-4 is totally possible for most of 1st and 2nd year. You just have to REALLY use that time and not goof off (which is easier for someone who's worked a 9-5 job to do realistically). This is what I did (tho I opted to sleep in and start later lol) and I only had to ramp it up 2 weeks before each test (we test ~7 times per year). 3rd year is a whole n'other ballgame. Today I had to be at the hospital at 7am, worked until 4pm and then had to come home to study for my exam on friday (which is actually a pretty cush day, they're being nice by allowing me to come in "late" and go home "early").

by skipping classes, do you still podcast them?