am i weird? no highlighters or notebook paper?

[supernareg]

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so i came to medical school, i packed a buncha notebooks, 2 reams of writing paper (500 each), 4 comp books, and about 10 highlighters, as everyone said bring a lot.

i have YET to use any of the sort...

this is how i study for my classes:

bioethics - flashcards of definitions and facts to memorize, read and understand the rest

anatomy - read the book to understand, listen in lecture (dont take notes in lecture cause i preread it and make flashcards of nerve /muscle/artery/etc to memorize them), i listen to lecture to see if anything is said that i didnt know or understand, to clarify

histo - take notes from lecture in the handbook they gave, make flashcards out of online lecture slides, read book for review.

biochem - take notes in the handouts they give, read the book, and flashcards to memorize (i.e. symptoms of metabolic acidosis, cause/cure, effects of Cl, etc)

Embryo - same as anatomy


i'm retaining the information i'm learning, i'm constantly review the older files and flash cards, so i'm good with the info..


however, i'm feeling as if i'm not doing much... as in, in undergrad, i'd take lotsa notes on lectures and just read those, never books or flashcards...

here i just read book, take notes in handouts, and make flashcards, i havent written on notebook paper yet.. i dont even highlight the book.. just flashcard important info/facts/etc

is this just the way i study? my heart says no, it feels i should write and do more, but my head says, "yes, ur good, no need for notebook writing. everythings working so far"


which 1 is it??

 

[Inuranic]

Same here for me - undergrad was full o' notes, medical school, nothing (except when I'm studying). However, for me, the whole purpose of taking notes in class was to have something to study off of later. They give me all the information I need here, so I'm not going to kill myself playing scribe in their machine-gun lectures.

 

[edmadison]

I took notes on my handouts and used some flashcards. I did have one comp book that I used to draw my own anatomy stuff -- it helped me learn the structures. I also used the book to take some notes when I was studying for exams.

Ed

 

[meister]

Well it's only second week for me but I've already changed my ways. I started out the first three days scribbling notes like a madman until I realized I wasn't retaining anything during lecture. So now I sit there like I'm at the movie theatre and just pay attention.

I think it's helped a lot more than taking worthless notes. I never did read what I used to write down.

 

[njbmd]

Do whatever works for you. If you are passing your exams with the grades that you desire, then who cares how you do it? If you were not passing and seeking help, then suggestions by others may be helpful to you but why change something that works for you? It's difficult to argue with success! Congratulations!

Whether you are weird or not, your system works for you and thus if it makes you happy and gets the results that you desire, keep doing it and resist the urge to seek approval outside of yourself. Like you, the majority of folks who enter medical school are quite successful with what got them there in the first place adjusting up or down for the volume of material to be mastered.

You can always sell you unused school supplies to someone else in the class who might need them.

 

[Jolie South]

Well it's only second week for me but I've already changed my ways. I started out the first three days scribbling notes like a madman until I realized I wasn't retaining anything during lecture. So now I sit there like I'm at the movie theatre and just pay attention.

I think it's helped a lot more than taking worthless notes. I never did read what I used to write down.

yea, all the upper classmen at my school swear by one note and making note sheets on it during class, but i might as well be typing on here or facebook for all that i retain doing that.

watch out though, because when i suggest that one note is not the holy grail everyone says it is, i get a lot of dirty looks. 🙄

pretend like i'm at the movie theater during lecture -> use powerpoints to make computerized flash cards to review in the evening.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

yea, all the upper classmen at my school swear by one note and making note sheets on it during class, but i might as well be typing on here or facebook for all that i retain doing that.

watch out though, because when i suggest that one note is not the holy grail everyone says it is, i get a lot of dirty looks. 🙄

pretend like i'm at the movie theater during lecture -> use powerpoints to make computerized flash cards to review in the evening.

Heretic!!!!!!

But really, it shouldn't matter how anyone else studies. It is a very individualized process. If everyone says your way is weird but you're doing fine, then your way isn't weird, it's right for you. The key is to find an efficient method that helps you to retain the information. If that means taking lots of notes and highlighting a lot, great. If it means standing on your head and reading Netters upside down, that's great too.

 

[opb]

I say if it's working for you, why change it? Not sure if you've had exams yet, but if you're doing well on practice problems or old exams, then you're current method is working.

During first year, I pretty much printed out all of the lecture slides, took notes in class, and highlighted stuff as well. Eventually I switched over to using my laptop only and typing notes in the notes section of the powerpoint files. It was kinda weird because I was so used to writing stuff down and highlighting things, but it worked well for me in the end. During second year, I was pretty much paperless and highlighter-less and using my laptop only. This was convenient because I didn't have to lug around different notebooks and binders.

Step 1 prep was a whole different story, though, and out came the highlighters and pen and paper!

Moral of the story: do what works well for you but be able to adapt and change if/when necessary.

 

[87138]

Do whatever works for you. If you are passing your exams with the grades that you desire, then who cares how you do it? If you were not passing and seeking help, then suggestions by others may be helpful to you but why change something that works for you? It's difficult to argue with success! Congratulations!

Whether you are weird or not, your system works for you and thus if it makes you happy and gets the results that you desire, keep doing it and resist the urge to seek approval outside of yourself. Like you, the majority of folks who enter medical school are quite successful with what got them there in the first place adjusting up or down for the volume of material to be mastered.

You can always sell you unused school supplies to someone else in the class who might need them.

The problem for us first year students who have yet to have an exam is that we really don't have a good idea whether or not what we're doing really is "working."

I know for me, I used to write a whole lot of things down, sometimes repeatedly, to remember concepts/facts. That doesn't work so well in med school where the volume increases exponentially. I find myself occasionally scribbling down my own lecture notes based on note sets provided to us, but then other times i just read the notes and the powerpoint slides and try to memorize all the concepts without writing anything down.

Unfortunately, this makes me feel kinda frantic sometimes, like my study habits are all over the map and I'm very unorganized. I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I need to iron it all out before things go any farther I think.

 

[DarlynVMD]

Don't feel weirded out about not taking any notes.... I never once took a single note in class.... absolutely nothing...... but there's a couple of things that I did completely different.... I'm not a big lecture learner either..... but my school's attendance policy was pretty strict, so I had to attend over 80% of my lectures..... so I just went to class.... and tried my best to pay attention, but most of the time doze off. I did most of my studying alone..... just read the books (I never once looked at professors ppts.... I was afraid that I'd miss something important by not reading the textbook, besides I learn from paragraphs and explainations, not just random facts) over and over again. I never highlighted anything.... it's not that I'm lazy, it's just the way that I learn, and I have no downsides about it, I finished my basic sciences as one of the top 5 students of my class..... but it's all what works for you. I'm not suggesting that anyone try my methods, as being in medical school is not the place to start experimenting with new study methods, but definitely find what works for you. During undergrad I did take some notes, but very sparingly..... and for basic sciences... I stopped it altogether.... my wife on the other hand likes to sit in class and write her own notes from the lectures... she too never looks at ppts.... but she'll do the same as I do, she'll read the textbook and a couple of days before the exam she'll look over her notes to make sure that she didn't miss anything...... but I will say this.... you bet it's completely different now for the Step 1.... I find myself highlighting (not like a mad man either, just the things that I find to be the most important) and I'm taking notes all over the margin of the pages..... but it's a completely different ball-game.... I have to do that here... and I've come to the realization that for clinicals, I'm gonna have to take notes whether I want to or not.... during my ICMPD course we were assigned to shadow a physician each, my wife and I got the same physician.... and it was hard for me to pull my pen out and take notes after each case... but I had to do it. In essence, do what you think works best for you, if you feel that you can get away by not taking notes, then by all means, but if not.... don't bother experimenting. Oh, and it's important to realize that your study methods will differ rather slightly from course to course, don't expect to get too far with memorization in your physio course.... as a matter of fact, don't bother memorizing anything if possible... make connections.... you won't find this method to be much of use since you're still in 1st year, but during your 2nd year everything you've seen and learned before starts to come together, at that point, do your best to make direct connections with different things. By doing so, you can save your memory for subjects like pharm and micro/immuno.....
Well... the best of luck to you..... but remember that there is no right or wrong way to study.... don't let anyone tell you that your study methods are incorrect... now if you see that you grades are beginning to suffer, than you might want to tweak them a bit and try a couple new things until you get it right. If you have any q's, just hit me up.

 

[Pinner Doc]

Heck, I didn't even GO to class, unless it was required. I learned very quickly that I learn best by reading and seeing... NOT by listening.

Also, our class had a note-taking schedule where one person would take notes on a lecture, and it rotated throughout the lecture schedule. The lecture notes were then posted on the class website... ta da! Instant notes taken for you. Your time only came up once or twice a semester.

 

[TheRealMD]

Notes in powerpoint slides is all I do. I see people with what amounts to 300-400 notecards of information and I wonder several things:

1) How much time did it take to MAKE those notecards?
2) How much time would it take to GO through that many notecards?
3) What happens if you LOOSE a notecard? Do you just not know that information?

I've heard the argument that while making the notecards, you are actually learning the material, but I almost guarantee you that at some point in time you're going to think "Man, making these notecards takes FOREVER". That's when I think that energy would have best been spent elsewhere.

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

z

 

[Jolie South]

Notes in powerpoint slides is all I do. I see people with what amounts to 300-400 notecards of information and I wonder several things:

1) How much time did it take to MAKE those notecards?
2) How much time would it take to GO through that many notecards?
3) What happens if you LOOSE a notecard? Do you just not know that information?

I've heard the argument that while making the notecards, you are actually learning the material, but I almost guarantee you that at some point in time you're going to think "Man, making these notecards takes FOREVER". That's when I think that energy would have best been spent elsewhere.

the answer is computerized notecards, my friend. i make sets organized by lecture. they don't really take that long to make. they probably take as long as reviewing the material and i have a measurable way to test myself. the flash card program will tell me how many i got right and shuffle them.

i just don't incorporate material by looking at powerpoints. going through the notecards is fast too. i can do probably like 15 minutes per lecture.

 

[Beamer128]

the answer is computerized notecards, my friend. i make sets organized by lecture. they don't really take that long to make. they probably take as long as reviewing the material and i have a measurable way to test myself. the flash card program will tell me how many i got right and shuffle them.

i just don't incorporate material by looking at powerpoints. going through the notecards is fast too. i can do probably like 15 minutes per lecture.

What program do you use to make these notecards? I'm a big flash card guy and I had to stop because it does take a long time to make them, let alone getting around to actually studying them.

 

[Jolie South]

What program do you use to make these notecards? I'm a big flash card guy and I had to stop because it does take a long time to make them, let alone getting around to actually studying them.

CueCard. I downloaded it from download.com. It's for PCs.

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

I use One Note on my tablet and import the ppt lecture notes and just take notes on those. Then I don't have notes all over the place and have to look here, there, and everywhere to study.

I haven't written on an actual piece of paper yet, and I love it.

 

[WhereDoesItHurt]

Yup, you're a freak haha

J/K Everyone has their own way of studying, whatever works, works best!

 

[Law2Doc]

Yup, you're a freak haha

J/K Everyone has their own way of studying, whatever works, works best!

While I agree that you have to figure out what works for you, numerous studies have suggested that "active" learning nets better results than "passive" learning. Meaning if you are taking notes, the material gets cemented into your head better than if you just listen, like you are at the movies. The point of taking notes is not so you can use them later, like it may have been in undergrad, but to get the material into your head however possible. Lots of us take notes during class but never look at them again. It's about the exercise, not the product. Trying to keep your head engaged by doing something that forces the material into your brain so your brain can tell your writing hand how to move. It's too easy otherwise to space out in class, start thinking about other things, and as mentioned, you get a lower retention percentage. Same thing with reading. studies result you net better results doing that actively as well -- taking margin notes, selective highlighting and the like. It's again not so you have those notes or highlights to look back at, but a trick to make sure you aren't glossing over stuff that you are seeing but not absorbing. So while I agree you do what works for you, you probably should give active learning a try while figuring out what works, because it seems to allow improvement for most people.