Another ask an M1 anything?

[flodhi1]

I just got done with all my exams and have the rest of the week off so if you have any legitimate questions ask away.

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[Mattinthehat250]

What study method you use?

 

[sinombre]

Does the Marine Corps offer any kind of medical school scholarship?

 

[jde1223]

Nope all medical for the corps is done through the navy.

 

[MedPR]

I just got done with all my exams and have the rest of the week off so if you have any legitimate questions ask away.

What school are you at? Cincinnati has a schedule like that too.

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[red doctober]

What school are you at? Cincinnati has a schedule like that too.

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If I remember right, he's at VCU.

 

[Frazier]

What specialties are you currently interest in?

 

[113]

True or false.

Get pulled over for speeding.
Sandwich your military ID between driver's license and vehicle registration.
"Have a nice day, flodhi1. Semper fi. Drive safe."

 

[flodhi1]

True or false.

Get pulled over for speeding.
Sandwich your military ID between driver's license and vehicle registration.
"Have a nice day, flodhi1. Semper fi. Drive safe."

True. Unfortunately the two times I wasn't carrying my military ID I got booked. I don't like flashing it though unless I can't afford the ticket lol.

 

[flodhi1]

Does the Marine Corps offer any kind of medical school scholarship?

You can use your GI bill towards medical school which is pretty hefty but I don't think the Marine Corp has scholarships. The only programs offering scholarship and financial assistance that I know of are through the Army, Navy and Airforce.

 

[MedPR]

What will you be more proud of; being a physician or being a marine?

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[flodhi1]

What study method you use?

My study techniques have changed. When I first got into medical school I studied a lot (mostly because new medical students are inefficient). With time I got my study techniques down pretty well. I don't go to lecture, I don't read the syllabus. I've been using lecture slides and listening to online recordings 2-3X. I bought a bunch of BRS books and the first aid book. Finally now I'm going through BRS books after going through slides and hitting main points. Initially my grades dropped from mid 90s to mid 80s but they are back in the 90s again. Long story short I wake up 9 am, show up to the library at 10 am. Listen to lectures till maybe 12:30 pm and study the material till 5 pm. In the beginning I studied till 7 pm but I'm still getting the same grades so whatever. I don't re-write notes, I don't draw diagrams. I strictly run off what the professor mentions in class, BRS and first aid. If the professor is crappy I'll skip listening to their lecture and just read the material from the syllabus but that rarely happens.

What school are you at? Cincinnati has a schedule like that too.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

VCU

What specialties are you currently interest in?

Internal medicine, Radiology and Emergency medicine. I'm fortunate enough to have early preceptorship at my school that exposes you to different fields. Also the physicians are extremely welcoming towards medical students and teach with passion.

 

[flodhi1]

What will you be more proud of; being a physician or being a marine?

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That's a very tough question. I will be proud of both of them but probably more as a physician. The Marine Corp is wonderful it provides you with discipline, hard work, a sense of pride and most importantly commitment. However, in the Marine Corp I was designed to go to war or at least that's how it is when you're in an Infantry unit.

As a physician I know that no matter what field I go into I can truly make a difference in a different way that appeals to me a lot more. Even if I save one life that will fulfill the purpose of my existence so I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity.

 

[La Presse]

Would you be lying if you said, "I go hard in the paint"?

I really can't think of anything to ask.

 

[deleted127837]

That's a very tough question. I will be proud of both of them but probably more as a physician. The Marine Corp is wonderful it provides you with discipline, hard work, a sense of pride and most importantly commitment. However, in the Marine Corp I was designed to go to war or at least that's how it is when you're in an Infantry unit.

As a physician I know that no matter what field I go into I can truly make a difference in a different way that appeals to me a lot more. Even if I save one life that will fulfill the purpose of my existence so I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity.

Looking at military medicine, or civilian all the way?

 

[flodhi1]

Looking at military medicine, or civilian all the way?

I want to start off with civilian. I might be open to military down the road but I feel like it's important to establish yourself in a relatively peaceful environment. As a military doc you can face depolyments that will be stressful for your family and I don't want my family going through that right now. I've already put them through a lot.

 

[MedPR]

That's a very tough question. I will be proud of both of them but probably more as a physician. The Marine Corp is wonderful it provides you with discipline, hard work, a sense of pride and most importantly commitment. However, in the Marine Corp I was designed to go to war or at least that's how it is when you're in an Infantry unit.

As a physician I know that no matter what field I go into I can truly make a difference in a different way that appeals to me a lot more. Even if I save one life that will fulfill the purpose of my existence so I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity.

Good stuff. If you do military then go to med school and do HPSP can you use your time already served as repayment?

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[flodhi1]

Good stuff. If you do military then go to med school and do HPSP can you use your time already served as repayment?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

I don't think so. HPSP is a new agreement with the military. You might get a quicker promotion or a bigger bonus but that's it. I haven't looked into military medicine that much.

 

[911 Turbo]

How soon after your first few exciting days of medical school did the stress kick in ?

 

[Gerudo]

Did your experiences with Navy (or other military) doctors have any effect on your desire/motivation to go to medical school?

 

[GadRads]

My study techniques have changed. When I first got into medical school I studied a lot (mostly because new medical students are inefficient). With time I got my study techniques down pretty well. I don't go to lecture, I don't read the syllabus. I've been using lecture slides and listening to online recordings 2-3X. I bought a bunch of BRS books and the first aid book. Finally now I'm going through BRS books after going through slides and hitting main points. Initially my grades dropped from mid 90s to mid 80s but they are back in the 90s again. Long story short I wake up 9 am, show up to the library at 10 am. Listen to lectures till maybe 12:30 pm and study the material till 5 pm. In the beginning I studied till 7 pm but I'm still getting the same grades so whatever. I don't re-write notes, I don't draw diagrams. I strictly run off what the professor mentions in class, BRS and first aid. If the professor is crappy I'll skip listening to their lecture and just read the material from the syllabus but that rarely happens.

Doesn't your school have TBLs and PBLs? These cut into my study time and routine quite a bit.

 

[flodhi1]

How soon after your first few exciting days of medical school did the stress kick in ?

Well the stress kicks in as the first exam approaches. Again stress can be very subjective at times. If you can find an efficient way of studying you won't really be stressed. After the first exam I've been pretty stress free until I hit this last exam, Cardiovascular Physiology, it was fun though. Some medical students tend to exaggerate the difficulty of medical school or maybe they aren't doing it the right way

 

[flodhi1]

Did your experiences with Navy (or other military) doctors have any effect on your desire/motivation to go to medical school?

I worked with some Navy doctors but it didn't really motivate me towards medicine. My desire to pursue medicine was ironically during a regular military day. The person that fueled my desire was a primary care physician that worked in a disadvantaged community. I've never seen someone care for others so selflessly.

Doesn't your school have TBLs and PBLs? These cut into my study time and routine quite a bit.

My school is transitioning into TBL/PBL for next year's students (Class of 2017). I'm lucky to be a member of the last class with the traditional curriculum. We do have "mandatory team based groups" but those are once or twice a week for a couple hours (no biggie). Most of them are clinical team based learning with an attending and it brings all the material into a clinical aspect so it's worth it for me. I think the biggest thing I've learned from first year is knowing what lectures to listen to and what lectures to skip. You won't even believe how much time that saves you.

 

[nychila]

How well do you find the BRS review books complement your lecture notes?

So your study method is: rarely attend class, instead, use the time to first read over lecture notes, then read the corresponding section in the BRS review book and First Aid?

 

[typicalindian]

what are some things you wish you knew before starting m1?

 

[flodhi1]

How well do you find the BRS review books complement your lecture notes?

So your study method is: rarely attend class, instead, use the time to first read over lecture notes, then read the corresponding section in the BRS review book and First Aid?

If the medical school is doing a decent job of covering step 1 material then it should match. It might be scattered but the core material should definitely be in first aid. I would say that at my school 95 % of the time the first aid essential material is covered in good detail.
Yes I rarely attend class, learn the material from the slides and recorded lectures. If I just don't get something then yeah read the syllabus/book. Another thing that's extremely important is practice problems. Take self assessment questions, read the BRS material and take their self assessment questions. Read the First aid section for the material. When I'm scoring > 90 % on the assessments that's when I know I'm ready and just move onto the next material. The main thing about medical school is that it's fast paced lol but yeah first year is NOT like "drinking out of a fire hose" unless you're waiting the last second to memorize everything. 2nd year is different though, in my school it's at least 2x the material as first year.
Another important thing to find out when you apply to medical school is how the recordings work. For example at my school all recordings are posted within 2-3 hours after the class. We have recordings from last year posted taught by the same professors and same slides which means "future lectures" are up and readily assessed only difference they were recorded last year. We have access to 2nd year material, self assessments and all of that so it's nice to be able to find a school that gives you control of your own education instead of spoon feeding it to you one day at a time.

 

[darkjedi]

don't get put on hold too!

 

[nychila]

Thanks for your response.

Do med students ever interact with other grad students or undergrads within the same university, or are most interactions only limited to classmates (but as a result, classmates become very very close)?

 

[flodhi1]

what are some things you wish you knew before starting m1?

I was a non-traditional applicant and I was a little worried about my study habits since I had been out of school for a bit. I came out guns blazing studying like crazy. I wish I knew prior to attending medical school that first year of medical school IS NOT really that hard as long as you set up a schedule for every day. Anyone that tells you otherwise is just doing something MAJORLY wrong. I feel like SDN hyped the hell out of it so I was a little concerned. It just added unnecessary stress. There's no doubt that medical school crushes undergrad but even then it really is not that bad and I wish I knew that.

I wish I knew how to set up a proper schedule, as in write it on a paper or a board and strictly follow it. Everyone told me about it but I NEVER did it ever till middle of the semester lol and life got SO MUCH EASIER. I didn't budget my time properly, I had no fixed schedules, I neglected my body just for the sake of studying more to learn more not just get good grades. I was excited and thought that everything that I learned was clinically relevant and that I must know it all. Long behold clinical preceptorship proved to me that at least 50 % of it is just fluff material. Go pick up a first aid book for USMLE step 1 and all you need to know is 50-60 pages of Biochemistry so why the hell am I cramming 800 pages worth of material for Biochem in a little over a month? exactly. I wish I knew that I should have focused my studies towards BRS and step 1 since day 1 instead of focusing on irrelevant junk that PhDs wanted to emphasize since they were researching it.

Another thing I wish I knew more about what the Pass/Fail system. I didn't understand the significance of Pass/Fail and I wanted to prove to everyone that I belonged in medical school. I was told that quartile was going to be reported to residency programs. So I thought alright preclinical grades must mean something. Long behold my team leader who is a residency program director said preclinical grades especially quartile ranks don't mean crap. I would get upset if I didn't get a mid-90 grade and I just wish someone told me that it's okay to just PASS in medical school. When I go to take an exam, I really don't give a crap about my score and every single time when I go there I perform better. I know this isn't a universal principle but less stress has been amazing for me

The biggest problem was that there was SO much information out there. Everyone was saying different things and I just didn't know who to believe.

 

[GadRads]

My school is transitioning into TBL/PBL for next year's students (Class of 2017). I'm lucky to be a member of the last class with the traditional curriculum. We do have "mandatory team based groups" but those are once or twice a week for a couple hours (no biggie). Most of them are clinical team based learning with an attending and it brings all the material into a clinical aspect so it's worth it for me. I think the biggest thing I've learned from first year is knowing what lectures to listen to and what lectures to skip. You won't even believe how much time that saves you.

Not here. We have lots of TBLs/SGLs/PBLs. At least 50% of them aren't all that useful. Further, exams in the first year at my program are slide-oriented. You may master the material conceptually elsewhere, perhaps even in the slides, but the exams are mostly very detail-oriented so much so that it's often possible to do well without an integrative understanding of the material insofar as you memorized everything in the slides. However it's looking like second year will be different, and that is very exciting.

 

[flodhi1]

Thanks for your response.

Do med students ever interact with other grad students or undergrads within the same university, or are most interactions only limited to classmates (but as a result, classmates become very very close)?

Well at my school we have Interprofessional cases. We have dental students, medical students, pharmacy students, nursing students, allied health professional students all come to a hall and listen to cases. I don't know if that's truly "interacting" but yeah sure we run into each other. It's medical school man lol I got better things to worry about than interacting with other grad students let alone undergrads. If they have questions yeah sure I'll help them but I don't go out of my way to interact with them (undergrad campus is 1 mile away from medical campus).

I'm not trying to sound stuck up because believe me we are all equal but I'm just focused on other things personally. Long story short I'm sure some medical students do but I don't think all. It really depends on the medical school, the student so it's going to be different everywhere.

 

[flodhi1]

Not here. We have lots of TBLs/SGLs/PBLs. At least 50% of them aren't all that useful. Further, exams in the first year at my program are slide-oriented. You may master the material conceptually elsewhere, perhaps even in the slides, but the exams are mostly very detail-oriented so much so that it's often possible to do well without an integrative understanding of the material insofar as you memorized everything in the slides. However it's looking like second year will be different, and that is very exciting.

I got accepted to one of the medical school that had a curriculum similar to that and I won't name it. As soon as I found out details lol I ran as fast as I could. This is why it's extremely important for any premeds reading this to pick a school that's the "perfect fit". Most importantly a "perfect fit" for me would have elements ranked as the following:-

1) Details of the curriculum ( I must know it all)
2) Location
3) Finances

A lot of kids pick finances or location over the curriculum or don't look too much into the curriculum just to find out oh crap next 2 years is hell for me and I have to study 2-3 x more than I was supposed to. I'm not saying that's the case for you just saying that picking a well suited curriculum can save you so much time and energy. I wanted a curriculum that gave me responsibility for my own education and that's helped me thrive the most in medical school thus far.

 

[kgpremed11]

I just got done with all my exams and have the rest of the week off so if you have any legitimate questions ask away.

Married? if no, how many girls have you hooked up with thus far???

 

[flodhi1]

Married? if no, how many girls have you hooked up with thus far???

Not married, I was dating 2 girls at the same time 2 weeks ago but that was a little too much drama. I'm back with my ex for now. I can assure you the amount of girls I have hooked up with were due to the Marine Corp definitely not medical school lol. I don't really play the medical student card. If someone asks me about my school, I just say, "You know a Bio major". lol

Any way so do girls really care about medical students?
Yeah sure, they want smart guys blah blah but if some doesn't have the looks and/or the charm yeah NOT going to happen. Medical school is not a free pass to get laid.

 

[kgpremed11]

Not married, I was dating 2 girls at the same time 2 weeks ago but that was a little too much drama. I'm back with my ex for now. I can assure you the amount of girls I have hooked up with were due to the Marine Corp definitely not medical school lol. I don't really play the medical student card. If someone asks me about my school, I just say, "You know a Bio major". lol

Any way so do girls really care about medical students?
Yeah sure, they want smart guys blah blah but if some doesn't have the looks and/or the charm yeah NOT going to happen. Medical school is not a free pass to get laid.

I wouldn't think marine corps would be impressive either to the girls in med school, maybe to average bar rat but tjm.

 

[random1234]

Not married, I was dating 2 girls at the same time 2 weeks ago but that was a little too much drama. I'm back with my ex for now. I can assure you the amount of girls I have hooked up with were due to the Marine Corp definitely not medical school lol. I don't really play the medical student card. If someone asks me about my school, I just say, "You know a Bio major". lol

Any way so do girls really care about medical students?
Yeah sure, they want smart guys blah blah but if some doesn't have the looks and/or the charm yeah NOT going to happen. Medical school is not a free pass to get laid.

ouch. better watch out for herpes lol..

you go to thompkins right, not cabell?

 

[GadRads]

Good points overall. Otherwise, I love my school. I study an average of 3-4 hrs per day. It's enough to put me above average, although I understand that ranking is meaningless in the big picture.

I got accepted to one of the medical school that had a curriculum similar to that and I won't name it. As soon as I found out details lol I ran as fast as I could. This is why it's extremely important for any premeds reading this to pick a school that's the "perfect fit". Most importantly a "perfect fit" for me would have elements ranked as the following:-

1) Details of the curriculum ( I must know it all)
2) Location
3) Finances

A lot of kids pick finances or location over the curriculum or don't look too much into the curriculum just to find out oh crap next 2 years is hell for me and I have to study 2-3 x more than I was supposed to. I'm not saying that's the case for you just saying that picking a well suited curriculum can save you so much time and energy. I wanted a curriculum that gave me responsibility for my own education and that's helped me thrive the most in medical school thus far.

 

[flodhi1]

I wouldn't think marine corps would be impressive either to the girls in med school, maybe to average bar rat but tjm.

You must live an extremely sheltered life if you think there's two types of girls, med school girls or bar rats.

 

[113]

You were dating 2 girls simultaneously. Then unceremoniously dumped both shortly before V Day?

lol dick move bro. you cold as ice, but i approve.

 

[tennischamp822]

.

 

[flodhi1]

Which BRS books are you talking about specifically?

Costanzos Physiology, Behavioral science

 

[darkjedi]

don't get put on hold too!

called it... sort of

 

[MedPR]

called it... sort of