Anyone else get their behind kicked in MS1 year? And feel down?

[Blondnuttyboy]

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Had so much fun my MS1 year, Passed all my classes, but the majority were very low passes, some even below the class average.

What this leaves me feeling is doubt for step 1 - I want to go into urology or maybe optho and need a huge step 1 score. I know my material but for some reason it did not translate onto tests.

Anyone else experience something similar?

 

[beethoven]

Hi there.

I think you need to figure out why your results aren't satisfactory for you. As you said - you had fun in your MS1 year. Maybe too much fun? Most of step 1 is based on 2nd year stuff from what I hear, so try harder in the fall!

 

[penguin24]

Step I is 25% physiology (M1), and 75% pathology (M2), so if u really only care about Step I, all is not lost.

 

[MediumDef]

You also need to be a little more specific, It's unclear from your post if you are barely passing "low passes" or are just occasionally below the class mean. If you are struggling to pass then you need to change something about the way you study in order to better master second year material. If your going out having a good time and keeping yourself generally sane while hanging around the class mean then I don't think there's anything fundamentally flawed with where you are and it's just up to you next year how much work you really want to put in. Good luck.

 

[45408]

Horrors! You scored below the class average!? I didn't think anyone ever did that!


Lighten up, Francis. Half your class is below average. Obviously, you need to do well if you want a competitive specialty, but it's not like you're on the cusp of failing if you're just below average.

 

[paradocs we are]

Horrors! You scored below the class average!? I didn't think anyone ever did that!


Lighten up, Francis. Half your class is below average. Obviously, you need to do well if you want a competitive specialty, but it's not like you're on the cusp of failing if you're just below average.

And half of the class is above average...sigh

 

[greg1184]

lol now that we established that there are 2 halves of a class...

Realize that you are not in undergrad anymore. You are not being compared to a bunch of premeds anymore. Remember those big curves where a bunch of people fail to bring down the curve? Gone. Take the front section of the bell shaped curve of undergrad and redraw the curve. Welcome to medical school! You are in a class where everyone was in the top 10% of applicants to medical school. There is nothing wrong with being "average" among the top students in the country. I stopped that kind of competitive game and made a goal to do the best I can do. Do solidly throughout the year and constantly try to improve MYSELF and never mind everyone else.

Concern yourself with learning the material to the best of your ability so when Step 1 comes studying will be a bit smoother.

 

[ZagDoc]

Also realize Step 1 is nothing like your first year exams. Step 1 is about memorization, but its also about integrating concepts and understanding mechanisms. Much, much less minutiae than pre-clinical exams.

 

[Blondnuttyboy]

Thanks for all the replies guys - I wouldn't be freaking out if I didn't want a competitive specialty.

I'm for sure not going AOA but its a summer before and I'm already on my BRS path, psio and a first aid to establish a foundation. I didn't mean to sound gunner-esque but crying about being below class average; I just got a wake up call at the end of the day.