hi y'all..i am a 1st yr and so far i have struggled in every class even though i feel like i study all of the time. i am realizing that my way of studying is really inefficient but i am just not that great at memorizing stuff. i've passed all of my classes but i am in the bottom 20% or so...and am beginning to feel that i might not be cut out for all of this. i was wondering if a) it gets better and b) if i'm screwing up my whole life/chances for residency, etc by not doing so hot. it's tough spending all of your time in the library and not getting much return from it. any thoughts, words of inspiration
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First of all, remember "What do they call the medical student who graduates last in his/her class?" The answer is "Doctor". The year that I graduated from medical school, every person in my class matched so even if you are ranked the very last in your class, you can match into residency.
If you have you heart set on Derm, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery or Neurosurgery, you will need to pull your grades up, do well on USMLE Step I and do well in your clerkships but even these competitive residencies are not out of range provided you get your grades up second year. You have more medical school in front of you than behind you so nothing is out of range for you and you have "screwed-up" nothing as far as your career is concerned.
The next thing that you might want to work on is your study skills. Do you have a short attention span? If so, then sitting there hours upon hours on end is not efficient. Break your study time up into 50-minute blocks. Set a timer and take a 10-minute break when that timer goes off. On your break, take a walk, get a sip of water or a breath of fresh air and then get back to your studies.
Have you organized your study materials? If not, you may need to organize your materials/notes so that you can be more efficient. For example, I always previewed the next day's lecture by looking at the syllabus and objectives for that lecture. I would skim the material in my text paying close attention to the captions under graphs and illustrations. I would have a good idea of the high points of the next day's lecture.
During lecture, I would take notes on those things that were important and fill in the details from my book or from handouts. I would study and learn that day's lecture in the evening (reviewing the previous day's lecture material) for perspective and intergration.
I would review a whole week's worth of material on the weekend and preview for the upcoming week. By the time the exam came around, I had seen the material three times and could do my final reveiw. The material was in my long-term memory and integrated.
I also avoided heavy foods early in the evening. I would have a light supper and then a snack before bedtime. Breakfast was my heaviest meal and lunch was my most extensive meal. Loads of heavy fat-laden food will decrease your alertness. Avoid dehydration and caffeine as these can make you less effective with your learning.
Second-year is likely to be more interesting than first year (it was for me anyway) and third year is a whole different type of learning environment. You have loads of time to adjust things so try some different learning tactics (concept mapping for example). Break-up your routine because you are likely in a bit of a "rut".
Last, avoid comparing yourself to others in the class. Study for mastery of the material and not grades. When you lose the "pursuit of grade", you will tend to become more efficient and the grades will come to you. Good luck!
