Hi everyone - Amazon and iTunes figured out a long time ago that "Big Box" stores would go out and consumers would go online for their wares. This model works just as well with medical education, but it is simple: despite the competitive process to be accepted to medical school, there is very little incentive to improve the "business plan" and make it consumer friendly. Enter Boards and Beyond and Pathoma. These resources are nascent "disruptors " which are in the process of reforming and improving the way medical students access information. One thing remains true: no matter what, it is 100% up to you teach yourself and be disciplined about learning - no matter how good a resource is, it is only as good as the commitment you make the resource work for you, and then to understand and learn.
All this being said, my two cents: I was very successful with Boards and Beyond, Pathoma, and Qbanks (Kaplan and UWorld). It is simply not necessary to listen to lectures. The physiology of heart disease will be best understood taught by an experienced cardiologist (Boards and Beyond) who has an incentive to teach you the material. Is GI cancer taught better by an experienced pathologist (Pathoma) or your basic scientist lecturer, who is an ineffective teacher and has no clinical experience?
The medical profession will be better off by offering more skilled teachers available to more students via the internet, and I am truly grateful for Boards and Beyond and Pathoma, because I used both resources heavily, which paid off not only for exams, but I also credit these with my ability to cogently answer questions when pimped. It is not because I memorized, it is because I understand (...ok, and then memorized once all was understood).
I refer you to my original post, pasted below. The basic sentiment is that if you follow its advice, you will do well in your second year, do very well on boards, and then do very well after that when pimped in third year. Good luck everyone, if it worked for me, it can work for you too, and this will be very good for the future of patient care.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...dy-throughout-m2.1098501/page-2#post-15907135