I really need advice. I went to one of the top 3 undergrads in the country, worked and was president/vice president/ and secretary in three campus groups. I graduated with honors. I passed M1 just fine. This year, I have studied harder and longer than I ever have in my life, despite medical problems which cause me to be in pain on a daily basis, and leave me exhausted. I failed anatomy first semester, and was slated to re-test over the summer. I just failed the second semester by literally one point. Chances are pretty good they will allow me to repeat the year, but there is absolutely no retesting, extra credit, etc. and they are firm on that. There is a chance they could ask me to leave, and I am not allowed to participate in any academic activities until I meet with the PAC in mid May to decide my fate. I have not stopped crying for 4 days. I love the people in my class, and especially the group of 4 I am teamed with. I can't express how much I am grieving that. Emotions aside, I am planning to redo the year. I want to be a pediatrician, and have a passion for it. Of course if I do repeat, there can be no failures. The way I study has always worked well for me except for these two classes. Everything I read says change your study habits. This confuses me. I have no idea what to do this summer. It is so late to apply for anything. I see lots of posts for people repeating M1, but none for M2. Can anyone give me any advice about any of this?
Begging for advice: I have to repeat M2!
- Thread starter Snoop Dog
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2013
- Messages
- 11,481
- Reaction score
- 15,327
It's a crappy situation, but you've got to get it done if you want to stay in medicine. If your study habits worked well for your other classes, then don't change them for the classes it worked for. When it comes to the two classes you failed, use whatever resources you can. If your school has tutors or learning specialists, use them. Try and find people who find the subjects easy and study with them. Ask people that are currently in your class how they studied and what resources they used and see if that helps. Heck, if you have to pay someone to tutor you, then do it. The worst thing you could do would be to repeat the year and fail the same classes because you didn't change anything.
As for this summer, ask professors at your school if they'll take you on for research. Get involved with a free clinic or student run clinic. If worst comes to worst, call up some hospitals or physicians in various fields and start exploring what you want to do more. At the very least you'd make some connections that could help you down the road. Just don't do nothing.
As for this summer, ask professors at your school if they'll take you on for research. Get involved with a free clinic or student run clinic. If worst comes to worst, call up some hospitals or physicians in various fields and start exploring what you want to do more. At the very least you'd make some connections that could help you down the road. Just don't do nothing.
Thank you! I'll ask some others how they studied/resources. I would be happy to pay someone to help me. We have study groups, but I've gone to a few, and haven't found them helpful. I love the idea of asking professors about taking me on for research. I don't have any post grad research experience. I definitely plan to volunteer. I already do at the free clinic, and I am also thinking about trying the children's hospital here.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
- Messages
- 2,688
- Reaction score
- 3,661
I disagree with the above poster about research/volunteering. Use this summer to study the topics you failed. Learn them backwards and forwards so that you have them down cold before the block even starts. Doing some volunteering or research may or may not help you going forward. Failing again would be catastrophic. Plus you want to shoot for excellence, not just passing, which would allow you to create the narrative that you had a bad year but got your act together.
That sounds like great advice too. Maybe I could find a balance and do both? I wish I could figure out what I did wrong. Had to tell my friends today. This was a very hard day. And I found out I would have had all of the electives I wanted. Feels like I'm having a bad dream. Your support and advice means a lot to me, everyone.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2010
- Messages
- 764
- Reaction score
- 432
Passing is all that matters right now and all you should focus on.
The hardest part is staying positive while study (it'll be more effective when you are) and staying confident on exam day (you'll perform better). Focus on these things.
Gl
The hardest part is staying positive while study (it'll be more effective when you are) and staying confident on exam day (you'll perform better). Focus on these things.
Gl
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2008
- Messages
- 1,610
- Reaction score
- 4,458
Your first paragraph was okay, but this is really bad advice for someone who failed a year. All the research and free clinic work in the world is going to be overshadowed by the huge red banner of a failed year. OP needs to pour every moment of time and every resource into figuring out how to succeed academically. Extracurriculars are just that- extras. Not everyone can or should spare the time and effort for them.
OP- you may benefit from a complete overhaul to your approach to studying. You want to be passing comfortably, not barely passing so a 2-point swing makes a difference. I'm normally against getting hung up on what other people are doing, but whatever you did on your own did not work. You need as many viewpoints/resources as you can get.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2013
- Messages
- 11,481
- Reaction score
- 15,327
The second paragraph was based on the assumption that OP wouldn't need an entire summer to figure out his/her study problems. Making sure any study problems or learning issues are taken care of should definitely be the #1 priority. OP said that they aren't allowed to be involved with academic activities until May, so that gives them 1.5 months to figure out what went wrong before June hits, and around 3.5 months total including all summer. I would hope that OP wouldn't need 3.5 months to address these issues, but if that's what it takes then that's what needs to happen.
OP, If you can figure it out in that time/sooner then great, look into some research or something. However, I agree that making sure you have the skills/knowledge to pass your classes comfortably should take priority over any ECs or research, and I wouldn't start anything new until you are 100% positive you've addressed the current issues. Even if that does mean taking the entire summer to do so.
The italicized is a really good point. If you can get A's in the classes you failed it would go a long way in silencing any critics as to why you failed in the first place. I had a similar situation with undergrad (got a D in a neuro class during a bad semester), and a lot of schools looked at it very negatively during my first application cycle. I took 3 grad school level neuro classes in my Master's and got straight A's. Most places I applied to the next cycle didn't seem to mind the D so much after seeing 3 A's.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all! The advice is really helping me get a plan into place which is keeping me moving forward. Trying not to dwell and get depressed. I talked to a friend in my class who was repeating M2, and she told me she didn't do anything all summer because she was so depressed. I am definitely going to look at my study skills, talk to others, and take a free online class on medical study skills that my school offers. I will be doing as thorough a review of my failed classes as possible. I have to work on my health too. I think I have decided to take the Step 1 online course I paid $700 for as a review of M1 and M2. Assuming I pass M2, I would be willing to pay another $700 next spring if I need to. Not that you'll all be on this forum, but I'll post how it goes next year. Good luck to you all!
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2015
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
May be HOW you study for certain subjects should be changed. Think about it....
I will be starting med school in a month so I have no advice. But I do have a question. Isn't it unusual for 2 people in a class to be forced to repeat the year?Did your med school give you adequate preparation?
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 3,074
- Reaction score
- 2,891
It's ok for that to happen. If no people are repeating, it probably means instead of giving a second or third chance, the school is just kicking people out.
You're joking, right? Med schools stand to lose big $ if they are too quick to kick out students, whereas forcing students to repeat a year means more $ for the schools. Are there statistics available about how many students in each med school have been required to repeat years in the last 5-10 years? It might reflect on med school's admission screening ability or quality of med school education delivered - this information could be helpful - as a supplement to residency match rates - to pre-meds in evaluating which schools they want to apply. Too late for me but might be useful information for future pre-meds.
Thanks. I will. The obvious conflict of issue seems more apparent with certain med schools requiring students to repeat at a higher frequency than other med schools. Dismissing students at a higher frequency otoh would seem a reflection on admission standards and education quality, no? Why would med schools risk that kind of scrutiny from future pre-med consumer/buyers of their product?
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
- Messages
- 88
- Reaction score
- 61
Its okay my friend. Its never as bad as you think. You've been given a great opportunity to continue med school. Seek advice from your program as to how you can improve your performace and also take care of your health issues so you can concentrate on the material vs. your pain.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 3,074
- Reaction score
- 2,891
Are we talking about the same process here? There are like 60 million >3.5 GPA, >33 MCAT, ECs: cured AIDS/Cancer and instilled world peace trying to fill those seats.
Hopeful matriculants are the beggars and adcoms are the definite choosers.
Nobody goes into medical school thinking they will be the one to be kicked out, so past failures of students by a school don't really have a bearing in a seller's market.
LOL! Thanks for the reality check.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 3,074
- Reaction score
- 2,891
No prob. I wasn't trying to be short in any way, so apologies if it came off that way. The whole process is pretty brutal and from day one (actually before day 1), and trainees are at the mercy of those above.
Your post was spot on - no apology needed - you brought me down to earth with good humor to boot. Since I got accepted, I got a big head and started to forget the crap shoot "process" pre-meds are in, how it doesn't end with an acceptance call. Thanks for getting my head screwed back on straight so I know to be appropriately humble.
I'd say the standard advice applies to your case.
1. LOA until your medical and psychiatric issues are controlled.
2. Take an honest and non-emotional look at both your academic abilities and your willingness to make sacrifices.
3. Stop hanging your hat on previous accomplishments. You have to work to be your best every single day if you expect to reach your goals.
Edit: just for some perspective, an attending I'm working with recognized me from an award ceremony during MS1. I wasn't invited to that ceremony during MS2 and the attending knew it and asked me "why didn't weren't you there this year?". My interpretation of that is "you weren't good enough. Why didn't you work harder?".
1. LOA until your medical and psychiatric issues are controlled.
2. Take an honest and non-emotional look at both your academic abilities and your willingness to make sacrifices.
3. Stop hanging your hat on previous accomplishments. You have to work to be your best every single day if you expect to reach your goals.
Edit: just for some perspective, an attending I'm working with recognized me from an award ceremony during MS1. I wasn't invited to that ceremony during MS2 and the attending knew it and asked me "why didn't weren't you there this year?". My interpretation of that is "you weren't good enough. Why didn't you work harder?".
Last edited:
The good news is that you want to be a pediatrician. Even though repeating a year is a red flag, if you fix your issues and do well going forward, you can probably still be a pediatrician. This would not be the case if you were dead-set on derm.
My recommendation is to not do research but focus on what your academic problems are. Like @seminoma said, you need to stop hanging your hat on previous achievements. The truth is, few people in medicine probably cared about your undergraduate achievements to begin with. Now that you've had to repeat a year, I guarantee that they hold almost no stock. At this point, people will be looking to see whether you can redeem yourself of your current academic struggles in medical school. This can only come from succeeding in medical school in the future—it cannot come from your past.
If you had methods that were working for you in certain classes, don't change what you did in those. If you were failing or doing poorly in classes, really think about why you were doing poorly. Were you honestly evaluating your weaknesses in those classes and focusing on them? Were you spending the necessary time studying? Were you really focused during your studying? Were you spending too much time on outside review resources and not enough time with class notes?
Honestly, you should have some ideas on what you were doing wrong. There are really only a few main aspects of studying that can go wrong: time, focus/efficiency and retention. Do you have any ideas about which of these categories are the major problems in your study plan?
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2015
- Messages
- 164
- Reaction score
- 122
You took Anatomy second year???
