Best way to study in a car/ driving

[theshellyb]

I'll be starting med school in August, and my long-term boyfriend will be about 3 hours away by car. We've been long distance for most of the 3 1/2 years we've been together (like, "requiring a flight" long distance) so we're pretty psyched that we're "only" 3 hours apart now and can get in a car whenever we want to to see each other. I anticipate I'll probably make the drive about twice a month on weekends. My question is, that's 12 hours a month I'll be in the car, and I want to monopolize the time to my studying benefit as much as possible. What do you guys think is the best way to "audio study"? Should I re-listen to class lectures (they're podcasted)? Is there an audio review guide (I've heard of Goljan's, maybe?) that would be good? Does anyone make their own "audio flashcards" where you quiz yourself in the car? I'm trying to be creative here- any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

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[ChiDO]

goljan

 

[Baron Samedi]

Just put your textbooks on the dash.

 

[IwannabeDrP]

goljan

Which subject matter did you find most practical/helpful when listening to goljan?

EDIT: Found from a past forum - Goljan is just path, although he does integrate certain aspects of pharm, biochem, micro, etc.


OP, I plan on listening to my lectures on 1.5x speed during my commute.

 

[IwannabeDrP]

Could someone PM me if you have the goljan downloads? I want to get them on my computer. They appear to be hard to find

 

[voidlogin]

How about you dont kill yourself in a car crash? Any one/two points you may get by listening to goljan will be negligible if you're injured. It's one thing to talk on the phone, but learning to new info requires you to focus and that's just a recipe for disaster. When I took Step I, I did listen to Goljan and it thought it was helpful. But I did it at home when I was exhausted from studying and didn't feel like reading/doing questions anymore

 

[hyrule]

I'm gonna post in here before this goes from studying while driving to posting illegal links to how she can't survive her long distance relationship to being locked

 

[voidlogin]

since when do people need an account to download from bittorrent? And why dont you download from direct file downloading websites, so you're not uploading to anyone, therefor you cannot be sued for copyright infringement?

A guy in my med school (east coast) had a wife (in west coast). He would stay up late at night till 1 AM (because of the time difference) so he could talk to her before going to sleep. I was always curious why they had to talk to each other while they were both in bed.

 

[betsywetsy]

I'm gonna post in here before this goes from studying while driving to posting illegal links to how she can't survive her long distance relationship to being locked

I'll get the ball rolling: 3 hours is not close. It is far. Therefore, long distance relationships are stupid and you should just end it and focus on medical school and not try to study while driving because that is stupid I like to listen to music personally but studying won't work and neither will a long distance relationship.
👎thumbdown👎thumbdown👎thumbdown

 

[Hoya2009]

Um, listen to sports talk radio?

 

[i eat food]

You are going about this the wrong way. Make him drive to you all the time instead of you driving to him. Now you can study at home. You're welcome.

 

[LossForWords]

Honestly, Goljan is probably not worth it for 1st year. It's gold for 2nd year, but it's really mostly Path you won't have covered yet.

If your actual first-year classes are available on podcast, I would recommend those. Sounds more relevant to what you'll be tested on.

Second year though, Goljan FTW. 👍

 

[theshellyb]

Honestly, Goljan is probably not worth it for 1st year. It's gold for 2nd year, but it's really mostly Path you won't have covered yet.

If your actual first-year classes are available on podcast, I would recommend those. Sounds more relevant to what you'll be tested on.

Second year though, Goljan FTW. 👍

Thanks for the actual helpful response.

As for all the unsolicited relationship advice- SDN is a bitter mess. Not going to touch that.

Goljan seems like the only "audio" thing that people use to study- has anyone come across anything else other than Goljan in mp3 format they found useful? I saw these "Recall" series on Amazon that come with audio downloads, and while the Step1 review and probably the Pharmacology is a little premature for 1st year, they'd be good to have in mind for 2nd year if anyone has used them/found them helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Pharmacology-Recall-Wolters-Kluwer/dp/0781787300/ref=pd_sim_b_1
http://www.amazon.com/USMLE-Step-Recall-Buzzwords-Boards/dp/078177070X/ref=pd_sim_b_2

 

[theshellyb]

Just put your textbooks on the dash.

 

[pingouin]

Just as a reminder, SDN does not permit linking to BitTorrent sites or any other site that offers illegal copies of copyrighted material. Thanks.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

How about you dont kill yourself in a car crash? Any one/two points you may get by listening to goljan will be negligible if you're injured. It's one thing to talk on the phone, but learning to new info requires you to focus and that's just a recipe for disaster.

Seriously?

 

[vin5cent0]

Not to be a douche, but seriously, you want to study while you're driving? What a stupid combination. Trying to absorb information through auditory studying is wayyy different than just passively listening to music. Either suck it up and don't study, or don't see your boyfriend. Seems kind of selfish to endanger people on the road because you want to multitask while you're driving.

 

[UAAWolf]

Girl in my class told me she listens to Goljan as she bikes through DOWNTOWN.....brb sacrificing safety to score 0.0001 higher on step 1

 

[CBG23]

I agree with the other posters who said it's not worth it. Trying to actively learn and drive at the same time is NOT a good idea. I don't have remember the reference but apparently most MVAs are due to being distracted/ doing other things while driving.

 

[EgotiStick]

If asian: kindly forget this thread exists

 

[Slack3r]

If asian: kindly forget this thread exists

 

[okdocrx]

You are going about this the wrong way. Make him drive to you all the time instead of you driving to him. Now you can study at home. You're welcome.

👍

 

[JimmyChitwood]

If he doesn't love you enough to drive to you or move to where you are then break up with him, because he obviously doesn't love you. Besides, you have no idea what kind of gold mine awaits you in medical school.

 

[Serotonergic]

I got a ride to school with a classmate once who actually had his laptop open in his lap and would study power point slides while driving. So ridiculous! I agree with the poster who advises you just don't study in the car and don't drive to your bf - make him come to you.

 

[bruinhd]

How about you dont kill yourself in a car crash? Any one/two points you may get by listening to goljan will be negligible if you're injured. It's one thing to talk on the phone, but learning to new info requires you to focus and that's just a recipe for disaster. When I took Step I, I did listen to Goljan and it thought it was helpful. But I did it at home when I was exhausted from studying and didn't feel like reading/doing questions anymore

ugh, i am tired of seeing other medical students get high up on their horse and criticize other people on this forum. The OP asked a legitimate question, which people began to answer with reasonable and SAFE responses.

I'm pretty sure the OP can safely operate a vehicle and listen to Goljan audio all year. I did it, and it worked out great for me. I would visit my GF once a month, and she would visit me (3 hrs away as well). I was able to listen to Goljan multiple times and it paid off a lot, I believe. Not just on the Step 1, but also for my exams. As long as you are limiting yourself to audio and not looking in textbooks or opening laptops like other people have been saying, I don't see much problem with that.

Go with what most of the posters are saying. Even though Goljan is almost 10 years old now (2002), it is still strikingly relevant to everything you will learn.

If he doesn't love you enough to drive to you or move to where you are then break up with him, because he obviously doesn't love you. Besides, you have no idea what kind of gold mine awaits you in medical school.

Unless you have some type of "old world/politically incorrect" dominance in your relationship or something, I don't think it is ever right to give your bf the impression that your time is always more important than theirs and that they need to make all the sacrifice because you are a medical student. Granted, this type of sacrifice helps you and is very ideal if they are willing to make it, but it should be initiated on their terms. I noticed a lot of classmates throw these types of ultimatums in the face of their significant others, and while some may be receptive to these suggestions at first, it will always take its toll on them and they will feel less important and neglected. Of course there are people who can carry on living this way for a long time, even throughout the course of a marriage (submissive spouse), but I don't think it is right. This is a recipe for relationship disaster.

I am not completely aware of your own relationship's dynamic, but I do know that it sounds like you are in a similar situation to the one I was in, and if you want I can give you advice on this if you PM me.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

I'm pretty sure the OP can safely operate a vehicle and listen to Goljan audio all year. I did it, and it worked out great for me. I would visit my GF once a month, and she would visit me (3 hrs away as well). I was able to listen to Goljan multiple times and it paid off a lot, I believe. Not just on the Step 1, but also for my exams. As long as you are limiting yourself to audio and not looking in textbooks or opening laptops like other people have been saying, I don't see much problem with that.

+1. It's not going to be helpful M1 year, but it's great for M2 if you have to spend a lot of time in the car. I didn't find it any more distracting than listening to music.

 

[UAAWolf]

Just as a reminder, SDN does not permit linking to BitTorrent sites or any other site that offers illegal copies of copyrighted material. Thanks.

Well now OP knows where to find it lol...

 

[UAAWolf]

right click, save

 

[JustCallMeDoc]

I used Pharm Recall in 2nd year and found it pretty helpful. It's good for times when you don't need to be completely focused while studying, like when shopping or walking across campus. But I don't know if any of the Recall audio would be useful 1st year. It might make you a little more distracted when driving though since you're actually paying attention and thinking about the answer to the audio questions, so you have to be careful.

 

[Longshanks]

Unless you're engaged, a long-distance relationship is the biggest waste of time in your life; a terrible allocation of emotional resources and investment.

 

[AlexMorph]

the cynicism in this thread is amazing and quite frankly, sad

 

[VenusinFurs]

Bring a friend with you and have them quiz you! Then make them sit around and watch while you snog your boyfriend!

 

[sindadel]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I commuted each weekend for the pre-clinical years (3 hours each way). Listening to podcasted lectures from the current course was an excellent use of my time. It takes more concentration than is available in-city, but that still left 2.5 hours of lecture, or 6 lectures reviewable in this way each week.

 

[theshellyb]

the cynicism in this thread is amazing and quite frankly, sad

Yep.

I didn't read the whole thread, but I commuted each weekend for the pre-clinical years (3 hours each way). Listening to podcasted lectures from the current course was an excellent use of my time. It takes more concentration than is available in-city, but that still left 2.5 hours of lecture, or 6 lectures reviewable in this way each week.

All you missed was mostly the aforementioned cynicism with a mix of hysteria about listening to things while driving. Because we all know that people who listen to books on tape or All Things Considered are causing a rash of fatal wrecks.

I have 145+ miles of highway driving, so this is what I plan on doing. Thank you (sincerely) for your advice/input.

ugh, i am tired of seeing other medical students get high up on their horse and criticize other people on this forum.

I'm pretty sure the OP can safely operate a vehicle and listen to Goljan audio all year.

Thank you, again, for this, and the entire rest of your post, and thanks to the other posters who have offered useful advice. I do appreciate the considerate/sane people here.

 

[startswithb]

Maybe you can find someone else in your class that has a SO or family near yours? I am going to be 4 hours from my bf for the first year and already found someone in my class whose fiance lives in the same town that he does. Carpool! Time to read and you can quiz each other!

 

[mommy2three]

so i commute an hour each day to and from school and i will either listen to recorded lectures, which i found hard to do because i am one who like to look at my notes while i re-listen to lectures so breaking myself of that habit was tough
i also did the audio flashcard thing, where i would record myself asking questions then pause then state the answer. this actually works pretty well.

 

[Sheldor]

Yep.



All you missed was mostly the aforementioned cynicism with a mix of hysteria about listening to things while driving. Because we all know that people who listen to books on tape or All Things Considered are causing a rash of fatal wrecks.

I have 145+ miles of highway driving, so this is what I plan on doing. Thank you (sincerely) for your advice/input.



Thank you, again, for this, and the entire rest of your post, and thanks to the other posters who have offered useful advice. I do appreciate the considerate/sane people here.

Wow this thread went pretty downhill fast! There is nothing wrong with studying in the car, in fact it is a great use of your time, in my opinion.

I'm going to go against the grain and suggest against Goljan. His audio lectures are amazing, but they are meant as a review. I tried listening to them during the year and they weren't useful at all. Because he links so many things together, you end up more lost than its worth. You aren't supposed to listen to his until you've gone through all the material once, so that way you can make the mental connections with him!

That said, I did listen to them after second year and then it was one of the most amazing things ever!! One caveat, I bet it is school specific with regard to how helpful it is. (For first year its useless though...) At our school, test questions were generally about pointless minutiae in the powerpoint slides of researchers so if you want to do well in your classes you've got to play the game.

I would HIGHLY recommend you relisten to the tough lectures since they are available in podcast form. During some crunch time in one of my classes I re listened to all the lectures again, in addition to attending class, and for that specific class I got 100% for three tests in a row. Again, this will be school specific, but apparently at my school they emphasized what they were going to test on audibly in the lecture!

Another suggestion if you truly want to master the material: Make a condensed study guide and then record yourself teaching it, then listen to that. If you put in the time to make a study guide, teach it out loud and then listen to it again, I can guarantee you'd rock that test.

Hope it helps!

 

[ArcGurren]

Wow this thread went pretty downhill fast! There is nothing wrong with studying in the car, in fact it is a great use of your time, in my opinion.

I'm going to go against the grain and suggest against Goljan. His audio lectures are amazing, but they are meant as a review. I tried listening to them during the year and they weren't useful at all. Because he links so many things together, you end up more lost than its worth. You aren't supposed to listen to his until you've gone through all the material once, so that way you can make the mental connections with him!

That said, I did listen to them after second year and then it was one of the most amazing things ever!! One caveat, I bet it is school specific with regard to how helpful it is. (For first year its useless though...) At our school, test questions were generally about pointless minutiae in the powerpoint slides of researchers so if you want to do well in your classes you've got to play the game.

I would HIGHLY recommend you relisten to the tough lectures since they are available in podcast form. During some crunch time in one of my classes I re listened to all the lectures again, in addition to attending class, and for that specific class I got 100% for three tests in a row. Again, this will be school specific, but apparently at my school they emphasized what they were going to test on audibly in the lecture!

Another suggestion if you truly want to master the material: Make a condensed study guide and then record yourself teaching it, then listen to that. If you put in the time to make a study guide, teach it out loud and then listen to it again, I can guarantee you'd rock that test.

Hope it helps!

I completely disagree. Obviously Your Mileage May Vary but I used the Goljan audio primarily as a learning source for high yield material during the year prior to Step 1. Also, many of his lectures for me were very good at cementing knowledge of things like Hematology, GI, Endocrine, etc without needing to go through textbooks.

In my heresy I think Goljan's audio is better for learning things than for being some kind of high-yield cheat-sheet that you can use for the Step 1. This was probably the case for the past 5 years or so that the audio has been out... not anymore IMO. They've added a lot of new material and questions which for me came purely from doing lots and lots of questions and studying hard, not from hearing it from Goljan. Plus, the NBME isn't a bunch of *****s, and they've likely caught on to a lot of this stuff pretty quick.

 

[Sheldor]

I completely disagree. Obviously Your Mileage May Vary but I used the Goljan audio primarily as a learning source for high yield material during the year prior to Step 1. Also, many of his lectures for me were very good at cementing knowledge of things like Hematology, GI, Endocrine, etc without needing to go through textbooks.

In my heresy I think Goljan's audio is better for learning things than for being some kind of high-yield cheat-sheet that you can use for the Step 1. This was probably the case for the past 5 years or so that the audio has been out... not anymore IMO. They've added a lot of new material and questions which for me came purely from doing lots and lots of questions and studying hard, not from hearing it from Goljan. Plus, the NBME isn't a bunch of *****s, and they've likely caught on to a lot of this stuff pretty quick.

Just to clarify, I think it is great for learning too, just not learning what I needed for my school. He is just very concept heavy, our tests were all about stupid details. Goljan audio will make me a better doctor, and I'm sure helped with step 1 because I learned so much from him. I just wouldn't have helped during the year as it would have taken timer away from learning the details I needed to excel on class exams.

So we agree, just go to different schools.

Edit to clarify: Just to be more specific, I agree with Arc's point that it can help you learn concepts during the year, in my opinion not as well as at the end when you know enough to follow his connections, but still I do agree with Arc. My real point was just that if you have a limited amount of time, and your priorities are your class grades, then I'd recommend the lectures as this will help you do better on those. If you prefer to focus time toward Step 1 during your second year, then Goljan is a great way to do that. If I had dedicated time towards Step 1 during the year I would have had to sacrifice grades to do it, and I decided I wanted the grades. I have classmates that chose to sacrifice their grades slightly to spend more time on Step 1 stuff during the year to increase their score. So it really is up to you!

 

[theshellyb]

Maybe you can find someone else in your class that has a SO or family near yours? I am going to be 4 hours from my bf for the first year and already found someone in my class whose fiance lives in the same town that he does. Carpool! Time to read and you can quiz each other!

This would be amazing, you're so lucky you found someone in your position! I'll definitely be dropping the "My boyfriend is in [Location]" thing more than I would have otherwise because of that. Man would that be handy.

Another suggestion if you truly want to master the material: Make a condensed study guide and then record yourself teaching it, then listen to that. If you put in the time to make a study guide, teach it out loud and then listen to it again, I can guarantee you'd rock that test.

This sounds awesome, and you're right, would be a huge help in mastering material. I just hope I have the time to make those recordings, but if I know I have a trip coming up that weekend I'll make it a priority.

 

[ArcGurren]

Just to clarify, I think it is great for learning too, just not learning what I needed for my school. He is just very concept heavy, our tests were all about stupid details. Goljan audio will make me a better doctor, and I'm sure helped with step 1 because I learned so much from him. I just wouldn't have helped during the year as it would have taken timer away from learning the details I needed to excel on class exams.

So we agree, just go to different schools.

Edit to clarify: Just to be more specific, I agree with Arc's point that it can help you learn concepts during the year, in my opinion not as well as at the end when you know enough to follow his connections, but still I do agree with Arc. My real point was just that if you have a limited amount of time, and your priorities are your class grades, then I'd recommend the lectures as this will help you do better on those. If you prefer to focus time toward Step 1 during your second year, then Goljan is a great way to do that. If I had dedicated time towards Step 1 during the year I would have had to sacrifice grades to do it, and I decided I wanted the grades. I have classmates that chose to sacrifice their grades slightly to spend more time on Step 1 stuff during the year to increase their score. So it really is up to you!

I actually definitely agree that he won't help you memorize random nitpicky details that your lecturers will want you to know throughout the year and the integration definitely makes more sense by the end of the year.

Also re: grades... I guess it depends on how you study and if your style permits time. I never went to lecture and read entirely off of scribed notes which were more organized than the lectures most of the time... so I had a good amount of time left over for Goljan and UW and Step studying. I ended up getting Honors in both my micro + immuno and path/pharm classes.

 

[betsywetsy]

Why are you all encouraging the OP to read while driving omg that sounds totally dangerous if you ask my opinion but i guess you guys just don't care which is pretty sad lol but anyways yeah long distance relationships are a bad idea almost as bad as reading while driving lol

 

[bruinhd]

Why are you all encouraging the OP to read while driving omg that sounds totally dangerous if you ask my opinion but i guess you guys just don't care which is pretty sad lol but anyways yeah long distance relationships are a bad idea almost as bad as reading while driving lol

why do you talk like a childrens.

 

[gasbait]

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[gasdf1234567]

Unless you're engaged, a long-distance relationship is the biggest waste of time in your life; a terrible allocation of emotional resources and investment.

I agree. I was in a 2-hour long distance relationship for 4 years (2 in undergrad, 2 in med school) and in retrospect it was a huge mistake. I knew about six people in similar situations and five of them currently regret it. Of course this is even more unsolicited advice, but that's the risk you take when you post on SDN.

As for studying while driving, you'll be fine and most people can absorb a decent amount. I don't think it would be too much help as an MS1 but in the second semester of MS2, listening to Goljan in the car could be a big help.

 

[theshellyb]

I have just the product you want.

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I mean, just look at the reviews!

I love all the "customer images" that people uploaded after the first 3 photos. Hilarious.

I agree. I was in a 2-hour long distance relationship for 4 years (2 in undergrad, 2 in med school) and in retrospect it was a huge mistake. I knew about six people in similar situations and five of them currently regret it. Of course this is even more unsolicited advice, but that's the risk you take when you post on SDN.

Putting aside anything currently related to my situation, I just don't understand WHY people post advice like this. Like, what am I going to do- take my 3 1/2 year relationship and just end it tomorrow because someone on the internet regretted theirs? Because "well this could be a time sink"?

I mean, I get that it's a large commitment, I've been doing it a while so I know the drill. Either long distance relationships work out, and you're glad you put the time and effort in and you get married, or it doesn't work out and your bitter about all that wasted time. That's true of all relationships, really. Who bases their relationship decisions on "Well, STATISTICALLY, we probably won't work so lets throw all of our history down the drain"? Advice like this just seems like wasted breath.

 

[demh23]

Just remember if it doesn't work out and you end up breaking up in a year or two you will look back when you get your Step 1 and wonder if you could have done better if you had spent your time properly studying

edit the only advice i really like is the one about having him drive to you so you can study at home.