Bored of school - first year

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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blastoiseboat

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Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
 
blastoiseboat said:
Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
Click to expand...
Yes, you can quit being an utter tool.
 
blastoiseboat said:
Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
Click to expand...

So you're saying you just ran a 10-mile marathon since the beginning of your block and you don't feel like running that last lap while everyone else is about to sprint? I'm sorry but that's not a champion/leader mentality.
Remember that the audience is out there watching and there's so many people in that audience that would want to be in your shoes and would do anything to sprint that last lap. It's your pick.
 
Go work at Taco Bell, perhaps preparing a grilled taco will be more interesting than learning how the human body works. C'mon man, it's not the best thing in the world, but it's not the worst. YOU signed up for it, just finish up, you gotta be close to done anyway.
 
Frazier said:
Sorry to hear about the A, bro. 🙁

Everyone can't get the A+, it's not the end of the world.

You can prob still get a residency spot...but only if you bump that 1-2 days of studying for an exam up to 2-3 days.
Click to expand...

My grades suck. I referred to the A to explain why I am not motivated.
 
Litth said:
So you're saying you just ran a 10-mile marathon since the beginning of your block and you don't feel like running that last lap while everyone else is about to sprint? I'm sorry but that's not a champion/leader mentality.
Remember that the audience is out there watching and there's so many people in that audience that would want to be in your shoes and would do anything to sprint that last lap. It's your pick.
Click to expand...

No it's not the right attitude. I can't snap my fingers and change my attitude, though. Which is why i'm asking for advice. I appreciate the encouragement, but I think they want to be in my shoes for the same reason I did: it seems glorified from the outside.
 
Kapooya said:
Go work at Taco Bell, perhaps preparing a grilled taco will be more interesting than learning how the human body works. C'mon man, it's not the best thing in the world, but it's not the worst. YOU signed up for it, just finish up, you gotta be close to done anyway.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the response, but i'm also concerned about next year by proxy. It's not a year I want to get bored in and lose motivation!
 
chiddler said:
No it's not the right attitude. I can't snap my fingers and change my attitude, though. Which is why i'm asking for advice. I appreciate the encouragement, but I think they want to be in my shoes for the same reason I did: it seems glorified from the outside.
Click to expand...

The couple days before the exam is always an issue. So you're not the only one. I don't think I've entered a single exam completely laid back and ready. Something was always missing. And all you do is just sit there and memorize the last couple days, and it becomes a game of "who memorizes the most." Then you forget about 90% of it the following week.
Try developing a daily studying routine. I'm sure you do that already, but now with the mindset of thinking that you have the exam the following day. Force yourself into that thinking, I know it's hard, but it may work. It worked for me...just my two cents.
 
chiddler said:
it seems glorified from the outside.
Click to expand...
Nope, there are plenty of us here who'd love to matriculate at American Med schools. If this is what you want, pay the price (boredom - are you ****ing kidding me?) or move on. Formal education is rarely entertaining and if the worst you can say about a program is that it's boring, you don't even know how lucky you are.
 
First year for me was pitifully boring, and I was in a similar position. At my school, the material is not clinically based, and it can really suck for someone that loves patients.

So what did I do? I got a part time job and just tried to pass everything. My goal was not to burn out on studying before the second year. I was below average on just about every exam, but I was motivated and ready to work for second year, which was far more interesting than the first, and I'm doing well on NBME assessments.

tl;dr: Don't burn out. Do what you need to do sane, and try not to stress about being bored. It happens.
 
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You just have to keep going. I found the first two years to be boring. 3rd year is better.
 
On the bright side, there are only, what, 5 or 6 more weeks left of first year? Maybe you should plan something fun to do at the beginning of (your last) summer so that you have something to look forward to/something to motivate you to keep going.
 
Alt accounts. My bad. Wanted a bit more anonymity. That's gone.
 
Normal feeling. You weren't the first, and won't be the last.
 
tantacles said:
First year for me was pitifully boring, and I was in a similar position. At my school, the material is not clinically based, and it can really suck for someone that loves patients.

So what did I do? I got a part time job and just tried to pass everything. My goal was not to burn out on studying before the second year. I was below average on just about every exam, but I was motivated and ready to work for second year, which was far more interesting than the first, and I'm doing well on NBME assessments.

tl;dr: Don't burn out. Do you what you need to do sane, and try not to stress about being bored. It happens.
Click to expand...

Part time job in ms1?? you must've been busy as hell, unless you were working in a library. But yeah burning out is the worst.
 
Everyone feels this way. Keep at it you'll be fine
 
Priapism4tooLong said:
Part time job in ms1?? you must've been busy as hell, unless you were working in a library. But yeah burning out is the worst.
Click to expand...

I worked 1 day per week in a distillery every Friday night. I wasn't really doing it for the money. I was just doing it to have an activity outside of school. I didn't feel particularly busy because my intention was just to pass, not to go crazy and get 90s on everything. I studied around 20 hours per week.
 
My advice, know WHY you are bored. I left a grad program due to this....best decision I've made, I was apathetic towards the topic of study and knew it wouldn't be a satisfying career. Medical school on the other hand is much different, keep your eye on the big picture, you are embarking on a rewarding, respected, and proven career where there is always room to learn more for those who are driven and curious. Set a daily routine, it works and time will fly and you'll be working with patients instead of powerpoint slides before you know it!
 
tantacles said:
I worked 1 day per week in a distillery every Friday night. I wasn't really doing it for the money. I was just doing it to have an activity outside of school. I didn't feel particularly busy because my intention was just to pass, not to go crazy and get 90s on everything. I studied around 20 hours per week.
Click to expand...

Ah i understand. It's good you are so accepting of your expectations and how you control what you are doing. A lot of people lack that and stress themselves out. You are going to do well.
 
Priapism4tooLong said:
Ah i understand. It's good you are so accepting of your expectations and how you control what you are doing. A lot of people lack that and stress themselves out. You are going to do well.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the support. I think what really worked about my first year strategy is that it put me in a great place to go crazy during second year. I didn't feel burnt out, and while I definitely didn't study as much as some of my peers until I got serious about Step 1 prep, I was able to kick it into gear and get much more focused this year. No matter what kind of curriculum you have, it's important to realize when you're just mindlessly spinning your wheels and have expectations that don't tax you to the point of madness.

I also want to stress that some of the material we learn (lysosomal storage diseases, perhaps?) truly IS boring. Recognizing that and trying to compensate for it is, in my opinion, a far better coping mechanism than powering through and pretending that every little detail matters and is fascinating.
 
tantacles said:
Thanks for the support. I think what really worked about my first year strategy is that it put me in a great place to go crazy during second year. I didn't feel burnt out, and while I definitely didn't study as much as some of my peers until I got serious about Step 1 prep, I was able to kick it into gear and get much more focused this year. No matter what kind of curriculum you have, it's important to realize when you're just mindlessly spinning your wheels and have expectations that don't tax you to the point of madness.
Click to expand...

All the best for step 1. I'm sure you'll be fine. Really good insight, a lot of people don't realize that while going through it (I sure didn't).
 
If the life of a doctor meant the life of an M1 student, I would have quit in the first month. Luckily it's just something we push through.

Also, even though I'm sick of just studying in front of a computer screen all day long and I'm really looking forward to clinical rotations, I have enjoyed the material in M2 a lot better than M1. The subject matter is more relevant, and I have enough of a knowledge base now that it feels less and less like just memorizing random facts.
 
About a week before every major shelf, this is exactly how I feel.



After taking a day off, I really get into the zone for the next 7 or so days and proceed to demolish the shelf.

Do what you need to stay sane.
 
I feel the same way. My courses in undergrad at least required me to think. I had to reason to reach an answer. Here, we're basically evaluated on our memory and work ethic. Intuition, which I believe you're craving, is another thing entirely.

I'd suggest you fill out your weeks exploring medicine. Shadow doctors in different specialties. Once you're in the clinic or OR, it'll make preclinical knowledge that much more desirable. Another thing I would recommend is exploring your research interests. I know students who basically don't attend class and work in a lab every day. They still watch lectures online and do decently. My point is, find some facet of medicine you like and ride it through the boredom.
 
Wow. Okay, so I got annoyed with all the rude people commenting, so I skipped to post my own answer.

I know how you feel. I'm only an undergrad student still, so I'm not so sure just how much validity my opinion has, but still...I get you. I've both seen "those people" who either barely study at all or don't study as much as I do, and still do way better than I do on exams.
I know the feeling of not being able to focus, even when you know you need to. And I (especially still being an undergrad student) know the feeling of realizing that basically all the little details I'm learning will be utterly useless in the long run. It's the big picture that I take away from the courses I'm slaving away for, something I could in theory easily look up online and learn the concepts of in a day or two. Save myself four years of stress, busy work, and frustration.

You might've heard this before, but you sound burned out. I know I am; I've got a summer of biochem left and a fall semester of physics 2 and micro left before I graduate. And even that seems like an utter suck-fest of my time and energy. But I'm also applying to vet school this summer, and hopefully by the time I graduate in December, I'll soon know whether or not all that hard work & agony will pay off! So it's keeping me motivated; I'm trying to focus on the big picture!

Find something similar to do; find a "big picture", find a reason to stay engaged, or downright force yourself to feign interest. From what it sounds like, med/vet school is basically a challenge of both time management and motivation to work for what you want. Apparently it's not all that hard, in theory, just a TON of work.
What's better: spending a few years working hard and living out the rest of them with contentedness (and a fat paycheck), or slaving away for the rest of your life at a dead-end job that will bring you NO entertainment whatsoever??
 
Ophthoseidon said:
Maybe the people who were discussing this over a year ago
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Brought up by someone who isn't even in med school.
Yeah, micro, histo and anatomy are completely useless for your future. Excuse me while I vomit and give that as my sympathy
 
Shipping News said:
What ever happened to that guy? Is the warmer weather resulting in way more sunburn consults so he's too busy to post?
Click to expand...

Probably too busy with actual life to give a s**t about what happens on SDN
 
blastoiseboat said:
Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
Click to expand...
Nice humble brag.
 
blastoiseboat said:
Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
Click to expand...
Hey man, I feel you. It's true that some mechanisms seem impractical or even burdensome. But man you gotta enjoy what you do to excel. If you try to understand those mechanisms, appreciate, and try to visualize a big picture of how they are connected with other concepts, you will find them enjoyable. You make them practical! It takes time, effect, and energy, but learning to enjoy something is worth it.
 
Kapooya said:
Go work at Taco Bell, perhaps preparing a grilled taco will be more interesting than learning how the human body works. C'mon man, it's not the best thing in the world, but it's not the worst. YOU signed up for it, just finish up, you gotta be close to done anyway.
Click to expand...
Ya I agree. No offense to the OP but you sound like somebody who has never worked a day in your life, OR you are one of the people who didn't have to work hard at all in college and now that you actually have to study you're getting over worked.
 
Last edited:
blastoiseboat said:
Hey there, fellow students.

I'm looking for advice. Perhaps somebody has been in a similar position as I have.

I am ridiculously bored of studying. I think the only interesting part of studying is getting the big picture. But damn. When it comes to the concentrated 1-2 days before exam day, memorizing details such as hormone mechanisms or names of drugs and proteins....agh. I hate it. So much. It feels useless because even if I do ace it with an A, it's just details that I will ultimately forget.

Or at least, that's what it feels like.

Is there anything I ought to do or change in myself?

thanks very much.
Click to expand...


Stuff like this pisses me off when I had to reapply to get into med school. It was the kids getting accepted who had no passion or drive for sustained hard work yet were spectacularly intelligent. Wish more students realized this before starting school.
 
CliffDO said:
Stuff like this pisses me off when I had to reapply to get into med school. It was the kids getting accepted who had no passion or drive for sustained hard work yet were spectacularly intelligent. Wish more students realized this before starting school.
Click to expand...

Don't worry it all evens out in the end. I hope the OP can find interest in medicine, for his/her patients sake.
 
CliffDO said:
Stuff like this pisses me off when I had to reapply to get into med school. It was the kids getting accepted who had no passion or drive for sustained hard work yet were spectacularly intelligent. Wish more students realized this before starting school.
Click to expand...

I thought that dies before med school
 
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