Can't Memorize Things...

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WashMe

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3 months into medical school, I'm discovering that I have an inability to memorize things. I realized that I've always just gotten by on logic and problem-solving, and I'd say I'm incredibly good at "thinking really hard".

Now that I have to memorize a bunch of stupid stuff for biochemistry, my weakness is presenting itself for the first time... anyone else run into a problem like this? I'm OK with anatomy, but biochem and physiology pathways and stuff are killing me. I was a bio major/ chem minor in undergrad, but the pace was much slower.

Now I have to try to "learn how to learn" or I'm going to fail my exams in December. Any study/memorization techniques are much needed and appreciated! :)
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Flashcards. Make pnemonics for everything. Relate things to really weird stuff if you have trouble remembering them - I remember that the pectineus is the "snuggle muscle" (because it snuggles in between the others) and then I can visualise it perfectly in my head. Don't just read - write things out. Over and over and over. And make sure your going through it in your head as you write.

I think its interesting that you're doing OK at anatomy but finding physiology and biochem tough. The pathways can be a killer, but usually they make sense if you really nut it out. Looking at why each step in the pathway occurs and what happens might be more useful to you than just memorizing it, if you learn things that way. Otherwise you might find yourself forgetting it the moment exams are over.
 
memory devices

its the best way
 
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Sure we can all memorize things as long as we have interest in the subject. An average person off the street can list to you every football player's name, what team they play for, who won the super ball 20 years ago..etc etc etc..........

So if you have the right attitude and show some interest in what you learn, you will be able to master your material. The key here is INTEREST. You need to figure out a way to make yourself enjoy reading biochem or physio...
 
My problem is recalling the infor on the test. I listen to lecture, go over my notes (and over and over them), but when I get to the test I keep thinking to myself, I went over this and over this, but I can't recall the info. How do you get better at recalling the info you have gone over several times?
 
My experience has been that "bad memorizers" tend only to read the material once or twice.

"Good memorizers" read the material 6-7... including the use of flashcards, different resources (textbooks, board review books, syllabus/slides), and mnemonics.

There are also those people with photographic memories who are just phenomenal memorizers. They're uncommon, though. Too often people conflate "good memorizer" with "know everything the first or second time through."

Eh, I'm terrible at memorizing. I just read more. I study while I workout too. It seems to help.
 
dienekes88 said:
My experience has been that "bad memorizers" tend only to read the material once or twice.

"Good memorizers" read the material 6-7... including the use of flashcards, different resources (textbooks, board review books, syllabus/slides), and mnemonics.

There are also those people with photographic memories who are just phenomenal memorizers. They're uncommon, though. Too often people conflate "good memorizer" with "know everything the first or second time through."

Eh, I'm terrible at memorizing. I just read more. I study while I workout too. It seems to help.
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This is probably what's hanging me up... for instance, I had a biochem quiz this morning (20 multiple choice questions) and I only could get ~12-15 of them right (I didn't need to pass it though). Yesterday, I read all of the notes for the quiz, maybe 100-120 pages. I only got through them once though, and I hadn't been to class for a while so it was my first time looking at the stuff. I felt good reading the notes, but then I just kept blanking out or getting confused while I was sitting there this morning.
 
WashMe said:
I only got through them once though, and I hadn't been to class for a while so it was my first time looking at the stuff.
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And you're still wondering why you're not doing well?

No offense, but this ain't undergrad anymore, kid.
 
Reading materials again and again is extremely important. Getting through the information 6-7 times is IDEAL, but given the curriculum I'm in, its highly unlikely, so I've learnt to make it work w/ 4-5 reads. Every time I read, I try to memorize one or two facts more about a given disease, or in your case a given pathway.

For example, start about learning the name of the pathway, where it happens, why does it happens, start and end point, more or less, try to get the big picture of whats going on. Second read, review all the above, but also incorporate things such as rate-limiting enzymes. Third read, review all the above and add in diseases typically seen with a deficiency in certain enzymes. Forth read, review all the above and add in the possible routes the final product can take such as pyruvate --> lactate or citric acid cycle. The final, 5th read should tie in everything together and solidify all that you've learnt through out. Keep in mind, that during all your reads, you're actually going through ALL the material, but are only focusing on certain parts of it at a given time.

This "ladder" pattern worked extremely well for me as it broke things down in digestible pieces of information, which made memorization a hell of a lot easier. In my experience, this method is pretty efficient for most of the classes that you will encounter in medical school.
 
GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
And you're still wondering why you're not doing well?

No offense, but this ain't undergrad anymore, kid.
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The once-through method has actually worked for anatomy and histology, and sort of for physio... but not for biochem. I did well (>90%) on my biochem midterm with the once-through plan, but now it's moving really fast

wAyRadikull said:
Reading materials again and again is extremely important. Getting through the information 6-7 times is IDEAL, but given the curriculum I'm in, its highly unlikely, so I've learnt to make it work w/ 4-5 reads. Every time I read, I try to memorize one or two facts more about a given disease, or in your case a given pathway.

For example, start about learning the name of the pathway, where it happens, why does it happens, start and end point, more or less, try to get the big picture of whats going on. Second read, review all the above, but also incorporate things such as rate-limiting enzymes. Third read, review all the above and add in diseases typically seen with a deficiency in certain enzymes. Forth read, review all the above and add in the possible routes the final product can take such as pyruvate --> lactate or citric acid cycle. The final, 5th read should tie in everything together and solidify all that you've learnt through out. Keep in mind, that during all your reads, you're actually going through ALL the material, but are only focusing on certain parts of it at a given time.

This "ladder" pattern worked extremely well for me as it broke things down in digestible pieces of information, which made memorization a hell of a lot easier. In my experience, this method is pretty efficient for most of the classes that you will encounter in medical school.
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Thanks, I'll give this method a try! :)
 
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Definitely different strokes for different folks.

I only "re-visit" material 1-2Xs too... and I am NOT one of those good memorizers.

What I do though, is re-write the material in my own words (and re-organize). For example, if the material is presented by "region", sometimes I will reorganize it in tables, by function, etc. What type up a lot of tables comparing things.

Then once I have it in my own notes (this does take a while, I will admit), I spend MUCH less time re-reading my own notes.

I NEVER re-read the original text/lecture notes. It doesn't work for me. I could read that thing 10Xs and it never sticks. I HAVE to have it in my own words... or at least in my own drawing/table, whatever.

I also find that once I have it in my own format, I actually rarely need to re-look at it... it's mostly in my brain through the process of typing it up/drawing it.

From that point, all I need are little reminder/cues. I often take the first letters of a list of things (it could be layers of skin or list of drugs or whatever), and try to arrange those in a word or something that sounds like a word. Then that "word" will cue me to remember the info itself. This is of course all AFTER I've actually "learned" the material through re-writing it for myself...

Anyway, re-reading the original text has never worked for me.
 
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WashMe said:
This is probably what's hanging me up... for instance, I had a biochem quiz this morning (20 multiple choice questions) and I only could get ~12-15 of them right (I didn't need to pass it though). Yesterday, I read all of the notes for the quiz, maybe 100-120 pages. I only got through them once though, and I hadn't been to class for a while so it was my first time looking at the stuff. I felt good reading the notes, but then I just kept blanking out or getting confused while I was sitting there this morning.
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...ya
you need to be on top of your ish if you want to do decent.

being on top is reading throughout the week and using the weekends to review.
 
WashMe said:
The once-through method has actually worked for anatomy and histology, and sort of for physio... but not for biochem
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That's pretty impressive. Anatomy for me was definitely a 5-6 reps to really feel like I got it. Not every rep was super high-yield, because the first run through was just getting used to the vocabulary and a general sense of what was happening. Each time through was synergistic, though.

I did well (>90%) on my biochem midterm with the once-through plan, but now it's moving really fast

Thanks, I'll give this method a try! :)
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Also very impressive. Clearly, you're a pretty smart guy. It's just the reps.

I think Law2Doc talked about it this way: pre-read for lecture, go to lecture, post-read after lecture, re-read over the weekend, one more rep before the test. Not my cup of tea, but I've heard of other people doing similar things.

I'm not the best student in the world. I'm also not very smart, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt.
 
dienekes88 said:
My experience has been that "bad memorizers" tend only to read the material once or twice.

"Good memorizers" read the material 6-7... including the use of flashcards, different resources (textbooks, board review books, syllabus/slides), and mnemonics.

There are also those people with photographic memories who are just phenomenal memorizers. They're uncommon, though. Too often people conflate "good memorizer" with "know everything the first or second time through."

Eh, I'm terrible at memorizing. I just read more. I study while I workout too. It seems to help.
Click to expand...

What med student can really read over every lecture 6 or 7 times before a test. On average we have about 25pages of transcripts per day to go over, about 125 a week, totaling 375 pages per test. I barely can get through them twice.I'm lucky if i can go through them a third time!
 
erdavis said:
What med student can really read over every lecture 6 or 7 times before a test. On average we have about 25pages of transcripts per day to go over, about 125 a week, totaling 375 pages per test. I barely can get through them twice.I'm lucky if i can go through them a third time!
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The difference is probably the depth of each review. Reading through it once for me is not the same as reading through it once for you. If you can pass on two runs through the material, you're reading for much more detail on the first pass than I am. You also probably have a better memory and are smarter than I am. Totally serious, dude. I tried to do 2 deep passes through the material for a course last year, I got mentally lost, did worse than usual on all the exams for that course, and don't remember anything from it.

Also, a lot of people who only go through the material once or twice... don't start studying until 8-10 days before the exam. Is that your style? If it works for you, then it works...
 
wAyRadikull said:
For example, start about learning the name of the pathway, where it happens, why does it happens, start and end point, more or less, try to get the big picture of whats going on. Second read, review all the above, but also incorporate things such as rate-limiting enzymes. Third read, review all the above and add in diseases typically seen with a deficiency in certain enzymes. Forth read, review all the above and add in the possible routes the final product can take such as pyruvate --> lactate or citric acid cycle. The final, 5th read should tie in everything together and solidify all that you've learnt through out. Keep in mind, that during all your reads, you're actually going through ALL the material, but are only focusing on certain parts of it at a given time.

This "ladder" pattern worked extremely well for me as it broke things down in digestible pieces of information, which made memorization a hell of a lot easier. In my experience, this method is pretty efficient for most of the classes that you will encounter in medical school.
Click to expand...

Wow, I know a form of this as scaffolding from when I used to teach, but it hadn't dawned on me to study in this way. Lightbulb moment! Thank you!
 
the GOLDEN KEY to memorizing things is repetition. After you have looked over the study material a couple of times, you actually start liking the subject. I had a lot of problems with physiology and biochem last year but I just sat down and tried to go over the stuff as many times as possible...the result: I did excellent in both these subjects :).
 
I second the guy above me. I had bought way too many books last year and they sort of helped clarify concepts but did not help me in the school exams, although they helped me in the shelf exams.

REPETITION IS KEY!!!

READ THE STUFF over and over and over and over until you start reproducing the material verbatim, heh
 
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WashMe said:
3 months into medical school, I'm discovering that I have an inability to memorize things. I realized that I've always just gotten by on logic and problem-solving, and I'd say I'm incredibly good at "thinking really hard".

Now that I have to memorize a bunch of stupid stuff for biochemistry, my weakness is presenting itself for the first time... anyone else run into a problem like this? I'm OK with anatomy, but biochem and physiology pathways and stuff are killing me. I was a bio major/ chem minor in undergrad, but the pace was much slower.

Now I have to try to "learn how to learn" or I'm going to fail my exams in December. Any study/memorization techniques are much needed and appreciated! :)
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How did you get into WashU if you can't memorize stuff?

My best tip would be do things actively as you are studying. Highlighting words and saying it loud or in your mind as you read the book/course packet. Writing or sketching a pathway as you are studying. Repeating things you learned in your mind when you aren't studying.
 
I find that I have to be really active while I study. Some kids can just read over and over again but that soooo doesn't work for me. I have to talk to myself, or write it all out, or make up a silly song, or draw it etc. I used flash cards in undergrad but found the volume of medschool didn't allow me to go thru them enough to warrant the effort, but that does work for some people (there are also flashcard programs).

By the time I made it through 2nd year my method was to go thru the material once (ahead of the lecture schedule) and put it all into my own words on a word document. I would use colors and bold/underline/italics and I'd import pictures from powerpoints and texts etc. Then I would study that over and over again, talking to myself or writing it out by hand. The only time I deviated from this successfully was to make mind maps for pharm.
 
Pathways can be REALLY easy to memorize by using travel routes!!!
You take a familiar enviorment (like the walk to school or rooms in your apartment) and then put in stuff that can be associated with the items you want to memorize. 1 month after and amino acid test I still remeber all the names in order by heat. Usually I would forget some of them in a few days..

Example: Auditory pathway in the brain (made this the other day)

1) I wake up from the sound of a screaming cock-
Cochlear Nucleus

2) I get up and flex my trapz in the mirror and admire my body-
Trapezoid body.

3) I walk through the kitchen where I see a glass of good olives -
Sup. olivary nucleus.

4) I walk through the hallway where I can see my lats. -
Lateral lemnisci

5) Going to the bathroom suddenly the short Collin Pharrell is blocking my way. -
Inferior Collicius

6) He only has a medium genious body. -
Medial Geniculat body

7) So I laugh and push him out of the way, go into the bathroom where I have a stereo listening to music while I shower.-
Primary auditory centre

lol Im not self obsessed, but if its funny/******ed its easier to remember.

Im also big on making my own notes.... Like now Ive written 70 pages of notes for neuro in a coupple of weeks with tooooons of highlighting. Only read through the material in the book once, and I add page numbers in the notes so I can look up the structures quickly instead of searching for them every time.. Now I can just read through my notes (takes 3-4 hours) and add mnemonics... Its alot of work but it works for me!
 
The key to remembering anything is organization. Your brain can remember things in packets and not as random unrelated facts. Things that you can do to get your materials more organized:
  • Outline the material yourself- takes you from big headings to details.
  • Concept Map- helps you to relate one thing to another but use keywords.
  • Lecture to yourself outloud as you move through your notes; walk and recall things at the same time.
  • Make drill tapes for things that you can drill yourself on as you walk to class or workout in the gym.
  • Look at how a textbook organizes the material and copy their strategies.
  • Don't rely on handouts or answering objectives to get things organized as these are usually not organized.
  • Remember that powerpoint handouts are a basic outline at best; fill in your own details and lecture them back you yourself.
  • Don't recopy notes as you spend more time doing clerical work than seeing relationships.
  • Review, review and review some more.

All of my notes from medical school are bulleted lists with small chunks of info filled in. They are very organized from the "big picture" to the little details.

Good luck!
 
njbmd said:
The key to remembering anything is organization. Your brain can remember things in packets and not as random unrelated facts. Things that you can do to get your materials more organized:
  • Outline the material yourself- takes you from big headings to details.
  • Concept Map- helps you to relate one thing to another but use keywords.
  • Lecture to yourself outloud as you move through your notes; walk and recall things at the same time.
  • Make drill tapes for things that you can drill yourself on as you walk to class or workout in the gym.
  • Look at how a textbook organizes the material and copy their strategies.
  • Don't rely on handouts or answering objectives to get things organized as these are usually not organized.
  • Remember that powerpoint handouts are a basic outline at best; fill in your own details and lecture them back you yourself.
  • Don't recopy notes as you spend more time doing clerical work than seeing relationships.
  • Review, review and review some more.

All of my notes from medical school are bulleted lists with small chunks of info filled in. They are very organized from the "big picture" to the little details.

Good luck!
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Don't you get bored going thru material again and again?
I get so bored that i start daydreaming.
I start daydreaming 5 min. into lec.
Also, its very frustating/annoying to type or write notes so I have nver written notes in my entire life.

Concept maps are fun but very time consuming.

Can u post one of your medschool notes so that i can see how you organize stuff?
 
I'm not yet a medical student, so I can't say whether this method is feasible for the volume of information you're supposed to learn in such a short time... but, I've been using a question-recitation method throughout my undergrad (I was a biochemistry major) with fantastic results.

In brief, I would come up with questions for each important point in my notes or reading. I'd write this question in the margin of the book or in a margin I'd create on my note paper specifically for this purpose. Then, after I'd read the material, I'd cover the notes and answer each question.... ALOUD. This is the key. I sit in my room and recite the answer out loud, as if I were presenting to my teacher or classmate. This forces you to recall information and having to say it aloud really solidifies the information (I think because it uses an extra sense, instead of just vision). Moreover, if you can't recite aloud, then you have instant feedback about whether you really know the information or not. Do this three or four times and you'll be amazed at how you can recall details with ease.

I can't claim credit for this method. I learned it from a fabulous book called, "How to Study in College" by William Pauk. I'm looking forward to employing this simple technique in medical school. If it helps you, let me know.

Good luck.
 
I see the poster above me just said similar things about the recitation aloud. I guess it works then :D Even in med school.
 
Simmy said:
Pathways can be REALLY easy to memorize by using travel routes!!!
You take a familiar enviorment (like the walk to school or rooms in your apartment) and then put in stuff that can be associated with the items you want to memorize. 1 month after and amino acid test I still remeber all the names in order by heat. Usually I would forget some of them in a few days..

Example: Auditory pathway in the brain (made this the other day)

1) I wake up from the sound of a screaming cock-
Cochlear Nucleus

2) I get up and flex my trapz in the mirror and admire my body-
Trapezoid body.

3) I walk through the kitchen where I see a glass of good olives -
Sup. olivary nucleus.

4) I walk through the hallway where I can see my lats. -
Lateral lemnisci

5) Going to the bathroom suddenly the short Collin Pharrell is blocking my way. -
Inferior Collicius

6) He only has a medium genious body. -
Medial Geniculat body

7) So I laugh and push him out of the way, go into the bathroom where I have a stereo listening to music while I shower.-
Primary auditory centre

lol Im not self obsessed, but if its funny/******ed its easier to remember.

Im also big on making my own notes.... Like now Ive written 70 pages of notes for neuro in a coupple of weeks with tooooons of highlighting. Only read through the material in the book once, and I add page numbers in the notes so I can look up the structures quickly instead of searching for them every time.. Now I can just read through my notes (takes 3-4 hours) and add mnemonics... Its alot of work but it works for me!
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Yep, this is how people who memorize hundreds of digits of Pi do it. :thumbup:

I have not tried this yet in med school... but when I get to neuro, I'll definitely try it!
 
It's quite time consuming, but I've always found that writing all my notes down on paper (whether it's from powerpoint, lecture, or notes already written from that day) helps me retain information. If you're actually writing down the information it keeps you a little bit more focused. Or at least that's how I feel about it.
 
WasheMe, that's exactly what I went through too. I even started thinking maybe I made the wrong decision coming to med!

I think its a matter of 'adapatation' to course style, trying to figure out what works for you best.

First & foremost, its most important to really understand each and every word of what you're trying to memorise and get it into your brain. Trying to relate it with something weird, making a story out of it, giving things nicknames (based on their real names of course), thinking of them having characters (some are good, others are bad) are some of the ways I try to memorise stuff...pretty weird, I know! Mnemonics help of course. And so does repitition.

And I second FlappyJacks, I try to note down all the information I think are important, draw some diagrams and make some maps & charts. I maintain one notebook for each subject and it helps me go through everything fast on the last minute. It is pretty time consuming but it really helps to keep things in your brain. And I'd just like to add something my dad used to say "Writing something once is equal to reading that thing 10 times"!:laugh:
 
dienekes88 said:
The difference is probably the depth of each review. Reading through it once for me is not the same as reading through it once for you. If you can pass on two runs through the material, you're reading for much more detail on the first pass than I am. You also probably have a better memory and are smarter than I am. Totally serious, dude. I tried to do 2 deep passes through the material for a course last year, I got mentally lost, did worse than usual on all the exams for that course, and don't remember anything from it.

Also, a lot of people who only go through the material once or twice... don't start studying until 8-10 days before the exam. Is that your style? If it works for you, then it works...
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I guess I'm opposite of you. I spend about 2 hr on 1 lecture, less if the material is easier. I try to get as much as a can the first time. Then I go back over the material from the 1st 2 weeks for the second or third time the week of the test. The material cover during the 3rd week, I dont review it because it usually easy material and its still fresh in on my mind... And I wish I was smart enough to only have to study 8-10 day before a test!
 
dienekes88 said:
My experience has been that "bad memorizers" tend only to read the material once or twice.

"Good memorizers" read the material 6-7... including the use of flashcards, different resources (textbooks, board review books, syllabus/slides), and mnemonics.

There are also those people with photographic memories who are just phenomenal memorizers. They're uncommon, though. Too often people conflate "good memorizer" with "know everything the first or second time through."

Eh, I'm terrible at memorizing. I just read more. I study while I workout too. It seems to help.
Click to expand...

OP.. i am pretty much in EXACTLY the same boat. i was a chem major who loved pchem and all that... and now Im finding it difficult to memorize and I feel the same way! i think i know it and then I go to the exam and think " F*CK me! I know i read this stuff but why cant i remember???"
and uh.. dienekes88.. you may have an excellent point, thank you. I only go through the material 3 times (IDEALLY 3 times.. sometimes 2..) so I guess no wonder I'm barely passing.. but I make my own notes from the textbook and read those and my question is how in the world do you find time to review everything 6-7 times when you need to listen to the lectures and read the book before you can even start reviewing? is it all just about organizing your time?
 
sometimes our exams are only 10-14 days apart...
 
I think a big part of learning how to study in med school has to do with disposing with your preconceptions of how you "need" to study. For instance, chances are pretty good that you don't actually need to read your textbook or listen to a lecture to learn it. That's just the way you've always done it. I never highlighted anything in undergrad, but it's turning out to be a damn efficient method for me now.

If your current methods take up all your time and result in mediocre grades, it's time to switch things up. Yes, there are people who, at maximum efficiency, have to study constantly just to pass medical school. There's no shame in that, but most students don't encounter that issue. I suggest radically your study strategy for one test. It's difficult to abandon what you've previously done, but as long as you make it through the material, your grades won't suffer terribly. Try a new, more efficient strategy like cutting out the texts. That alone will save you a huge amount of time. Focus on on your class notes/slides instead, and see how that goes. It's possible that you could cut the lecture listening out, too, but that might a bit harder to get away from.

Try not making your own notes and maybe just highlighting key points. Try using review books instead of texts. There are tons of things you can do to save yourself time.

Unlike some, I feel that review books are plenty for A's. If you're trying to get 100's, you probably need the text, but if the mid 90's are okay, reviews and class notes will be plenty. If you're just trying to get through the material some more and save yourself some time, you might as well burn those texts. That's what's slowing you down. Go with something more concise until you nail down a strategy. If you find yourself with "too much" free time, you could mix the texts back in, but I'd personally use that time for more repetition.
 
Studying with a study group changed my life. I pre read, go to lecture, go over the lecture on my own and then meet with my study group. Quizzing eachother and explaining things or hearing things explained to you in a different way made an incredible difference.

so repetition repetition repetition and studying in groups.
 
i never really studied in high school or college, just the bare minimum and i would pull all nighters in college.
however, when i got to medical school i discovered i couldn't do this anymore. i was really behind from not studying the first week, but then i caught up fast. it was a really big change for me and it was really hard in the beginning. unlike some people i don't study all the time. i can't do even if i wanted to. i don't study friday afternoons or the weekends usually, unless i'm behind. but when i do study know, i only study. no texts, phone calls, IMs, surfing the net etc.
my study schedule for fall quarter:
1. i pre-read for my classes and underline our course syllabus. for anatomy, i read grays before as well. for histo: i do the pre-lab .
2. for anatomy, i go to class and listen to the lecturer. for histo and most of physio lectures: i would re-read the syllabus during the schedule classtime.
3. at night, on fridays and the weekend i usually just relax and usually don't study much.
4. two fridays before midterm/finals week, i start studying hardcore. i quickly re-read the syllabus cover to cover during the weekend.
5. the week before midterms: i go through the syllabus again more thoroughly. i do the practice tests and i go through them. for physio we had 4 practice tests, but i do all of them the week before.
6. the week of midterms i go through the syllabus again.

I also go to anatomy and histo tutoring which our school provides for free and really helps us with the lab portions. but i never study in study groups, it just depends on what works for you.
As you can see i don't study all the time. i still watch a bunch of tv shows including house, grey's, private practice, svu, and i volunteer, go out and have fun. i'm doing really well. the hard work pays off, it'll be worth it in the end.
 
Hi...same is the case here i.e can solve hard logics but can't memorize the hell lot stuff...so thanx dude for posting the question..coz me iz new
 
achamess said:
I see the poster above me just said similar things about the recitation aloud. I guess it works then :D Even in med school.
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yeah u guys may b rigt..but premedical is much much much simpler than medical
 
For gross anatomy, drawing things helped a lot. Go to a LARGE whiteboard, and draw it. From drawing bones, to cranial nerve pathways, whiteboards and markers got me through gross anatomy.

For Histo, go over as many slides as you can. For the written material... try to conceptually think your way through. Think... this needs to be flexible, so what kind of collagen...

For Biochem/genetics, draw the pathway chemically if its small molecules (glycolysis,tca,etc) and add as much detail to it as you can after. Add inhibitors/activators, Km values, etc.

My aptitude stuff said I learn evenly all three ways... but in medical school, I'd say the most useful was visual. Give it a shot.
 
I never really tried taking notes or outlining in undergrad, but I think I'll give it a try in med school. It seems it helps you to remember huge chunks of information a lot better.
 
good memorizers are able to hear/read something and be astute enough to recognize the concept presented as a case on the exam. its not enough to blindly memorize facts.
 
someone mentioned mind maps for pharm and I am very curious about this. Always trying to find ways to memorize pharm because that is a huge struggle for me. Thanks!!
 
achamess said:
In brief, I would come up with questions for each important point in my notes or reading.
Click to expand...

I do something similar in vet school, except I do it from class notes, power points, and lectures. I rarely use the text books except as references. We generally have 75-250 pages per class per day, which amounts to over 700 pages a day and I learned quickly I couldn't keep up with that. I also write answers as well, since my tests are written. I will also try to frame questions the way our instructors do, including confusing multiple multiple-choice.

Something else I do study-wise for mechanisms and such is back chain. In back chaining, you start memorizing from the 'end' of the process. Then you memorize in chunks of 3-7 units of information. It is effective because your mind learns to use the newer information to trigger the older information (which will be the next step in the mechanism.) It is how some students are taught to recite long epic poems, religious texts, etc.

I also use a lot of color in my notes, I draw a lot, and I do mind map. I do a lot of other general mnemonic techniques. I wish the pectineus was the 'snuggle muscle' in all animals!

Oh, I don't do flashcards much anymore, but for some classes I will use the powerpoint slides in the 6 slide/page format, print on card stock, and use those to drill while running/biking. jot questions on the back.
 
WashMe said:
3 months into medical school, I'm discovering that I have an inability to memorize things. I realized that I've always just gotten by on logic and problem-solving, and I'd say I'm incredibly good at "thinking really hard".

Now that I have to memorize a bunch of stupid stuff for biochemistry, my weakness is presenting itself for the first time... anyone else run into a problem like this? I'm OK with anatomy, but biochem and physiology pathways and stuff are killing me. I was a bio major/ chem minor in undergrad, but the pace was much slower.

Now I have to try to "learn how to learn" or I'm going to fail my exams in December. Any study/memorization techniques are much needed and appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

Cornell Notes. Search what it is online. Whenever I have to memorize things for subjects/topics that I don't understand, I do C-Notes. I guarantee this one to work real good!
 
Simmy said:
Example: Auditory pathway in the brain (made this the other day)

1) I wake up from the sound of a screaming cock-
Cochlear Nucleus

2) I get up and flex my trapz in the mirror and admire my body-
Trapezoid body.

3) I walk through the kitchen where I see a glass of good olives -
Sup. olivary nucleus.

4) I walk through the hallway where I can see my lats. -
Lateral lemnisci

5) Going to the bathroom suddenly the short Collin Pharrell is blocking my way. -
Inferior Collicius

6) He only has a medium genious body. -
Medial Geniculat body

7) So I laugh and push him out of the way, go into the bathroom where I have a stereo listening to music while I shower.-
Primary auditory centre
Click to expand...


You should probably talk to a urologist and/or a psychiatrist about that first one...
 
Forthegood said:
For gross anatomy, drawing things helped a lot. Go to a LARGE whiteboard, and draw it. From drawing bones, to cranial nerve pathways, whiteboards and markers got me through gross anatomy.

For Histo, go over as many slides as you can. For the written material... try to conceptually think your way through. Think... this needs to be flexible, so what kind of collagen...

For Biochem/genetics, draw the pathway chemically if its small molecules (glycolysis,tca,etc) and add as much detail to it as you can after. Add inhibitors/activators, Km values, etc.

My aptitude stuff said I learn evenly all three ways... but in medical school, I'd say the most useful was visual. Give it a shot.
Click to expand...


I like this idea. I'm thinking of buying a big white board (or maybe more than one) so i can keep drawing, erasing, redrawing, things over and over again. i think it could work for anatomy, biochem, etc. I was thinking to also get the big paper pads and drawing things on them and taping them up on the walls of my room so I can see them all the time.
 
WashMe said:
This is probably what's hanging me up... for instance, I had a biochem quiz this morning (20 multiple choice questions) and I only could get ~12-15 of them right (I didn't need to pass it though). Yesterday, I read all of the notes for the quiz, maybe 100-120 pages. I only got through them once though, and I hadn't been to class for a while so it was my first time looking at the stuff. I felt good reading the notes, but then I just kept blanking out or getting confused while I was sitting there this morning.
Click to expand...

I think the problem may be that you read 120 pages for a 20-question quiz. Was there no audio/lecture component?

Consider rewriting those 120 pages (really necessary?) into 8 pages of high-yield information and 2 pages of diagrams.

I use lectures (audio), notes (visual), practice problem books (BRS, etc), and whiteboards (kinesthetic). Then I bounce it off a friend to see if I got everything right.

Haven't gotten below a 90% so far, and usually above 95%.
 
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