Entering Medical School Students

[spreebee]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the something else, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

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[Schaden Freud]

Krebs Cycle=TCA Cycle

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

 

[Robizzle]

Prepare to get jumped by current med students

 

[spreebee]

Krebs Cycle=TCA Cycle

lol yeah... lets substitute that with electron transport or something...

 

[TheMightyAngus]

What do you think?

This would be a waste of epic proportions.

 

[lord_jeebus]

It's difficult on Step 1 because Biochem is usually done early in 1st year, almost 2 years before taking the test.

There's nothing intrinsically difficult about it that would justify such insanity. Also, memorizing the TCA cycle would be pretty low yield. However, once you have the Krebs memorized it should be a snap . You could even try to memorize the citric acid cycle.

 

[dilated]

Also, memorizing the TCA cycle would be pretty low yield. However, once you have the Krebs memorized it should be a snap . You could even try to memorize the citric acid cycle.

This is terrible advice. You should focus your time on memorizing how Acetyl CoA is broken down, only then will you pass Step 1. 👍

 

[Tired Pigeon]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

Well, this will give you a real advantage! You'll be able to kick back & relax during the 3 minutes of your biochem class that will be spent going over this.

 

[sirus_virus]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

Especially since biochem is only 5% of step 1. Actually I will gamble and say the Kreb's cycle probably accounts for 0.001% of stuff on step 1.

 

[Kfire326]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

lollerblades!

<--Biochem. major

 

[spreebee]

Well, this will give you a real advantage! You'll be able to kick back & relax during the 3 minutes of your biochem class that will be spent going over this.

True.. That means when test time comes, I won't have to study it and others will spend hours! Excellent ADVICE👍

 

[Noeljan]

I already know all this, so I guess I am on my way to crush step I😛

 

[njbmd]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

Subjects for USMLE Step I in order of importance:

Most important:

• Pathology
• Pharmacology
• Physiology

Somewhat important:

• Micro/Immunology
• Neurophysiology
• Psychiatry
• Biochemistry

Not heavily tested

• Gross Anatomy/Microanatomy
• Neuroanatomy (outside the context of pharmacology)
• Biostats/Epidemiology

Biochemistry is not a particularly useful course for USMLE Step I. Any biochemistry questions will be related to clinical scenarios such as inborn errors of metabolism, abnormal proteins and other clinical entities as opposed to questions about cycles.

I have taken all Steps of USMLE and done extremely well. I promise you that you can do a "data dump" of most of the drudgery of Biochemistry and do well on USMLE Step I as long as you thoroughly master the Three Major "P"s above.

 

[Critical Mass]

Krebs Cycle=TCA Cycle

=Citric Acid Cycle (lesser known as "CAC").

I call it the Citric Acid Cycle since "tricarboxylic acid" is sort of non-specific, and I hate it when people put their names on pathways.

Little biostatistics on the USMLE? The way my prof talks, likelihood ratios are the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[njbmd]

Little biostatistics on the USMLE? The way my prof talks, likelihood ratios are the best thing since sliced bread.

Isn't it weird? Every professor that I had in medical school thought their subject matter was the "most important" for USMLE. Biostats is useful for evidence based practice (and journal club) but I have had maybe one or two questions at most on any of the USMLE Steps. Of course, once you master that stuff, you don't have to keep relearning it.

 

[SemperFi]

I love it when someone starts a thread like this. I derive great pleasure from reading the creative ways in which current medical students absolutely hammer the advice. In fact, I do not even feel the need to add my own witty verbage to the flaming. However, I do already regret those lost "hours" this coming summer that could have been saved by writing out the TCA cycle every few days through my first two years. Alas.

 

[psipsina]

I love it when someone starts a thread like this. I derive great pleasure from reading the creative ways in which current medical students absolutely hammer the advice. In fact, I do not even feel the need to add my own witty verbage to the flaming. However, I do already regret those lost "hours" this coming summer that could have been saved by writing out the TCA cycle every few days through my first two years. Alas.

Is it wrong that I look foreward to the panicked 1st year adjustment threads from these same premeds?? We all panicked, but it becomes humorous when its coming from those that truely believed that they could get an edge, lol.

 

[Tiger26]

yeah, even the TCA cycle is only like 1/2 to 1 full day of med school material, not like the week or two in undergrad. It's not like you'd be getting that far ahead.

 

[tulane06]

Gunner
180 up, 8 down


A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her superiors.

That chic in the front row of our class who always raises her hand, takes on additional assignments, and wrote a 25 page answer on our final when all that was required was 10 pages is such a gunner.

-Urban Dictionary

 

[DocYuki]

Gunner
180 up, 8 down


A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her superiors.

That chic in the front row of our class who always raises her hand, takes on additional assignments, and wrote a 25 page answer on our final when all that was required was 10 pages is such a gunner.

-Urban Dictionary

I talked to a young Emergency Physician recently who had graduated from the undergrad school I'm currently at...

"Biochemistry? Yeah, I took a full semester of that in college. I got to IUSoM and was thrilled to find that they use the same book!

...

After 3 weeks, they had exhausted everything I learned in college, and even during the 3 weeks they went way more in-depth..."

 

[excalibur]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

Better idea...not do any of the above and look at a diagram of the Krebs Cycle 10 mins before Step 1.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

What ever happened to learning for the sake of learning? What about learning all these subjects to provide a better foundation for understanding the underlying reasons for medical decisions made in the clinical years?😕

 

[smq123]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the TCA cycle, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

I think that whoever told you this lied to you.

 

[smq123]

What ever happened to learning for the sake of learning? What about learning all these subjects to provide a better foundation for understanding the Underlying reasons for medical decisions made in the clinical yeas?😕

What happened to learning for the sake of learning? It died, a slow, horrible, crushing death, under the weight of 20 hours of lecture and 8 hours of lab per week.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

What ever happened to learning for the sake of learning? What about learning all these subjects to provide a better foundation for understanding the Underlying reasons for medical decisions made in the clinical yeas?😕

I think most of us still feel like these are the real reasons for our preclinical years, but sometimes you get overwhelmed feeling like you're trying to drink out of a fire hose. There is just SO MUCH material. I love school; I love learning; I want to have a great base of knowledge as a clinician so I can best serve my patients. All these things are as true as they were the day I started med school. But there is just NO WAY to completely master every bit of nuance and detail at this pace. As much as I would love to be learning for the sake of learning right now, I am being constantly tested, judged, assessed, and ranked on my ability to basically memorize and regurgitate a vast body of material in a ridiculously short time.

People not in med school seem quick to criticize us for not appreciating the joys of learning and being 'all about what's on the test'. While there is truth to this description for a few people in my class, this stereotype really does a disservice to the majority of us.

LifetimeDoc, sorry if I sound harsh -- this post isn't really directed at your admittedly valid observations; this was just kind of a jumping off point for some stuff I've been thinking for a while based on other posts I've come across. Anyway, thanks for letting me sound off. 🙂

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I think most of us still feel like these are the real reasons for our preclinical years, but sometimes you get overwhelmed feeling like you're trying to drink out of a fire hose. There is just SO MUCH material.

Oh I fully understand that I won't have time to learn it all in medical school, there is too much to learn in such a short time. My comment is directed at those who are only interested in learning "just enough" to get by and pass, even if they have the time to fit it in.

 

[Uncle Izzy]

Why we learn about the TCA cycle.

The point of learning the TCA cycle is to understand fundamental concepts that are crucial for both clinical medicine as well as Step1. What you are actually learning is not the enzymes and substrates but rather how the TCA cycle fits into metabolism in general. I think the vast majority of the posts here fail to understand that they don't want you to just learn it for the sake of learning it... They want you to learn it just like you learn gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, glycogen synthesis, fatty acid breakdown, etc etc etc..

If you understand WHY these work and HOW they fit together in fed and starved states, then you really get it. Quit wasting your time memorizing that garbage and understand the key players and crucial "forks" in the big picture.

 

[deleted77919]

My comment is directed at those who are only interested in learning "just enough" to get by and pass, even if they have the time to fit it in.

hahaha . . . I haven't met any of these people. Most people I know bust their tails all the time. Some just can't focus for as long, or retain as much, and end up below the average. In fact, about half the class is below average. I can't think of anyone I know who studies just enough to get by but could do much better.

 

[psipsina]

Oh I fully understand that I won't have time to learn it all in medical school, there is too much to learn in such a short time. My comment is directed at those who are only interested in learning "just enough" to get by and pass, even if they have the time to fit it in.

I think the p=MD thing is a defense mechanism that becomes necessary to deal with the volume in medschool. I study about 5 hours a day up until the week before an exam when I kick it up to 13 hours perday (I don't do class btw) and yet I am still scrambling at the end to cover everything and getting high eighties as my highs and sometimes only passing by a few points. I think I would really love some of the stuff we are learning if it wasn't under such high pressure situation. But often there isn't time to stop and contemplate and even pushing as hard as you can you only pass anyways so its easier to just say ehhhh p=MD so whatever than to face the truth of a process that is sucking your passion for science out of you with a small diameter straw inserted into your lumbar cistern. just because someone chooses to retain a social life or nonmed hobies to retain their sanity instead of relishing the minutae of the TCA cycle doesn't mean your not fully comitted to being a great physician, because what use is a brilliant scientist who lost their mind halfway thru path to their patients. We all cope with this process in our own ways, if we come out sane and able to pass the boards then we have won.

 

[Law2Doc]

Oh I fully understand that I won't have time to learn it all in medical school, there is too much to learn in such a short time. My comment is directed at those who are only interested in learning "just enough" to get by and pass, even if they have the time to fit it in.

Agree with the prior poster, the folks who are interested in learning "just enough" don't really exist. Even the folks at the bottom of the class are usually working hard, just not as effectively. Very few med schools let you coast to a pass. And no one walks into an exam feeling like they know everything they need to know. Ever.

 

[smq123]

And no one walks into an exam feeling like they know everything they need to know. Ever.

Or else you DO walk into an exam feeling like you know everything that you need to know...and then, five minutes into the exam, you find out just how tragically deceptive that feeling was.

 

[SoCuteMD]

What about learning all these subjects to provide a better foundation for understanding the underlying reasons for medical decisions made in the clinical years?😕

They don't really help that much. You will retain (or go back and look up) the stuff that MIGHT help, which is truly limited.

 

[tulane06]

That really specific stuff might be relevant if you want to become an expert in metabolic diseases, but otherwise you are gonna forget it in six weeks.

 

[spreebee]

yeah, even the TCA cycle is only like 1/2 to 1 full day of med school material, not like the week or two in undergrad. It's not like you'd be getting that far ahead.

On average, how many pages of material from the book to you believe you cover on any one lecture day for a class?

 

[sirus_virus]

It is not hard to figure out why people like spreebee want to start reading random stuff at this point. You guys say the volume of material is too large to cover in a short time. So the natural reaction is to try to get more work done upfront. Wether that work is valuable or not is another issue, but the message that "the volume of material will kill you but don't worry about studying upfront" seems a bit contrasting IMO.

 

[melast]

This was a joke, right? 🙄

 

[Biscuit799]

hahaha . . . I haven't met any of these people. Most people I know bust their tails all the time. Some just can't focus for as long, or retain as much, and end up below the average. In fact, about half the class is below average. I can't think of anyone I know who studies just enough to get by but could do much better.

I completely agree. In fact I'd argue that pretty much everyone in my class studies about the same amount of time. Save one person who never studies and gets straight A's, and another who never studies and is struggling to pass, we all pretty much study as much as we can, and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[psipsina]

It is not hard to figure out why people like spreebee want to start reading random stuff at this point. You guys say the volume of material is too large to cover in a short time. So the natural reaction is to try to get more work done upfront. Wether that work is valuable or not is another issue, but the message that "the volume of material will kill you but don't worry about studying upfront" seems a bit contrasting IMO.

The point is that the pace that you are going to move at trying to get ahead is likely going to be soo slow compared to the pace you will only learn to move at within the pressure cooker of medicine that wasting your precious free time is really rather pointless. I read the intro chapter to moore's clinical anatomy during orientation week, it seriously took me the whole week to get thru what I would have done in a few hours a few weeks later, that week could have been better spent in a bar relishing in the freedom from responsibilities that I now rarely have. Also, if you start studying now, you won't remember the minutae by the time you are actually tested on it so you'll have to study it again anyway. Or the phd that they'll get to lecture you on it will have a mental mastrubation about his own vaguely related research instead and thats what you will be tested on, or he'll tell you that your book was wrong and you'll have to relearn it his way. . . point being, unless you are a ridiculously motivated, psychic and brilliant person studying now wouldn't make the fabulous dent in your future workload that your envisioning, and if you are all those things the workload won't hurt you as bad as it hurts all of us mere mortals anyway. The thing that we all find humorous is the concept that making a sizeable dent that will make some tangible difference in your experience next year is actually possible. Come back and read this next year right before your head and neck anatomy exam and you will be laughing with us.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Oh I fully understand that I won't have time to learn it all in medical school, there is too much to learn in such a short time. My comment is directed at those who are only interested in learning "just enough" to get by and pass, even if they have the time to fit it in.

There is a difference between learning "just enough" to understand the basic concepts, pass your classes, and have enough of a foundation to understand clinical problems and learning tedious minutia that most physicians don't even think about.

Once you get to med school, you'll learn that "learning for learning's sake" does not pertain to memorizing purine synthesis pathways and structures. This kind of learning is garbage.

 

[8744]

From what I heard, Biochem are fears of the USMLE Step 1... Why not kickstart your biochem prep from day 1. Maybe write out the Krebs cycle once a day 2 or 3 semesters before your class... After that is down, go over the something else, etc... By the time the USMLE comes, little or no studying for that material because it is burnt into your brain... If you already have too much studying just work on glycolysis alone or something... What do you think?

You guys so do not understand how Step 1 is organized and the type of questions that are asked. The best way to do well on Step 1 is to study dilligently during first and second year and do some high-yield reviewing towards the end. (Practice questions and nothing else).

My memory is fading but I remember this: Number of questions on Step 1 where a detailed knowledge of the Kreb cycle, the Urea Cycle, or any other cycle or pathway was required: Zero.

Question about renal physiology, the cardiac cycle, and other important topics: Most of them.

You can probably blow off reviewing biochem except for First Aid (the only thing I will ever recommend it for) and do very well.

Chill, OP. Chill.

 

[spreebee]

You guys so do not understand how Step 1 is organized and the type of questions that are asked. The best way to do well on Step 1 is to study dilligently during first and second year and do some high-yield reviewing towards the end. (Practice questions and nothing else).

My memory is fading but I remember this: Number of questions on Step 1 where a detailed knowledge of the Kreb cycle, the Urea Cycle, or any other cycle or pathway was required: Zero.

Question about renal physiology, the cardiac cycle, and other important topics: Most of them.

You can probably blow off reviewing biochem except for First Aid (the only thing I will ever recommend it for) and do very well.

Chill, OP. Chill.

Well, thank you for your advice...

 

[Jannat]

I know everyone has their own style, but any advice on general study skills for doing well in medical school?

Individual studying, group studying, how effective is recording lectures?

Thanks.🙂

 

[psipsina]

I know everyone has their own style, but any advice on general study skills for doing well in medical school?

Individual studying, group studying, how effective is recording lectures?

Thanks.🙂

Don't pay attention to what anyone else is doing or how much they say they are doing it, you aren't them and what they do probably won't work for you. Just keep trying new things until you find that you are actually retaining a good amount of the crap being flung at you. It takes most people a few weeks at the least to get something workable going, and many of us are still tweaking our study habits in the final turn of M1. I know people who study in groups and people who don't (I don't, I'm far to social and don't get much done unless I force solitude upon myself), I know people who do flash cards, people who just read the notesets over and over, people who read the book over and over, people who take notes on the books or notesets or both (thats me), people who make up 50000 mnemonics and songs and dances, people who use their own class notes, . . . and on and on and on. At my school we aren't allowed to record the lectures except on one recorder that a volunteer notetaker uses to make a noteset that is distributed to the entire class. I have heard of places that have audio and video distributed to their students this way too.

 

[Jannat]

Thanks a lot Psipsina.🙂

 

[freelow]

Hi psipsina, you seem to do a good job summarizing medical school life in general. Spreebee, we were forced to learn the kerbs cycle in 1 day on top of learning cardiac physiology and neuroanatomy and excluding: DxR, clinical forums, and skills/phys labs. But I guess it could offer you a point on step 1 or on a med school biochem test if you have it down cold. IMO it is a huge waste of time. If I were you I would better spend my time following your school's schedule along with first aid. Learning the cycle is the first step; a more practical approach would encompass understanding the enzymes and what the pathological consequences are of losing them and linking it to other metabolic processes in the body. For instance some enzymes in the Kerbs cycle are used in other methods of metabolism such as Malate dehydrogenase.

 

[vtucci]

What ever happened to learning for the sake of learning? What about learning all these subjects to provide a better foundation for understanding the underlying reasons for medical decisions made in the clinical years?😕

Many of us would love to learn just to learn. Medical school reality- there is not enough time to learn everything that would provide a good foundation for clinical years. Medical school has remained 4 years even though there is about1000x+ the information there was when many of our professors were in school (esp. in biochem, micro/immuno).

 

[vtucci]

I know everyone has their own style, but any advice on general study skills for doing well in medical school?

Individual studying, group studying, how effective is recording lectures?

Thanks.🙂

Depends on how good your professors are and whether class is mandatory. If you do a thread search, you can check for review guide recommendations.

For many students, class is a waste of time and they are more efficient at learning on their own.

 

[45408]

I talked to a young Emergency Physician recently who had graduated from the undergrad school I'm currently at...

"Biochemistry? Yeah, I took a full semester of that in college. I got to IUSoM and was thrilled to find that they use the same book!

...

After 3 weeks, they had exhausted everything I learned in college, and even during the 3 weeks they went way more in-depth..."

you'll find that this is VERY often the case, as did I.

 

[Law2Doc]

It is not hard to figure out why people like spreebee want to start reading random stuff at this point. You guys say the volume of material is too large to cover in a short time. So the natural reaction is to try to get more work done upfront. Wether that work is valuable or not is another issue, but the message that "the volume of material will kill you but don't worry about studying upfront" seems a bit contrasting IMO.

Agree with what is said before -- it may seem contradictory, but it is a truism. You have to realize that the "shelf-life" of what you study during the summer before you start is very very short, the volume of stuff you are going to be cramming in during med school once you start is incomprehensible until you get there, and the focus of your course will be extremely different than you think it's going to be (as evidenced by the OP's focus on eg the Krebs cycle; The exception might be pre-term preparatory offerings offered by the med school, since the focus will be better keyed in to what is important).
While the "natural reaction" may be to do more work upfront the vast majority of type A premeds who have tried this have found it to be of very limited use. While it is not theoretically impossible to get a jump start, you are far far far far more likely to be wasting your time than doing anything useful. Some things sound better as a plan than reality, I'm afraid. Believe what you want, but a year into med school you too will agree that any pre-med school prep you did would have probably been better spent getting drunk on a beach with your friends. You will be doing a ton of studying in med school -- your time before you get there is better spent getting your fill of non-study activity.