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Any tips on how to not fall behind, stay positive and happy, keep your head up after stressful weeks, any study strategies, etc.? Feeling a bit nervous :/
First day of med school tomorrow. Any last minute advice?
- Thread starter miss chievous
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As an undergrad, I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say good luck. Sending you my good wishes and positive energy! 
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Make sure you arrive at the right school? lol
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Try to have fun, don't be too hard on yourself, take breaks.
What worked best for me was pre-reading the lectures the night before so you have an idea of what will be covered. I usually podcasted lectures from the comfort of my own room, but even then, it's good to have a brief skim of the lecture before going to lecture or watching/listening to it.
Worry about yourself and not what others are doing academically. Med students tend to complain to each other about everything school related and while it's good to vent, it's a big waste of time and source of anxiety. I've had to distance myself from people who do nothing but complain, because it makes me anxious.
Find a hobby or continue a hobby that has nothing to do with medicine so that you have a regularly scheduled break from medical school. I was in the undergrad orchestra for the first 2 years, so that was 3 hours a week I could drop studying and do something I enjoyed. Also in an a cappella group that is made up of mostly med students, but we tend to focus more on the music than the fact that we're in med school.
Good luck! You got in, you can handle it.
What worked best for me was pre-reading the lectures the night before so you have an idea of what will be covered. I usually podcasted lectures from the comfort of my own room, but even then, it's good to have a brief skim of the lecture before going to lecture or watching/listening to it.
Worry about yourself and not what others are doing academically. Med students tend to complain to each other about everything school related and while it's good to vent, it's a big waste of time and source of anxiety. I've had to distance myself from people who do nothing but complain, because it makes me anxious.
Find a hobby or continue a hobby that has nothing to do with medicine so that you have a regularly scheduled break from medical school. I was in the undergrad orchestra for the first 2 years, so that was 3 hours a week I could drop studying and do something I enjoyed. Also in an a cappella group that is made up of mostly med students, but we tend to focus more on the music than the fact that we're in med school.
Good luck! You got in, you can handle it.
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Trying to remain anonymous
thishasnothingtodowiththethreadbutyourpicmakesmeSQUEEEEEE
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Trying to remain anonymous
Here's a hint: If you ask about advice on your first day of medical school, it kinda gives away your status.
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Don't be "that guy" (or "that girl").
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How does a person distinguish himself as 'that guy'??
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If you need to ask about "that guy," you probably are "that guy."
"That guy" is the person who simultaneously reveals traits of a gunner, a try hard, a non-team player, and a cluelessly pretentious person. "That guy" is the person that not only does well but ensures that you know he does well. "That guy" is the guy who goes to round with the team of a competitive specialty during the pre-clinical years to get known by the department (happened at my school). "That guy" is the guy who delivers random presentations during third year without telling anyone else on the team about it. "That guy" is all about ensuring he succeeds without caring about whether or not anyone else does.
In short, "that guy" is the person that will likely be successful when it comes to winning medical school but who you will never send a patient to and seems to piss everyone off. You wonder how the **** this person got into medical school because they are so socially inept that they can't help but burn bridges with everyone but other "that guys" and "that girls."
You know, "that guy."
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Yeah 3rd year uncovers a lot of "that guys" that weren't really apparent in the 1st 2 years.
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Do NOT memorize. LEARN and APPLY.
Always seek out your faculty if you're having trouble.
Get a good night's sleep before each exam.
Be good at time mgt.
Be selfish; your siblings can take care of your parents, and vice versa.
Chat with your friends about study tips
Study with your friends; when you teach them, you teach yourself.
Do NOT try to make do with only Board review books. First-Aid for USMLE has a lot of errors in it!
Good luck! In four years, you will be a doctor!
Always seek out your faculty if you're having trouble.
Get a good night's sleep before each exam.
Be good at time mgt.
Be selfish; your siblings can take care of your parents, and vice versa.
Chat with your friends about study tips
Study with your friends; when you teach them, you teach yourself.
Do NOT try to make do with only Board review books. First-Aid for USMLE has a lot of errors in it!
Good luck! In four years, you will be a doctor!
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... What is wrong with this? This sounds like a fantastic idea.
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Randomly attending rounds as a MS1 seems like a fantastic idea? Really?
To me that sounds like a blowhard kicking into try hard mode. It's one thing to shadow, do research, etc. to get to know faculty. It's another to round with the team and do nothing of value other than kissing ass.
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It can be hard for some people to "unclench". Can be difficult even with the strongest laxative.
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I'm shocked that academic attendings, and residents fall for this. Maybe the much much older ones, but usually not the ones that have graduated within the last 2 decades. An MS-1, with nothing to contribute intellectually, don't know how to do a physical exam, not knowing how to even write a SOAP note, following around the clinical team, would be digging his own grave -- assuming he actually wants to match to that specialty.
It's another thing altogether if he's doing clinical research work and is in the department a lot to complete it.
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Are you kidding? If not, you may be "that guy".
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Yes LOL…." if you have to ask"...
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I'm assuming of course by now, people know proper etiquette in medical school. Although, lack of ability to pick up on social cues, isn't surprising in a population that up to this point has only been in school. There are people who just don't get it.
I think some medical students don't understand that residents and attendings have gone thru what you're going thru. We're not stupid. We can tell when you're genuinely interested, when you're trying to show up your teammates, we notice when you butt in on other people's presentations, etc. Oh and we also notice when you put on one face for the attending and put on a completely different face with the resident and intern. And telling the categorical intern, that you want to go into that guy's specific specialty, doesn't work to get Honors. There are people who have done this on Surgery, saying how much they want to go into Surgery on the rotation, and have it completely backfire on them - increased expectations, etc.
Also, psst...The attending (whom you're trying so hard to impress) WILL ask the resident and intern what we thought of the student in question, when they're filling out their evaluation. In fact many times, they will copy our comments onto their evals so they comport with eachother.
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Suddenly, the world isn't just one big multiple choice exam, and thus the strategy of trying too hard and falling over on your shoelaces. Pity.
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There's a student in my rotation who does this during didactics and it's so painful to watch.
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I started a few weeks ago...and all I can say is be prepared to feel kinda awful and like you don't know anything. However, everyone is probably thinking the same thing.
What's helping me is outlining the lecture the night I have it so I don't fall behind.
Good Luck!
OP, my advice would be to go in expecting the absolute worst. Although I'm only a week in right now, and have quite a bit of work piling up, it hasn't been nearly as bad as expected because I was so terrified going into it.
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What's sad is that some don't get it. Attendings, residents, and interns aren't your PhD professors in your basic science classes lecturing to you in an auditorium, who respect your feelings, allow you to raise your hands and answer questions no matter how ridiculous during class, etc.
I understand that there is a transition from the basic science years to the clerkship years, but I'm still amazed sometimes how difficult it is for some people. Many of them aren't used to socializing, having to work in groups, unable to take constructive criticism, etc. and were rewarded accordingly in MS-1/MS-2 where your evaluation is largely not dependent on those things. Then the **** hits the fan where in MS-3 the above qualities are pivotal, which as you can imagine, is painful for the rest of us to watch.
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I'm definitely that guy
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I almost smacked this person when they literally interrupted the lecturer to ask a question that was clearly just for showing off their pharmacology knowledge. Yes, I'm sure the attending is well aware that you can also use X drug to treat HTN.
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Don't gun. Take some time to decompress. Stay active physically. And most importantly, don't gun.
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I like the ones that disagree with the attending on a clinical fact, bc First Aid told them differently. Apparently some haven't gotten the memo that real life, clinical medicine doesn't fit into the neat, discrete boxes that standardized exams puts them into.I almost smacked this person when they literally interrupted the lecturer to ask a question that was clearly just for showing off their pharmacology knowledge. Yes, I'm sure the attending is well aware that you can also use X drug to treat HTN.
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We could tell.
I found this helpful: http://meded.ucsd.edu/index.cfm/ugme/oess/study_skills_and_exam_strategies/how_to_study_actively/
Don't be selfish. That's the makings of a gunner.
Don't be selfish. That's the makings of a gunner.
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I guess I didn't know how it worked. I thought he was rounding as part of a program. I see how that's bad now.
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That's debatable. There are many residents and attendings who are happy to take someone down a few pegs. Pissing them off ensures that.
