First day of Medical School and I'm Lost!

[circulus vitios]

A good analogy for starting medical school is being tapped in the balls.

It hurts at first, but you think you might be fine. Then the pain washes over you, and you double over and about puke your guts out.

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[Ismet]

One day to memorize Krebs cycle, glycolysis, carbohydrate degradation/absorption, protein degradation absorption, etc. I mean a lot of this is review from undergrad, but come the **** on.

That sounds awful.

Yeah biochem seems to be glossed over in 1st year and yet it's one of the highest yield basic science topics on boards. My school does block scheduling and I think we had a a whopping 9 class days for biochem.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Yeah biochem seems to be glossed over in 1st year and yet it's one of the highest yield basic science topics on boards. My school does block scheduling and I think we had a a whopping 9 class days for biochem.

9 days! This is insane... My school will spend and equivalent of 3 weeks on biochem/genetics and I don't even think it's fair...

 

[Ismet]

9 days! This is insane... My school will spend and equivalent of 3 weeks on biochem/genetics and I don't even think it's fair...

I think biochem is more important than all the minutiae you get from genetics. Our genetics course was 4 weeks long in comparison! But I'm just talking from a boards standpoint, not necessarily clinical importance.

 

[DermViser]

Yeah biochem seems to be glossed over in 1st year and yet it's one of the highest yield basic science topics on boards. My school does block scheduling and I think we had a a whopping 9 class days for biochem.

That is ridiculous.

 

[touchpause13]

We have biochem for 2 months, I can't imagine just having 9 lectures! We've had more than that in the first week of school!

 

[GoPelicans]

Yay, another school-organized optional bar crawl tonight -_- right as anatomy and biochem are really starting to hit us hard. I'm pretty sure they are organizing all these things to **** with us.

 

[Southplains]

Yay, another school-organized optional bar crawl tonight -_- right as anatomy and biochem are really starting to hit us hard. I'm pretty sure they are organizing all these things to **** with us.

On Tuesday? Shenanigans.

 

[PL198]

Yeah I've been writing and rewriting the pathways for the past 2 hours trying to memorize it all. Maybe I'll get to bed by 2 am.

What do you mean? They taught those for the first time, a day before an exam?

 

[DermViser]

What do you mean? They taught those for the first time, a day before an exam?

Apparently taught in one day, which I find hard to believe.

 

[PL198]

Apparently taught in one day, which I find hard to believe.

If it's not right before an exam then I don't really have any sympathy. There's plenty of time to learn it. You don't have to learn everything the day it's taught of course. My school usually gives us the day off before an exam if it's not on a monday.

 

[DermViser]

If it's not right before an exam then I don't really have any sympathy. There's plenty of time to learn it. You don't have to learn everything the day it's taught of course. My school usually gives us the day off before an exam if it's not on a monday.

Not to mention it doesn't help to learn it hardcore weeks before an exam. By now most med students should know when to kick it up a notch when it comes to solidifying the information in your brain.

 

[Ismet]

We have biochem for 2 months, I can't imagine just having 9 lectures! We've had more than that in the first week of school!

Not 9 lectures, I said 9 class days, about 2 weeks including weekends. Each day can have 4-7 lectures depending on if it's a full or half day.

 

[Ismet]

Not to mention it doesn't help to learn it hardcore weeks before an exam. By now most med students should know when to kick it up a notch when it comes to solidifying the information in your brain.

Speaking of which, I need to overhaul my study methods for clerkships. Shelf and OSCE on Friday and I have so little free time/energy this week to study. Boo.

 

[DermViser]

Speaking of which, I need to overhaul my study methods for clerkships. Shelf and OSCE on Friday and I have so little free time/energy this week to study. Boo.

Helps to study thru out the clerkship. The ones who say they only study close to the end are lying. Yes, if your school does OSCEs for each clerkship, that blows.

 

[Ismet]

Helps to study thru out the clerkship. The ones who say they only study close to the end are lying. Yes, if your school does OSCEs for each clerkship, that blows.

Oh I have been studying throughout the clerkship, I just have several things I need to review and prep for the OSCE so I'm feeling a big time crunch for that. I'm not sure if we have OSCEs for each clerkship. Definitely for this one and FM

 

[circulus vitios]

Apparently taught in one day, which I find hard to believe.

Literally taught in a 3 hour lecture in a single day. We're 4 weeks out from our first exam.

If it's not right before an exam then I don't really have any sympathy. There's plenty of time to learn it. You don't have to learn everything the day it's taught of course. My school usually gives us the day off before an exam if it's not on a monday.

If I don't get a solid understanding of something right away, it's going end badly because they keep piling the material higher and deeper.

 

[PL198]

Literally taught in a 3 hour lecture in a single day. We're 4 weeks out from our first exam.

If I don't get a solid understanding of something right away, it's going end badly because they keep piling the material higher and deeper.

You have weekends and I haven't heard of a school with basic sciences being 5 days a week. Maybe just get a general picture now and learn minutiae later.

 

[circulus vitios]

You have weekends and I haven't heard of a school with basic sciences being 5 days a week. Maybe just get a general picture now and learn minutiae later.

It's 5 days a week at my school, about 12 hours a week in total.

 

[TheShaker]

It's 5 days a week at my school, about 12 hours a week in total.

I don't know about other schools but that sounds pretty standard in terms of hours. My school does more lectures per day so that we can waste time later in the week with "formative" mandatory activities. Not to make this a pissing contest or anything but your curriculum doesn't sound like it deviates from the norm in terms of workload.

I agree with PL198. I've accepted that I'm not going to retain any of the minutiae a few weeks later so I'm not going to stress if I can't get it down in time. I'm in my first exam week right now and it is kind of a bitch to go through all of that material though.

 

[username456789]

You have weekends and I haven't heard of a school with basic sciences being 5 days a week.

. . . I haven't heard of a school that DOESN'T have basic sciences 5 days a week . . .

 

[sinombre]

You have weekends and I haven't heard of a school with basic sciences being 5 days a week. Maybe just get a general picture now and learn minutiae later.

I know at all schools I was considering and the school I'm at now, there are ~3ish basic science lectures every day, averaging maybe 15-17 hours a week, for both first and second year. I think this is standard...

 

[PL198]

It's 5 days a week at my school, about 12 hours a week in total.

that sounds stupidly inefficient. why would the students come in for that? my school right now has basic science lecture 6 hrs/day 3 days/week and then micro lab for an hour a week

 

[PL198]

. . . I haven't heard of a school that DOESN'T have basic sciences 5 days a week . . .

I guess my school is just weird.

 

[Roxas]

Yeah biochem seems to be glossed over in 1st year and yet it's one of the highest yield basic science topics on boards. My school does block scheduling and I think we had a a whopping 9 class days for biochem.

Only 9 days?! That's nuts.

At times I think course blocks might be easier (not if it's 9 days though). At the moment we are doing 6 classes simultaneously (2 of which are anatomy and biochem), so it's hard to keep up in everything. So far I've resorted to putting everything off except whatever my next test is, similar to what I did in ug.

 

[GoPelicans]

Spent about an hour in anatomy lab today cleaning out a beautiful nerve, only for the TA to walk over and laugh at me because I was cleaning around a random piece of fascia -_- FML

 

[PL198]

Spent about an hour in anatomy lab today cleaning out a beautiful nerve, only for the TA to walk over and laugh at me because I was cleaning around a random piece of fascia -_- FML

wtf nerve takes an hour to dissect nice? **** I could do the whole brachial plexus in an hour

 

[GoPelicans]

wtf nerve takes an hour to dissect nice? **** I could do the whole brachial plexus in an hour

I am not very good at medical school.

 

[circulus vitios]

I don't understand how people claim that students can memorize everything. There is so much ****ing garbage in a 3 hour lecture that I can't even begin to understand it beyond the most basic of concepts. This is absolutely miserable.

 

[PL198]

I don't understand how people claim that students can memorize everything. There is so much ******* garbage in a 3 hour lecture that I can't even begin to understand it beyond the most basic of concepts. This is absolutely miserable.

M2 year is twice as much, YOLO

 

[sinombre]

wtf nerve takes an hour to dissect nice? **** I could do the whole brachial plexus in an hour

To be fair the brachial plexus is huge. But I agree with your general point.

edit: by 'huge' I mean it doesn't take any finesse to dissect, unlike just about anything in the face

 

[sinombre]

M2 year is twice as much, YOLO

 

[circulus vitios]

M2 year is twice as much, YOLO

At least it's "somewhat" clinically relevant. I'm getting bombarded with pathway after pathway after pathway. Anyone that says they memorize everything is full of it -- I mean do you really expect me to believe that you can recite the pathway of succinyl-coA synth from methionine off the top of your head?

 

[sinombre]

Anyone that says they memorize everything is full of it

Right, because it's not like we've been through it or anything

 

[PL198]

At least it's "somewhat" clinically relevant. I'm getting bombarded with pathway after pathway after pathway. Anyone that says they memorize everything is full of it -- I mean do you really expect me to believe that you can recite the pathway of succinyl-coA synth from methionine off the top of your head?

eh if I had a multiple choice question with all the names of intermediates and enzymes I bet I could get it 2/3s right. the stuff you are learning now is clinically relevant too to some degree. honestly a lot of the stuff I learned that I thought was " dumb and pointless to know," it might not end up being directly valid, but I've found that a lot of it explains why other things that are clinically valid, are as they are.

 

[GoPelicans]

I don't understand how people claim that students can memorize everything. There is so much ******* garbage in a 3 hour lecture that I can't even begin to understand it beyond the most basic of concepts. This is absolutely miserable.

Have you considered going to a tutor at your school? I might give it a shot because anatomy is making me want to cry.

 

[circulus vitios]

Have you considered going to a tutor at your school? I might give it a shot because anatomy is making me want to cry.

I'll just keep trying my hardest and if I fail the first exam I'll take a leave of absence so I can decide if I want to keep subjecting myself to this abject misery.

 

[Ismet]

Spent about an hour in anatomy lab today cleaning out a beautiful nerve, only for the TA to walk over and laugh at me because I was cleaning around a random piece of fascia -_- FML

It happens to the best of us. Hey, it's better to be careful and meticulous than completely trash delicate parts, especially when you get to the face.

 

[PL198]

I'll just keep trying my hardest and if I fail the first exam I'll take a leave of absence so I can decide if I want to keep subjecting myself to this abject misery.

woah slow down, don't say that

 

[Ismet]

I mean do you really expect me to believe that you can recite the pathway of succinyl-coA synth from methionine off the top of your head?

Yes. When I was studying for boards, yes I had that memorized, along with all of the high-yield biochem pathways. And I loathed biochem, so I pretty much limited my studying to FA. Believe it or not, but there's actually clinical relevance to all the stuff you're learning, even if you'll never see those disorders in practice.

 

[circulus vitios]

woah slow down, don't say that

I'm a realist.

 

[username456789]

At least it's "somewhat" clinically relevant. I'm getting bombarded with pathway after pathway after pathway. Anyone that says they memorize everything is full of it -- I mean do you really expect me to believe that you can recite the pathway of succinyl-coA synth from methionine off the top of your head?

You'll get there. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. As in several times a day. As in several days a week. Making multiple/many passes through the information is what will help you retain information, even the minutiae.

Repetition.

 

[Ismet]

I'm a realist.

No, you're not being a realist. You're being pessimistic and dramatic and completely discounting the advice already given to you by multiple people who have gone through the same exact thing. You're balking at the wall of material that has been presented to you, and you don't have the correct attitude to tackle it. Yes a small number of people drop out when they realize they can't handle med school, but I think you can handle it, you just need to put your nose to the grindstone and work with a better attitude.

I know it's a lot right now. We were all in the same position at one point. But I think many people agree that you look back later on your first few months of MS1 and laugh at yourself for freaking out so much. I definitely do!

 

[Psai]

I'll just keep trying my hardest and if I fail the first exam I'll take a leave of absence so I can decide if I want to keep subjecting myself to this abject misery.

Hey at least its not hard manual labor for 36 hours in a row on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean or whatever it is that you can't stop talking about

 

[circulus vitios]

Hey at least its not hard manual labor for 36 hours in a row on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean or whatever it is that you can't stop talking about

I actually enjoyed it, even though it sucked. At least I didn't feel constantly overwhelmed.

 

[Roxas]

I'll just keep trying my hardest and if I fail the first exam I'll take a leave of absence so I can decide if I want to keep subjecting myself to this abject misery.

Do you go to a notoriously difficult school or something? I'll admit that it's difficult, but not enough to consider bailing

 

[TheShaker]

I actually enjoyed it, even though it sucked. At least I didn't feel constantly overwhelmed.

Graduation goggles at full blast, I think.

 

[Frazier]

It hurts at first, but you think you might be fine. Then the pain washes over you, and you double over and about puke your guts out.

I don't understand how people claim that students can memorize everything. There is so much ******* garbage in a 3 hour lecture that I can't even begin to understand it beyond the most basic of concepts. This is absolutely miserable.

At least it's "somewhat" clinically relevant. I'm getting bombarded with pathway after pathway after pathway. Anyone that says they memorize everything is full of it -- I mean do you really expect me to believe that you can recite the pathway of succinyl-coA synth from methionine off the top of your head?

I'll just keep trying my hardest and if I fail the first exam I'll take a leave of absence so I can decide if I want to keep subjecting myself to this abject misery.

Hey at least its not hard manual labor for 36 hours in a row on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean or whatever it is that you can't stop talking about

I actually enjoyed it, even though it sucked. At least I didn't feel constantly overwhelmed.

Mmmmmmm...

PS: hang in there.

 

[Southplains]

But for real in the first week of anatomy, I had pep talks with myself at night about how I should be proud I made it in, and I'll be able to find something else to do with my life when I fail out. There's a definite growing period but I promise you'll just be doing your thing by Christmas. You'll be okay, and I bet it's your first test grade that makes you think "you know what I'm actually doing alright here".

Oh and I'm saying this to myself right now as well because second year so far has proven to be truly twice as much ****. I need to buck up myself too and meet this next level of work, and I get the feeling that this will be a common theme over the next ~7 years..

 

[TheShaker]

But for real in the first week of anatomy, I had pep talks with myself at night about how I should be proud I made it in, and I'll be able to find something else to do with my life when I fail out. There's a definite growing period but I promise you'll just be doing your thing by Christmas. You'll be okay, and I bet it's your first test grade that makes you think "you know what I'm actually doing alright here".

Oh and I'm saying this to myself right now as well because second year so far has proven to be truly twice as much ****. I need to buck up myself too and meet this next level of work, and I get the feeling that this will be a common theme over the next ~7 years..

So...it doesn't get better once anatomy is out of the way? Because that's what I've been telling myself. Losing 8 hours per week of dissection and however many more of studying has to lighten things up...right? RIGHT?!