First Steps as Pre-Med seeking ANY help

[DrewTT]

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So I am entering my freshman year of college in the fall, and now the game begins. I plan on majoring in Economics while completing the pre med track. I am entering first semester with the usual Gen Bio, and Gen Chem (both with labs). I'm going to a tough school now. In Highschool I had to study but not that much. Can anyone tell me how a pre med needs to study. How much? Also I will only have classes and labs on M,W,F how should I handle those free days? And any other tips for an ambitious pre-med who has just begun the rat race that is med school admissions.

 

[Yonko Shanks]

Study as much as you need to. I study until I know the concepts. concepts will get you farther down the road rather than just memorizing the information for only the test. Also volunteer early on.

 

[aterry]

I suggest trying a few different methods out. Find out if you study best morning, afternoon or night for example. Figure out how you learn best. I think most important is finding a healthy balance between studying and other non-pre-med interests as well as extra curriculars and socializing. I am about to start my 4th year of med school and I can tell you that it is a longer road than you can possibly imagine so pace yourself and try not to get too sucked into the rat race. Enjoy your classes for the sake of learning and do volunteer work because it means something to you. I always tried to do what I was passionate about and didn't worry too much about my GPA and stuff and ended up just fine 🙂 if you have any questions at all -- feel free to PM me

 

[Doctor246853]

So I am entering my freshman year of college in the fall, and now the game begins. I plan on majoring in Economics while completing the pre med track. I am entering first semester with the usual Gen Bio, and Gen Chem (both with labs). I'm going to a tough school now. In Highschool I had to study but not that much. Can anyone tell me how a pre med needs to study. How much? Also I will only have classes and labs on M,W,F how should I handle those free days? And any other tips for an ambitious pre-med who has just begun the rat race that is med school admissions.

Welcome. Some may say start ec's early but I wouldn't do it. Focus solely on your grades since frosh year is usually the worst. Adjust to college. After spring grades are in and you're satified then ramp it up. Get your feet wet with research, volunteering and shadowing. Do all that next year but for now kick @$$ and take names in your classes. Understand the material; don't just try and get an A...I repeat, know your stuff. Good that you are starting off focused.

 

[Ironmandoc]

I never read a book and never studied more than 4 or 5 hours for an exam

 

[Doctor246853]

I never read a book and never studied more than 4 or 5 hours for an exam

This post is in no way helpful to the op nor did it answer any questions. Very cool story bro.🙂

 

[tn4596]

I think u should really need to crank a 4.0 the very first semester to boost ur confidence and set the tone for ur undergrad career, remember gpa cant be easily fixed. u can socialize and do all that ec next sem after u know where u stand and how much work to put in to get those As, dun skip any classes ur first semester/read text book on ur free day.
good luck and may the force be with u

 

[911 Turbo]

I think u should really need to crank a 4.0 the very first semester to boost ur confidence and set the tone for ur undergrad career, remember gpa cant be easily fixed. u can socialize and do all that ec next sem after u know where u stand and how much work to put in to get those As, dun skip any classes ur first semester/read text book on ur free day.
good luck and may the force be with u

This

Also.. get involved with a small amount of research (5 hours per week or so). Some PIs love students who get involved early because they get a better investment out of training you.

 

[Verum]

This post is in no way helpful to the op nor did it answer any questions. Very cool story bro.🙂

He thought my story was cool and he called me bro. - New internet kid.

 

[kpcrew]

You probably don't need to buy a textbook for most classes. It's usually the case that all of the material is on the slides or they have the textbook on hold at the school library. Science textbooks are expensive so you can find yourself saving a few hundred dollars every semester (this adds up quickly). I took an economics minor and the relevant classes were easier than my intro science classes. You might want to spend most of your study time on your science courses, learning concepts and doing practice questions. Focus on retaining information because if you can't remember and spit it out for the test, all your studying is for naught. Stay on top of things and don't wait until the last second to finish your work. I know a bunch of students who partied a lot and consistently pulled all nighters to finish homeworks or study for exams. They've either gave up on applying to medical school or are now taking post-bacc classes to try to bring their gpa up. But don't spend all your time studying, you should make a lot of friends. You never know who might know something that you'll benefit from or who will be there for you when you need it.

 

[Yonko Shanks]

 

[passerine]

Everyone studies and learns differently. Find what works for you and stick with it! But keep that GPA high freshman year while your classes are easy so you're not struggling to right the ship when you're taking organic and organic lab...

 

[MedPR]

Study hard enough to get a 100% on everything. Knowing pre-reqs like the back of your hand will make the MCAT much easier.

 

[typicalindian]

You should over study during your first semester. Study as much as you possibly can but save time for exercise, friends (not too much partying!!). Go to class even if you find the lecture useless. The reason I say this is because if you study more than you need to during your first semester and get a 4.0, it'll be easier for you to gauge how much you need to study for the following semesters and you can adjust accordingly. Please don't fall into the "oh I failed my first midterm but its ok because there is a curve" trap. It wont work out well for you. If you end freshman year on a good note you'll put yourself in a very good position for getting into med school.

 

[david199380]

I would recommend that you take a fairly light load for your first semester of college, especially if you are going off. Make sure that you adjust well and concentrate on your grades for your first semester. Once you have a handle on things, you can start looking into some volunteering and various other EC's.

Finally, welcome to SDN! 🙂

 

[Disinence2]

Just have fun! Don't forget to study. Do your homework.

 

[DrewTT]

Thank you guys for all you help.. Does anyone think that the 2 hours of work for every 1 hour in the class room is a good benchmark to go off of?

 

[theseeker4]

Thank you guys for all you help.. Does anyone think that the 2 hours of work for every 1 hour in the class room is a good benchmark to go off of?

Start out expecting to do that, with some extra time built into your week if you are inefficient to begin with and need more. Myself, and many others, end up needing a lot, lot less than this, but when you are starting out, you want to over-estimate, not under-estimate the time needed to get all As.

First semester or two, go very light on the ECs, socialize but don't get drawn into the frat/sorority/party scene too deeply that your grades are hurt, and make sure you get the As you need. Exercise, break up your studying and take some weekends off of school work completely, and make sure you do at least one activity for fun each day to avoid burning out. Most likely, you will find you can dial your time spent mastering the material way back, but you want to start strong and ease off later, not start halfheartedly and then struggle the rest of the semester to catch up.