Getting ready for MS1

[ruraldocmom]

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I'm looking for some advice about how to best spend my remaining 6 months before MS1 (I'm accepted & start Aug 2011).

Its been 8 years since I finished undergrad, though I re-learned everything for the MCAT in summer 2010.

I recently finished with my prior career and I'm staying home with my kids (1.5 & 3.5) until Med School starts in the fall. Right now my plan is to study a few hours 2-3 times a week, focusing on physiology & anatomy--I know it will be a little basic, but I feel like just getting into study habits--getting my brain thinking that way again will ease the transition maybe just a little bit. And, I'll have all day to enjoy time with the kids--studying will be after they are asleep, while my husband is working on his schoolwork.

So I'm wondering, what is best to focus on--my school uses a systems based approach--should I just whip out the physiology books from undergrad? Start memorizing the diagrams in anatomy workbooks from 2003? What would help me not hit a brick wall the first day of class?

Thanks so much for any advice!

 

[ejw5075]

I'm looking for some advice about how to best spend my remaining 6 months before MS1 (I'm accepted & start Aug 2011).

Its been 8 years since I finished undergrad, though I re-learned everything for the MCAT in summer 2010.

I recently finished with my prior career and I'm staying home with my kids (1.5 & 3.5) until Med School starts in the fall. Right now my plan is to study a few hours 2-3 times a week, focusing on physiology & anatomy--I know it will be a little basic, but I feel like just getting into study habits--getting my brain thinking that way again will ease the transition maybe just a little bit. And, I'll have all day to enjoy time with the kids--studying will be after they are asleep, while my husband is working on his schoolwork.

So I'm wondering, what is best to focus on--my school uses a systems based approach--should I just whip out the physiology books from undergrad? Start memorizing the diagrams in anatomy workbooks from 2003? What would help me not hit a brick wall the first day of class?

Thanks so much for any advice!

I'm not going to tell you not to study (though many will), because I have not started med school yet and don't know whether that will be beneficial at all. Though, I am starting med school in the fall of 2011 and am finishing my undergrad this may. I have a 3.5 year old and I am planning on spending this last 7 months doing everything I can with my daughter, and enjoying every freedom (though few there are as a parent/student), with my family.

 

[DrMidlife]

I suggest that a year from now, what you'll wish you had done is blow huge amounts of time doing nothing. Spend entire days staring at clouds and building lego buildings. Watch the entire first season of Weeds in one sitting. Read the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series until 4 in the morning.

Maybe work on nutrition & fitness if you must.

All the worrying you're doing about whether you'll be ready academically? Postpone that worrying until the first week of school.

My $.02. Best of luck to you.

 

[ejw5075]

I suggest that a year from now, what you'll wish you had done is blow huge amounts of time doing nothing. Spend entire days staring at clouds and building lego buildings. Watch the entire first season of Weeds in one sitting. Read the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series until 4 in the morning.

Maybe work on nutrition & fitness if you must.

All the worrying you're doing about whether you'll be ready academically? Postpone that worrying until the first week of school.

My $.02. Best of luck to you.

weeds 🙂 4th best show ever.

 

[zebalong]

I never understood why people said not to get a "leg up" on the material while it was possible, but now that I'm over half way done with first year I think I have the answer.

Medical schools (most of them at least) are VERY good at making you very efficient in learning MASSIVE amounts of material quickly and thoroughly. Your ability/yield you will get out of 6 months of studying prior to medical school will probably amount to about what will take you less then a week to learn once you are in school. So it is very low yield for you to start studying now considering that no matter how dedicated you are, you won't be very efficient compared to the machine you will turn into in medical school. It's like trying to get a first grader to learn algebra, the of massive amounts of effort and frustration is completely futile compared to if you just wait for when you have the background/supportive environment/tools to learn it.

I think the point is that the main goal most people should have prior to starting medical school is to set up ways to manage your stress and physical well being for the years to come. Right about now, the kids who took no time off from college are starting to feel burn out. Relax, enjoy, exercise! and get ready to work your ass off- its freakin fun 😀.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I'm looking for some advice about how to best spend my remaining 6 months before MS1 (I'm accepted & start Aug 2011).

Its been 8 years since I finished undergrad, though I re-learned everything for the MCAT in summer 2010.

I recently finished with my prior career and I'm staying home with my kids (1.5 & 3.5) until Med School starts in the fall. Right now my plan is to study a few hours 2-3 times a week, focusing on physiology & anatomy--I know it will be a little basic, but I feel like just getting into study habits--getting my brain thinking that way again will ease the transition maybe just a little bit. And, I'll have all day to enjoy time with the kids--studying will be after they are asleep, while my husband is working on his schoolwork.

So I'm wondering, what is best to focus on--my school uses a systems based approach--should I just whip out the physiology books from undergrad? Start memorizing the diagrams in anatomy workbooks from 2003? What would help me not hit a brick wall the first day of class?

Thanks so much for any advice!

Congrats on being accepted!

My advice: play with your kids. This is the last time you'll be free for a minimum of seven years.

As stated above, medical schools are very good at getting you to learn massive amounts of information rapidly and making you presentable for board exams.

Studying now is overkill. You won't be able to predict how the school expects you to approach and retain information in physiology, biochem. etc. Medical sciences in medical school has a very different emphasis from how the basic scientists approach the material; you learn a little bit of everything, but very superficially. You'll see.

Again, well done! Hardest part (admission) is over.

 

[sideways]

I had some fantastic advice for you. Then I saw your screenname.

 

[ruraldocmom]

Thanks ya'll for the advice. I guess its not getting a leg up that I'm concerned about--more am I ready after being so far removed from undergrad?

It is true though--more efficient learning will be done when its got to be done. And there is nothing like trying to maximize time with the kids to make study time more efficient when the time comes.

So, here's to 7 months of not-worrying-about it.

 

[Haemulon]

Thanks ya'll for the advice. I guess its not getting a leg up that I'm concerned about--more am I ready after being so far removed from undergrad?

It is true though--more efficient learning will be done when its got to be done. And there is nothing like trying to maximize time with the kids to make study time more efficient when the time comes.

So, here's to 7 months of not-worrying-about it.

Good decision 🙂

I have 3 young kids and had been away from academics for a while as well when I started. For what its worth, I think the advice of others above is spot on. Your studying would be extremely low yield compared to what you will get hit with after you start, and wont be of much help in getting ahead anyway. Hardly anyone ever believes this advice though (I didn't either when I was asking your same question, and quickly found that my many summer hours of proud anatomy "studying" were passed by in the blink of an eye). So definitely enjoy every free moment you have and play with your kids while you can! Leave the studying for when it really counts 😉 Best of luck to you!

 

[teddy bear doc]

I suggest that a year from now, what you'll wish you had done is blow huge amounts of time doing nothing. Spend entire days staring at clouds and building lego buildings. Watch the entire first season of Weeds in one sitting. Read the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series until 4 in the morning.

Maybe work on nutrition & fitness if you must.

All the worrying you're doing about whether you'll be ready academically? Postpone that worrying until the first week of school.

My $.02. Best of luck to you.

OOOOHHHH! I just did this. Not till 4 am, cause I have young kids too, but definitely worth the time.

As an aside, the (Swedish) movies are on Netflix. No need at all to remake them except for the inconvenient fact that they are in Swedish.... Noomi Rapace is my new hero! 😍

@OP: Read. Play with your kids. Run (or swim, or bike, or do yoga, whatever). Do (insert hobby here). Rinse and repeat. GL!

 

[DrMidlife]

As an aside, the (Swedish) movies are on Netflix. No need at all to remake them except for the inconvenient fact that they are in Swedish.... Noomi Rapace is my new hero! 😍

Yeah, the US remake is going to be really stupid. Some producer's daughter is playing Lisbeth, and you know they'll sterilize out all the dark parts.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Yeah, the US remake is going to be really stupid. Some producer's daughter is playing Lisbeth, and you know they'll sterilize out all the dark parts.

Word. I heard that they drastically changed the characters AND completely altered the ending. Damn shame. 👎

 

[gman33]

What was most helpful to me was reviewing some material on how to study and memorization strategies.
I ended up using a lot of mnemonic techniques.
Without them, I don't think I would have made it through the first year.

If you have already taken some intro anatomy, physiology and biochem, there is probably no real benefit to reviewing specific material.

For me, I never had any of this stuff before, so anatomy was a real shock to my system. In retrospect, I wished I spent a few weeks at least learning the basic terminology.

Beyond that, just relax. Spend time with your family.
That will be in short supply for the next 7+ years. 😀

 

[malik micheal]

I am using this time to train for my first mini marathon, spending tome with my family, and meeting people NOT involved in medicine.