Hardest Year Of Medical School?

[NaughtyGirl]

Hey gang, what is the toughest medical year of medical school. If you don't know, vote from what you heard from upperclassmen. Please vote only once.

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[prehysteric]

Hey gang, what is the toughest medical year of medical school. If you don't know, vote from what you heard from upperclassmen. Please vote only once.

if first and 2nd yr are P/F (that is, no honors, high pass), third yr will definitely be the hardest

4th yr, after the deans letter goes out, is a breeze

 

[PairODocs]

First year is the hardest material-wise and just mentally getting used to the whole thing. I hope I am never that miserable again in my entire life!!!! I think it has gotten easier and easier since 1st year, and most of my friends seem to agree.

Second year is the next because it has similar material (although path and pharm and micro are easier for many people than neuro and biochem etc) but if you let yourself freak out about Step 1 it can be harder.

By the way, DONT FREAK OUT ABOUT BOARDS- you'll only make yourself sick/ miserable/ score lower!

Third year- getting used to a whole new ballgame- but at least you are out of the classroom.

Fourth year- if you are applying in a stressful area (derm, ortho, optho, rads, etc) or want to go to a top program (JHU, Duke, MGH, UCSF etc) you will still be stressed. For the rest of us, after Nov 1 Dean's letters, it is a cake walk. Interviews are just not as stressful as, say, 1st year head and neck exam. Unless talking to people totally freaks you out.

 

[omarsaleh66]

I think second year is harder than first year. There's alot more volume, so I find myself studying way more than last year. But I hated first year, the classes in second year are so much more interesting that its not so bad. But it still is harder, atleast for me cuz i gotta put in more time.

Please somebody tell me 3rd year gets better ahhaha

later

 

[Sweet Tea]

so far second year is sooooooooooo much better than first year. yes, we have more material and the tests are harder, but we have tests every 6 weeks now (instead of every 4) and the material is much more interesting. i'm much happier now than i was last year, but i'm anxious to get out of the classroom and on the wards (mostly b/c i'm tired of sitting). we have A/B/C/F grades all 4 years, so there's really no change between last year and this year in terms of grading.

 

[::Seabass::]

so far second year is sooooooooooo much better than first year. yes, we have more material and the tests are harder, but we have tests every 6 weeks now (instead of every 4) and the material is much more interesting. i'm much happier now than i was last year, but i'm anxious to get out of the classroom and on the wards (mostly b/c i'm tired of sitting). we have A/B/C/F grades all 4 years, so there's really no change between last year and this year in terms of grading.

word, except we only have tests every 8wks. I feel for my friends at schools with tests every 2-4 wks. I can't tell if the material is harder since it is much more interesting so I don't mind studying as much and I'm also doing a ton better grade-wise.

 

[phoenixsupra]

They're all hard. It's gonna be hard from here on out. Buckle up for a bumpy ride.

....it is a fascinating journey though....just not an easy one. 🙂

 

[japhy]

it is obvious that most people haven't been through 3rd year. while 1st year is challenging is cannot possibly compare to the emotional and physical exhaustion that is third year. granted, 3rd year is much much better than the 1st two years (you are in clinic and actually doing some work) but it is an amazing amount of time.

 

[Bevo]

i found, thus far, 2nd year to be the hardest.

1st year = getting accustomed to everything and the work load. But it was still managable and still able to do something outside of school.
2nd year = a lot more material, more accelerated. destroyed me physically and mentally.
begin 3rd year later this year.
boards just after new years.

 

[Starflyr]

Ive gotta say 3rd year. 1st and 2nd year are (or were) more like very intense college, at least for me. 3rd year kicked my butt - as someone else said, it just doesnt compare in terms of physical and emotional exhaustion.

I like 4th year right now - only 2 weeks left of "real" classes, then Im taking my electives - which, amazingly, are all humanities classes. "Law and Ethics in Clinical Practice" and other such high-powered classes that meet...oh, twice a month.

Star

 

[yaah]

3rd year was the longest year of my life. People say all these things like "Oh, third year is great! You get to finally start seeing patients!" These people are naive. You race from rotation to rotation, feel clueless a lot of the time, and set your alarm for times that your alarm clock has never even considered. Plus, you have to wear the god awful short white coat all the time. Sure, you learn a lot, and a lot of it is fun, but even the most insane adrenaline junky will admit that it is grueling at times.

I woke up July 1st after the end of 3rd year and said to myself thank god that's over with. And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

For those who think 2nd year is worst because of all the tests, well, there are tests third year too. And unlike 2nd year grades, 3rd year grades matter to residency programs.

However - 4th year was also tough because it seemed, frankly, like a waste. You do a couple of electives but a lot of the time is spent picking your butt and waiting for graduation while doing interviews for residency and trying to find electives that require minimal work. Basically, unless you are doing lots of research, it is a waste of most of the year. IMHO, med school should end after 6 months of 4th year.

Second year is NOT the toughest.

 

[DrBodacious]

I am a M1, but I would imagine 3rd year to be the most stressfull. I think one of our profs mentioned that our 12 wk surgery rotation is weighted as much as our entire first year when they calculate our class rank that is used for residency apps.

 

[fourthyearmed]

Yes, 3rd year is long, hard, a lot of work, and has tests but I still enjoyed it so much more than the HELL that was 1st and 2nd years. 3rd year involves interaction not just with patients but with other people in the medical field besides your classmates. I spent the first 2 years either in my apartment or at the library studying (my school has A/B/C/D/F system not that P/F stuff) and saw little else of the world. Going to the grocery store was an exciting outing at that time! We had tests almost every Monday so every weekend was ruined and I hardly ever got to go home. 3rd year tests are hard but to me they were easier than the first two years because the stuff actually made sense and was applicable to your patients. I studied a lot less for 3rd year tests because I learned at the hospital. Overnight call is horrible but between roatations you actually get a full weekend off with no tests to worry about and also occasionally a golden weekend. My class rank soared going from 2nd to 3rd year. I think it's all about you and your learning style. If you're one of those people who never go to class, sleep in, study a few hours, go out a have a beer, and then make an A on the test - then 1st and 2nd years are more your style. If you like to work hard while you're at work, learn by doing, interact with people in a professional setting, and are well liked by other people in general - then you'll probably get great comments from your attendings and do well that way.

 

[a_student]

howcome ppl don't realize it depends on the school?

 

[phoenixsupra]

it is obvious that most people haven't been through 3rd year. while 1st year is challenging is cannot possibly compare to the emotional and physical exhaustion that is third year. granted, 3rd year is much much better than the 1st two years (you are in clinic and actually doing some work) but it is an amazing amount of time.

Generally only true for those with little prior experience of the adult workplace. For people with workplace experience the sheer ignorance of classroom culture is one of the hardest things to deal with in medschool.
But really, they're all very hard. Which is hardest depends on your own particular strengths and weaknesses. 😉

 

[scootad.]

despite the fact that im going into a competitive specialty id have to give 2nd year the nod for the most stressful. dont get me wrong all 4 years are stressful but 2nd year takes the cake.

at my school 2nd year (1st semester) involved tests every 2.5 weeks covering an ungodly amount of material and even though it was P/F getting that 70 required a ton of studying. 2nd semester 2nd year got much better but with Step 1 looming over, mid April - June 14 was pure hell.

although i needed to do well 3rd year and the "pressure was on" so to speak was not nearly as stressful. after adjusting my personality to the medical culture and learning to become a aggressive blabbermouth looking out only for myself I quickly found my groove and grades improved tremendously after my first rotation. thereafter it was fine, but i also did my rotations at some of the "easier" hospitals so that also made a difference.