Having problems in med school

[GoodBoy1]

I made it through undergrad with a GPA and MCAT above the national averages for matriculating allo medical students. For the MCAT I did not find it hard at all.

I thought that this would mean that I should be able to do alright in med school without having to worry, but medical school is much different than I had expected.

There is a huge volume of material, much of which is mindless memorization. This was something that I was never great at (I have more of the mind of an engineer) and now it seems like there is a TON of this stuff in every class.

I am finding it hard to make it through medical school. I also am finding most of what we are learning to be EXTREMELY boring.

I dont get how i seem to be having such a hard time in medical school and why I also dont even like it. I dont know what to do.

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[Mr hawkings]

I made it through undergrad with a GPA and MCAT above the national averages for matriculating allo medical students. For the MCAT I did not find it hard at all.

I thought that this would mean that I should be able to do alright in med school without having to worry, but medical school is much different than I had expected.

There is a huge volume of material, much of which is mindless memorization. This was something that I was never great at (I have more of the mind of an engineer) and now it seems like there is a TON of this stuff in every class.

I am finding it hard to make it through medical school. I also am finding most of what we are learning to be EXTREMELY boring.

I dont get how i seem to be having such a hard time in medical school and why I also dont even like it. I dont know what to do.

There are 3 or 4 threads on your exact situation. Do a search for them. You might find them helpful cos i have a feeling the same respondent to those will eventually give you the same advice here.
Good luck.

 

[soonereng]

I have more of the mind of an engineer.

Perhaps you should go into engineering?

I was an engineer for 7 yrs and know what you are talking about though.

I had to adapt how I learned to accommodate mindless memorization of honestly useless factoids the majority of which will never help me diagnose or treat a patient in the future. But you have to do it. Remember MD = Memory Degree.

2nd yr has been a lot more interesting, although there is still the focus on irrelevant minutiae in some areas, specifically pharm and micro.

Anyway, my advice is just learn how to do med school which for me means repetition, repetition, repetition.

 

[FatPigeon]

Relax.

A career in medicine is NOT about memorization, regardless of what the above poster suggested. The first two years of medical school, however, ARE. Keep in mind that you're competing against a bunch of nuts who eat, sleep, and breathe medicine. Also note that most are from medical backgrounds, and know a lot of this stuff simply from dinner-table discussions. I too felt discouraged and at the bottom of my class, and I ended up with a 90th percentile board score.

Don't give up, and don't necessarily strive to be like your classmates. If you don't benefit from lectures, don't go to them. Learn in your own way, and if memorization isn't your thing then study what YOU want to. I more or less aimed to pass my courses with 70s and studied for the boards in most of my spare time. I played a lot of video games and watched "24" (Jack Bauer..!!!).

Beginning the first day of third year, the memorization game is just about over. Just stick it out. Okay?

 

[coldweatherblue]

hey man, I slacked off for a good two weeks after exams and am now staring down 150+ pages of notes trying to get caught up so I understand what you're sayin.

what helps me is to put everything in the big picture; try to apply those random biochem pathways to everyday life; think about fatty acid metabolism after you eat ice cream; drink a glass of wine then imagine the EtOH being turned into acetaldehyde, then go through the steps in DNA synthesis as your hepatocytes regenerate, whenever you hurt yourself playing sports ID the muscle groups involved and their innervation, etc. that's how I learn the details the easiest.

and when it doesn't just naturally stick, sometimes you just gotta force yourself to be interested and tough it out. If you have enough power over your will you can force yourself to be genuinely interested in ANYTHING. The more time you spend with stuff the more it becomes part of your life and that's when you start building actual applicable knowledge.

 

[soonereng]

A career in medicine is NOT about memorization, regardless of what the above poster suggested. The first two years of medical school, however, ARE.

Uh, not sure what post you read, but that's what my post said...

 

[Tiger26]

Simple--you need to study harder/longer/more efficiently. That's pretty much it--this isn't intended to be easy

 

[njbmd]

I made it through undergrad with a GPA and MCAT above the national averages for matriculating allo medical students. For the MCAT I did not find it hard at all.

I thought that this would mean that I should be able to do alright in med school without having to worry, but medical school is much different than I had expected.

There is a huge volume of material, much of which is mindless memorization. This was something that I was never great at (I have more of the mind of an engineer) and now it seems like there is a TON of this stuff in every class.

I am finding it hard to make it through medical school. I also am finding most of what we are learning to be EXTREMELY boring.

I dont get how i seem to be having such a hard time in medical school and why I also dont even like it. I dont know what to do.

Medical school is not like undergraduate school. While things that worked for you as an undergraduate will generally serve you well in medical school, you will have to make adjustments. Get busy and get those adjustments done.

It's not entertainment either and thus you need to lose the boredom and get the job done.

 

[turkeyjerky]

Simple--you need to study harder/longer/more efficiently. That's pretty much it--this isn't intended to be easy

Great advice; there's just no way around it. You just need to bite the bullet, sit down and memorize all that crap. Try repetititively writing out the pathways/arteries/whatever. Yes it's boring, but just do it.

 

[RySerr21]

no one thinks its a problem that the OP thinks everything is "EXTREMELY boring." I mean I know you arent going to find everything you learn interesting, and I imagine it might get kind of tiresome to be studying day in and day out ridiculously specific details, but part of what I think/hope will keep me going is that I am fascinated by the subjects I will be learning. But to say that most of what you are learning is extermely boring.....that seems like a very very bad indicator of career choice......... but what they hay do i know.

 

[GoLakers310]

if you aren't willing to put in time an memorize over 5000 stuffs per day, you shouldn't be here. Fear of failure and accruing over 60K debt should be enough motivation. Now, get back to work...

 

[meister]

Don't worry, you're not alone. I was a physics major in college and loved learning and applying concepts without having to know minutae. While I was prepared for medical school to be somewhat the opposite, it has been a bit unnerving. I also have a wife and young daughter. I'm finding myself having to compete with single kids who do nothing all day but study and drink alcohol every now and then. Definitely not "fair," but life isn't so I try to deal with it.

No matter how well someone knows the origins and insertions of every muscle in the body, that doesn't mean they'll be a better doctor than you. I'm just counting down the days until third year...I suggest you do the same.

 

[turkeyjerky]

no one thinks its a problem that the OP thinks everything is "EXTREMELY boring." I mean I know you arent going to find everything you learn interesting, and I imagine it might get kind of tiresome to be studying day in and day out ridiculously specific details, but part of what I think/hope will keep me going is that I am fascinated by the subjects I will be learning. But to say that most of what you are learning is extermely boring.....that seems like a very very bad indicator of career choice......... but what they hay do i know.

Dude, first year med school material IS extremely boring. Are you kidding me? Is there anyone out there who thinks phospholipid biosynthesis is interesting? Or the muscles of the forearm? The entire subject of histology?

No, nobody but you thinks that the op's disinterest in 1st year subjects is indicitive of a poor career choice. Physicians spend their time diagnosing illness, treating patients medically and performing procedures. That's why most of us went to med school, not to memorize biochemical pathways and arterial branching patterns (although this is a necessary prerequisite).

 

[Bartelby]

Relax.

A career in medicine is NOT about memorization, regardless of what the above poster suggested. The first two years of medical school, however, ARE. Keep in mind that you're competing against a bunch of nuts who eat, sleep, and breathe medicine. Also note that most are from medical backgrounds, and know a lot of this stuff simply from dinner-table discussions. I too felt discouraged and at the bottom of my class, and I ended up with a 90th percentile board score.

Don't give up, and don't necessarily strive to be like your classmates. If you don't benefit from lectures, don't go to them. Learn in your own way, and if memorization isn't your thing then study what YOU want to. I more or less aimed to pass my courses with 70s and studied for the boards in most of my spare time. I played a lot of video games and watched "24" (Jack Bauer..!!!).

Beginning the first day of third year, the memorization game is just about over. Just stick it out. Okay?

Solid sounding advice man, and good to hear. I feel a lot like the OP sometimes (although I have my good and bad moments). If you are in the bottom of the class, though, how do you turn that into a good board score? I thought you would need the same knowledge you are tested on in class to do well on the boards.

 

[BrianUM]

it sounds to me like you just need to alter your study habits, if you tell yourself that it's boring, it is...but medicine is a very interesting discipline...nonetheless it has its borings parts but every dr. has to go through them

i would suggest just studying hard...this isnt a math problem that you can just figure out..the only answer, at least these 1st two years is memorization...everyone else is doing it so just step to the plate

for me, with the exception of anatomy (which is nuts at our school) i havent had any problems because the way i study in med school is exactly the same as undergrad except that med school is way more volume...study more, get better grade, period

 

[montessori2md]

Do you have clinic time at your school? You know, seeing real live patients? If not, make the time to shadow an md a couple of times a month to remind yourself what all the boring stuff is for, besides getting out of debt someday.

 

[majik1213]

I made it through undergrad with a GPA and MCAT above the national averages for matriculating allo medical students. For the MCAT I did not find it hard at all.

I thought that this would mean that I should be able to do alright in med school without having to worry, but medical school is much different than I had expected.

There is a huge volume of material, much of which is mindless memorization. This was something that I was never great at (I have more of the mind of an engineer) and now it seems like there is a TON of this stuff in every class.

I am finding it hard to make it through medical school. I also am finding most of what we are learning to be EXTREMELY boring.

I dont get how i seem to be having such a hard time in medical school and why I also dont even like it. I dont know what to do.

I majored in physics and mathematical science in undergrad, so I too have formed a similar impression of the material covered in medical school. I find that my brain likes to know when something is NOT true and could care less when it is true. In other words, I have to find out when what I'm learning is not true to appreciate the value of its being true otherwise. The toxic effects of carbon monoxide on complex IV means more to my brain than knowing what this complex does under normal conditions. Maybe that's you too. At least that's what made med school more interesting. Also, take a stab at the Cornell method of note-taking, where you form multiple choice questions from your notes. That helps me drill in the details, and sometimes the questions I make end up on the exams. Also, it adds a bit of excitement because you get to play, "guess the exam" while learning all along.

You're not alone in your dislike for the first two years of medical school, although having majored in engineering is contributing to your preferences and tastes.

 

[Yoyomama88]

i just tried the cornell method for a chapter of histology, and it worked pretty well. However, I just wrote all of my notes in the form of questions, I didn't bother making any answer choices...I figured that would just take days. do you think there is less benefit if im not writing up answer choices?

 

[mjl1717]

Great advice; there's just no way around it. You just need to bite the bullet, sit down and memorize all that crap. Try repetititively writing out the pathways/arteries/whatever. Yes it's boring, but just do it.

True and turkeyjerky is correct also.. You have to fight like you never did before!! [burn the midnight oil-efficiently]

Also I wouldnt say its all boring.. If its all boring maybe you should consider engineering.. For example I thought biochem some anatomy and especially path, micro and behavioral were quite interesting..

Forget about being mildly depressed.. Regroup, make flashcard and study efficiently!!

 

[GreenShirt]

I've noticed the students in my class who are successful on exams and in retaining information long-term are not the students who memorize large amounts of info but those who are able to see the relationships between topics and the overall themes. You never see these people making flashcards or outlines (those are the memorizers). On the contrary, they are usually seen reflecting on their powerpoints/readings or mapping out ideas. Anytime they see a huge table or list in a handout, they skip it.

I've personally always been one of the "memorizers" and 1.5 yrs into medical school I realize that I know nothing. The sooner you become an "integrative" learner, the better you'll do. For example: rather than making flashcards with every drug's MOA, Side Effects, Drug Interactions etc. think about the physiology behind how the drug works. From that you should be able to deduce its potential side effects and contrindications.

OP: You mentioned that you enjoyed engineering because it involved problem solving rather than memorizing facts. If you approach medical school the same way, you'll probably enjoy it more and do better on your tests.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

I am thinking that I should take a look at all this material before I begin to even take the prereqs. I would assume larger library's carry the texts?

 

[TheRealMD]

I waiting for the day we start pathophys in 2nd year. At the very least, it's something you can USE in real life.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

Where can I look at the texts to assess if I think I could handle the material?????

 

[LadyWolverine]

Where can I look at the texts to asses if I think I could handle the material?????

I had to read this sentence about ten times before I understood the question being asked.

Yes, I am 12. Hee hee.

 

[supernareg]

go to a library, pick out any random encyclopedia... memorize 30 pages a day, then at the end of the week, give the 210 pages u read to a friend, ask him to say a topic, and then you recite what u know about the topic.

 

[TMP-SMX]

I have to say BRS should be an adjunct text to every class. (Or High Yield or something as a review book). I wish I used them during first year. It would have helped tremendously with Biochem and maybe anatomy since I did poorly on those two subjects.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

go to a library, pick out any random encyclopedia... memorize 30 pages a day, then at the end of the week, give the 210 pages u read to a friend, ask him to say a topic, and then you recite what u know about the topic.

I would like to look at the actuall texts used.

 

[Jolie South]

OP, how are you studying? are you letting things pile up or are you hammering away at it a little everyday?

are you trying to envision the concepts by looking at powerpoints and later memorizing or just trying to commit details to memory?

during the block, i'd focus on understanding the material and make sure you're keeping up. study everyday. at the end of the block, go through the material again focusing on majorly important lectures and getting to the not so important ones last. while you're doing this, you'll see how many more details you're able to pick up the second time around.

i approach med school as a marathon. i probably work harder during the block than the rest of my classmates, but i'm not stressed and pulling allnighters right before the test. i feel like the information is also getting committed to long term memory as opposed to just learning it for the test. it's also less daunting to know that i have less to review.

 

[GoodBoy1]

What I was doing was not keeping up with the work and/or trying to learning everything in one pass.

I think that this is not the most time efficient way to go about things. I probably could go through the material a few times (in the same amount of time) with increasing depth and obtain greater mastery of the material than going over it once in high detail.

Ive also been having problems balancing my workload and focus between classes. Sometimes Ill score significantly above average and other times way below.

I need to do a bit each day of each class I guess. I need to commit to this and carry it through. Ill be glad when the next semester starts and I can start with new classes and hopefully a new more successful study technique.

I also am pretty "lazy" and dont go to to some classes that I probably should go to and do some other things I should do. I think that it is part of my inherent personality that I have a great aversion for things that I do not enjoy. Many people claim to have this as well, but I dont think they really understand how hard it is for me to do stuff that I dont like. It is really really really tough to make my self do things sometimes. I dont even think that its within my control sometimes. I can make myself go through the motions physically but there is a mental block of some sort that puts my mind in another place.

 

[bkpa2med]

Just download it.

 

[2medschool]

Dude, first year med school material IS extremely boring. Are you kidding me? Is there anyone out there who thinks phospholipid biosynthesis is interesting? Or the muscles of the forearm? The entire subject of histology?

No, nobody but you thinks that the op's disinterest in 1st year subjects is indicitive of a poor career choice. Physicians spend their time diagnosing illness, treating patients medically and performing procedures. That's why most of us went to med school, not to memorize biochemical pathways and arterial branching patterns (although this is a necessary prerequisite).

I'll give you phospholipid biosynthesis, but I really enjoy muscles of the forearm and histology (and all of anatomy and physiology for that matter). We all have different interests. Can't I both spend my time diagnosing, treating, and performing while enjoying the subjects of histology, anatomy, and physiology?

The answer is 'yes'.

But I get your point, it's not a requirement either.

If someone out there enjoys phospholipid biosynthesis, so be it.