HELP! I start med school in the fall, but I haven't studied science in 3 years!

[joiedevivre]

I need some review - I graduated from undergrad 2 years ago as a music major and took the minimum science requirement. I've never taken a biochem course and though I think bio and orgo may come back to me someday, I'd like to hurry it up a little.

So for all of you who've finished your first year, can you recommend 1-3 review texts that I can read before I start school? I looked on Amazon, but there are just too many books - I don't have that much time and I want something that's good and not too technical, something that is easy to understand. Basically, I want to have an equal footing in August.

Any suggestions are helpful! Oh, and I'll be at Georgetown in case any of you have more specific advice. Thanks!

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[babinski bob]

If you really want to start to learn something, choose a subject that's conceptual rather than all details. Some people will tell you to study up on anatomy which is a big waste of time since it's all cramming and memorization. The BEST thing you can do is to maybe learn some physiology since it forms the entire basis of all the important things you'll learn in med school. Incidentally, it's probably one of the most difficult classes in med school because it forces students to think and most med students are used to just blindly memorizing facts. A decent readable book you could start out with would be the Physiology Coloring Book. I'm not sure who writes it but it contains a decent amount of important concepts that will help you out. I wouldn't recommend any review books (like BRS physio by Constanzo) because these books all assume that you've already taken physio so they'll be worthless to you. It's good to maybe just buy a text. Find out what the required text is for the school you'll be attending and maybe start to read that. Good luck.

 

[IlianaSedai]

I graduated from undergrad 2 years ago as a music major and took the minimum science requirement.

You sound like me. No worries, I did the minimum science requirement, did a degree in English and entered med school a year after I graduated college.

I think it's more worthwhile to beef up your STUDY STRATEGY than to beef up your science background. Don't waste money buying some silly lightweight book that you can't use during med school. I did, and I never used it (and I did fine). Don't waste time reading some boring high school or undergrad physiology book thinking it'll make a difference. It won't.

Med school sorta assumes that no one has the knowledge base. That's what med school is for-- giving you the knowledge base. You are not at any significant disadvantage compared to others, and if someone else knows the difference between a L-isomer and a D-isomer while you don't (not that it's important), who cares-- in about two months you'll all be on an even keel.

When you get the lecture notes for your classes (I assume they'll be handed to you in advance, for the most part), I'd suggest getting up in the morning and reading the lecture notes for that day, then going to lecture, then re-reading the lecture notes afterward with a textbook to clarify. If previous years' exams are made available, go through the questions relevant to that day's lectures in the afternoon, after you do your re-reading. Then just read through one more time during the weekend. And that's all you really need to do-- no need to learn anything before September unless you <I>really</I> want to look back and cringe at how pointless it was.

 

[amelie]

original poster, i pm'd you

 

[azcomdiddy]

EDIT: The biggest misconception of medical school is that its coursework is very challenging and difficult. I still think undergrad physics was more difficult than any class I had in medical school. Biochemistry is significantly easier than organic chemistry in my opinion. You will discover that the challenge lies in dealing with the large volume of simple concepts. And the only way one can deal with such a large amount of information is study consistently on a daily basis. That is difficult for some especially those who were successfull cramming the night before an exam and earning A's. In my opinion, those who have an advantage prior to entering medical school or students are used to studying long hours. Engineering and math students will have an advantage because they are used to spending hours problem solving.

Don't worry so much about the material as much as you should your study habites. If they are fine, then have fun this summer. If you aren't used to a 8-6 schedules and lots of reading, I might spend a few hours each day reading so that your mind is fresh at the start of the semester.

 

[madtowngirl]

OChem and PChem are distant but scarring memories . . . thank god medicine has little to do with either.

 

[funkless]

Honestly, I've been waiting to hear something along these lines for, well, years.

Thanks guys, for the encouragement.

(MS-I starts Aug. 11 for me.)



--Funkless

 

[ericdamiansean]

get some anatomy and physio books, try MArieb..lotsa pics, easy to understand

but make sure you don't get influenced with the 'big books' used by the 'big boys'..it's better to start with something simpler and work towards the harder, more complex, text heavy books

for sure one thing..you've to put in much more effort than the average medical school Joe..all the best

 

[8744]

Originally posted by joiedevivre
I need some review - I graduated from undergrad 2 years ago as a music major and took the minimum science requirement. I've never taken a biochem course and though I think bio and orgo may come back to me someday, I'd like to hurry it up a little.

So for all of you who've finished your first year, can you recommend 1-3 review texts that I can read before I start school? I looked on Amazon, but there are just too many books - I don't have that much time and I want something that's good and not too technical, something that is easy to understand. Basically, I want to have an equal footing in August.

Any suggestions are helpful! Oh, and I'll be at Georgetown in case any of you have more specific advice. Thanks!

I second what other people have said. Don't sweat it. As long as you study you'll be fine. Just make sure to start strong. By this I mean be anal compulsive for the first couple of months until you see how hard the tests are at your school. (Better to study too much and ace the tests then blow things off and struggle.) You will probably find that as first yeart progresses you will study less but more efficiently. By the end of second year if you even open a book you'll consider this a major victory. (I'm exagerating, of course, but you'll see what I mean)

I was out of college for almost seven years before I went to medical school. You'll do fine.

 

[joiedevivre]

Thanks for the replies - definitely encouraging