Help me find my muse for studying!

[beebo]

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I give up. Maybe I've lost my discipline somehow, but I've lost my edge in studying. My butt and head are there, but my brain seems to be in Aruba. I barely passed my Muskeloskeletal theme, and I'm not sure about how I did on my Neuro.
I normally study at home, since I fall asleep at the library. What is so frustrating is that I study and read, yet when I get to the test I know the large concepts, but not the detail minutiae that compose a majority of the questions. Or is the "detail" that I seemingly gloss over really the important stuff beyond the broad concepts I seemingly have.
How do you guys pull those four hour jags in the library or at home and the only problem is the numbness in your butt?

 

[youngjock]

Hi, I seem to have the same problem. Maybe there is something else that is bothering you? At least you are in the medical school. What year are you? Once you finished the first two years, the load would be so much easier, I suppose.

Hanging there, don't give up!

 

[penelope]

Beebo, I've been struggling with the same problem since coming to med school.

There are people in my class who must have won iron man/woman competitions in studying, because they are ultra disciplined and can go for hours without a break. (I used to do this in undergrad, back when I thought school was fun. 😱 ) Sometimes I think these people in my class actually LIKE memorizing an entire textbook in a 3-wk period, which is not an exaggeration here.

Something I've found that increases my endurance, so to speak, is to fool myself into thinking I enjoy studying. This may sound pathetic, but I was seriously desperate for ways to get motivated. Here's how it works:

When I start studying, I tell myself, "This material is so interesting! I've always wanted to learn the 54 muscles of the arm. I'm so excited to be learning this!" When I start feeling tired again, I tell myself, "This is so fascinating! I'm so lucky to be learning the wonders of the human body!" A few minutes later..."This is simply amazing! I didn't realize there were 100 different types of neurotransmitters!"

Pretty soon I can't remember whether I'm pretending to like studying or whether I really do like it. (If I didn't have to memorize the 54 muscles of the arm in 1 week, I probably WOULD like it.)

This has really helped me...not to excel in med school (I still don't know how those people do it), but at least to survive with a reasonably good attitude.

Hope this helps.

😀 penelope

 

[guardian]

How about a picture of your Dean of Student Affairs posted above your desk looking down at you 😉 ?
I can relate to you in that I study for understanding concepts and the big picture. However, most of the material is just detail-laden and I think it is assumed that we already understand the concepts. So instead we are tested for details.
Try finding more effective ways of studying (studying in groups, studying things in a certain sequence, using concepts to help understand details...). My muse is the sense I feel when I know that the past few hours I've been studying has been productive and effective. And maybe alot of it is psychology and convincing yourself that what you're doing is good. As Penelope said a good frame of mind can go a long way.

 

[A. Caveman]

somebody once mentioned smiling while studying. i do believe it works

 

[Mary the Med Student]

I'm a third year student, and it sounds like you are in anatomy. The secret for me was a study buddy - not necessarily a study group, just a buddy. My buddy made sure that I showed up, stayed awake and stayed focused. We allowed ourselves 15 minutes break every hour. That way we could study for 8 hours and not get too burnt out. We sometimes quizzed each other when one of us was having trouble with the details. My buddy got my through the first two years and the USMLE. I passed all my classes, and even honored a few.

Another tip, which is very time consuming, is writing or re-writing your notes. I also found drawing on the board helpful - I don't know why that was better than writing on paper, but it was.

So if I were you, I would get a study buddy.

But don't study all the time. Have a life.

-Mary

 

[Dodge This]

Originally posted by beebo:
•How do you guys pull those four hour jags in the library or at home and the only problem is the numbness in your butt?•••

Easy, fear of failing. 🙂

I made a daily routine and stuck with it, but that doesn't work with everyone. I also never study at home because it helps me mentally to separate the places I work and relax. Mostly, I try not to procrastinate so I don't have to spend more than a couple of hours studying at a time.

 

[Long Hair and a Beard]

Originally posted by dodgethis:
•

Mostly, I try not to procrastinate so I don't have to spend more than a couple of hours studying at a time.•••

Oh! Procrastination is my favourite pastime! I never bother to spend all those sleepless hours cramming things into my head. Two reasons mainly...

1. I love my sleep, and can't give up on it.
2. I tend to fare well in the exams with the last minute preparations, with the most helpful minutiae from my procrastinating seniors.

But now final year has come, with a sword clearly inscribed in red with the words: 'STUDY' and I find I have lost the touch of studying for long hours and feeling good about it. But in final year it is easy to get inspiration. Go look at patients... if they don't inspire you they'll at least scare you if you don't know enough. It works for me.

Anatomy is a different subject altogether. Yes, you have to fool yourself into believing that you are enjoying learning the intricacies of the human body. It sounds pathetic, but it actually works.

Good Luck.

 

[ckent]

Remember that med school is a marathon, not a sprint. You should pace yourself by giving yourself plenty of breaks while you study, if you find yourself glazing over stuff you might want to take a walk or an internet break and then get back to studying, try not to study in the same place you sleep/eat/watch TV, you should have a separate study place, and set a time that you will stop studying regardless of how much you have done that day. Remember that details do matter! (on tests anyways).

 

[Starflyr]

When I settle down into hard core studying, I dont go for the marathon session (ok, well, maybe i do, but with a twist). Studying for 4 hours without a break isnt going to do any good. Its boring, its tiring and you just end up not caring anymore whether or not you pass the exam. Here's a tip:

For every hour you spend "studying", take 10 minutes and do something else. Eat something, go for a walk, snuggle with your pet, do a crossword, call a friend, whatever. Just make sure it doesnt go over 10 minutes per hour. That way you also avoid procrastinating. Good luck!

Star

 

[Andy Heeps]

Hmmm

Bit of a problem, I know - I flunked my third year exams and had to resit the year because I got myself into a complete state over this one.

A number of things helped me:

1. Seperating school from home - find a quiet corner of the library.

2. Don't just think you can sit down tomorrow and work seven hours in one go. The guys who do that have had years of practise! Tell yourself that you'll do 40 minutes solid, no break, tomorrow. do that for a couple of days. Then build it up over a few weeks - you'll form a habit.

3. Exercise - although that's fallen away now - when I was at secondary (high) school, I used to breeze through exams, and lost that at uni - which is also when I stopped taking regular exercise. OK, so it's not a double-blind controlled trial, but it helped me get back on my feet.

4. Use really simple books to start with, to develop some 'hooks' of knowledge - then use the standard texts to hang more information from those hooks. The '... at a Glance' series are really good for that, but I don't know if you have them in the US.

5. Never compare yourself to anybody else. Only compare yourself to yourself as you have been before.

It's not easy - I don't envy you - but I wish you all the luck in the world.

Andy

 

[giantDHrider]

remember its quality not quantity....

i have a short attention span...i can only study for 3-4hours at a time and i need a break. i am pretty into mountain biking and snowboarding, so i do those things as a break. after a session of biking or snowboarding i am always reinvigorated to get back to studying.

hey...i must be doing something right.
the library is NOT my home and i have a straight high-pass average.