Histo-memorization tips?

[cjcarter]

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Any tips on how to memorize all of the lecture info? Today we have 3 histo lectures, each 6-7 pages of DENSE notes (epithelium, CT, & cartilage/bone covered today). Our professor is notorious for testing minute details that pretty much require memorization of the note packets, and students often do poorly on her exams because of this (30% of students failed the first exam last year). I'm good with the slides, nbd. Just worried about memorizing all of the structures/tissues, their functions, where to find them, what they look like, etc. I feel like anki would be inefficient because I would need to make SO many cards to know this to the level of detail necessary. How did you get through histo? My first exam is in 2 weeks. I appreciate any advice/tips!

 

[trs88]

I would still say anki. Instead of writing out the cards, I would input screenshots of each slide and then "block" out the specific term that I wanted to quiz myself over. I use Image Occlusion 2.0 and it works great.

 

[ananasmed]

I don't envy you... this class sucked. Never used Anki, but survived with just pure repetition. Read the notes. Read them again. Talk to yourself. Write things down. Draw doodles while you read the notes. Whatever works for you. Or, use Anki if it works (but you literally need to know all the words... I kid you not). People fail this test not only because it is challenging and tests every minute detail, but also because it is the first real exam you're taking in medical school. A lot of people don't know how they learn best yet. You will figure out what works, and you will be okay - even if you fail this exam. It all sounds like unimportant hogwash right now, but all of this epithelium and cartilage nonsense is going to become part of your vocabulary over the coming years and will serve you well in future courses. It will become more familiar and you will be glad that the prof with the coolest glasses around made you spend the time to lay your foundation.

Histotime and the Loyola site are good for images, but I always found the image section of the exam to be easier for me than the multiple choice. Maybe I overstudied the images because I was so worried about them, but the MC is no joke!

Edit: Go to her review sessions if she still does them before the exam.

 

[cjcarter]

I don't envy you... this class sucked. Never used Anki, but survived with just pure repetition. Read the notes. Read them again. Talk to yourself. Write things down. Draw doodles while you read the notes. Whatever works for you. Or, use Anki if it works (but you literally need to know all the words... I kid you not). People fail this test not only because it is challenging and tests every minute detail, but also because it is the first real exam you're taking in medical school. A lot of people don't know how they learn best yet. You will figure out what works, and you will be okay - even if you fail this exam. It all sounds like unimportant hogwash right now, but all of this epithelium and cartilage nonsense is going to become part of your vocabulary over the coming years and will serve you well in future courses. It will become more familiar and you will be glad that the prof with the coolest glasses around made you spend the time to lay your foundation.

Histotime and the Loyola site are good for images, but I always found the image section of the exam to be easier for me than the multiple choice. Maybe I overstudied the images because I was so worried about them, but the MC is no joke!

Edit: Go to her review sessions if she still does them before the exam.

Ugh, I was afraid of this. So you literally just kept re-reading the note packets? How did you keep up with it since there's already ~42 pages of notes and I'm already behind in anatomy. I feel like if I spent a few hours this weekend making anki cards for all we've learned so far it may help, but I'm afraid of wasting that much time. I got a histotime subscription, but I'm not worried about the images so much as all the content. I will definitely go to her review sessions, though.

She DOES have the coolest glasses, it was the first thing I noticed about her.

 

[ananasmed]

Ugh, I was afraid of this. So you literally just kept re-reading the note packets? How did you keep up with it since there's already ~42 pages of notes and I'm already behind in anatomy. I feel like if I spent a few hours this weekend making anki cards for all we've learned so far it may help, but I'm afraid of wasting that much time. I got a histotime subscription, but I'm not worried about the images so much as all the content. I will definitely go to her review sessions, though.

She DOES have the coolest glasses, it was the first thing I noticed about her.

Yes, I read and re-read and then re-read again. It is awful and slow. There might be a better way, or people smarter than I am who were able to read it fewer times with better results. But if you read it closely and absorb as much as possible, you are likely to pass. You won't remember all of it, that's okay. I can't recommend for/against spending the time on Anki cards -I would say it's only worth the time if the actual act of making cards is likely to help you remember things, since that's a significant time investment. Definitely split your time between histo and anatomy so that you're equally behind in both, lol 🙂

 

[cjcarter]

Yes, I read and re-read and then re-read again. It is awful and slow. There might be a better way, or people smarter than I am who were able to read it fewer times with better results. But if you read it closely and absorb as much as possible, you are likely to pass. You won't remember all of it, that's okay. I can't recommend for/against spending the time on Anki cards -I would say it's only worth the time if the actual act of making cards is likely to help you remember things, since that's a significant time investment. Definitely split your time between histo and anatomy so that you're equally behind in both, lol 🙂

Thank you! Any last minute tips for embryo? First two lectures killed me.

 

[ananasmed]

Thank you! Any last minute tips for embryo? First two lectures killed me.

Embryo can be rough, too, but it's another one that you'll get the hang of... watch youtube videos if it helps you to conceptualize what is actually going on. Know all dates/times (what happens at what week) because it is likely to be tested. Overall though, the anatomy written exams will not be too heavy on embryo.

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

I tried to make Anki cards last year, but Dr G's lectures are too dense. If I could have done two things different last year it would have been to NOT make Anki cards, and use that saved time for Histotime. Try to do some Histotime every single day and identify everything in the image, not just the things the arrows are pointing to. Also use the Loyola website because this is where some images on the exam come from. And the second thing I would have done is pre-read the lectures (you can do this night before or the weekend before for all lectures that week), go to lecture, then the same night re-read the notes. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you will save more time in the long-run by doing this. I was in the 30% and finally figured it out by the second exam.

 

[Misrepresenting Reality]

Histology wasn't that bad at my school. Embryology was hell, by far my least favorite. Study the functions of the cells with the slides and physiology and it will make things a little easier. The rest of the completely useless information is just rote memorization to learn and dump.

 

[cjcarter]

I tried to make Anki cards last year, but Dr G's lectures are too dense. If I could have done two things different last year it would have been to NOT make Anki cards, and use that saved time for Histotime. Try to do some Histotime every single day and identify everything in the image, not just the things the arrows are pointing to. Also use the Loyola website because this is where some images on the exam come from. And the second thing I would have done is pre-read the lectures (you can do this night before or the weekend before for all lectures that week), go to lecture, then the same night re-read the notes. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you will save more time in the long-run by doing this. I was in the 30% and finally figured it out by the second exam.

Thank you for this advice! I'll pass on the anki because you're right, the lectures are just way too dense. Did you find it necessary to attend her lectures? I definitely skipped her 3 lectures this afternoon and feel like they're not necessary but huge down side is I miss out on the extra credit :/

 

[Misrepresenting Reality]

Thank you for this advice! I'll pass on the anki because you're right, the lectures are just way too dense. Did you find it necessary to attend her lectures? I definitely skipped her 3 lectures this afternoon and feel like they're not necessary but huge down side is I miss out on the extra credit :/

Stay away from ANKI, too much work and time involved.

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

Thank you for this advice! I'll pass on the anki because you're right, the lectures are just way too dense. Did you find it necessary to attend her lectures? I definitely skipped her 3 lectures this afternoon and feel like they're not necessary but huge down side is I miss out on the extra credit :/

I went for the extra credit. It's only worth going if you went over the previous lectures though. I don't know if the people that didn't go to lecture did better or not, but it depends on your learning style.

 

[Peach Newport]

I'll be honest, I did not do well in histo. I understood very little of what was going on, and I'm a very visual person.

Histo is pretty much 2 things:
1) what different tissues look like under a microscope
2) what those tissues do

Once you get through pathology, you'll know #1 really well, regardless of how you did in histo.

#2 you'll learn in lots of other classes.