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First things first, I'm a 2nd year medical student at a top 15 med school. I took no time off before entering med school. I had a decent MCAT and GPA in college before coming here. I am not an URM nor do I have any special circumstances. Since I am only a 2nd year, this post is about the pre-clinical part of med school.
Why am I writing this? Because med school, unlike college, is regimental. Certain knowledge early on can ease the transition and make med school what you want it to be, whether thats academic superiority or relative relaxation.
Step 1: Form a goal. What do you want to achieve in med school and AFTER med school? Do you want to get on the ROAD? Do you want to do focus on research? Do you want to save up energy for residency? Please look up the table of job satisfaction by residency and read about the MATCH process before making a decision.
Burn out is inevitable if you keep running at 110%. It's a bit odd/irrational/non-productive if you are putting more effort into the books than you are into your patients during 3rd year so make sure you have enough gas down the line (including years of residency). Are you incorporating your own mental sanity in your goals?
Step 2: Be prepared to break your goals. The one thing I would say about med school is that everyone is smart. In college, I often felt that if I worked harder, I could pull up my grade. In med school, I feel like when i get a strong urge to study, everyone else has it too. Any extra time or effort I put in seems to be matched by my classmates. So, you learn to accept your rank. This does not mean you learn to slack, you work harder than ever to stay afloat.
Step 3: Unless you really are a genius, be prepared to exchange grades for a life in med school. The people that do the best tend to restrict their outside activities. This doesn't mean they are boring, gunners, or nerds. It just means some people made a personal choice to put some things on hold to study while other people don't. I often ask myself is going to a party worth 3-4 points on the test. Sometimes I said yes, sometimes no. It may seem like there are people who party hard and ace tests but see if they are still doing that second semester. Some people come in with college knowledge that quickly become depleted after the first semester. If you are somehow able to have a life and stay ahead of the curve, please tell me how.
Step 4: Find 2-3 people you can rely on to back up notes, small groups, handouts etc. At my school, small group tutorials can be so variable that its crucial to have backup. But don't let it be a crutch.
Step 5: Find a study method that works. This is said so often, it's become inane. I'll try to give some specifics: two people all in the top 10% of the class.
MedStudent1 goes to all the classes, takes copious notes, and is profoundly diligent. He spends a good amount of time studying the lectures but has time to go to the gym and cook everyday.
MedStudent2 goes to no classes but watches them on video at home. He takes minimal notes but tries to learn the concepts from both lectures and review books. He has a few weeks of relative ease followed by some serious cramming.
My point is that both of these people get it done. It's just what you find works. If you procrastinate or have a short attention span, force yourself to study early. If you get bogged down by textbook reading, don't do it. Focus on the lectures and get the abridged BRS version. The one thing people who do well in med school have is a habit that they stick to. If cramming is your habit and you see good results then go nuts. Just don't "plan" to study early but then find yourself cramming.
Step 6: Know what materials to use. At my school, 75% of our tests are based on lecture alone. I don't understand why some people spend hundreds of dollars each semester buying every textbook in existence. Go to the library, check out a few books and see which book you absorb the best. Buy it and read it. I'm pretty sure I've spent less than $200 on books in total.
Some popular books are:
Costanzo for physio/biochem/metabolism
BRS (board review series) anatomy
BRS clinical cases for physiology
High Yield series for embyro and some misc stuff
Goljian (author) Quick Review for Pathology
Robbins (there are many different lengths of this book. Find the size that works for you) for Pathology
Blumenfield for neuro
Microbiology made ridiculously simple
Used editions of all of these will run you about 150$. And for the love of God, don't buy any large biochem book. It'll be useless in a couple of days.
Step 7: Hound the M2 and M3 about the specifics of each course. The tests at my school varies hugely from subject to subject. I save hours and hours because I knew what to focus on.
Step 8: Keep a low profile the first couple of weeks. The start of med school is often a rush of emotion, motivation, and goals that will flatten out over the course of first year. Keep a level head from the start. Remember, the guy sitting next to you might very well be your boss in the future. You have plenty of time to get to know people; don't pigeon-hole yourself too early.
Step 9: Keep motivated by focusing on whats important about the material you are studying. Believe when I say, you will learn some absolutely useless useless things. Don't ignore the details or pretend you can "big picture" all the lectures. Get the facts down and tell yourself they may come up on the boards (tests to determine residency position). You might get pimped (attendings quizzing you on rounds) on the detail in third year. A patient (gasp!) might benefit from that little detail.
Step 10: Keep alive the spark of novelty. I'm still shocked that I get to be a doctor one day. Yes, its a drag to study all day. Yes, my social life has suffered. Yes, I've bitched and moaned. But in the end, I know what I do everyday is important. Good luck.
Why am I writing this? Because med school, unlike college, is regimental. Certain knowledge early on can ease the transition and make med school what you want it to be, whether thats academic superiority or relative relaxation.
Step 1: Form a goal. What do you want to achieve in med school and AFTER med school? Do you want to get on the ROAD? Do you want to do focus on research? Do you want to save up energy for residency? Please look up the table of job satisfaction by residency and read about the MATCH process before making a decision.
Burn out is inevitable if you keep running at 110%. It's a bit odd/irrational/non-productive if you are putting more effort into the books than you are into your patients during 3rd year so make sure you have enough gas down the line (including years of residency). Are you incorporating your own mental sanity in your goals?
Step 2: Be prepared to break your goals. The one thing I would say about med school is that everyone is smart. In college, I often felt that if I worked harder, I could pull up my grade. In med school, I feel like when i get a strong urge to study, everyone else has it too. Any extra time or effort I put in seems to be matched by my classmates. So, you learn to accept your rank. This does not mean you learn to slack, you work harder than ever to stay afloat.
Step 3: Unless you really are a genius, be prepared to exchange grades for a life in med school. The people that do the best tend to restrict their outside activities. This doesn't mean they are boring, gunners, or nerds. It just means some people made a personal choice to put some things on hold to study while other people don't. I often ask myself is going to a party worth 3-4 points on the test. Sometimes I said yes, sometimes no. It may seem like there are people who party hard and ace tests but see if they are still doing that second semester. Some people come in with college knowledge that quickly become depleted after the first semester. If you are somehow able to have a life and stay ahead of the curve, please tell me how.
Step 4: Find 2-3 people you can rely on to back up notes, small groups, handouts etc. At my school, small group tutorials can be so variable that its crucial to have backup. But don't let it be a crutch.
Step 5: Find a study method that works. This is said so often, it's become inane. I'll try to give some specifics: two people all in the top 10% of the class.
MedStudent1 goes to all the classes, takes copious notes, and is profoundly diligent. He spends a good amount of time studying the lectures but has time to go to the gym and cook everyday.
MedStudent2 goes to no classes but watches them on video at home. He takes minimal notes but tries to learn the concepts from both lectures and review books. He has a few weeks of relative ease followed by some serious cramming.
My point is that both of these people get it done. It's just what you find works. If you procrastinate or have a short attention span, force yourself to study early. If you get bogged down by textbook reading, don't do it. Focus on the lectures and get the abridged BRS version. The one thing people who do well in med school have is a habit that they stick to. If cramming is your habit and you see good results then go nuts. Just don't "plan" to study early but then find yourself cramming.
Step 6: Know what materials to use. At my school, 75% of our tests are based on lecture alone. I don't understand why some people spend hundreds of dollars each semester buying every textbook in existence. Go to the library, check out a few books and see which book you absorb the best. Buy it and read it. I'm pretty sure I've spent less than $200 on books in total.
Some popular books are:
Costanzo for physio/biochem/metabolism
BRS (board review series) anatomy
BRS clinical cases for physiology
High Yield series for embyro and some misc stuff
Goljian (author) Quick Review for Pathology
Robbins (there are many different lengths of this book. Find the size that works for you) for Pathology
Blumenfield for neuro
Microbiology made ridiculously simple
Used editions of all of these will run you about 150$. And for the love of God, don't buy any large biochem book. It'll be useless in a couple of days.
Step 7: Hound the M2 and M3 about the specifics of each course. The tests at my school varies hugely from subject to subject. I save hours and hours because I knew what to focus on.
Step 8: Keep a low profile the first couple of weeks. The start of med school is often a rush of emotion, motivation, and goals that will flatten out over the course of first year. Keep a level head from the start. Remember, the guy sitting next to you might very well be your boss in the future. You have plenty of time to get to know people; don't pigeon-hole yourself too early.
Step 9: Keep motivated by focusing on whats important about the material you are studying. Believe when I say, you will learn some absolutely useless useless things. Don't ignore the details or pretend you can "big picture" all the lectures. Get the facts down and tell yourself they may come up on the boards (tests to determine residency position). You might get pimped (attendings quizzing you on rounds) on the detail in third year. A patient (gasp!) might benefit from that little detail.
Step 10: Keep alive the spark of novelty. I'm still shocked that I get to be a doctor one day. Yes, its a drag to study all day. Yes, my social life has suffered. Yes, I've bitched and moaned. But in the end, I know what I do everyday is important. Good luck.
