How can I gauge effective studying practices?

[musliminmedicine]

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I am not trying to be a gunner, I am not trying to pre-study an entire subject, and that I am aware that I should enjoy these next few months before medical school by spending time doing my hobbies and interests. That all said, is there some sort of freely available learning resource or example of lecture slides that I can use to get a sense of the volume I can expect from one of my classes? Gross anatomy perhaps? I have no intention of pre-studying, but I'd like to explore what study style is most effective for me by reading a random example of a day's work and having an AI model produce a practice exam. Thanks!

 

[cozu]

Unfortunately there is no true way to gauge what its like until you're actually going through it. There is a period of trial and error for everyone to see what works best, but I will say Anki seems to be the go-to for most given its one of the most effective ways to cram a ton of information in a short period of time. On average, I do about 300-1000 new/learning/review (combined) cards a day if that gives you a frame of reference and have found success pretty much only doing that. Others find success in note taking, quizlet, making study guides, concept mapping etc, its all subjective to the individual. If you are seeking school specific advise on how to successfully manage your curriculum, reach out to your upperclassmen and ask what they did. But please enjoy the time you have off and relax before school starts, I wish I did!

 

[Calizboosted76]

Guides: Gross Anatomy/Radiology (GAR): Week 1 Look through this. Its not my school but seemed okay as a general overview.

For reference our school used powerpoints and lectures. The powerpoints ranged anywhere from 30-150 slides and we would have any where from 15 (on the lightest exam) to 45 (on the heaviest) in terms of how many powerpoints per test. Each power point would yield 3 questions on our exams and they said it would come from the objectives.

Edit: Oh and we also simultaneously did Molecular medicine (imagine biochem on steroids).
Edit #2: To clarify I was saying to look at the website so you could see the structure, not study. No point in starting to study.

 

[Goro]

I am not trying to be a gunner, I am not trying to pre-study an entire subject, and that I am aware that I should enjoy these next few months before medical school by spending time doing my hobbies and interests. That all said, is there some sort of freely available learning resource or example of lecture slides that I can use to get a sense of the volume I can expect from one of my classes? Gross anatomy perhaps? I have no intention of pre-studying, but I'd like to explore what study style is most effective for me by reading a random example of a day's work and having an AI model produce a practice exam. Thanks!

Really, don't waste your time.

 

[AJS59]

The best way to learn medicine is to be in medical school. So I wouldn't even bother looking at 3rd party resources yet in the slightest, or open a textbook etc. Even for anatomy. They'll get you caught up with everything you need to know.

That being said, if there's one thing you want to do that might be useful, I'd recommend taking a spin with Anki. To be clear what I mean is create a bunch of cards on non-medical things (could be sports teams logos, a foreign language, etc.) and practice the act of plugging them in and doing your cards. Anki isn't for everyone but I find it useful and if you're able to figure out if it's something that meshes well with you it can save some effort figuring that out while starting with new material.

But really, don't look at or think of anything remotely related to hard medicine between now and when you start.

 

[Hollow Knight]

When med school starts, talk to every upperclassman you can find and ask them what they did. Also, go ahead and learn how Anki works because that's the best way for most med students and the software user interface is like something out of the 90s.

But once you do that, just:

1. study
2. get grade
3. like grade? Proceed to step 1. Don't like grade? proceed to step 4
4. study differently. Proceed to step 2

over and over and over again until you're an attending. The exams never stop, and how you study in preclinical is different than clinical which is different from residency (I assume)

Also, ask for help from professors, academkic support, etc. They can tell you what works for most people.

 

[MrBigglesworth]

There are many different ways to study. I spent years trying to find out what works best for me. You should try different methods and see how your grades respond to it. Grade = Quality of studying X hours studying. Getting different senses involved, writing things down, active recall, saying things out loud all help.