How did you med students get good grades in college?

[etherealsolvent]

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I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

 

[KingD]

I absorbed another's soul.... No really when you start university you'll see what you need to do. Most important thing is going to be to stay on top of deadlines and don't fall behind. College is not much harder than high school. Med school is where you'll need to adjust. Just try to do everything early and you'll never be worried about grades.

 

[trepon]

I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

1.Ask for help when you need it. Don't be afraid to look dumb.
2. Pre-read, work ahead.
3. Work on getting down the big concepts before nailing down the small details - google, Wikipedia, were helpful for this.

 

[Anicetus]

I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

Literally put your social life last on the list. You don't need a personality to get into medical school. Just act cool on interview day.

 

[HybridEarth]

1) Sit in the front of the class (it forces you to pay attention)
2) Ask questions frequently
3) Find out what works best for you for learning, i.e. making outlines, or drawing, or whatever. For me, it was a combination of several passes through the powerpoints and drawing things when needed since I'm a visual learner.
4) If you have time, try to ask yourself "what test question can the teacher make from these past several slides" - you'd be surprised at how frequently you can guess what someone will be asking you.
5) BE FLEXIBLE. If something isn't working, view the material from other angles (visit office hours, watch youtube videos, etc.)

That's basically it. And it's been the same for medical school now that I'm approaching the halfway mark of M1. Having flexible and refined study skills is so unbelievably effective.

 

[stickgirl390]

Make friends with other premeds. They'll have the same work load/schedule as you, so they'll understand when socializing has to take a back seat to studying.

 

[james11]

2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

I've found it comes down to setting barriers. Unless you have a big midterm next week, there's no reason you should need to study after like 8pm on a Thurs/Fri/Saturday, so you might as well block those nights as "social nights" in your calendar, and enjoy them. BUT, and this is key, if you're gonna go out and drink, do whatever you can to avoid a hangover the next day (ie-- just be reasonable), because hangovers kill productive mornings. Then you can block out your Sunday mornings from 8-brunch for high quality studying. Idk, this is just what worked for me, but I think the general rule is to find your most productive times / environments and protect those to whatever extent possible.

Make friends with other premeds. They'll have the same work load/schedule as you, so they'll understand when socializing has to take a back seat to studying.

I actually disagree, I think it is good to cultivate non premed friendships because I've seen too many people who self- segregate in premed-land burn out from the collective stress.

 

[Dandine]

@yungmoolababy

Studying, you'll probably realize, is kind of an art. Things may seem to fall into place, but after that first exam you may have to change things, which is totally fine. One way I've found with studying is, when looking over my material, is asking myself if I can explain it to someone else, whether a concept or a practice question. If I can't, it's probably a sign that I need extra help in understanding it and may need to consult outside material/professors/TA's/classmates.

Consistency and social life are both related to scheduling so I'll mention them together. There was a med student video (sadly the video isn't there anymore) that had this idea of having the extra things you want to do as extra class "credits". So a three-credit class counts as both your class time and studying for it. But if you want to prioritize other things you'd make them worth credits. For example socializing would be 1 credit, exercise another, YouTube, etc. The goal then would be to not exceed 18 credits, so if you were taking 14 credits you'd have to figure out how to prioritize the other 4. You could dedicate all those 4 credits to YouTube (this is a random example; I like YouTube so I swear I'm not hating on it!), but obviously that would be forgetting things you might also want to do like exercising or socializing, so you'd have to adjust how much time you want to spend on YouTube.

Don't know if that made sense, but I mention this because scheduling's really about how much time you're willing to put into your activities. It takes flexibility and being honest with yourself and what your priorities are, but there is no reason you can't be social if you know the amount of time you have to nail down your studies. It will be more of a practice thing than anything, but I hope this helps.

To sum in one sentence: put your studies first and plan around it. You will learn as you go, though!

 

[DrBowtie]

The best thing to do is be organized. Set aside 30 minutes on Sunday night to map out your upcoming week.

Fill in classes first, study time for upcoming tests, planned EC/Social activities then leave the rest of the time unstructured.

 

[jqueb29]

It's honestly pretty easy. Go to class, study an hour or two each day, increase that slightly before tests, cram dead week/finals week, and repeat. Med school is when things actually get tough.

 

[redferrari]

Went to class, did my homework, studied a little harder than everybody else, and used every resource at my disposal. Not too hard of a formula to follow if you truly want this life.

 

[Frogger27]

Go to mandatory attendance class.. Skip non mandatory class, study/do homework during this time. Grind during mid term/finals week. Juggle social activities and ECs in between heavy test weeks. Rinse. Repeat

It really is about playing the game and being efficient with your time

 

[Lucca]

The best thing to do is be organized. Set aside 30 minutes on Sunday night to map out your upcoming week.

Fill in classes first, study time for upcoming tests, planned EC/Social activities then leave the rest of the time unstructured.

This is a good strat. Life in college became considerably less stressful 2nd semester sophomore year when I actually started using the planner the university gave us. In college since all of your time is technically yours to do with what you please, one of two things will happen:

1: You won't do ****.
2. You will work all of the time because you will feel lik any free time you have should be used "productively". (This was me).

Getting organized prevents 2 so you can do more 1 but guilt free and with good grades

 

[Endoxifen]

I personally spirit bomb every exam using my own life energy. Pluses: Get As every semester. Minuses: Don't make it past 30. I think the letters are worth the years.

 

[Sjlucas15]

I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

1. I studied based off of the priorities of classes from "NEED" to finish to "WANT" to finish. Everyday I made a list of these priorities and I stuck to them. If you want to succeed, you need to stay on top of your classes. I'm spending roughly 4-8 hours a day studying and trying to stay ahead of my classes. Stay motivated!!
2. I balance my social life by allowing myself a couple hours everyday just for relaxation. This can mean anything, from working out to playing xbox with friends. Anyone can go out and party with friends and settle for C's but not everyone can focus and study and become a doctor!!

 

[HwangerBanger]

Grind out the work. Be efficient. You'd be amazed how much time you waste on little nonsense. Exercise, sleep, diet are all important. Be adaptable and be prepared to change study habits when you need, but don't overthink it. Don't rely too much on your classmates, but definitely have a network that can help with advice, study guides, etc. Don't let yourself procrastinate.

 

[LineMedic]

Being in school now, pre-med that is, here are a few things I can suggest that I've used to be successful.

1.) first semester take courses you're interested in, worry about your major later.

If you struggle with staying focused, it will be much easier to keep the focus if you like what you're studying. In later semesters, keep one class in each semester a "fun" class. It will lighten the work load on the tougher courses and allow you a reprieve from the stress of your major courses.

2.) become obsessed on being excellent.

When you're studying, think of trying to beat the other students academically. I try to pick who I think is the best student in the room and try to challenge myself to outperform them.

3.) take personal time to speak one-on-one with professors.

Many professors during office hours are much more personable and approachable to helping you figure out harder concepts. Also, when you do learn something particularly insightful let the prof. know you learned it from them and what it means to you. These people are educators; it is their skill and their craft. There is no higher compliment to them than to let them know they are succeeding and it's made an impact.

4.) approach assignments like whack-a-mole.

I struggle with procrastination. Knowing this instead of saying, "I have 3 weeks to write this paper" and put it off, I tackle it right away. Get it out of the way now. Maybe this is a maturity thing, as I'm in my 30s, but I think of it as "work first, play second."

5.) don't be afraid to ask for help.

Many campuses have tutoring centers. Take advantage of them whenever possible.

6.) Have fun with learning.

In general, learning should be fun. When you're out of the classroom discuss topics covered with friends and family. Try to think of what you learned in the real world.

7.) intermix topos from different classes.

To give an example. I wrote a paper in English comp about a concept in my psych course. Gave a speech in my req speech course on Dante's Inferno from English comp. Doing these types of things will allow you to cross examine information and be able to put it in your own words and will help to cement the ideas. Kind of a learn - do - teach concept.

This ended up being way longer than I intended, but I hope it helps. Good luck with your endeavors.




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[vellez]

Everyone has their own tips. Mine would be to study when you study and not when you're not. Don't keep FB open, study on the couch/in bed, while eating. Don't think about school when you are at the gym, with friends or at work.

 

[redferrari]

4.) approach assignments like whack-a-mole.

I struggle with procrastination. Knowing this instead of saying, "I have 3 weeks to write this paper" and put it off, I tackle it right away. Get it out of the way now. Maybe this is a maturity thing, as I'm in my 30s, but I think of it as "work first, play second."

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

This is probably the best habit I had in undergrad. As soon as there was an assignment, I started it immediately, and wouldn't stop until I was done. There were many times I turned in papers two weeks before they were due. I also found life to be so much less stressful, and it helped enormously when I had to make time to study for the MCAT.

 

[libertyyne]

Make friends with other premeds. They'll have the same work load/schedule as you, so they'll understand when socializing has to take a back seat to studying.

The premed community at my school consisted of the biggest tools one could assemble in one spot legally without obtaining a permit. These were cutthroat folks that tore you down instead of building you up and are pretty terrible in general. I would avoid, because you don't want to pick up those habits and you don't want your path to medicine look cookie cutter to adcoms.

 

[DrGoon]

I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

Im an M2 and I still haven't figured it out. Im great at studying for 24 hours straight for one day, but I couldnt study 3 hours a day for a week if my life depended on it. In undergrad I would sit down with whatever text book we used for the class, and teach myself the entire block of test material over the course of two days. That way I didnt have to waste time going to class. For the record I dont recommend this. One of my best friends(smart guy just got into MD school this round) failed physics because we decided to take the class together and be study partners...

 

[Astra]

Always went to class, studied the material that day, did assignments ahead of time, went to office hours, watched online videos to learn, volunteered with the less fortunate to motivate myself.

 

[stickgirl390]

The premed community at my school consisted of the biggest tools one could assemble in one spot legally without obtaining a permit. These were cutthroat folks that tore you down instead of building you up and are pretty terrible in general. I would avoid, because you don't want to pick up those habits and you don't want your path to medicine look cookie cutter to adcoms.

Aw man, sorry about your experience. I guess every program is different. My premed peers were all very supportive. Our study groups were always very relaxed and everyone helped each other out. I 100% agree about the cookie cutter thing though.

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

I honestly just studied

 

[libertyyne]

I know what you shouldnt do.
I didnt go to class, worked fulltime, and crammed before exams. Would not recommend this does terrible things to your gpa.

 

[mistafab]

I just showed up to class and took notes. I didn't have to study much with the exception of Ochem 1/2, Bio 3/4, and microbio. I'd say my daily studying averaged 2 hours a day 5 days a week in my last 2 years of school.

Other than that, I would always do homework for each class (not counted in my study hours). You'd be surprised by how much you can learn in classes by just showing up and taking notes. Realistically it was pretty easy for me to have a social life since I never really worked hard. EC's I was interested in took some time out of my schedule but it was fun/interesting enough. I gotta say OP you are just going to have to figure out what you gotta do to succeed.

If you are putting in lots of hours and are getting little in results then you are wasting your time and should figure out how to be smarter about how you study.

 

[PathoTurnUp1865]

I know what you shouldnt do.
I didnt go to class, worked fulltime, and crammed before exams. Would not recommend this does terrible things to your gpa.

I never went to class in college, and I don't go to class in Med school either. My grades are worse if I go to class.

 

[libertyyne]

I never went to class in college, and I don't go to class in Med school either. My grades are worse if I go to class.

Its really the combination of things. It could just be working or cramming.

 

[Threemethylcholanthrene]

I'm starting college this fall and keeping up my GPA is something I've always struggled with. I always do well on standardized tests because you just have to focus for a couple hours and it's over. But, I struggle to consistently study. So I have a couple questions:
1. How did you study for your pre-req classes? and how hard did you have to work
2. How did you balance your social life with studying? I STRUGGLE WITH THIS SO MUCH

Anyways, I'm sick of my high school self and I NEED TO change and work harder on my GPA. So please let me know your study habits and what works for you 🙂

An understanding that the more work you put into something, the more you're going to get out of it (minus the obvious diminishing returns on spending 15 hours a day and burning yourself out quick). Eventually, subjects will just click for you since you put in the right amount of time. I got an A in Ochem I and II and I studied one night before the exam on most days. The key is to figure out what you know and don't know, that just takes time to determine.

 

[doctorbob23]

If its pass/fail it you just need to keep your head above water