How Do You Get the Grades

[nicoleb]

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I see school as a bit of a game (a very important game at that), and grades are just a way of scoring you based on a variety of factors that varies with each instructor. I just wanted to see what strategies some SDNers use to pull off the ever desirable A. What study habits, and little tidbits really help you get your grade?

If your an A student what do you do that you think helps you?

Thanks,
Nicole

 

[lina123321]

cramming for exams given that im an uber-procrastinator

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Read the material.
Attend every class.
Then take the instructor's notes (or my own, or the book) and boil them down to the salient points that I need to remember. Only include things that I just don't already "get" or remember from reading, being in the class, or from other coursework.
Read the condensed notes over and over.

 

[nicoleb]

cramming for exams given that im an uber-procrastinator

Lol, hey it works for some people 🙂 If you get an A and don't die of stress overload why the heck not.

 

[jon stewart]

If your an A student what do you do that you think helps you?

Thanks,
Nicole

If only i knew........🙁

 

[nicoleb]

Lol, I found that taking lecture notes with a huge margin in class and then going back and adding notes from the reading. Then I condense the two sides together. Then I turn my notes into a visual array of splendor, lol. AKA dawn a lot of diagrams and use color wherever possible. Then I continue to add to and reorganize my notes eventually slimming all my notes down to 1-3 pages around final time.

I rehearse for my final by practicing questions, and reviewing my condensed colorful notes and my full book/lecture notes. Then I recreate my 1-3 page review sheet from memory and bam an A.

I also make sure that all teachers see me as an attentive good student because teachers honestly practice a bit of subconscious prejudice even if only slightly. You know, play the part 😉 .

 

[TMP-SMX]

Ah the system. I think it just takes time to learn "it". Then you are fine and it just gets easy for you.

I do think that learning in groups of 3-6 people helps tremendously.

 

[deleted106503]

Each class is different so you need to study for each class differently imo. Some classes, like biochem, didn't even require me to go to class to get an A. You need to figure out how to study for each class. I'd suggest you study your hardest for the first exam in each class. See what kind of grade you get and adjust accordingly. If you get a 100, you can probably tone down the amount of hours you invest. If you don't get the grade you want, look at your mistakes and learn from them. There's more, but that's all I can write for now.

P.S. I never studied in groups. Those always hurt me more than helped in my case. However, I would help others if they needed help and I had the spare time.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Each class is different so you need to study for each class differently imo. Some classes, like biochem, didn't even require me to go to class to get an A. You need to figure out how to study for each class. I'd suggest you study your hardest for the first exam in each class. See what kind of grade you get and adjust accordingly. If you get a 100, you can probably tone down the amount of hours you invest. If you don't get the grade you want, look at your mistakes and learn from them. There's more, but that's all I can write for now.

P.S. I never studied in groups. Those always hurt me more than helped in my case. However, I would help others if they needed help and I had the spare time.

I think it definitely depends on the class in whether or not groups are helpful. This semester I had a Medical Microbiology class where a small group of 3 people would present on a certain group of bacteria to the class. So it was very helpful to study for the tests in groups since they would know it the best and you would know another set of organisms.

Other than this class, I have never studied in groups. Howver, if you know a couple studious classmates then those are the people you want to study with. Teaching helps you learn, so it works quite well.

 

[noshie]

Well, I used to be a B student, but I think I finally figured it out.

1. Attend class, yes I mean all of them! I never really skipped that much before, maybe 1-3 classes a semester, but I did not realize that just missing a few classes throws you all out of whack. Then when you come back you have no friggin idea what the teacher is talking about and you zone out.
2. OLD TESTS!!! I dont know about everyone else, but at my school old tests are like gold, and they can be hard to find sometimes, so if you ask all of your friends you can usually get even the rare tests. Example: I am taking Ecology this semester, which is probably an easy class but the teacher is HARD. He just talks and talks about crap that doesnt have anything to do with ecology. Anyways, every semester about half of the class make F's, and I am not exagerating. My friend has a 3.8 average and that was the only science class she ever made a B in. So needless to say this teacher never gives out old tests, he actually passes them out one by one to each of the 100 students in the class on test day. Well luckily there is a bootleg copy from years ago that maybe only a few people know about, I scored one this semester and I am now getting an A! Some may say this is "cheating" but I go to class everyday and study as well, it is just something that allows me to see how the questions will be asked.
3. Dont go too far with the studying. Going to class can help you gage the depth of the material. For some people going further in depth helps but for me it hurts my grades. My brain only holds so much material. I have never benefited from rearranging notes and re writing the book, it always seems to take away from learning what the teacher wants us to know and a waste of time.
4. CRAMMING and SLEEP!!! I never sleep late the night before the exam. I have so many friends that think staying up all night allows them to learn and remember more before the test. I feel that if you are staying up too late, your mind is already asleep so your not going to retain the information anyways. This is why I sleep early, around 10pm or 11pm the night before the test, then I wake up like 2-3 hours before the test and cram. That way your brain is refreshed and ready.
5. Things that can help your grade other then tests. Take advantage of homework and extra credit! There are so many people that I know that dont take their time with homework. Homework is the easiest way to pull up a grade. Also Lab can sometimes benefit your grade if it is part of the final overall grade. It can be the equivalent of a test grade sometimes, so if you can get A on it but get a C on a test it pulls you up to a B which is better than nothing right.

These are just a few of the things I have picked up. Bear in mind that I just figured this out this semester, so my previous GPA sucks if you look at my MD apps and think "this girl needs to take her own advice." But I have a solid A semester this Fall! YAY!!!

Oh and another thing. My Ochem teacher once gave me a piece of advice that changed my studying forever and my life I guess. She was always seeing me at school studying, but I wasnt making good grades in her class at first. One day she stopped and told me that if I kept studying but was not getting the grades I wanted I should change my habits. I never really thought about it, I mean I make above average grades (average compared to all college students) but I am truly a B student. By this I mean I make B's without trying or with trying, it was inevitable for me no matter how much I studied. She made me realize that the WAY I was studying was not working. I was studying like I did in high school. I used to effortlessly make A's with minimal gazing at the book. Once I realized this I changed all of my habits and ended up with an A in Ochem 2 and Physics 2. It sounds like a crazy idea, I mean you should stick with what gets you by, but I would encourage anyone that was in the rut I was in to try something different if what you are doing is not working.

 

[nicoleb]

Good advice. I have noticed as well that I can apply my personal system to classes by altering it a bit. Some classes I don't need to touch the book as well and get good grades. I think it is a HUGE thing to be able to read your instructor. The more you know about them the more you know about the person determining your grade!

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I see school as a bit of a game (a very important game at that), and grades are just a way of scoring you based on a variety of factors that varies with each instructor. I just wanted to see what strategies some SDNers use to pull off the ever desirable A. What study habits, and little tidbits really help you get your grade?

If your an A student what do you do that you think helps you?

Thanks,
Nicole

I went to JHU, aka cutthroats-and-premed-even-tho-not-in-med-school-gunner city, where people run through the library and steal people's notes, where people hoard backtests and don't give them to people, where people will run you over if it means they get in good with a professor.

Unfortunately I got swept up in the competitive atmosphere and did things everyone was doing - multiple sets of notes, color coded notecards, taping lectures and reviewing them, studying in groups, splitting up work in groups, and a myriad of other things that made the whole 4 years seem like a competition to see "who can do the most ****".

I completely forgot to learn... sounds stupid and corny and you're probably moving on to the next post, but really I just needed to sit down and learn the material and understand it, not find 12 different ways to put it on paper or tape. So when I did my graduate school work and studying for MCAT the second time, I took this approach and just tried to learn things and understand things - sitting in my cubicle not till I did all those menial tasks but until I got like a Eureka! moment where the whole universe just seemed to make sense for once.

So even though you have all these l337 strats that people are posting, just always keep in mind it's not the work that matters or the strat itself, but what you're learning and if it makes sense. Also JHU students suck kkthx.

 

[Ridcully]

I went to JHU, aka cutthroats-and-premed-even-tho-not-in-med-school-gunner city, where people run through the library and steal people's notes, where people hoard backtests and don't give them to people, where people will run you over if it means they get in good with a professor.

sooooooo glad I didn't go to JHU for BME now. I always wondered whether I would regret turning it down, thanks for clearing that up for me!

 

[ImmunoNut]

I agree with the poster that said she slept early and got up and studied before the test...I did that too! Don't just roll out of bed 10 mins before the test, get up early, eat breakfast, give your brain a chance to wake up. Go over notes.

I think that it is really a game. I was a 4.0 student, not bragging cause I'm really not that smart, I just learned how to play the game and gauge how to study for each class. In organic chem, I realized I really did need to study everyday in order to do well on the test. I could not cram for that class and do well. Some people can, it's just about knowing yourself. In contrast, there were those classes that I could cram for and do well in.

I never re-arranged notes or wasted time writing out the book. I guess that works for some...especially if you are the type of person who learns by writing things down, but I learned by going through my notes and sometimes the book and asking myself questions about things in there. I would first basically memorize all the pertinent info and then I would make up questions about it and try to answer them. I'd also pay really close attention to my teachers, a lot of times they give away what is going to be on the test!

And go to class!! 😀

 

[Eric Lindros]

I went to JHU, aka cutthroats-and-premed-even-tho-not-in-med-school-gunner city, where people run through the library and steal people's notes, where people hoard backtests and don't give them to people, where people will run you over if it means they get in good with a professor.

Unfortunately I got swept up in the competitive atmosphere and did things everyone was doing - multiple sets of notes, color coded notecards, taping lectures and reviewing them, studying in groups, splitting up work in groups, and a myriad of other things that made the whole 4 years seem like a competition to see "who can do the most ****".

I completely forgot to learn... sounds stupid and corny and you're probably moving on to the next post, but really I just needed to sit down and learn the material and understand it, not find 12 different ways to put it on paper or tape. So when I did my graduate school work and studying for MCAT the second time, I took this approach and just tried to learn things and understand things - sitting in my cubicle not till I did all those menial tasks but until I got like a Eureka! moment where the whole universe just seemed to make sense for once.

So even though you have all these l337 strats that people are posting, just always keep in mind it's not the work that matters or the strat itself, but what you're learning and if it makes sense. Also JHU students suck kkthx.

I'm so glad I didn't go to Hopkins 👎

 

[Midol]

2. OLD TESTS!!! I dont know about everyone else, but at my school old tests are like gold, but they are hard to find sometimes, so if you ask all of your friends you can usually get even the rare tests. Example: I am taking Ecology this semester, which is probably an easy class but the teacher is HARD. He just talks and talks about crap that doesnt have anything to do with ecology. Anyways, every semester about half of the class make F's, and I am not exagerating. My friend has a 3.8 average and that was the only science class she ever made a B in. So needless to say this teacher never gives out old tests, he actually passes them out one by one to each of the 100 students in the class on test day. Well luckily there is a bootleg copy from years ago that maybe only a few people know about, I scored one this semester and I am now getting an A! Some may say this is "cheating" but I go to class everyday and study as well, it is just something that allows me to see how the questions will be asked.

When I saw "Old Tests" followed by "ecology", I knew you had to go to UNT.

That class is a pain, but it is possible to make an A without using his old tests.

 

[noshie]

When I saw "Old Tests" followed by "ecology", I knew you had to go to UNT.

That class is a pain, but it is possible to make an A without using his old tests.

Yup I do go to UNT. Good old ecology. I actually took it once a few summers ago but dropped it after the first test. Im sure it is possible to make an A without them, but I would actually like to have a life! He's actually a great teacher, but he makes it so hard to succeed.

 

[Chuckwalla]

4. CRAMMING and SLEEP!!! I never sleep late the night before the exam. I have so many friends that think staying up all night allows them to learn and remember more before the test. I feel that if you are staying up too late, your mind is already asleep so your not going to retain the information anyways. This is why I sleep early, around 10pm or 11pm the night before the test, then I wake up like 2-3 hours before the test and cram. That way your brain is refreshed and ready.

Getting up early with your body screaming (JUST A HALF HOUR MORE) for you go to back to bed. Being in the dead of night where the university feels like a ghost town. Not to mention you got the clock ticking, studying with the clock ticking is very stressful. Some of my worst college experiences come from this strategy. Not saying its bad but definetly not for all.

 

[Cirrus83]

I think I kinda gotta get a feel for the individual class before figuring out how much effort is going to be needed for an A.

Oh, and if you can, get other people's notes too. Even when I take my own notes it's good to have other people's notes because sometimes I'll write something totally wrong. And this way I can also tell people their notes are wrong (since it's usually my friends it helps em out) if I notice a mistake.

Now, some people are unfortunately kinda ******ed about giving people their notes (like it's their awesome secret that nobody else can see, jeez), but screw those people, seriously.

Usually if I have my own notes plus 2 other people's notes I'll be able to fill in any things I missed and figure out whose notes may have mistakes here and there. So then I basically will have the "perfect" set of notes.

Oh and if the class is fairly easy, this also means that you could just get other people's notes, never come to class, and get an A. However, doing this will likely anger the people you're getting notes from if they realize that you're actually doing better than them on the tests. In which case, lie and say you got a C.

ta da.

 

[greytmedic]

Cash bribes👍

 

[dopaminesurge]

I see school as a bit of a game (a very important game at that), and grades are just a way of scoring you based on a variety of factors that varies with each instructor. I just wanted to see what strategies some SDNers use to pull off the ever desirable A. What study habits, and little tidbits really help you get your grade?

If your an A student what do you do that you think helps you?

Thanks,
Nicole

Understand the big concepts, get down only the small details that you intuitively feel are going to be crucial. Most small details are a waste of time, unless you're personally interested.

 

[deleted106503]

Understand the big concepts, get down only the small details that you intuitively feel are going to be crucial. Most small details are a waste of time, unless you're personally interested.

Depends on type of class.

Here's a few more studying methods I had:

For things like physics and economics, I learned concepts. The math isn't really applied much in those two subjects and there aren't that many concepts to learn. I never spent time practicing math problems either. So for physics, I looked the solutions manual for practice problems to see how it was solved and just learned that. Didn't waste any time writing it on paper.

For courses like biochem and some of my other classes with many facts, I just had to learn and memorize. I'd just have to use repetition and relating facts. So everything I memorized (not learned) was done by relating to things I already knew. Just kept going over it a few times and that was it.

 

[dopaminesurge]

Depends on type of class.

Here's a few more studying methods I had:

For things like physics and economics, I learned concepts. The math isn't really applied much in those two subjects and there aren't that many concepts to learn. I never spent time practicing math problems either. So for physics, I looked the solutions manual for practice problems to see how it was solved and just learned that. Didn't waste any time writing it on paper.

For courses like biochem and some of my other classes with many facts, I just had to learn and memorize. I'd just have to use repetition and relating facts. So everything I memorized (not learned) was done by relating to things I already knew. Just kept going over it a few times and that was it.

This is true. I'd forgotten biochem. Ew.

 

[szhao]

i learn what i want to learn, and make sure i get understand what i am learning, as long as the prof is not pissing me off. as a result, i get As, nothing more.

 

[Chuckwalla]

i learn what i want to learn, and make sure i get understand what i am learning, as long as the prof is not pissing me off. as a result, i get As, nothing more.

You don't get more than As? What kind of pre-med are you? A real pre-med goes for the prestigous Z grade.

 

[BigRedPremed]

Taking just enough science courses to get my bachelor's and then loading up on humanities courses the rest of the time.

 

[45408]

Class was overrated in undergrad. I don't know why I went to some of them. I should have not attended more than the exams for analytical chemistry and biochemistry. Studying in advance is the way to go, and NOT getting behind.

 

[szhao]

You don't get more than As? What kind of pre-med are you? A real pre-med goes for the prestigous Z grade.

*cries, ur puppie is mean

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

If you want straight A's: never settle for the curve, work above it. Though, you may just drive yourself crazy in the process. 🙂

 

[Chuckwalla]

*cries, ur puppie is mean

What can I say? He's ALL bite.

 

[Yipster32]

Go 2 class, most of the time take notes, read the material, memorize and then apply...i was blessed/cursed with photographic memory-so i remember basically everything i see and read.

 

[juiceman311]

luck, looks, and timing

 

[coralfangs]

fluke and lots of it

eg.
once for my cal test, it had 20 multiple-choice questions,
i haven't been to lectures and had no idea what was going on, so i had to think back from high school
i could only ans 16 of them
so i figured, "if i put Ds (5choices) for 4, well **** me if none of them is D"
3 turned out to be Ds

 

[TimeResonance]

I had a bio professor give the best advice. "Study until you know the material. No more, no less."

 

[nicoleb]

I went to JHU, aka cutthroats-and-premed-even-tho-not-in-med-school-gunner city, where people run through the library and steal people's notes, where people hoard backtests and don't give them to people, where people will run you over if it means they get in good with a professor.

Unfortunately I got swept up in the competitive atmosphere and did things everyone was doing - multiple sets of notes, color coded notecards, taping lectures and reviewing them, studying in groups, splitting up work in groups, and a myriad of other things that made the whole 4 years seem like a competition to see "who can do the most ****".

I completely forgot to learn... sounds stupid and corny and you're probably moving on to the next post, but really I just needed to sit down and learn the material and understand it, not find 12 different ways to put it on paper or tape. So when I did my graduate school work and studying for MCAT the second time, I took this approach and just tried to learn things and understand things - sitting in my cubicle not till I did all those menial tasks but until I got like a Eureka! moment where the whole universe just seemed to make sense for once.

So even though you have all these l337 strats that people are posting, just always keep in mind it's not the work that matters or the strat itself, but what you're learning and if it makes sense. Also JHU students suck kkthx.

That is no fun; I do think that a lot of the school systems today are so geared on grades over learning. In some classes you could get an A and not even really understand or know the information. My method of redoing notes is good for me because it makes me think about the information on my own. Honestly I learn a lot more about the topic this way.

We have to be a part of it to achieve our goals so we need to make the best of it. I say the best student teaches themselves more than the teachers do.

 

[ridirkulous]

come over to my place and i'll tutor you 😉

 

[BleepTastic]

I was a nonattending latecomer who saved all my reading for the night before. Sometimes good old fashioned charm helps nudge that grade a lil higher. 👍

 

[goodoldalky]

Everyone learns differently so it's hard to say what specific strategies will work for someone. One thing that will work for everyone though..?

Work.

 

[ITRGTR]

there isn't any particular method that will work for everyone, seriously, you just have to figure out what works for you. i do very well in my classes, but my study methods don't seem to work for everyone

 

[SnowTown]

my nickname is the "fellatio machine"

 

[koercive]

i've learned to work the system where with minimal stress/studying i can obtain high grades. in fact, i don't even study that often.

i took advantage of my schools cheap group tutoring service to keep me on track. i have this 3 day rule where I start studying hardcore for hard exams starting 3 days before the exam.

i take hard classes off sequence (i attend a UC which is a qtr system) meaning that i start taking a sequence such as ochem 1 qtr late (and finish it up during the summer). this way, the curve is much more friendlier with less competition.

i am NOT a bio major. i enjoy my psych major, and i pretty much aced all my major classes bringing up my gpa.

i use ratemyprofessors

i have never once pulled an all nighter, as i need at least 4-5 hrs of sleep.

i'm enjoying college and maintaining good grades.

 

[cubaville]

Cram, cram, cram right up until the very last moment. Take the test. And then forget 80% of it by the time you walk out of class.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Cram, cram, cram right up until the very last moment. Take the test. And then forget 80% of it by the time you walk out of class.

Oh, you are so ready for med school! 😀

 

[NewYorkDoc]

How do schools look at retaken classes? Let's suppose a student has a 3.89 GPA BUT has retaken 4 classes in which they got D's/C-'s and replaced them with A's. Anyone? 😕

 

[MadHopsMD]

How do schools look at retaken classes? Let's suppose a student has a 3.89 GPA BUT has retaken 4 classes in which they got D's/C-'s and replaced them with A's. Anyone? 😕

Do schools allow this, and embrace this (From what I have heard). MD schools probably look at this in bad light. Unless you have valid reasons for your D's and C's (parents death, etc), and you specify them in the PS or secondaries (there is always space for this).

Either way, those D's and C's will count in your cGPA. which is bad for your score.

I think a general rule is not to retake the courses, and instead kick ass on the MCAT and get A's from here on out.

Edit: DO schools substitute your retake mark with your older one. MD schools dont.

 

[Tabitha23]

I am a junior in college currently majoring in Creative Writing. I had a lot of bumps on the road to figuring out what I wanted to do and through the course of everything I discovered I wanted to be a doctor. In the meantime however I received a lot of bad grades. My first semester in college I was a music major and got all F grades because I stopped attending. The second semester I was on academic probation and got A's and B's. That was at the first college I attended. I attended two more semesters at that college and got A's and B's in general coursework in the third semester. I took Biology 1 that semster and got a B in the class and a C in the lab. I attended my first college for a fourth semester and got all W's. Some of these W's were for science classes. I had a medical condition and had to drop out that semester. At that point I couldn't decide what I wanted to major in so I went to community college. I was attending college all this time 300 miles away from home and I didn't receive enough financial aide so I had to work fulltime. Sometimes I worked two jobs, about 40-70 hours a week. During this time I attended junior college for three years and recieved grades all over the spectrum from W's to C's to A's. I never earned below a C letter grade though. Those classes were all general education and English. I finally graduated last Spring with a overall 2.9 gpa and an Associates Degree in English. Since then I have moved back home with my parents. I am not working and am attending a four year university. The fall semester is almost over (finals are next week) and it looks like I am going to get an A in Chemistry 1, two B's in my two english classes, and a C or D grade in Precalculus. (I have been trying and going to tutoring, office hours, and math labs but I really struggled with this course.) I talked to a premed advisor at my school and he told me that I should take on a second major (cell and molecular biology) to improve my chances of getting into med school. With all that said I wanted for you to advise me and tell me what you think my chances are of getting in and what I should do to improve my chances from this point on. I know the obvious advice is get better grades, but any advice given obvious or not would be of great help. Thank you.

 

[nicoleb]

I am a junior in college currently majoring in Creative Writing. I had a lot of bumps on the road to figuring out what I wanted to do and through the course of everything I discovered I wanted to be a doctor. In the meantime however I received a lot of bad grades. My first semester in college I was a music major and got all F grades because I stopped attending. The second semester I was on academic probation and got A's and B's. That was at the first college I attended. I attended two more semesters at that college and got A's and B's in general coursework in the third semester. I took Biology 1 that semster and got a B in the class and a C in the lab. I attended my first college for a fourth semester and got all W's. Some of these W's were for science classes. I had a medical condition and had to drop out that semester. At that point I couldn't decide what I wanted to major in so I went to community college. I was attending college all this time 300 miles away from home and I didn't receive enough financial aide so I had to work fulltime. Sometimes I worked two jobs, about 40-70 hours a week. During this time I attended junior college for three years and recieved grades all over the spectrum from W's to C's to A's. I never earned below a C letter grade though. Those classes were all general education and English. I finally graduated last Spring with a overall 2.9 gpa and an Associates Degree in English. Since then I have moved back home with my parents. I am not working and am attending a four year university. The fall semester is almost over (finals are next week) and it looks like I am going to get an A in Chemistry 1, two B's in my two english classes, and a C or D grade in Precalculus. (I have been trying and going to tutoring, office hours, and math labs but I really struggled with this course.) I talked to a premed advisor at my school and he told me that I should take on a second major (cell and molecular biology) to improve my chances of getting into med school. With all that said I wanted for you to advise me and tell me what you think my chances are of getting in and what I should do to improve my chances from this point on. I know the obvious advice is get better grades, but any advice given obvious or not would be of great help. Thank you.

I don't have too much advice to give but from everything that I have heard and read, some good volunteer time, shadowing, and research would help. I am not sure what your chances are, or what programs you could get into but I am positive someone here on SDN will have all that info. I found this little chart that I keep with me as a reminder of what my goals are as far as GPA, MCAT, ect.

Med School Averages

I found this at http://www.medschoolready.com/app/requirements.asp

Hope this helps 😉

 

[koercive]

I don't have too much advice to give but from everything that I have heard and read, some good volunteer time, shadowing, and research would help. I am not sure what your chances are, or what programs you could get into but I am positive someone here on SDN will have all that info. I found this little chart that I keep with me as a reminder of what my goals are as far as GPA, MCAT, ect.

Med School Averages

I found this at http://www.medschoolready.com/app/requirements.asp

Hope this helps 😉

what do you mean by shadowing? I did an internship back in high school at a hospital. does this count as shadowing?

wow i didnt know there was a minimum for volunteer work, research

 

[undrcovrgunner]

my nickname is the "fellatio machine"

<groan...>

 

[nicoleb]

what do you mean by shadowing? I did an internship back in high school at a hospital. does this count as shadowing?

wow i didnt know there was a minimum for volunteer work, research

Not sure if that counts as shadowing. I haven't done any shadowing myself yet but it is basically where you shadow/follow a physician. I heard all you need to do is call up a local hospital and ask about it.

Yeah, all this is technically not required but it seems like you absolutely have to do a great deal of work to be competitive.