how hard is med school really?

[53948]

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so you hear all this stuff about med school being REALLY hard... is it really THAT bad? just wondering what everyone thinks... if it's gonna be any harder than my 2nd year of undergrad i think i'm gonna die... 🙁

 

[oudoc08]

so you hear all this stuff about med school being REALLY hard... is it really THAT bad? just wondering what everyone thinks... if it's gonna be any harder than my 2nd year of undergrad i think i'm gonna die... 🙁

I don't think it's that hard. Most of the material is doable, there's just so darn much of it, that you can't cover it over and over. And where repetition is key to retaining the material, it makes it rather difficult. For example biochem, doesn't go into quite as much detail in some parts as its undergrad counterpart. However, you are combining clinical pathology, clinical correlation, anatomical relation as well as an entire med molecular genetics course in with it. Thus, for each test block (apx. 3-4 weeks of material, we have a 4" binder stuffed completely full.
That's about a foot worth of paper each semester. That's why it's "hard", not the material. "Einstein's" get Ph.D.'s in astrophysics or analytical chem. MD is all about endurance, and learning time management skills. If you get accepted, you've already proven that you're plenty bright enough to handle the material, you just have to find your groove.
You'll hear people griping about rote memorization, but I think that's the wrong way to learn. You'll never do well just memorizing. If you can apply the concepts and interrelate the theory, then you stand a much better chance of doing well on tests, as well as learning to think critically, a factor that becomes more influential in later classes such as physiology.

 

[53948]

What's your major?

physiological sciences at UCLA... it was really hard cause i took 3 sciences classes every quarter so that i could take my mcat during august after my second year... also i had a job and dedicated my entire sunday to volunteering at my youth group... and i finished all my studies in 5 days so that i could spend saturday with friends and my little brother...

 

[DrHopeless]

Glad to hear, I am a junior right now..... 🙁 Trying to TA for physiology and take all those "advance" classes. It get really bad, especially when your teacher kinda sucks....

 

[on_the_fence]

I've heard that the first two years of medical school are the most difficult. Years 3 and 4 are rather manageable.

Timewise, You get into a crunch when you're in your residency/internship.

 

[Sean2tall]

I don't think it's that hard. Most of the material is doable, there's just so darn much of it, that you can't cover it over and over. And where repetition is key to retaining the material, it makes it rather difficult. For example biochem, doesn't go into quite as much detail in some parts as its undergrad counterpart. However, you are combining clinical pathology, clinical correlation, anatomical relation as well as an entire med molecular genetics course in with it. Thus, for each test block (apx. 3-4 weeks of material, we have a 4" binder stuffed completely full.
That's about a foot worth of paper each semester. That's why it's "hard", not the material. "Einstein's" get Ph.D.'s in astrophysics or analytical chem. MD is all about endurance, and learning time management skills. If you get accepted, you've already proven that you're plenty bright enough to handle the material, you just have to find your groove.
You'll hear people griping about rote memorization, but I think that's the wrong way to learn. You'll never do well just memorizing. If you can apply the concepts and interrelate the theory, then you stand a much better chance of doing well on tests, as well as learning to think critically, a factor that becomes more influential in later classes such as physiology.

I like oudoc's answer here, especially the fact that you can assist your memorization by understanding. That is my strategy as well.

To answer your question, medical school cannot test you on the level of detail that a science major did, simply because of the volume of material. You may have to learn a thousand things, but there will still be only 50 questions on the test. So I have definitely found that I do not need the level of total comprehension that might be necessary in undergrad. Also, there are generally no assignments, projects, otherwise time-wasting long activities that you have to do. No matter how efficiently you study, writing a paper will still eat up your whole day. So none of that 🙂

 

[45408]

To answer your question, medical school cannot test you on the level of detail that a science major did, simply because of the volume of material. You may have to learn a thousand things, but there will still be only 50 questions on the test. So I have definitely found that I do not need the level of total comprehension that might be necessary in undergrad. Also, there are generally no assignments, projects, otherwise time-wasting long activities that you have to do. No matter how efficiently you study, writing a paper will still eat up your whole day. So none of that 🙂

I've been told otherwise. A med student told me that his school teaches the concepts and tests the details.

 

[Blake]

I've been told otherwise. A med student told me that his school teaches the concepts and tests the details.

Not here. I still can't believe how '' easy '' the first exam was. And considering we have 2 exams the first semester, it's pretty encouraging. I studied way too much, and there were so many details that weren't on the exam. I could have studied half the time I did, and still end up with the same grade (A). Oh well... Knowing myself, I'll still study a lot for the next exams. I just can't afford '' slacking ''.

Back to the original question : if you got accepted in med school, you shouldn't have any problems with it. It's not hard at all, it's just that there is a lot of info to learn every day. I'm quite glad I'm in this program. I'd be getting D's all the time if I was in Quantum Mechanics, so it's not that bad 😉

 

[wonderkid]

again, for the most part the material isnt hard. in physiology you have to apply concepts a little, but even then it depends on the basic concepts. its just a lot of work in little time, making it stressful. otherwise not hard to understand the material. you kinda of dont have a life. but many people do have a life...so its all about efficiency and balance.

for now, worry about getting in. in the back of your head remember that it will be a lot of material to learn in a small amount of time...not hard material, however. that means, after you get in, you better f'in have fun non-stop until school starts or else you will regret it later. GO TRAVEL, GO TO THE BEACH, DRINK, ETC.

 

[4 Ever]

well for us there are 2 main classes which are broken down into this

anatomy - anatomy and embryology

another class which is comprised of - molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry

so ure taking 5bio classes at the same time in a med school pace where lecture are useless and labs require a lot of studying as well

they also move at an alarming pace and you're expected to know a lot of info - the lectures prove to be a waste of time since they test details and very few points are touched upon in class

 

[drguy22]

well for us there are 2 main classes which are broken down into this

anatomy - anatomy and embryology

another class which is comprised of - molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry

so ure taking 5bio classes at the same time in a med school pace where lecture are useless and labs require a lot of studying as well

they also move at an alarming pace and you're expected to know a lot of info - the lectures prove to be a waste of time since they test details and very few points are touched upon in class

wat school u go to....RWJ OR NJMS?

 

[Sean2tall]

I've been told otherwise. A med student told me that his school teaches the concepts and tests the details.

Hmm. . You're right, there can definitely be surprise details..

I guess what I am getting at is that although there are a lot of details, there cannot possibly be enough questions to make sure that you know all details about all things. So sometimes, just knowing enough important details will get you by.

I do not feel like it's a tremendous amount harder than undergrad. There is definitely a larger expectation to know specific details, but less expectation for you to have mastered every subject, since there are so many subjects. Of course, I can only speak for first year, as I have been told that second is more challenging. And of course 3rd year may require grueling hours on certain rotations. But anyway, making the transition to medical school is not as harsh as many people make it out to be. Not too bad, in my book.

 

[drexelmed]

well for us there are 2 main classes which are broken down into this

anatomy - anatomy and embryology

another class which is comprised of - molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry

so ure taking 5bio classes at the same time in a med school pace where lecture are useless and labs require a lot of studying as well

they also move at an alarming pace and you're expected to know a lot of info - the lectures prove to be a waste of time since they test details and very few points are touched upon in class

It's that way at Drexel Med too.....I hate it. This is the worst medical school in the entire country.

BTW............Kerry, Edwards, 2004!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[drguy22]

It's that way at Drexel Med too.....I hate it. This is the worst medical school in the entire country.

BTW............Kerry, Edwards, 2004!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

well..drexel med students dont like their own school...hmmmm..... 🙄

 

[NGemie]

Of course medical school is hard.

 

[mimi1]

It's that way at Drexel Med too.....I hate it. This is the worst medical school in the entire country.

BTW............Kerry, Edwards, 2004!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

What are you talking about??!! Drexel does an amazing job of fading classes in and out of the curriculum so that the students aren't too overwhelmed. And besides, it medical school- it's supposed to be a lot of work!!

You are definitely in the minority at Drexel with your opinion of the school.

 

[snapdad]

What are you talking about??!! Drexel does an amazing job of fading classes in and out of the curriculum so that the students aren't too overwhelmed. And besides, it medical school- it's supposed to be a lot of work!!

You are definitely in the minority at Drexel with your opinion of the school.

I have to agree with mimi1 here. I think the school's curriculum is fantastic. I haven't run into any other students who seem to feel differently so far.

 

[Blake]

Im no genius but med school has not been as bad as I thought. I worked 20+ hours on top of basic sciences and did research because I was bored with classes. Clinics are impossible to fail. Step 1 is a little stressful (like the MCAT). I am interviewing for one of the "super competitive sub-specialties" now and have all my interviews lined up that I wanted- so life is good, med school wasnt that bad. It primarily depends upon your personality and how quickly you learn/retain information and how well you can bullsh*t and shoot from the hip.
Cheers.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear from a 4th year 👍 Just wondering, what specialty are you trying to match in ? 🙂

 

[Blake]

sorry, its anon.

😕 * looks up in dictionary *
😕

Oh, anonymous...

 

[lattimer13]

to the OP, it's like everybody says...it's not the quality of material in med school...it's the quantity.

 

[53948]

thanks for all the opinons from the med students! 🙂

 

[june2005]

so you hear all this stuff about med school being REALLY hard... is it really THAT bad? just wondering what everyone thinks... if it's gonna be any harder than my 2nd year of undergrad i think i'm gonna die... 🙁

I agree that the difficulty in med school is in the quantity, not the difficulty of the material. For example, one entire quarter of an undergrad biochemistry course I took at UCLA was covered in pretty much one or two lectures in med school.

What hasn't been mentioned is that the pressures of succeeding are different. In undergrad, you work hard, but ultimately it's only a grade that has no impact on anybody else. In med school, you have to really understand what you're studying because you'll be making decisions that will affect real live patients. So part of the difficulty of med school is just feeling a different level of stress, because your mastery of the material matters more.

Good luck!

 

[MrHide]

I agree that the difficulty in med school is in the quantity, not the difficulty of the material. For example, one entire quarter of an undergrad biochemistry course I took at UCLA was covered in pretty much one or two lectures in med school.

What hasn't been mentioned is that the pressures of succeeding are different. In undergrad, you work hard, but ultimately it's only a grade that has no impact on anybody else. In med school, you have to really understand what you're studying because you'll be making decisions that will affect real live patients. So part of the difficulty of med school is just feeling a different level of stress, because your mastery of the material matters more.

Good luck!

so incredibly naive it made me laugh. unfortunately, in undergrad a grade in a class does make a huge difference in a person's life .... YOURS! getting into med school is the hardest part by far ..... once you're in, it's cake. go on believing every esoteric fact you must pound into your brain is a life and death situation for your patient .... you won't last long.

 

[TTSD]

Med school is like a box of chocolates.. you're going to get sick eating the whole thing.

Naw, it's not mentally hard. Just a lot of information. So if you're a good memorizer, it should be cake.

Since you were a physiology major at UCLA, I think a lot of at least the first year and a bit should look awfully familiar to you.

 

[MeowMix]

This is the way I think about the first semester of med school.

First, you're at school with a bunch of people who are really smart. A lot of them took advanced courses in biochem, embryo, anatomy, molecular bio, etc. - all the things you are studying now. So the faculty skim over the basic concepts, assuming that the class will be bored otherwise. Most of the lectures are badly taught and disorganized. If you never learned the material before, you have to learn the basic concepts to be able to understand anything at all, and you don't understand most of the lectures.

Second, you are now learning basic concepts in a few topics at the same time. Typically, embryo, biochem, cell bio, and anatomy. Since the basics are not covered in class, you are having to catch up by reading or doing whatever possible to learn the material. Takes time. If you are a stickler for going to lectures, and have anatomy lab 8 hrs/week, your available time is dropping.

Third, because there are so many smart people at school, the faculty are not going to test on the big picture/basic concepts. If they did that, lots of people would get 100% and the faculty would feel the test was ridiculously simple. So they test on the minute details that you, as a beginner, thought were so esoteric that they must be relatively unimportant. Unfortunately, in working to master the big concepts, you are struggling to also understand the details in your limited time.

Fourth, in a curriculum like ours, there are no assignments, no ways to test your understanding except for tests themselves. After the test, you've finished with that material and now you are on to a whole new set of concepts. You can't review your test because the faculty are paranoid about students sharing test questions, so you can't figure out the conceptual/study strategy mistakes you made and what to do better next time.

Fifth, although there are a lot of great people in your class, there are some people who are mean, competitive, discouraging, and unpleasant. You represent a lame-ass slowpoke who is blocking their progress toward a brilliant medical career, and they will treat you like crap. Sometimes you are forced to spend a lot of time with them (e.g. dissection group).

Sixth, there is not enough time to understand anything properly. The curriculum goes on at its pace, regardless of your progress. You get to sit there thinking, $h!t, I am going to have to learn all this stuff over again for the boards.

These are some of the things that make med school hard.

 

[Curious Tom]

[/QUOTE]

These are some of the things that make med school hard.[/QUOTE]

Good description of how non-science majors would feel. But then, don't med school require only the basic science courses? Why do they assume that everyone has taken more advanced, more variety of science courses then? I thought I heard in med school everyone is pretty much at the similar footing regardless of their majors. But your situation seems to prove otherwise.

Which school do you go to?

 

[fielight]

what all of the med students have posted is true... but don't be mislead into thinking that med school is basically a whole bunch of superficial information, because it's not. the depth and extent of the material (first 2 years) is pretty much equivalent to undergrad, and a little bit more. for example, whereas undergrad biochem might take 2-3 1.5 hr lectures to cover a specific topic, in med school, they do it in 1 hr. and the details aren't necessarily lost; they'll just run over the minutia without explaining or using examples, and cram all the rest of it in the syllabus. so if you think you're having a tough time with the steps in the TCA cycles when the undergrad professors slowly present it over 4 lectures, imagine how you'll feel when they cover it in 1 lecture (among the 2-3 more that you'll have in one day) in med school.

as for the learning that will affect someone's life one day... i'd caution against this kind of thinking. if you think that for every minutia you forget or don't memorize will equal a life lost in the future, then you'll become so overwhelmed that you'll be lucky to stick around until the end of 1st year.

Curious Tom:
it doesn't matter much what you did before med school... everyone's more or less on the same page. certain classes you took in undergrad will help a bit, but they cover the material so fast that it's not much of an edge anyway. and besides, just because you're an art major or something doesn't mean you're destined to fail (it's actually kinda hard to fail in med school... unless you just don't study at all) -- you can still Pass, but will have to work that much harder if you want the Honors grades.

 

[lilmo]

med school to me is like having organic chemistry shoved down your throat at about ten times the speed of undergrad. not to scare you off. its perfectly manageable and even enjoyable at times once you find your rhythm. to agree with everyone else, its the amount of material not the material itself that makes things difficult.

 

[53948]

I don't think it's that hard. Most of the material is doable, there's just so darn much of it, that you can't cover it over and over. And where repetition is key to retaining the material, it makes it rather difficult. For example biochem, doesn't go into quite as much detail in some parts as its undergrad counterpart. However, you are combining clinical pathology, clinical correlation, anatomical relation as well as an entire med molecular genetics course in with it. Thus, for each test block (apx. 3-4 weeks of material, we have a 4" binder stuffed completely full.
That's about a foot worth of paper each semester. That's why it's "hard", not the material. "Einstein's" get Ph.D.'s in astrophysics or analytical chem. MD is all about endurance, and learning time management skills. If you get accepted, you've already proven that you're plenty bright enough to handle the material, you just have to find your groove.
You'll hear people griping about rote memorization, but I think that's the wrong way to learn. You'll never do well just memorizing. If you can apply the concepts and interrelate the theory, then you stand a much better chance of doing well on tests, as well as learning to think critically, a factor that becomes more influential in later classes such as physiology.

so are you tested at the end of each test block? are there any midterms or final exams or whatever is gone over during a past block is basically past news when you get to the next?

 

[june2005]

so incredibly naive it made me laugh. unfortunately, in undergrad a grade in a class does make a huge difference in a person's life .... YOURS! getting into med school is the hardest part by far ..... once you're in, it's cake. go on believing every esoteric fact you must pound into your brain is a life and death situation for your patient .... you won't last long.

Gee, tough audience! The point being that there is now a purpose to learning something that will eventually be applied to real patient care, and that you need to be self-motivated enough to understand that what you're learning will go beyond a 3 month experience with a grade as the end point.