How has your M1 year been going?

Started by Brorthopedic
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Brorthopedic

Brorthopedic

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7+ Year Member
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Has it surpassed or felt short of your expectations?

Personally, mine has been great and so far an overall positive experience. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of studying and hard work, but it's great to be in an environment where you are surrounded by people who are in the same profession as you are. I feel as if sometimes we get caught up in all the talk about the negativity surrounding the rigorous lifestyle of medical students but I honestly thought everything would be a lot worse. I'm having a great time as an M1!
 
concur, i was expecting worse for M1. grades are good so far and the work hasn't been overwhelming...yet.
 
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DO2015CA said:
I think that is the consensus. I was worried about the whole fire hydrant and what not, but you learn how much you need to study per day in order to stay on top of it. I have more of a social life than I thought would happen. People like to scare pre-meds
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Not everyone has such a smooth transition. Some people tend to struggle as they find their way.
 
Started off strong (INTENSE fear of failing out), did well, realized I didn't need to go so hard just to not fail, burned out a little, cramming for everything and can't catch up but still passing... did it to myself so I can't complain. It's definitely a manageable workload. And way better than being back in my old job.
 
I can't say I enjoy all aspects of medical school and I still find myself despairing over the fact that I feel behind on materials on weeks where we focus on other classes i.e OS competencies and PCM test. Likewise I'm struggling more now than ever with the return to 8 o'clock classes as most of my last section had 9 o'clock starts which were much more agreeable. I do enjoy learning the material if at the very least for the thrill of finding yourself going from barely knowing something to knowing how to actually do it, i.e reading an EKG/ECG when you go from knowing how to do parts and pieces to putting it together.

Overall I think it's what I actually a bit less than what I expected. I mean, I find myself relatively free on weekends for at least half the day and I find it relatively easy to space in some chill time every day in between class and the 3-5 hours of studying I try to put in daily. That being said I think it's all about adjusting to a new life.

On the lighter note, I am slightly beginning to get over my discourage all undergrads from being premed phase tho lol.
 
I'm still having a tough time adjusting to the volume of information. Learning a lot about myself and my study habits -- what I used in undergrad is definitely not working anymore. Thankfully I have good support both at school and at home. In the end, I'm excited and thankful to be where I am, and even more excited to get to clinical years.
 
Just finished our quarter, been great so far, one A- only, and I still get to play games and do other time-wasting-fun-stuff
 
Looking back as a fourth year, I thought MS1 was the easiest year by far, maybe the beginning a lot of people had some butterflies in their stomach, but after the first couple of months things became routine. The first year of clinical rotations, the third year was the toughest year of medical school, it was the year you were really on your own, you started to get a taste of the real world and were in a clinical environment, and no longer were seeing people you knew from the first two years.
 
Seth Joo said:
Looking back as a fourth year, I thought MS1 was the easiest year by far, maybe the beginning a lot of people had some butterflies in their stomach, but after the first couple of months things became routine. The first year of clinical rotations, the third year was the toughest year of medical school, it was the year you were really on your own, you started to get a taste of the real world and were in a clinical environment, and no longer were seeing people you knew from the first two years.
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How would you compare M1 and M2? Did studying for the step 1 make M2 all that more difficult?
 
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Brorthopedic said:
How would you compare M1 and M2? Did studying for the step 1 make M2 all that more difficult?
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M2 was definitely harder because you have to balance passing your M2 courses and studying for boards, and yes M1 felt like a breeze in retrospect. M4 is mostly elective and audition rotations, its the time before you finally enter the real world, and you really do not see anyone at all from the first two years.
 
Seth Joo said:
M2 was definitely harder because you have to balance passing your M2 courses and studying for boards, and yes M1 felt like a breeze in retrospect. M4 is mostly elective and audition rotations, its the time before you finally enter the real world, and you really do not see anyone at all from the first two years.
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how do any medschool relationships that didint preexist before medschool survive year 3 and 4 then residency (again...separated, perhaps farther)?
 
asdf123g said:
how do you study?
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I do approximately 3-5h of focused studying per day (no fb, no surfing, no gaming). Usually that matches with the time spent in class and that gives me enough time to go through the material ~3 times before the exams (which is every week), and I think that is the sweet spot for me. On the day before each exam, we meet up as study group and talk about the stuff that are difficult to grasp/discuss any questions we may have. This worked so far, then again, we all study differently.
 
Seth Joo said:
Looking back as a fourth year, I thought MS1 was the easiest year by far, maybe the beginning a lot of people had some butterflies in their stomach, but after the first couple of months things became routine. The first year of clinical rotations, the third year was the toughest year of medical school, it was the year you were really on your own, you started to get a taste of the real world and were in a clinical environment, and no longer were seeing people you knew from the first two years.
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Question from total nublet: I heard rumors that the DO rotations are not hard at all, ie.they let you go home early, and you only need to come if your preceptor is there? Is this true even for ward based rotations? These are just rumors that people talk about that I DO NOT really believe yet...
 
Jinxapotato said:
I do approximately 3-5h of focused studying per day (no fb, no surfing, no gaming). Usually that matches with the time spent in class and that gives me enough time to go through the material ~3 times before the exams (which is every week), and I think that is the sweet spot for me. On the day before each exam, we meet up as study group and talk about the stuff that are difficult to grasp/discuss any questions we may have. This worked so far, then again, we all study differently.
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what is your focused study like? Flash cards/Anki? Just memorizing your slides? reading textbooks? rewatching lecture? etc
 
Jinxapotato said:
I do approximately 3-5h of focused studying per day (no fb, no surfing, no gaming). Usually that matches with the time spent in class and that gives me enough time to go through the material ~3 times before the exams (which is every week), and I think that is the sweet spot for me. On the day before each exam, we meet up as study group and talk about the stuff that are difficult to grasp/discuss any questions we may have. This worked so far, then again, we all study differently.
Click to expand...

I'd say on average 3-5 hours is reasonable and expected amount of time after class. I'll put in 1-2 hours when it's a really chill week, but closer to the test it'll be 3-5 with thurs and fridays being closer to 5 and weekdays being between 6ish hours.
 
Jinxapotato said:
Question from total nublet: I heard rumors that the DO rotations are not hard at all, ie.they let you go home early, and you only need to come if your preceptor is there? Is this true even for ward based rotations? These are just rumors that people talk about that I DO NOT really believe yet...
Click to expand...

Depends on the school, at many schools this is actually true, and easy rotations are actually detrimental, you really want to learn as much as possible on your rotations, at some schools its not much more than a shadowing experience, you are there during the day and leave by the evening, this is not good for those who want to get good residencies.

The thing I found hard about the clinical portion of the program was that I did not see many of my friends, my professors from basic sciences ever again, it was kind of sad because I met a lot of wonderful people that I never saw again. I will see them again though at graduation for a couple of hours though.
 
Seth Joo said:
M2 was definitely harder because you have to balance passing your M2 courses and studying for boards, and yes M1 felt like a breeze in retrospect. M4 is mostly elective and audition rotations, its the time before you finally enter the real world, and you really do not see anyone at all from the first two years.
Click to expand...

I'm only a M2 and I don't want to negate your experiences, but I feel like "in retrospect" might be the key phrase here.

Med school gets harder, especially when boards roll around, but first year can be like getting thrown in in the deep end without knowing how to swim. As a second year, the material is harder and the pace is faster, but I know how the game works and can handle it.

Just want to say that to reassure any first years who are reading this thread and freaking out because it's NOT a breeze for them so far. It gets better, because YOU get better at handling it.
 
ortnakas said:
I'm only a M2 and I don't want to negate your experiences, but I feel like "in retrospect" might be the key phrase here.

Med school gets harder, especially when boards roll around, but first year can be like getting thrown in in the deep end without knowing how to swim. As a second year, the material is harder and the pace is faster, but I know how the game works and can handle it.

Just want to say that to reassure any first years who are reading this thread and freaking out because it's NOT a breeze for them so far. It gets better, because YOU get better at handling it.
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It is all a matter of perspective, to someone who was used to undergrad, the first year of medical school can seem kind of hard, but in retrospect it wasn't that bad. The social support system I had during basic sciences was better than during clinical years, many of the friends I made during my first couple of years, we all went our separate ways in life after year 2, and I never saw them again, we only occasionally speak to each other via online or by phone.

Year 3 is hard because you are taking the theory you learned in the first two years and applying it into a real clinical setting, not to mention the fact you are out alone and off campus in a real world type of setting. Year 4 is kind of the last year where you are going to different places before you finally enter the real world.
 
Just finished my 5th block exam....I studied 4X as much for this. It was one of the hardest tests I have taken yet. It feels at LMU that the tests are getting harder and more 3rd order. The Biochem section on this exam was all 3rd order, except for a few acid/base questions. I have had great scores and have had some just barely passing. Over all, I am doing pretty well. I would like to be doing better and feel that I am just getting by. I think the more I do this, the more I will condition myself to study smarter. Overall, I am absolutely loving med school and feel so privileged to be in. I fought so hard to get in and I am going to enjoy every second of it. To me, enjoying the process and keeping my wife and 2 children sane is more important than A's.
 
Ranked in the top quarter of my class, but am getting increasingly anxious and depressed over my inability to retain information.....
 
Seth Joo said:
Depends on the school, at many schools this is actually true, and easy rotations are actually detrimental, you really want to learn as much as possible on your rotations, at some schools its not much more than a shadowing experience, you are there during the day and leave by the evening, this is not good for those who want to get good residencies.

The thing I found hard about the clinical portion of the program was that I did not see many of my friends, my professors from basic sciences ever again, it was kind of sad because I met a lot of wonderful people that I never saw again. I will see them again though at graduation for a couple of hours though.
Click to expand...

I see, I got assigned to a what supposed to be a "good" rotation site for our school (AZCOM). I was told/am hoping that most if not all of the rotations will be ward based rotations in hospitals. I hope that will translate into good rotation qualities...Would you mind sharing on how do you feel for your 3rd and 4th years?
 
I'm in top quartile based off exam averages and I've been enjoying first year. I have way more of a social life than I would have expected, and I'm apparently retaining info, because we had a cumulative biochem final and that was my best score in the class. I feel M1 is pretty easy if you know what is expected of you and you put in the work.
 
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PKA<0 said:
I'm in top quartile based off exam averages and I've been enjoying first year. I have way more of a social life than I would have expected, and I'm apparently retaining info, because we had a cumulative biochem final and that was my best score in the class. I feel M1 is pretty easy if you know what is expected of you and you put in the work.
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whats your method of going about studying? Slides? Anki? Rewatch letcure? Supplementing with textbooks? etc
 
asdf123g said:
whats your method of going about studying? Slides? Anki? Rewatch letcure? Supplementing with textbooks? etc
Click to expand...

Hmmm slides with reading originally. We had objectives for each lecture and I would do those for each test from the slides and reading. I then before an exam would highlight key words from my answered objectives and link those.. So like HNPCC (lynch)= Colorectal cancer DNA mismatch repair. I turned our 600 page book into about 100 and just memorized it.
 
If any of my OMSI's are reading this, you are doing great and your Faculty are proud of you!

Brorthopedic said:
Has it surpassed or felt short of your expectations?

Personally, mine has been great and so far an overall positive experience. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of studying and hard work, but it's great to be in an environment where you are surrounded by people who are in the same profession as you are. I feel as if sometimes we get caught up in all the talk about the negativity surrounding the rigorous lifestyle of medical students but I honestly thought everything would be a lot worse. I'm having a great time as an M1!
Click to expand...
 
DO2015CA said:
I think that is the consensus. I was worried about the whole fire hydrant and what not, but you learn how much you need to study per day in order to stay on top of it. I have more of a social life than I thought would happen. People like to scare pre-meds
Click to expand...
I rode the struggle bus the past few months, sitting at about average (which I realize isn't super struggling, but I was working way to hard to be average)
I've finally found my groove and felt sooo much better walking out of my test today.
It was a ridiculous transition but I'm feeling better now. 🙂
 
Goro said:
If any of my OMSI's are reading this, you are doing great and your Faculty are proud of you!
Click to expand...

Goro would you be weirded out if one of your students read this and figured out who you were only to say thanks Goro in person? Or would you not care
 
It would break my heart because I'd have to stop doing this.

Y'all know how I've pissed some thin-skinned people off here...I have some students like that who would probably burn me at the stake!


DO2015CA said:
Goro would you be weirded out if one of your students read this and figured out who you were only to say thanks Goro in person? Or would you not care
Click to expand...
 
Goro said:
It would break my heart because I'd have to stop doing this.

Y'all know how I've pissed some thin-skinned people off here...I have some students like that who would probably burn me at the stake!
Click to expand...
And you know you have helped some future attendings here who would take you out to dinner and drink some cervezas.
 
:soexcited:
Brorthopedic said:
Has it surpassed or felt short of your expectations?

Personally, mine has been great and so far an overall positive experience. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of studying and hard work, but it's great to be in an environment where you are surrounded by people who are in the same profession as you are. I feel as if sometimes we get caught up in all the talk about the negativity surrounding the rigorous lifestyle of medical students but I honestly thought everything would be a lot worse. I'm having a great time as an M1!
Click to expand...
Amazing.:soexcited:
 
It's going well but I went into medical school wanting to be in the top 10-20% which I'm not in right now...so in that aspect it's been a struggle. It's not really harder than undergrad, just different. Everyone works hard though so it's tough to tell if someone is actually smart or they just study a lot (or both).
 
My MS1 so far...

Day 7 -- Just gonna cry. This is too much. Getting blown sideways by the firehose...
Day 30 -- Why do they have a specific name for every body part, down to every last groove and facet >.<
Day 60 -- H&E stain haunts my dreams 😳
Day 90 -- Actually, I can do this...

Now, more than 3 months in. I can honestly say that med school has been the most fulfilling endeavor I've ever taken in my life. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a student of medicine.

Medicine teaches me to be diligent; Medicine teaches me to be resourceful; Medicine teaches me to be humble.
 
DoReMiFaSo said:
Now, more than 3 months in. I can honestly say that med school has been the most fulfilling endeavor I've ever taken in my life. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a student of medicine.

Medicine teaches me to be diligent; Medicine teaches me to be resourceful; Medicine teaches me to be humble.
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yes. medicine is love. medicine is life.
 
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chizledfrmstone said:
Wow, good to see you guys are enjoying medical school
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I'm surprised to see so much positivity.

M1 sucks. The material is dry and barely applicable. I don't get to see my family nearly enough. I study several hours a day in terms of volume, not difficulty. Any time I take time off to go out or hangout, I can barely enjoy it secondary to feeling guilty for not studying. The studying makes my normal state school undergrad look like a complete joke. Maybe it's because I have a significant clinical background, but I easily see how much useless stuff we're learning. Our professors are sub-par at best. Our tests average from 76 to about 82 without curves, but everyone pretends like they're stress free and getting 100s on every exam, which is more annoying than anything else. There's a large amount of people in my class who love OMM, which I just don't understand. Type A people are annoying as hell. People ask the dumbest questions I've ever heard with the answer literally in front of their face on the slide. The amount of fake altruism I endure is truly nauseating, especially in spite of recent events. I'm passing, but not without having drug my feet.
 
Rekt said:
I'm surprised to see so much positivity.

M1 sucks. The material is dry and barely applicable. I don't get to see my family nearly enough. I study several hours a day in terms of volume, not difficulty. Any time I take time off to go out or hangout, I can barely enjoy it secondary to feeling guilty for not studying. The studying makes my normal state school undergrad look like a complete joke. Maybe it's because I have a significant clinical background, but I easily see how much useless stuff we're learning. Our professors are sub-par at best. Our tests average from 76 to about 82 without curves, but everyone pretends like they're stress free and getting 100s on every exam, which is more annoying than anything else. There's a large amount of people in my class who love OMM, which I just don't understand. Type A people are annoying as hell. People ask the dumbest questions I've ever heard with the answer literally in front of their face on the slide. The amount of fake altruism I endure is truly nauseating, especially in spite of recent events. I'm passing, but not without having drug my feet.
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oh god, im not looking forward to this.
im not an omm hater but by no means am i gonna 'love it', that much i know.
 
Rekt said:
I'm surprised to see so much positivity.

M1 sucks. The material is dry and barely applicable. I don't get to see my family nearly enough. I study several hours a day in terms of volume, not difficulty. Any time I take time off to go out or hangout, I can barely enjoy it secondary to feeling guilty for not studying. The studying makes my normal state school undergrad look like a complete joke. Maybe it's because I have a significant clinical background, but I easily see how much useless stuff we're learning. Our professors are sub-par at best. Our tests average from 76 to about 82 without curves, but everyone pretends like they're stress free and getting 100s on every exam, which is more annoying than anything else. There's a large amount of people in my class who love OMM, which I just don't understand. Type A people are annoying as hell. People ask the dumbest questions I've ever heard with the answer literally in front of their face on the slide. The amount of fake altruism I endure is truly nauseating, especially in spite of recent events. I'm passing, but not without having drug my feet.
Click to expand...


I don't know about you, but everyone in my class pretty much is apathetic to OMM. Like even the people who said they wanted to study or were really into it the first few months are pretty much just like, lets get the acting class going. I honestly am the same way at this point though.

Our professors are sometimes meh, sometimes good. But I tend to rank them purely on how well designed their powerpoints are and how little I need to go rewatch lectures to get a good grasp of the material.

That being said, I don't usually feel all that guilty for going out half the time tho.
 
asdf123g said:
oh god, im not looking forward to this.
im not an omm hater but by no means am i gonna 'love it', that much i know.
Click to expand...

There will be periods when you probably find it interesting enough. I liked lympathics and soft tissue techniques a lot. But Osteopathic exams? They're dull and less interesting versions of what you'll learn in PCM.
 
Rekt said:
I'm surprised to see so much positivity.

M1 sucks. The material is dry and barely applicable. I don't get to see my family nearly enough. I study several hours a day in terms of volume, not difficulty. Any time I take time off to go out or hangout, I can barely enjoy it secondary to feeling guilty for not studying. The studying makes my normal state school undergrad look like a complete joke. Maybe it's because I have a significant clinical background, but I easily see how much useless stuff we're learning. Our professors are sub-par at best. Our tests average from 76 to about 82 without curves, but everyone pretends like they're stress free and getting 100s on every exam, which is more annoying than anything else. There's a large amount of people in my class who love OMM, which I just don't understand. Type A people are annoying as hell. People ask the dumbest questions I've ever heard with the answer literally in front of their face on the slide. The amount of fake altruism I endure is truly nauseating, especially in spite of recent events. I'm passing, but not without having drug my feet.
Click to expand...
I just wanted to reply because it struck a chord with me how totally dissonant your experience has been with mine, and I found that really interesting. Hope your year gets better.
 
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