How Long do you study?

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Eare

Eare

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Sometimes I feel as if I'm studying to long. I usually spend 5-9 hours daily, and other students don't seem to be studying as long. Makes me feel like I'm studying way to long.
 
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lolwut?

probably ~1-2 hours a day.

if there's a big exam then pretty much the entire day before the exam.
 
That seems like a long long time.

During the year maybe 6-8 hours Sat and Sun, and minimal studying during the week.
 
Eare said:
Sometimes I feel as if I'm studying to long. I usually spend 5-9 hours daily, and other students don't seem to be studying as long.
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Don't concern yourself with hours or what others are doing. Just take as long as it takes for you to succeed in your classes and do well. If you feel that you're studying too much, you should probably question whether your studying is:

A) Efficient (know yourself--do flashcards work best or do you respond better from making lists)
B) Excessive (mastering the material to a level not required)
C) Filled with distractions (posting on SDN like I am now, checking Facebook, texting, etc).

At the end of the day sometimes others are just smarter, have better memories, or are simply lucky and get get by doing less hours of work but that's life really. As long as you're maximizing your own efforts your golden 👍
 
I hardly ever study. 🙁 I would probably study about 10 hours total to prepare for an exam (a bit more if it was a really hard test), and maybe general studying 5-6 hours every week if I felt like it.
 
3-4 hrs daily, more on weekends
 
Eare said:
Sometimes I feel as if I'm studying to long. I usually spend 5-9 hours daily, and other students don't seem to be studying as long.
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One of the smartest individuals I knew (he will be starting at UCSF dental school this year) spent a single day reviewing all of general chemistry when preparing for the DAT. It may seem like he studied less, and his personality belies his studying habits, but I can assure you--when he studies, he REALLY STUDIES. It's like he trained his brain to inject some endogenous amphetamines every time he studies. No distractions. Pure, sheer focus.

The other secret to his almost eidetic memory is that he was diligent and psychologically sound in his study habits. He would routinely review material spaced over time for the classes he took, and it has allowed him to retain information for much longer than I have seen of anyone I have ever met. That was probably what allowed him to breeze through an entire textbook of general chemistry in one day, and the secret to his minimal studying.

As for me, I practically live at the library when I need to get things done. During the MCAT, I remember spending approximately 8 hours/day, drawing to 10-12 hours/day when it came closer to exam time. For regular course work, it was much less. The amount of preparation obviously depends on expectations of performance on a task.
 
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timonski said:
One of the smartest individuals I knew (he will be starting at UCSF dental school this year) spent a single day reviewing all of general chemistry when preparing for the DATs. It may seem like he studied less, and his personality belies his studying habits, but I can assure you--when he studies, he REALLY STUDIES. It's like he trained his brain to inject some endogenous amphetamines every time he studies. No distractions. Pure, sheer focus.

The other secret to his almost eidetic memory is that he was diligent and psychologically sound in his study habits. He would routinely review material spaced over time for the classes he took, and it has allowed him to retain information for much longer than I have seen of anyone I have ever met. That was probably what allowed him to breeze through an entire textbook of general chemistry in one day.
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Can't be that smart.
 
TheMightySmiter said:
I hardly ever study. 🙁 I would probably study about 10 hours total to prepare for an exam (a bit more if it was a really hard test), and maybe general studying 5-6 hours every week if I felt like it.
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About the same for me. I can't really sit down and "study" too often. I usually only do this 1-2 days before a test.
 
Buttermellow said:
About the same for me. I can't really sit down and "study" too often. I usually only do this 1-2 days before a test.
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People like us are said to struggle in med school. While that stuff worked in UG, med school is said to be all about being organized and executing a carefully planned out study schedule by putting in effort consistently instead of just before the exam. The material isn't any more difficult than UG but there is just so much more to learn and no one is on top of you to study. Cramming before med school exams is NOT advised.
 
Buttermellow said:
About the same for me. I can't really sit down and "study" too often. I usually only do this 1-2 days before a test.
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Go us, I guess. :laugh:

flatearth22 said:
People like us are said to struggle in med school. While that stuff worked in UG, med school is said to be all about being organized and executing a carefully planned out study schedule by putting in effort consistently instead of just before the exam. The material isn't any more difficult than UG but there is just so much more to learn and no one is on top of you to study. Cramming before med school exams is NOT advised.
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I've heard this too...so at the very least I'm prepared for this to be the case.
 
flatearth22 said:
People like us are said to struggle in med school. While that stuff worked in UG, med school is said to be all about being organized and executing a carefully planned out study schedule by putting in effort consistently instead of just before the exam. The material isn't any more difficult than UG but there is just so much more to learn and no one is on top of you to study. Cramming before med school exams is NOT advised.
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They said that in high school before UG, and they said this in middle school before high school..
 
Narmerguy said:
Don't concern yourself with hours or what others are doing. Just take as long as it takes for you to succeed in your classes and do well... At the end of the day sometimes others are just smarter, have better memories, or are simply lucky and get by doing less hours of work but that's life really.
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+1. So true.
 
flatearth22 said:
Can't be that smart.
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That's what he wanted to do. We had the same physiology/physio lab professor who was on the admissions committee for the medical school at my campus for quite some time, who strongly hinted to him that he was very much qualified for medical school. Obviously, it wasn't based only on his academic performance. He got to know my friend as a person as well.
 
MCAT studying, I did 12 hours a day for a month.

School studying,? Maybe 15-20 hours for a midterm. 20-25 for a final.

could prob cut that in half without youtube and wretched sdn
 
Narmerguy said:
Don't concern yourself with hours or what others are doing.
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I agree. I spend a lot of time studying, however my time is broken up by playing with my children, making dinner for the family, writing papers, and so forth. In other words, I might get distracted 500 times in a hour to refill chocolate milk for one of my kids. Do whatever you need to feel comfortable with the material.
 
I think 5-9 hours a day is a lot. If I had done that in school, I would have had no social life. 5-9 hours before a final, maybe.

When I was in school, I usually spend 1 hour-2 hours studying, while watching TV. This is not including projects and actual work.
 
While I agree that you shouldn't be worried about what other people are doing, I want to caution you as well. If you're spending 5-9 hours a day studying in undergrad, and are taking a typical 12-15 hour load and barely making it by, you may struggle a lot in med school. I got by with relatively little studying in undergrad... most of my time was spent writing papers for my history and english classes, but my science studying was mostly done in class, with maybe an hour a day of reviewing and doing homework and practice problems.

Now that I'm in med school, I can easily spend 4 hours a day preparing for the next day's class (this, of course, varies from day to day, some days can take me the entire afternoon and well into the evening). I probably spent 30-40 hours a week studying now, in addition to the 20 hours of morning classes. Come exam time, I'm studying even more.

So, to reemphasize what was said above... make sure you're studying efficiently: that you know what you need to study, to what depth, and how you should study it. Get it down now before you get to med school, because the learning curve is hard enough without totally needing to readjust your study skills.
 
I never study more than 8 hours total for anything, nevermind 5-9 hours daily. You're doing it wrong.
 
I would study in 1:30-2 hour increments, 2 times a day. and I would study around 3-4 days a week. Before a test I would study around 3 hours twice a day 2-3 days before the exam. and for Midterms and finals, about 3 hours twice a day for 5-6 days before exam.
That is however changed by the degree of difficultly in a class. Like my sociology class was just common sense I probably studied less than 2 hours for the whole semester. Other classes like my insanely hard Biology class (teacher was really good, just tested us with hard concepts and not to mention 5 chapters each test with a total of 5 tests plus a cumulative final) I had to study a long time to bust out my A in that class.
I'd say it differs from class to class.
 
They're not easy classes there Upper Level Classes.
 
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1-2 hours a day; most of my mastery comes from my intern position at the hospital. Besides, what you see in practice varies somewhat from what you are told in class. Although, I must say that my first year of pharm school did a pretty decent job of preparing me for my second rotation this summer at a community pharmacy. I still get pimped by my preceptor but I feel like I actually know something LOL then again, I don't "pump and dump" as much as some of my classmates.
 
I started UG studying 20hrs a week. In my desire to succeed I had failed to realize that I was mastering the material to a level that was unnecessary.

Here is a test you can perform. When you are taking your next exam, go through each multiple choice answer. If you know the correct answer and you also know how the teacher/test writer made up all of the remaining options you are studying too much.

Eventually I learned how to study efficiently, and cut my studying down to maybe 4 hours a week (not including studying for exams). You'll figure it out, and always remember, someone is always studying more than you.

As a wise older brother once counseled me "In high school everyone lies about how MUCH they studied, in college everyone lies about how LITTLE they studied."
 
It's all about quality, not quantity. Many of my professors post their slides online, so I usually only attend 1 or 2 of my 5 classes each semester (only mandatory ones). I find it really boring sitting in class, I usually end up dicking around on my laptop or phone. Most of my pre-reqs were early (before 11AM), and the last thing I wanted to do was walk a mile to class after a hard night of drinking to go a see a smug teacher lecture about something I probably couldn't care less about. I really enjoy reading, and I study my textbooks like hawk, while supplementing that information with the online slides. I can remember many nights of falling asleep in my Campbell Reece 8th ed. textbook haha. It's funny how the only pre-req I actually attended throughout undergrad is the one I got a B in (Orgo II). I read one textbook for each of my classes 2-3 hours every day/night (including Saturdays). Because I only spend about 6-8 hours in class each week, I have had more time for EC's, and I am able to study for exams when I please.

Before an exam:
Three days before-->2 hours
Two days before-->4 hours
Day before-->All day

I also write all of my paper two to four weeks before they are due over a period of 3 days (2 hours a day) so I have plenty of time to edit, or show my professor a first draft.
 
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flatearth22 said:
People like us are said to struggle in med school. While that stuff worked in UG, med school is said to be all about being organized and executing a carefully planned out study schedule by putting in effort consistently instead of just before the exam. The material isn't any more difficult than UG but there is just so much more to learn and no one is on top of you to study. Cramming before med school exams is NOT advised.
Click to expand...

I heard this too. I've gotten a bit better about studying consistently instead of cramming as I've taken harder classes. I plan on going into med school with the goal of not procrastinating and sticking to a study schedule.
 
Eare said:
Thanks, I haven't took English yet :xf:
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picard-facepalm-hotlink.jpg
 
Eare said:
Sometimes I feel as if I'm studying to long. I usually spend 5-9 hours daily, and other students don't seem to be studying as long. Makes me feel like I'm studying way to long.
Click to expand...
most other people don't get into medical school, so...
 
Honestly, I think I should be in my books longer. I read for about 3-4 daily, but I am not really taking any rigorous coursework yet.
 
Eare said:
Is this a grammar class??? Ok! Ok! I've made mistakes. Help a brother out here.
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Grammar is important. If you don't know the difference between your, you're, their, they're, there people WILL judge you.

Those are just simple things too. Some of us will notice other stuff too. We are trying to help you out. Think about it this way... Don't give a med school adcom any reason to not interview you, or reject you after interview. English lit is fun anyway!
 
Knowing the differences between how to use there, they're, and their should not require college level English. In fact, you should know how to properly use those words after elementary school, middle school at the latest. English is my third language, and trust me I understand the struggles of learning this wretched language first hand. However, It is crucial that you learn how to formulate a coherent sentence. Not only for medical school, but just for life in general. Everyone here is trying to help you, so chilll!!!!
 
CodeBlu said:
Grammar is important. If you don't know the difference between your, you're, their, they're, there people WILL judge you.

Those are just simple things too. Some of us will notice other stuff too. We are trying to help you out. Think about it this way... Don't give a med school adcom any reason to not interview you, or reject you after interview. English lit is fun anyway!
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ktran17 said:
Knowing the differences between how to use there, they're, and their should not require college level English. In fact, you should know how to properly use those words after elementary school, middle school at the latest. English is my third language, and trust me I understand the struggles of learning this wretched language first hand. However, It is crucial that you learn how to formulate a coherent sentence. Not only for medical school, but just for life in general. Everyone here is trying to help you, so chilll!!!!
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Thanks, I guess
 
About 15 hours a week, most of which is doing homework or lab reports. I find I learn best by doing homework anyways.
 
Sometimes I like to type my notes after I have written them.
 
While taking Pchem, Biochem etc. I would study for about 10-15 hours before midterms. That was all of the studying I did for the lectures (I didn't read the books and just used the lecture material). Lab reports and other papers took up most of my time during the semester but I wouldn't consider that studying.
 
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