How much do you study?

[DimaDrill]

I am starting first year at DMU this fall and I am just want to know what to expect. I have heard that med school students have no life and sleep 2-3 hours a night if they are lucky. How many hours a day or a week do you spend studying? And how much sleep do you get on average per night? Is there enough time to have a relationship with a gf?

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[Taus]

ha...relax...unless its a huge test week you'll have enough time for a social life and a decent sleep schedule....even if you study around 8 hours a day its only 50-60 hours a week....most people in the working world would consider that to be a light schedule

 

[peppy]

Yeah, med school life really isn't as bad as you picture it being. People differ in how much time they need to spend studying, but I think most people can get by with much less than 8 hours a day of studying. You'll have enough time to sleep and have fun as long as you keep up with the material and don't totally slack off.

The first semester will probably be kind of hard because you'll be adjusting. The volume of material will probably seem overwhelming at first. But once you figure out how to study efficiently (for example, some people find it much better to stay home and listen to lectures online than to spend the time going to class in person), you'll have a decent amount of time for other things that are important to you.
Try not to stress out over it. It'll be okay. Good luck.

 

[NRAI2001]

 

[yanky5]

I get by studying 2-3 hrs a day normally and 5+ hours a day two weeks before the exam. I got around a 75 average. No big deal.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I am starting first year at DMU this fall and I am just want to know what to expect. I have heard that med school students have no life and sleep 2-3 hours a night if they are lucky. How many hours a day or a week do you spend studying? And how much sleep do you get on average per night? Is there enough time to have a relationship with a gf?

I sleep 7-8 hours a night. I study all day every day a few days before the test.

Plenty of time for chicks.

I never pulled an all-nighter.

The key is skipping class so you can study during the day, thus leaving your evening free for social-time.

 

[Inquiringmind24]

During the week, I studied a fair amount, maybe 2-3 hours a day. But since we had exams every Monday, the weeks were more like 12+ hours a day, especially when there were exams like biochem, antomy/histo/embryo, or neuro. I still had a good social life and did well academically. I'm not sure how next year will be......any MS-2+'s have any feedback on that?

 

[Inquiringmind24]

I meant the WEEKENDS were 12+ hours. Sorry for the bad typing skills....

During the week, I studied a fair amount, maybe 2-3 hours a day. But since we had exams every Monday, the weeks were more like 12+ hours a day, especially when there were exams like biochem, antomy/histo/embryo, or neuro. I still had a good social life and did well academically. I'm not sure how next year will be......any MS-2+'s have any feedback on that?

 

[DimaDrill]

that doesn't sound all that bad...that's about how much i studied during my undergrad.

 

[Amy B]

HHmmm.. i must be slow or something. I do study a whole lot, get on average 5 hours a sleep per night and started pulling all nighters in my MSII year. AT this point I cant wait to get done with the book part of this and get into rotations

 

[OSUdoc08]

HHmmm.. i must be slow or something. I do study a whole lot, get on average 5 hours a sleep per night and started pulling all nighters in my MSII year. AT this point I cant wait to get done with the book part of this and get into rotations

You must be one of those people that attended class and read textbooks.

 

[lars1297]

I'm a MSII and I probably do about 5 hours of studying per day...I DO go to class- I find that if you listen to it once, you at least know what the heck you're reading in the notes. Plus, sometimes your brain will recall something funny during the exam that the prof said. That said- I'm not saying my 5 hours per night is efficient or effective studying, but I am at least going through the material. Your most high yield studying comes in the few days before the exam.
Take this for what its worth- but its all about how you want to live your life- I currently get 85-90%- I probably could do better, but I want to be a real person too.

I also echo what was said in a previous post, I only get 3-5 hours of sleep each night- but its not because I'm studying... It's because I'm out having fun- either at a friend's house, out on the town, or just hanging out at my house....

Choose how you want to live your life and be satisfied and content. If you're only happy with 100% in every class- you've just bought yourself a ticket to 12+ hour days of studying. If you can accept less but still do well, then take advantage... our lives are NOT fun unless you make it that way. Its up to you to remain a REAL person while in med school. Make sure you're happy with your life- and then everything else will fall into place.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I'm a MSII and I probably do about 5 hours of studying per day...I DO go to class- I find that if you listen to it once, you at least know what the heck you're reading in the notes. Plus, sometimes your brain will recall something funny during the exam that the prof said. That said- I'm not saying my 5 hours per night is efficient or effective studying, but I am at least going through the material. Your most high yield studying comes in the few days before the exam.
Take this for what its worth- but its all about how you want to live your life- I currently get 85-90%- I probably could do better, but I want to be a real person too.

I also echo what was said in a previous post, I only get 3-5 hours of sleep each night- but its not because I'm studying... It's because I'm out having fun- either at a friend's house, out on the town, or just hanging out at my house....

Choose how you want to live your life and be satisfied and content. If you're only happy with 100% in every class- you've just bought yourself a ticket to 12+ hour days of studying. If you can accept less but still do well, then take advantage... our lives are NOT fun unless you make it that way. Its up to you to remain a REAL person while in med school. Make sure you're happy with your life- and then everything else will fall into place.

The problem with lectures is that you can cover in 10 minutes what lecturers spend an hour covering. They are often off topic and do not keep your attention. Since the test material is all written in the notes, what's the point of listening to the information presented in class that is not testable? You could instead be spending this time memorizing the notes.

 

[lars1297]

The problem with lectures is that you can cover in 10 minutes what lecturers spend an hour covering. They are often off topic and do not keep your attention. Since the test material is all written in the notes, what's the point of listening to the information presented in class that is not testable? You could instead be spending this time memorizing the notes.

However, isn't the point to UNDERSTAND the material rather than memorize? Going to class often helps you understand things rather than just memorizing so you can regurgitate them later...I'd rather understand and be able to explain the disease process to my patients rather than just spouting off the facts. I DO understand what you're saying about the time committment that lecture requires...and I agree- you can learn it more quickly. Everyone just learns differently... and thats the thing that people have to figure out for themselves... how to study most efficiently and effectively for yourself.

 

[EastCoaster78]

I average 3-5 hrs per day pre exam. go to some lectures by the better profs, skip the ones I know Im better off reading the text. sometimes I stay home read text...read notes. whitch sometimes suck and then deff need to use a text. then around exam time i stop slacking and study like 15-20h a day. so far all A's but you need to find what works for you.

 

[OSUdoc08]

However, isn't the point to UNDERSTAND the material rather than memorize? Going to class often helps you understand things rather than just memorizing so you can regurgitate them later...I'd rather understand and be able to explain the disease process to my patients rather than just spouting off the facts. I DO understand what you're saying about the time committment that lecture requires...and I agree- you can learn it more quickly. Everyone just learns differently... and thats the thing that people have to figure out for themselves... how to study most efficiently and effectively for yourself.

Obviously if you make an A on the comprehensive pathology final at the end of your second year, which basically covers everything you learned in the first 2 years of medical school, then you understand the material.

It's possible to do this without attending class or buying textbooks, and by simply using the notes.

 

[Amy B]

You must be one of those people that attended class and read textbooks.

Mandatory attendance policy

 

[DrB]

The problem with lectures is that you can cover in 10 minutes what lecturers spend an hour covering. They are often off topic and do not keep your attention. Since the test material is all written in the notes, what's the point of listening to the information presented in class that is not testable? You could instead be spending this time memorizing the notes.

Don't listen to this advice, unless you are only going to med school to memorize a few facts. It is important to attend class for the full experience of school. Don't skip... this is a bad habit that I see some people doing, you will never keep up with the material, and you will never know what the teacher emphasizes in class... AKA the material they will test you on.

Go to class, pay attention, and ask questions... study as much as you can, but watch yourself for it can become overwhelming. You need to titrate your level of study with your level of sanity.

Most people say that med school should be treated like a busy job where you work 60 hours per week. For some people it may be a lot more and for a very few... a little less. Keep the study habits that got you into med school, but be flexible to learn new methods for learning large volumes in little time.

I hope OSUdoc08 really is one of the very few who can skip class and still pass... congrats to you... but if you want more from your education then take hold of it.

-Good luck

 

[medicine1]

Bravo DrB!

 

[Idiopathic]

Go to class. You pay enough for it. Study anywhere from 10-30 hours per week. Whatever it takes, plenty of geniuses need 35 hours a week to study while lots of dip****s can get by on 10 a week. It certainly doesnt reflect on how smart you are.

 

[the1doc]

Don't listen to this advice, unless you are only going to med school to memorize a few facts. It is important to attend class for the full experience of school. Don't skip... this is a bad habit that I see some people doing, you will never keep up with the material, and you will never know what the teacher emphasizes in class... AKA the material they will test you on.

Go to class, pay attention, and ask questions... study as much as you can, but watch yourself for it can become overwhelming. You need to titrate your level of study with your level of sanity.

Most people say that med school should be treated like a busy job where you work 60 hours per week. For some people it may be a lot more and for a very few... a little less. Keep the study habits that got you into med school, but be flexible to learn new methods for learning large volumes in little time.

I hope OSUdoc08 really is one of the very few who can skip class and still pass... congrats to you... but if you want more from your education then take hold of it.

-Good luck

Strange, but I find myself agreeing with OSUdoc here, which doesn't happen frequently.

The people who argue that attending lecture is necessary to "become a good doctor, understand disease processes, grasp difficult concepts," etc. are trying to generalize THEIR experience to make it fit everyone else. People learn differently for numerous reasons - but what matters is that people learn differently. Assuming that med students are also people, one would have to reason that med students also learn differently.

Fortunately, I realized quickly that sitting in lecture was a complete waste of my time. Once I stopped attending lectures, my grades improved, my understanding of the material improved, my social life improved, and I started to get more sleep. I'm not "one of the few" who skips class. Many of my classmates share the same philosophy, and like me, have managed to do very well.

Med students like to log onto SDN, pull out their pulpits, and start preaching. You'll hear lots of advice, and some of it will be contradictory. Ultimately, you'll need to decide what works best for you and go with it. Don't let people scare you into doing it their way just because they think it should work for everyone else.

 

[DireWolf]

Strange that I agree with OSUdoc and disagree with Idiopathic.

Going to class is simply a waste. Now some people can go to class and still find time to go out with their husbands/wives, play with their kids, exercise, unwind, sleep, etc. But I think those people are the exception rather than the rule.

In order to be a well-rounded person and keep your stress levels at a minimum you need TIME to do all the things I mentioned above.

Unfortunately if you go to class you really don't have TIME to do all those things and study.

It's hard to say how much I studied. Most days I didn't study a lick. However, the night or two before a big test I would pull a couple all-nighters. Not sure how this averages out.

Anyway, I'm not saying that my way is the only way. But I can say that I was probably one of the most relaxed, least stressed out (but still stressed out a little - it's impossible to be stress-free in medical school) people in my class.

I actually didn't think medical school was much harder nor time-consuming than undergrad. I thought they were comparable. Sure, there were a couple basic science classes that kicked my ass, but I survived and moved on.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my academic performance and match result. And most importantly, I didn't shave years off of my life by being stressed out all the time. And I was still able to have a lot of fun. Life is too short not to have fun.

 

[Idiopathic]

Ultimately people, this is a job. I totally understand the desire to skip classes and not study for two days, a week, or more, and if you keep up your grades, etc. its no problem.

But dont feel like you are slighted if you dont have time to live/socialize/play like you want to...treat it like a 9-5 job and work hard. I didnt go to every class and I didnt study every day, and I certainly wouldnt reccomend that you do either, but to suggest that you dont go to any classes is pretty irresponsible.

No offense to those of you that skip, Im sure youll make fine doctors.

 

[Taus]

recorded audio from every lecture in mp3's + powerpoints posted online + a scribe note service that takes detailed notes of every lecture = me going to class most of the time from my couch in my underwear....

The ability be organize my day how I want to and learn when I'm in the mood for it (and not way too tired) has taken most of the stress out of med school so far and allowed me to kick a$$ on tests. Also, being able to pause lectures and rewind whenever I want is like having a personal tutor to help clarify complicated processes.

I usually only physically go to the lectures given by clinicians who are too good to miss and who also happen to use old-school slides from a projector (ie not available online in a powerpoint)

If I didn't have the above resources I would be at every single class though....its too hard to know what to focus on by just reading class notes in my opinion.

 

[Krazykritter]

Dima,

I just finished my first year at DMU. I did go to almost every class (except those w/ lecturers I couldn't stand) & I usually spent anywhere for 2-4 hours studying during the week & usually a lot more than that on any given weekend. However, if you don't decide not to go to class the mp3's are posted shortly after lecture is over. I am married so I don't have to worry too much about wasting time trying to find chicks.

I have never pulled an all-nighter since my sophomore year of college & NEVER WILL. I talk to a lot of people who say that they do but I try to never get less than 5 hours sleep. Life as a med student is really not that bad especially if you take time to relax & enjoy your time.

 

[macman]

I don't think anyone can say one way or the other whether its a good idea to attend lectures or not. We all learn differently. I took the middle ground, always attended soneone's first lecture, if they stunk, never again, if they were good, returned. I agree with OSU that textbooks are not time efficient. I used board review books as my textbooks and it not only helped me on that course, but when step 1 rolled around, I had already read them at least once. The real secret (IMHO) of doing well is not how much time you put in, but being able to guess what topics from a long lecture will be tested....as I read a noteset I asked myself "If I had to write a test question from this page, what would it be" this usually worked pretty well.

Good luck and enjoy, and btw, sleep! MS1 will seem like a tea party when you are on call in the icu as an intern

 

[doc2b34]

I would have to agree with OSUdoc and the1doc,

I was one of those students who thought that you would have to attend every class to understand everything and to become a good doc. Well, that's not true. I did well in my first year, but the second year was a challenge. My grades started dropping and I had to make a drastic change. I started asking my classmates, as you are doing on SDN, for some advice. A lot of them ditch classes and are doing fine. They advice me to do the same for one semester and study on my own and see what happens. At first I felt the guilt, but I resisted going to classes and studied on my own. You know what, it paid off. You can really have more time if you ditch the classes that you don't have to go to and review the material yourself. This will at least let you have enough time to review the material again and grasp the concept before you take your tests. I think that was the key to understand and memorizing these medschool facts is repetition. Anyways, it worked for me.

Good luck!!

 

[HoodyHoo]

I sleep 7-8 hours a night. I study all day every day a few days before the test.

Plenty of time for chicks.

I never pulled an all-nighter.

The key is skipping class so you can study during the day, thus leaving your evening free for social-time.

Agreed. I studied all day and night if it was within 4 days of an exam. Otherwise I was out having a beer. well, not all the time but there is surely time to go out and have a social life. I was sort of a slacker and still had an 85 average through two years so you should be fine.

You should keep in mind though that it is a lot easier to say these things in retrospect. If you were talking to me during i finals week i'd probably tell you i want to kill myself.

 

[BMW19]

Best of both worlds:

Go to a school that has the lectures taped on MP3 or even better put on CD-ROM like my school! Now you can study on your own time, go to the classes that you think are beneficial (i.e. that professor that loves to say "This is an exam Q if I ever heard one" just for the benefit of people that come to class) and listen to CD-ROMs at 2x speed! Technology is great!

If you study 8 hrs a day you will be a miserable person! Study max 3-5hrs and relax at night. Just my opinion.

Agreed that most textbooks are a waste except for Robbins and Harrison's (not really a text I guess). Go with review books and lects. from class. Death by PP!!!!

BMW-

 

[HoodyHoo]

Don't listen to this advice, unless you are only going to med school to memorize a few facts. It is important to attend class for the full experience of school. Don't skip... this is a bad habit that I see some people doing, you will never keep up with the material, and you will never know what the teacher emphasizes in class... AKA the material they will test you on.

Go to class, pay attention, and ask questions... study as much as you can, but watch yourself for it can become overwhelming. You need to titrate your level of study with your level of sanity.

Most people say that med school should be treated like a busy job where you work 60 hours per week. For some people it may be a lot more and for a very few... a little less. Keep the study habits that got you into med school, but be flexible to learn new methods for learning large volumes in little time.

I hope OSUdoc08 really is one of the very few who can skip class and still pass... congrats to you... but if you want more from your education then take hold of it.

-Good luck

okay I don't know who you surround yourself with, but there have been VERY FEW weeks where I have put in 60 hours, and NSU is by no means considered an easy school.

I agree with whoever said that you go to your first class, see if you like the prof, and decide from there if you will attend. Also if you have a noteservice, which I'm pretty sure they do have at DMU, then the notetakers emphasize what the professors emphasize. I also completely disagree with the fact that you must attend lecture to keep up with the material. If anything, you must SKIP lecture to keep up. During our 2nd year we were in class, for the most part, from 8-5 every single day except friday. It is very tough to go to 8 hours of class and then expect yourself to put in quality study time at night. The only way around this is to skip some class.

What is the point of going to a lecture where the professor completely sucks?? it is a complete waste of a couple hours. In this time you could be catching up on rest or studying ahead.

I would say 25% of my class skipped class on a regular basis. The people I knew that skipped were in the top half of the class. These are also good people who(for the most part) are going to be great docs. Just go with the flow your first few weeks and see what works for you. Go through your first round of exams by attending every class and see if that works. If not, modify what you're schedule.

Bottomline, you will not be missing out on the "full experience of medschool" by skipping the class of a professor who can't teach.

 

[Dotsero]

I am starting first year at DMU this fall and I am just want to know what to expect. I have heard that med school students have no life and sleep 2-3 hours a night if they are lucky. How many hours a day or a week do you spend studying? And how much sleep do you get on average per night? Is there enough time to have a relationship with a gf?

I just finished MS I here at DMU and honestly it depends on your learning style. I didn't go to class, downloaded the MP3s and powerpoints and studied the handouts. For the most part I was able to get by on about 3-4 hours of study time per day. I managed to gets a good nights sleep most of the tiime. The exception being the few days leading up to a big test. The absolute worst time was this past April when we had 4 big tests (Physiology, pathology, neuroanatomy and OMM) scheduled all in a row on a Thurs, Friday, Monday and Tuesday (with a couple of neuro quizes thrown in to make matters worse). During this time and the time leading up to it, I averaged about 3 hours per night of sleep. Definitely a trial by fire. Got through it though and so will you. Good luck this Fall!!

 

[yanky5]

I skip class a lot too. About a quarter of my professors can't lecture and waste my time. It is much easier to just stream these lectures and stay at home. Also, if class starts before 9 am, I just skip the class and get extra sleep. And if I am lazy one day, I stay home and relax. I am not having it too hard at NYCOM. You guys that have to attend every lecture must be really miserable, aren't you?

 

[AmaurosisFugax]

I find myself studying more and more as these two dates approach:
June 5 (USMLE)
June 12 (COMLEX)

I had 2 professors that I skipped 100% because I couldn't even get past their accent.

I listened to Goljan way, way more than my own path professor.

 

[bbgirl]

How would everyone compare study time to their undergrad and how you did? Some people can study 2 hrs/night and others 5hr/night and get the same grades, so I think this may give us "almost MSIers a better idea.

 

[Taus]

How would everyone compare study time to their undergrad and how you did? Some people can study 2 hrs/night and others 5hr/night and get the same grades, so I think this may give us "almost MSIers a better idea.

i studied more per week as an MSl then i did for an entire avg semester in college

 

[DrB]

How would everyone compare study time to their undergrad and how you did? Some people can study 2 hrs/night and others 5hr/night and get the same grades, so I think this may give us "almost MSIers a better idea.

I worked full time in undergrad and went to school full time to complete my major in Neuroscience and Behavior. I studied about 2 or so hours a day and did well enough to get into med school... Now, I only go to school, but I am working more than I ever had before.

I try to study 3-4 hours per day, after our 5-7 hours of lecture, then I study 6-8 hours each day on the weekend. I increase this by a few hours before our block exams and I have all A's and B's.

I think the key is to try and stay on top of it... or in my case, try not to get more than two weeks behind. I don't know how I manage to get it all done, but I do.

BTW... I go to every class, make good grades and have a girl friend outside of school. If I can do it, so can you. Just be prepared to go through hell the first few months till you get your groove.

-Good luck

 

[raptor5]

At PCOM I hardly ever attended lecture. I would download the lecture as an MP3 download the powerpoint and listen to the lecture at 1.5 speed. I used textbooks, board review books, the powerpoints, and back tests. I usually ditched the scribe notes. I think back tests were the key for me. I would annotate the backtests. Why answers were wrong and right. Make extra notes in the margins. I often had a few years worth of backtests and most of the questions on my exams were either repeats or variations of a previous question. I also made sure to make extra notes in BRS Path and Phys. Total time was about 6-8 hours a day. Its about quality not quanity.

 

[DOctorJay]

At PCOM I hardly ever attended lecture. I would download the lecture as an MP3 download the powerpoint and listen to the lecture at 1.5 speed. I used textbooks, board review books, the powerpoints, and back tests. I usually ditched the scribe notes. I think back tests were the key for me. I would annotate the backtests. Why answers were wrong and right. Make extra notes in the margins. I often had a few years worth of backtests and most of the questions on my exams were either repeats or variations of a previous question. I also made sure to make extra notes in BRS Path and Phys. Total time was about 6-8 hours a day. Its about quality not quanity.

this is EXACTLY what I would have loved to have been able to do. Unfortunately at SOM we just started mp3 recordings at the very end of the semester (first years got into this right away though). for some reason osteopathic schools think we need to sit in lecture at least 2x as long as our allopathic colleagues, which takes a lot of time away from studying.

All the rest is pretty much how I studied as well and I agree, the scribes weren't that helpful for me because it was just too much prose - at least when you hear the prof's intonation you can pick up on what's really important. (if your school does mp3 recording I would stay away from the scirbe service - takes WAY too much time to type an hour long lecture verbatim, most kids in my class averaged 3-5hr depending on the prof).

The other thing I did is listen to Goljan throughout second year corresponding with my path class. I think I got through each system probably 2-3 times before each exam (except heme/onc) just while driving/working out. This helped me do really well in Path (where can I send the check for the Goljan distance learning course?)

make sure to plan some time in for fun, you gotta take care of yourself along this journey.

good luck guys!

 

[PublicEnemy]

its definitely possible to have a social life, work, do whatever you like and still stay on top of everything. I've managed to do quite well this year, despite working a couple nights a week teaching mcats for kaplan, and being active in extracurriculuars, student gov't, ortho/surgery club, and i go out at least once or twice every week, and we're also always doing something athletic, playing bball, raquetbball, kicks 4 kids flagfootball tourney, peds 3 on 3 tourney, did the broadstreet 10mile run in philly, went to DO Day on the hill, soma convention, etc. its all about being efficient with your time and being efficient with your studying. i go to the gym before class every morning, go to almost every class, try to get what I can out of it, listen to classes on mp3, and just stay close by reviewing the notes regularly. the week before the block exams, buckle down even more. you just have to get into a good routine, and if you're good with your time, i don't think it really requires more than a couple hours a night, but you just have to be really focused.

i also try not to stress going into exams. a bunch of us try to get our stuff together ahead of time, and we relax the night before exams, we'll hit up a local bar, watch movies. people in our class think we're crazy for not staying up all night cramming, but if you got it down, it all comes down to confidence, knowing you know it, and giving yourself a chance on tests.

a lot of us have actually developed a culture of studying too. you'll see the same usual suspects at the library or local study hotspots, its comforting to have your colleagues around you. its almost like "social studying" its nice to have an instant social outlet, plus group studying often helps too, teaching stuff back to each other. i like learning by trying to explain things, but i also learn well by listening, plus one of your classmates might be able to explain a mnemonic or way to remember something that could be helpful to you. but again, you have to be careful and focused with your time, and get your stuff done at your own pace. just find a system that works for you, adapt it, its completely personal. some people just read the notes over and over, others make study guides, flash cars, rewrite things, etc. do whatever works for you.

having good friends helps too. while toasting with champagne the night before our micro final, last exam of first year, one of my buddies added "to med school, its not how you study, its how you buddy."

 

[AmaurosisFugax]

Plus I think sleep research is showing that "staying up all night" is a pretty bad idea, study-wise. REM sleep is more helpful.