How to catch up in medical school

[speeddemon]

Long story short: I fell behind in my first week of medical school and need advice on how to catch up.

We have done 9 lectures so far, and there are 9 more to do before the first test in 2 weeks.

I have so far memorized 1 lecture and have 8 more lectures to do + all the stuff in the next 2 weeks.

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[JP2740]

You are finished.

 

[CDI]

Doomed.

 

[Anastomoses]

I have some magic beans just for this sort of thing.

 

[Vermicious Knid]

how is this a problem? you are a speeddemon after all.

 

[mvenus929]

In one week, you've only gone through one lecture?

You need to study more efficiently. Get big picture stuff first, then go back and figure out all the details if you have time before the exam.

 

[yehhhboiii]

study more

 

[Locrian]

Long story short: I fell behind in my first week of medical school and need advice on how to catch up.

We have done 9 lectures so far, and there are 9 more to do before the first test in 2 weeks.

I have so far memorized 1 lecture and have 8 more lectures to do + all the stuff in the next 2 weeks.

Another example of why the advice "relax before med school, don't look into books or lectures till you get there" is hilarious. Most people don't know what they are getting into, and if you've done absolutely nothing, it's so easy to already get behind.

 

[DrBowtie]

Throw on those lectures at 2x speed and catch up in a couple days.

 

[thefritz]

You can't learn it all. Put in a good 5-6 hours of studying outside of class per day and you'll be ok. Don't worry. Make notecards and stop trying to memorize lectures. I'm assuming you're starting with biochem, so get lippincott's review and focus on that as your main study material. Draw the pathways over and over again. You'll be ok.

 

[swamprat]

Dude this is not a big deal lol.. 9 lectures, 9 hours, 4.5 on 2x speed, 1 afternoon. Watch them, reread, reread, reread.. Get used to it it doesn't get easier

 

[notbobtrustme]

lol, is this thread a joke? You can easily pound out an entire week's worth of lectures on the weekends. It takes some dedication and heart, but ****ing A man, you're in med school. I wouldn't recommend it for the long haul, but sometimes **** happens, and that's how you deal.

 

[speeddemon]

Thanks for all the responses.

How are we supposed to memorize all the information?

There are lectures, lecture handouts and random outside information all thrown in there.

I've gone through 6 of the 9 lectures, but I feel like I only know everything about 1 lecture if that makes sense.

 

[witzelsucht]

Does your school have some kind of tutoring/mentoring program? They would be the people best able to help you.

You aren't supposed to memorize every single thing in every lecture. Know the pathways, the clinical correlates, and anything that the teacher seems to spend a lot of time on. Review/summary slides are also good, if your professors make them well. Look at a BRS and do practice problems.

 

[Ismet]

Thanks for all the responses.

How are we supposed to memorize all the information?

There are lectures, lecture handouts and random outside information all thrown in there.

I've gone through 6 of the 9 lectures, but I feel like I only know everything about 1 lecture if that makes sense.

BIG. PICTURE. You don't need to know every little piece of information. If a topic keeps coming up in multiple lectures or if a relatively large chunk of time is spent hammering home one concept, that's a clue that it is important. Also seek out academic support sooner rather than later. You haven't had your first exam yet, so you have no way of knowing if what you're doing is working or not. You're not going to magically have the correct study habits right away, it takes some time and trial and error. At this point, just catch up today and don't fall behind on this coming week's material.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Thanks for all the responses.

How are we supposed to memorize all the information?

There are lectures, lecture handouts and random outside information all thrown in there.

I've gone through 6 of the 9 lectures, but I feel like I only know everything about 1 lecture if that makes sense.

Trial and error. Also, talk to upperclassmen. They'll know what things to focus on. Like someone else said, you don't have to memorize every single minute detail on every PowerPoint slide -- the upperclassmen will better direct you re: what to focus your studies on.

Also, repetition is key. Don't study a topic once and expect to understand it thoroughly. As you keep making more passes through the material, everything will make more sense and you'll remember it much better. Don't fall behind this early in med school. It's better to over-study and tone it down from there rather than falling behind and scrambling to catch up. I guess that last bit's more for the incoming M1s, since the cat's out of the bag for OP already.

 

[mvenus929]

Thanks for all the responses.

How are we supposed to memorize all the information?

There are lectures, lecture handouts and random outside information all thrown in there.

I've gone through 6 of the 9 lectures, but I feel like I only know everything about 1 lecture if that makes sense.

There is way too much information in medicine to know it all. You need to learn this now. That's why people specialize. Focus on big picture concepts, and important details based on what is stressed in the lectures. You are not going to be able to memorize every single biochemical pathway, gene locus, and name for every inherited disease. It's just not going to happen. Start searching for patterns in things, though, and when you run cross something you don't know, you'll be more able to work it out.

 

[Unzbuzzled]

What med school has only 18 lecture hours over a three-week exam block? I want to go there...

 

[yehhhboiii]

What med school has only 18 lecture hours over a three-week exam block? I want to go there...

maybe they're doing heavy anatomy lab

 

[speeddemon]

What med school has only 18 lecture hours over a three-week exam block? I want to go there...

maybe they're doing heavy anatomy lab

There are 18 lectures, but possibly more lecture hours. For example, the lecture I'm in now is 2 hours long.

We have heavy anatomy and histology labs as well.

 

[pandoraone]

There are 18 lectures, but possibly more lecture hours. For example, the lecture I'm in now is 2 hours long.

We have heavy anatomy and histology labs as well.

Define heavy anatomy and histology labs.

 

[Signorina]

Thanks for all the responses.

How are we supposed to memorize all the information?

There are lectures, lecture handouts and random outside information all thrown in there.

I've gone through 6 of the 9 lectures, but I feel like I only know everything about 1 lecture if that makes sense.

The best advice I read in this forum that helped me when I was faced with the same questions was to start with review books.

The 80-20 Rule! (The Pareto principle)

Focus on that 20 by going through review books. It will give you the big picture quickly, and it somehow makes studying easier when you go back and fill-in the gaps with books and class packets.