I study too much...

[reedman]

...to not be making As. I'm studying my ass off like never before, but I don't think my grades are gonna get any better because second year is harder.

Anyone else feel like you study way too much to make the grades you do?

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[auburnO5]

...to not be making As. I'm studying my ass off like never before, but I don't think my grades are gonna get any better because second year is harder.

Anyone else feel like you study way too much to make the grades you do?

Yes. I studied my ass off and BARELY passed my second test.

 

[corbis11]

mediocrity...get used to it. It's more important to build a good knowledge base than to worry about getting all A's

 

[naus]

Some people just remember things better with one read. Others have to repeat it 3x, 4x and still forget a lot of the details.

It's like in anatomy lab, some people can remember every structure the instructor is showing, while for others you can see their eyes glaze over.

 

[reedman]

i guess i'm just complaining. i feel like i have hit my limit on studying, if i step it up any more i will go insane. i have no problem being mediocre in a very competitive environment, but i was thinking this year that if i out study all my classmates i can be at least in the top quarter. oh well🙄
i spend more time in the library than i do at home.

 

[auburnO5]

i guess i'm just complaining. i feel like i have hit my limit on studying, if i step it up any more i will go insane. i have no problem being mediocre in a very competitive environment, but i was thinking this year that if i out study all my classmates i can be at least in the top quarter. oh well🙄
i spend more time in the library than i do at home.

You sound exactly like me.

I think I am going to have to come to realize that I will just be middle of the pack when it comes to grades.

 

[kdburton]

...to not be making As. I'm studying my ass off like never before, but I don't think my grades are gonna get any better because second year is harder.

Anyone else feel like you study way too much to make the grades you do?

Just try changing the way you do things. In the beginning of first year I used to take all sorts of notes or re-write notes in ways that I thought would be easier to "memorize" then I realized that for me it just took way too long with little returns. I switched things up a bit and did better in school with less work. You gotta realize that sometimes it is hard to do this - especially if you're not doing bad - because naturally you think that if you just try harder at doing what you're already doing then you'll do better. Sometimes you just gotta try studying a different way (even if that way may may not work)

 

[Untraditional]

mediocrity...get used to it. It's more important to build a good knowledge base than to worry about getting all A's

Two boards down there are people talking about how failing to honor a single course makes it impossible to apply for a decent surgery residency.

Worst feeling in medical school is when you miss 3 on an exam and are still below the median score. "Getting used to it" doesn't make anyone feel better.

 

[QuaerensIntelle]

If it makes you feel better, I had the same issue in my first module (biochem genetics etc). I got a B even though I worked like a mad person. In my second year now, and I haven't gotten a B since =)-or even close.

I just learned how to study (prereading, NO LAPTOP IF YOU GO TO CLASS, rewriting notes, making lists of buzzwords for the insane details and doing a 100 or so questions the day before the test).

Just because you are struggling now doesn't mean you will always. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, don't compare yourself to everyone else, and don't think you are stupid if you have trouble. You don't have to get As-you have to be competent and sometimes the crap on your test isn't relevant at all to what will make you a competent doctor/intern/resident. IE I had a question on a test today about how to treat sore nipples from breastfeeding-gah.

 

[Rollo]

mediocrity...get used to it. It's more important to build a good knowledge base than to worry about getting all A's

Truth 👍

If you're understanding the material and have a solid foundation, then you've already accomplished a lot. Don't worry about the pre-clinical grades so much.

 

[auburnO5]

If it makes you feel better, I had the same issue in my first module (biochem genetics etc). I got a B even though I worked like a mad person. In my second year now, and I haven't gotten a B since =)-or even close.

I just learned how to study (prereading, NO LAPTOP IF YOU GO TO CLASS, rewriting notes, making lists of buzzwords for the insane details and doing a 100 or so questions the day before the test).

Just because you are struggling now doesn't mean you will always. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, don't compare yourself to everyone else, and don't think you are stupid if you have trouble. You don't have to get As-you have to be competent and sometimes the crap on your test isn't relevant at all to what will make you a competent doctor/intern/resident. IE I had a question on a test today about how to treat sore nipples from breastfeeding-gah.

That sounds like a question that might actual be relevant? Maybe I'm just missing something

 

[MilkmanAl]

You'll actually run into that a hell of a lot, but I agree with the main point that a huge portion of what you learn during the first 2 years (M1, in particular) is essentially clinically useless. Even if you do happen to run into one of the crazy zebras, you'll be busy looking it up and/or winging it since nobody is going to know what the hell to do about it with any degree of certainty. Missing those details obviously won't affect your clinical skill.

 

[Marcus Brody]

Do you really study too much, or do you just feel like you study too much? Maybe you are being inefficient. Or maybe you are overworking yourself and not taking care of sleeping, eating, socializing, etc, which is counterproductive. Med school isn't college, so you might have to do some drastic things to get ahead...ie skip classes, study at odd hours, change your methods. For example, in college I would make a big production out of going to the gym. Now I just lift in street clothes for 15 mins and leave, serves the same purpose but saves about an hour. Meals...I pack a few meals but I also order takeout a lot more often too to save time. Lots of little corners to cut, you just have to think outside the box.

Don't settle for mediocrity. If you want to do well, you can.

 

[MossPoh]

I've noticed that a lot of people who did well during first year are struggling now simply because they were never forced to analyze and streamline their study habits. I actually went from being below the average on near everything to doing relatively well in my courses.

I put a significant amount of time into studying but it truly isn't all stuff for class. Whenever I see a mechanism or disease I don't remember I look it up and study it a bit over simply memorizing it for a test. I've also spent a lot of time linking things together and explaining. I always get nailed on those stupid random factoids, but overall it has paid off so far...... So far.

That doesn't mean I haven't hit a wall. I give myself about 40 minutes when feeling unproductive and if I still can't stop daydreaming I bail and do other things for sanity sake. Today I studied at a peaceful little cafe on a lake. It is a nice change from my windowless room.

 

[brianmartin]

If you are studying at your limit and still not getting A's....then.....so what? What's wrong with a B. You will forget most of the details eventually anyway. I think if you are integrating the concepts, it doesn't matter if you are getting 80% of the details, or 90% of the details.