If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?

[CatFactorial]

This is, in part, why I don't advocate the ever-popular (on SDN, at least) "grades in M1/M2 don't matter" mantra. It encourages complacency in many. For me, at least, learning any and everything during M1/M2 helped me not only crush Step I, but made formulating ddx's and treatment plans much easier, and made studying for shelf exams and Step II even easier.

Especially during early third year, when attendings know you don't have any real clinical acumen, you get pimped on a lot of stuff (often minutiae) from the first two years.

The grades don't matter mantra assumes that med students are disciplined self learners. Nobody advocates shirking the material.

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[JackShephard MD]

This is, in part, why I don't advocate the ever-popular (on SDN, at least) "grades in M1/M2 don't matter" mantra. It encourages complacency in many. For me, at least, learning any and everything during M1/M2 helped me not only crush Step I, but made formulating ddx's and treatment plans much easier, and made studying for shelf exams and Step II even easier.

Especially during early third year, when attendings know you don't have any real clinical acumen, you get pimped on a lot of stuff (often minutiae) from the first two years.

I'm interested to hear more about this.

I have found that on the blocks where I use review books, I'm learning more comprehensive and more conceptually than by just using course notes, although sometimes my grades will drop slightly by spreading my focus too wide (losing out on minutia or straight recall from PPTs). This is especially true when we have a block that has sub par instructors (where review books >>>> block). How does one develop the skills during M1/M2 that lead to success as an M3/M4 (with ddx's and treatment plans)?

 

[CatFactorial]

I'm interested to hear more about this.

I have found that on the blocks where I use review books, I'm learning more comprehensive and more conceptually than by just using course notes, although sometimes my grades will drop slightly by spreading my focus too wide (losing out on minutia or straight recall from PPTs). This is especially true when we have a block that has sub par instructors (where review books >>>> block). How does one develop the skills during M1/M2 that lead to success as an M3/M4 (with ddx's and treatment plans)?

I think more than a skill set, one should focus on mastery of the fundamental concepts. It seems that ddxs and treatment plans logically follow thorough comprehension of any given patient's pathophysiology.