I'm in my second year of college, and I'm honestly not sure what I'm actually supposed to be doing.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

andrewgillim5

New Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Hi all, this is my first post, and I'm really grateful that you all accepted me. So, I'm in the last week of the second trimester of my second year of college (Pre-med majoring in Biology, minoring in Chemistry). I'm really confused about what I need to be doing right now. I hear all about people on forums volunteering, shadowing, and preparing for the MCAT, but I don't understand how everyone has so much time to do it? It seems like for me, all I do is get home and study until 10 pm everyday, and I still struggle. I feel like that's all I have time to do is study. I barely have time to eat, and I don't work out either. I do have a part time job, but I usually only work 10-15 hours per week. In addition to feeling like I don't have enough time to do anything but study, I also don't know how to sign up or start volunteering and shadowing. I also have gotten a B in Human Physiology, and I believe I'm going to get a B in Intro to Pharmacology as well. I've gotten all A's in the rest of my classes. Am I doing something wrong, or am I too late to start building my med school application, and should just quit while I'm ahead and do something else? I really want to become a doctor more than anything else.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Members don't see this ad.
 
Does your school of a pre-med committee? If yoy have other advisors, I recommend you meet with then too. To start volunteering, see if local hospitals have volunteers and research on how to join. Also you need non-clinical volunteering maybe at a homeless shelter or food pantry - these opportunites are so easy to find if you just look. Maybe there’s an underserved community or school that needs tutors or volunteers. You also need to reach out to physicians (maybe start with your primary care provider) and start shadowing. I recommend looking for a scribe job when you have time. Undergrad is a prime time to do research as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
@Kumorebi How would I be able to manage all that on top of seemingly endless studying? Is it possible that I'm studying the wrong way and therefore taking way too long?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Members don't see this ad :)
@Kumorebi How would I be able to manage all that on top of seemingly endless studying? Is it possible that I'm studying the wrong way and therefore taking way too long?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
It takes everyone a different amount of time and effort to learn material. What exactly has your study plan been? You seem successful with only two Bs so far.
 
I think the biggest thing for me when I was managing a big plate (multiple jobs, commitments and school) was that I took a step away and made a plan on how I could manage all this. You say you are doing a bio major and chem minor, maybe drop the minor? I really don't think that helps as much as doing well with a single major to be honest. Are you struggling with doing a bio major? I saw that when I was in courses I liked, even if they were difficult I enjoyed it and it helps when studying. I've talked to multiple physicians who tell me they wish they majored in something they enjoyed instead of what they thought med schools want. Med schools don't focus on the major as much as the pre-med requirements so as long as you do well in those then you should major in something more manageable and enjoyable. As far as extracurriculars go, find stuff close to home that are flexible so you can make school a priority. I volunteered at my local hospital for 4 hours once a week on a Saturday, not a huge commitment but I made it last long and it made a huge impact for me. When you are MCAT studying, make sure you have stopped any commitments that will take a substantial amount of time away from studying. People who study while taking courses literally make it their job to study and I never liked that idea so I waited until I finished school to study. It is never too late to build your app but do not commit to anything that will make your grades or MCAT score dip. Pick experiences you think you can manage and as long as it has meaning to you it does not matter what it is really.
 
It takes everyone a different amount of time and effort to learn material. What exactly has your study plan been? You seem successful with only two Bs so far.
My study plan isn't as good as it used to be. We've been covering so much material let lecture that I basically just study the PowerPoints because all my profs do is literally read off the PowerPoints. I also use Quizlet for review and also watch YouTube videos if I'm having trouble understanding any concepts.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
I think the biggest thing for me when I was managing a big plate (multiple jobs, commitments and school) was that I took a step away and made a plan on how I could manage all this. You say you are doing a bio major and chem minor, maybe drop the minor? I really don't think that helps as much as doing well with a single major to be honest. Are you struggling with doing a bio major? I saw that when I was in courses I liked, even if they were difficult I enjoyed it and it helps when studying. I've talked to multiple physicians who tell me they wish they majored in something they enjoyed instead of what they thought med schools want. Med schools don't focus on the major as much as the pre-med requirements so as long as you do well in those then you should major in something more manageable and enjoyable. As far as extracurriculars go, find stuff close to home that are flexible so you can make school a priority. I volunteered at my local hospital for 4 hours once a week on a Saturday, not a huge commitment but I made it last long and it made a huge impact for me. When you are MCAT studying, make sure you have stopped any commitments that will take a substantial amount of time away from studying. People who study while taking courses literally make it their job to study and I never liked that idea so I waited until I finished school to study. It is never too late to build your app but do not commit to anything that will make your grades or MCAT score dip. Pick experiences you think you can manage and as long as it has meaning to you it does not matter what it is really.
So it's not so much as the difficulty of the course work, it's more of the fact that the trimester system forces us to do nothing but cram for each test. It's literally been all cramming since freshman year, and I barely remember anything at all. Every trimester is 3 classes for 10 weeks, plus labs, etc. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but there is literally a test every 2 or 3 class sessions and we barely have time to learn. For example, my pharmacology professor usually has 3 classes and then test on the 4th meeting (meets biweekly) but every lecture he packs in two PowerPoints (each a separate lecture) in one, so he literally just fast reads off the PowerPoints without stopping to explain anything. And since my university has a mandatory 85% or 90% attendance policy, I can't just skip lecture and study at home. So I guess the whole cramming in way too much stuff. This week is finals week and we had two days with three PowerPoints each and test is Thursday, so I basically have to study for 6 lectures in a couple of days, all while finishing biochem homework, studying for thebiochem final on Friday, the microbiology lab report due Thursday and the microbiology final exam on the same day. This is how it's been the entire time I've been at college. So I feel like I literally don't have time to do anything else. Maybe the problem is that I get too much sleep? I usually go to bed 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:15 am.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Hi all, this is my first post, and I'm really grateful that you all accepted me. So, I'm in the last week of the second trimester of my second year of college (Pre-med majoring in Biology, minoring in Chemistry). I'm really confused about what I need to be doing right now. I hear all about people on forums volunteering, shadowing, and preparing for the MCAT, but I don't understand how everyone has so much time to do it? It seems like for me, all I do is get home and study until 10 pm everyday, and I still struggle. I feel like that's all I have time to do is study. I barely have time to eat, and I don't work out either. I do have a part time job, but I usually only work 10-15 hours per week. In addition to feeling like I don't have enough time to do anything but study, I also don't know how to sign up or start volunteering and shadowing. I also have gotten a B in Human Physiology, and I believe I'm going to get a B in Intro to Pharmacology as well. I've gotten all A's in the rest of my classes. Am I doing something wrong, or am I too late to start building my med school application, and should just quit while I'm ahead and do something else? I really want to become a doctor more than anything else.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Can you get a job scribing for 10-15 hours per week? That would eliminate the need for clinical volunteering. If you aren't able to make the time for volunteer/shadowing, perhaps you are taking too many credit hours? I would suggest cutting back by one class if you can so that you can maintain as high of a GPA as possible. I volunteered 2-3hrs/week at the humane society for 1.5yrs and that was sufficient, you only really need about 100 non clinical volunteer hours. Shadowing you should get roughly 60-100 hours and could do that over the summer, just start calling around to local GP's and asking them. Your cramming and not remembering is worrisome, because you need to remember this stuff for the MCAT, that tells me you are taking too many classes. I cut back my hours to only take 2 classes the semester before the MCAT because I studied about 40hrs/week for 3 months. Look into kaplan quick sheets which has a very broad, shallow coverage of things you would want to start looking back up prior to taking the MCAT.

As far as your major goes, you don't necessarily have to be a bio major. I was a nursing major and worked for several years in my field. You could major in anything, as long as you take the prerequisites which it sounds like you have. If you would be more interested in a major where you would do better, you should do that. A 4.0 psych major is going to trump a 3.4 bio major to the ADCOMS, I met many people with diverse majors along my interview trail.
 
Last edited:
So it's not so much as the difficulty of the course work, it's more of the fact that the trimester system forces us to do nothing but cram for each test. It's literally been all cramming since freshman year, and I barely remember anything at all. Every trimester is 3 classes for 10 weeks, plus labs, etc. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but there is literally a test every 2 or 3 class sessions and we barely have time to learn. For example, my pharmacology professor usually has 3 classes and then test on the 4th meeting (meets biweekly) but every lecture he packs in two PowerPoints (each a separate lecture) in one, so he literally just fast reads off the PowerPoints without stopping to explain anything. And since my university has a mandatory 85% or 90% attendance policy, I can't just skip lecture and study at home. So I guess the whole cramming in way too much stuff. This week is finals week and we had two days with three PowerPoints each and test is Thursday, so I basically have to study for 6 lectures in a couple of days, all while finishing biochem homework, studying for thebiochem final on Friday, the microbiology lab report due Thursday and the microbiology final exam on the same day. This is how it's been the entire time I've been at college. So I feel like I literally don't have time to do anything else. Maybe the problem is that I get too much sleep? I usually go to bed 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:15 am.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
The classes sound fast paced for sure so you could think about slowing it down in terms of the load. I took a 5th year to finish my major without quadrupling my major classes because I knew I needed some time for my own mental and physical well-being, keeping my commitments aligned. Schools will not hate you for that as they will look at your application and see that you did well and managed to do other things with your extra time. You're not sleeping too much haha I would get 10 hours on some days just because. Don't overstress yourself and try to enjoy the journey as much as you can and you will be satisfied in the end.
 
Hi all, this is my first post, and I'm really grateful that you all accepted me. So, I'm in the last week of the second trimester of my second year of college (Pre-med majoring in Biology, minoring in Chemistry). I'm really confused about what I need to be doing right now. I hear all about people on forums volunteering, shadowing, and preparing for the MCAT, but I don't understand how everyone has so much time to do it? It seems like for me, all I do is get home and study until 10 pm everyday, and I still struggle. I feel like that's all I have time to do is study. I barely have time to eat, and I don't work out either. I do have a part time job, but I usually only work 10-15 hours per week. In addition to feeling like I don't have enough time to do anything but study, I also don't know how to sign up or start volunteering and shadowing. I also have gotten a B in Human Physiology, and I believe I'm going to get a B in Intro to Pharmacology as well. I've gotten all A's in the rest of my classes. Am I doing something wrong, or am I too late to start building my med school application, and should just quit while I'm ahead and do something else? I really want to become a doctor more than anything else.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Go to your school's learning or education center for help.

You do need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
 
You should be focussing on getting A's. Studying for the MCAT is fairly useless at this point in time. If you can't fit it all in then take a gap year after school to scribe and volunteer and study for the MCAT. Definitely make use of on campus resources for tutoring (most schools offer this for STEM classes). Definitely work through pre-med advising, this is a major advantage current students have over non-trads. Also, I know it's frowned upon to do too much of the hard stuff over the summer, but summer classes are amazing, especially if you can just take 1 at a time. It lowers your intensive course work in the academic year and I think you learn better when you focus on just one thing. I did organic 1 in the summer as well as genetics, amazing GPA boosters and no one ever questioned me on it: an A in chemistry is an A even if it was earned in the summer! And a lot of times you can combine a summer class with a research project and even be paid in the process if your school has research funding: win/win/win!
 
Top