Is there time to have a life?

[MedStudentWanna]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I think some people have a problem with the definition of the word consistent. I never said L2D isn't consistent. I said he's consistently full of gloom and doom.

And I don't know what posts you've been reading. There are several on this thread alone that talk about having more free time than L2D implies. To read one of L2D's posts, it's as if there's nothing but class and studying and losing friends. Friends will leave you in droves because you'll have zero time to spend with them? Also, there's these from this vary thread:

while medical school is a big time commitment for sure there is plenty of time to still have a good time

It varies during the school year (on and off test weeks for example) but in general yes, it's possible to have a social life.

I devote 1-6 hours a day studying, 0-3 for mandatory school activities, 1 to working out, and the rest to staying sane. This "staying sane" time is mostly spent/squandered on the internet, spent with the girlfriend, who is also in med school, or spent partying/hanging out with groups of friends on the weekends.

Very possible to have a life. In fact, many students at my school go out 3-4 times a week (and then some) on non exam weeks and still end up doing very well.

On average, I study 1-3 hours a night, and that is not every night. Of course, this is ramped up to 5-7 hours about a week before tests, but I still find plenty of time to go out, exercise, etc.

All of those quotes seem to contradict L2D's "you'll lose all your friends" because you'll never ever see them cautionary tale.

 

[Dr Roboto]

A few anecdotes from people on SDN is hardly representative of everyone else. Everyone's goals are different (passing vs honoring). Everyone's abilities are different (needing 6 hrs vs 16 hrs studying).

But one thing L2D said before and that I want to emphasize is that everyone should go in cautiously optimistic. Don't treat it like undergrad. Expect the best but prepare for the worst. I can read everyone's experiences all I want but I won't really have an idea of how well things will turn out until I'm there.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I never said it was representative of everyone else. What I said from the start was that L2D's post wasn't in-line with other posts *I* had read.

 

[Insulinshock]

I think some people have a problem with the definition of the word consistent. I never said L2D isn't consistent. I said he's consistently full of gloom and doom.

And I don't know what posts you've been reading. There are several on this thread alone that talk about having more free time than L2D implies. To read one of L2D's posts, it's as if there's nothing but class and studying and losing friends. Friends will leave you in droves because you'll have zero time to spend with them? Also, there's these from this vary thread:











All of those quotes seem to contradict L2D's "you'll lose all your friends" because you'll never ever see them cautionary tale.

I am in absolutely no position to speak about medical school life, but I have also noticed the distinct contradictions from some SDN posters, even before this thread, about how much time free time one can expect to have in medical school.

 

[greg1184]

I am in absolutely no position to speak about medical school life, but I have also noticed the distinct contradictions from some SDN posters, even before this thread, about how much time free time one can expect to have in medical school.

Perhaps it is because it depends on the school, class/module, student's study habits, etc?

 

[Insulinshock]

Perhaps it is because it depends on the school, class/module, student's study habits, etc?

Perhaps. I was just throwing it out there.

 

[ar2388]

we really are not taking a lot of things into account. for example, the one who say it is easy, are they at a school that is PBL heavy and the students are done with classes around 1pm (like cornell. i spoke to a few of them and some were even able to have jobs during M1) or is it a place where you are in class 10am to 6pm (like mount sinai?) and have to study afterwards? from the cornell students i heard tht because they teach the material in so many different ways (labs, lectures, discussions) that you are bound to understand it one way or another which im sure makes the studying you do at home a lot easier and more efficient.

 

[thechad]

Okay, well I'm finishing up my first semester, and I'll give you my average schedule:

Mon-Fri.
8am-3pm: class
3pm-5pm: lab
5:30pm-7:30pm: study/review
7:30pm-12:30am: TV, Games, Phone, Beer, Exercise, Internets, and whatever else I feel like doing.

Sat. and Sun.
Wake up whenever I happen to, then study for an hour or three depending on the week. Then take 4-6 hours off to do whatever before studying for another hour. Then the rest of the night is mine.

So 10 hours of my day are associated with school during the week. Weekends are pretty much free. It's not really that bad. People have been saying it's like a full time job, and this makes me laugh because I worked about 35-40 hours a week during undergrad. This honestly seems like a nice break for me because all I have to do is school (which was probably the only thing most of you had to worry about during undergrad).

Does L2D make it out to be dismal and bleak? Yes, he does. I also must retract my apology to him, he is a D bag (this is my personal opinion). Perhaps he should see a doctor instead of seeding his own sadomasochistic tendencies in the minds of others.

 

[testingfood]

Okay, well I'm finishing up my first semester, and I'll give you my average schedule:

Mon-Fri.
8am-3pm: class
3pm-5pm: lab
5:30pm-7:30pm: study/review
7:30pm-12:30am: TV, Games, Phone, Beer, Exercise, Internets, and whatever else I feel like doing.

Sat. and Sun.
Wake up whenever I happen to, then study for an hour or three depending on the week. Then take 4-6 hours off to do whatever before studying for another hour. Then the rest of the night is mine.

So 10 hours of my day are associated with school during the week. Weekends are pretty much free. It's not really that bad. People have been saying it's like a full time job, and this makes me laugh because I worked about 35-40 hours a week during undergrad. This honestly seems like a nice break for me because all I have to do is school (which was probably the only thing most of you had to worry about during undergrad).

Does L2D make it out to be dismal and bleak? Yes, he does. I also must retract my apology to him, he is a D bag (this is my personal opinion). Perhaps he should see a doctor instead of seeding his own sadomasochistic tendencies in the minds of others.

i agree with this guy. L2D is a d bag. i'm tired of reading his posts on here and seeing him get so much praise from everyone. he makes it sound like med school is impossible.

well let me tell you...this weekend my friend is visiting me. she goes to WashU and just finished her first year. yes, WashU, one of the best med schools in the country. go check their #s...they have the highest mcat and gpa averages in the country (3.9 and 38). i'm applying right now, so i was asking her today how her first year was. she said she didn't study much at all. she went to class 8am to 3pm TWTh and 12-3 pm MF. she said she only studied the week before tests. she said she had 3 tests per semester. she said she has every evening (minus test weeks) to relax and do what she wants. again, this is WashU we are talking about, too...I don't know where L2D goes but I know I'd take the word of a WashU student over some dude on an internet forum who likes to get praise for going to a med school (probably a mediocre one, too).

she did say she thinks her 2nd year will be much different, though. at WashU, the first year is P/F while the 2nd year has real grading. they also have Step1 next summer. she said you have 5 weeks off for Step1 at WashU. most students study for 3 weeks, take the test that 4th week, and relax the 5th week before starting the 3rd year.

she said at WashU that the 1st and 4th years tend to be easier while the 2nd and 3rd are supposedly hell. she said there are clinical electives that are supposed to be taken the 4th year, which is why it's easier that last year. however, she said most students party too much during the 1st 3 years so actually have a stressful 4th year.

the nice about WashU is you don't have to be as competitive...because you graduate from WashU. she said the professors tell them "you will go into interviews for your residency. they will be like 'oh you're from WashU? here you go!'" haha so that's where it pays going to a top med school.

oh, she also said...you don't have to read the textbooks for classes. as long as you go to classes, take notes, and study the notes the profs give you, then you only need the text books for reference. sounds good me since i hate reading textbooks!

again, this is WashU...so I think most other schools only have it easier 👍

 

[wasteoftime]

statistically speaking...if you got under 10 on any section of the mcat, you will have to spend way more time studying than anyone who got over a 12 on every section...some people just are able to absorb knowledge easier than others

 

[Dr Roboto]

I feel sorry for all the premeds who take testingfood's post seriously.

Why is L2D's opinion any more wrong than yours? Take a second and go to the allo forum. Do a search if you have to. You'll see plenty of threads on how to study, what books to use, dealing with problems, and even on repeating first year. Why is that? Because, believe it or not, some people do have trouble in med school. Now L2D is giving one side, while other people are giving another side. That's fine. But please, don't crap all over this thread because you can't tolerate a different opinion.

 

[ar2388]

well f*ck. i wish i applied to washU.. maybe ill get into cornell or nyu or hell, maybe harvard? hahaha

 

[tiedyeddog]

the nice about WashU is you don't have to be as competitive...because you graduate from WashU. she said the professors tell them "you will go into interviews for your residency. they will be like 'oh you're from WashU? here you go!'" haha so that's where it pays going to a top med school.


again, this is WashU...so I think most other schools only have it easier 👍

I think your friend is very misinformed and so are you... The stats needed to be competitive for a residency position can depend highly on what you're applying for. I don't agree with Law2Doc sometimes but I'll give him way more credit than your one word of mouth conversation with a med student. At least Law2doc has been there, where you are relying on the word of a friend (who might just be a super genius or have a photogenic memory?). It sounds like your concept of what it takes to get into residency might be a little skewed.

I think this thread is a little pointless. You will have a ton more time if you are wanting to get into the least desired residency program in family medicine... Your stats will be competitive for that as long as you pass step I, in most cases. If you want a integrated plastics spot, no matter where you go to medical school, you're going to need to work.

 

[Dr Roboto]

Since we're playing this game, I thought I would have some fun with mad libs like the good old days.

well let me tell you...this weekend my friend is visiting me. she goes to Hollywood Upstairs and just finished her first year. yes, Hollywood Upstairs, one of the worst med schools in the country. go check their #s...they have the lowest mcat and gpa averages in the country (2.0 and 3). i'm applying right now, so i was asking her today how her first year was. she said she studies all the f*cking time!!! she went to class 8am to 3pm TWTh and 12-3 pm MF. she said she studies 28 hrs a day the week before tests. she said she had 3 tests per semester. she said she has every evening (minus test weeks) to freak out and cry and study. again, this is Hollywood Upstairs we are talking about, too

oh, she also said...you have to read the textbooks for classes. as long as you go to classes, take notes, and study the notes the profs give you, spend 24 hrs a day in anatomy lab, and another 24 hrs in the library then you only need the text books for reference maybe. sounds good me since i hate reading textbooks!

again, this is Hollywood Upstairs...so I think most other schools only have it harder 👍

 

[HumidBeing]

Members posting in this thread have already been warned to keep it civil. It is a violation of the Terms of Service to insult, harass, or make defamatory statements about other members.

Please keep all comments toward one another respectful. Avoid profanity.

 

[Caesar]

Just a reminder:

The topic of this thread is how much social life you might have in Med school, not who is and isn't a *expletive deleted* D-bag. Thanks.😀

 

[RSAgator]

I think some people have a problem with the definition of the word consistent. I never said L2D isn't consistent. I said he's consistently full of gloom and doom.

And I don't know what posts you've been reading. There are several on this thread alone that talk about having more free time than L2D implies. To read one of L2D's posts, it's as if there's nothing but class and studying and losing friends. Friends will leave you in droves because you'll have zero time to spend with them? Also, there's these from this vary thread:


All of those quotes seem to contradict L2D's "you'll lose all your friends" because you'll never ever see them cautionary tale.

Honestly, it's something to expect from any big change. People hang out with people who have similar goals and interests. You get a new job and you start hanging out with your job friends instead of your school friends. Sure, your good friends will always be your good friends, but your "drinking buddies" will move on, and you'll start hanging out with people who have similar priorities. It's not something that's unique to medical school, that's how it is when you graduate high school, when you graduate college, when you finish your semester abroad, etc. Obviously there's a negative connotation to a sentence such as "your friends will leave you in droves" but it's not all too inaccurate and it's probably more a product of life than a product of your med school study habits.


Also "having a life" isn't the most accurate phrase as people define this very differently. You quote people in this thread who say they spend a lot of time for med school stuff but they still have a life, but I can guarantee you most of the people I went to college with would look at the schedule and say "wow, you spend that much time on school? you must have no life." It's all a matter of opinion, and I'd trust the opinion of someone whose actually been around the block for a few years over someone whose just completed his first summer semester at med school.

 

[mdgator]

I got a kick out of reading this thread. L2D gave it to you guys straight, and some of you can't handle the truth. Let me warn you...if you can't stand the thoughts of studying/working/going to class 50+ hours per week...withdraw your applications, change your major, and pick another career. Most med students study a lot. (Seriously, where did you guys get the impression that it would be easy?) And I know, you're in the middle of undergrad, and you think studying a lot means 2 or 3 hours per day. It doesn't. I've only been in med school for 10 weeks now. This summer has probably been the lightest courseload I'll have for the next four years. But speaking from my limited experience, I can already say that L2D is right on the money.

My average day is 3-4 hours of studying in the morning, 4 hours of class/lab, then 4-6 more hours of studying. On weekends, I try to take at least a half day off. Sometimes I make it a whole day. But on a weekend before a test, I put in 10 hours a day, both days. On non-test weekends, I still get in a good 10 hours of studying or more.

This is med school. It is one of the most work-intensive tasks you will undertake in your life. But it can also be a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed myself so far, and I do find time for having a social life. Granted, to a large extent, that social life revolves around med school and my med school friends, since I rarely have time to spend with my non-med school friends...but I do some of that too.

It should also be acknowledged that some people work less in med school than L2D and I. Some only care about passing, and thus put the minimum amount of work in. (I would caution those of you who want to excel on the boards to put in a little more effort than this.) Still others are geniuses who can memorize whole text books in no time. However, in my experience, even those who only care about passing still put in several hours of studying most days, and I've never actually met anyone who has a 170 IQ and doesn't have to study to make A's...so I'd say most of you can expect to work pretty hard if/when you get into med school.

 

[testingfood]

I think your friend is very misinformed and so are you... The stats needed to be competitive for a residency position can depend highly on what you're applying for. I don't agree with Law2Doc sometimes but I'll give him way more credit than your one word of mouth conversation with a med student. At least Law2doc has been there, where you are relying on the word of a friend (who might just be a super genius or have a photogenic memory?). It sounds like your concept of what it takes to get into residency might be a little skewed.

I think this thread is a little pointless. You will have a ton more time if you are wanting to get into the least desired residency program in family medicine... Your stats will be competitive for that as long as you pass step I, in most cases. If you want a integrated plastics spot, no matter where you go to medical school, you're going to need to work.

okay, i'll be nice. who knows, my friend could be somewhat misinformed. she only finished her 1st year at WashU. i just know she's someone i trust wholeheartedly when it comes to anything. she cruised through undergrad with like 1 B and got a 41 on her MCAT after just taking a kaplan course all while taking an overloaded spring semester. she even applied in October and still got into WashU! so, yes, you're probably right. she's likely a genius and can cruise by with her brains for now. if you think about it, though, you can probably expect most of the students at a school like WashU to be that smart. also, if they got that far, do you really think those students will be failing? No. the washu prof told their class the fact they are from WashU will basically give them residencies. they obviously cannot fail their Step 1...do you really expect ppl from a school of 3.9 and 38 averages to have poor Step I performances? i'm sure they score just as high as they did on their mcats!

I just know it's rather reassuring when she says ppl at WashU certainly have a life when they're at one of the best med schools in the country. i'll be going to a mid-tier school if I get in this year. so, if she can cruise through WashU her first year, it gives me hope for myself at a "normal" school for having a life haha.

keep in mind i said she only did her 1st year. she said this year she thinks she will be studying 24/7. she said she can never get herself to study on her own. she needs someone to push her. so if her friends schedule studying time, she'll study with them ahead of time.

also as for what the person above me said, i'm sure he/she is correct. my WashU friend pretty much said the samething. she certainly has a life but she said the WashU law and med students tend to congregate. even if you might not have similar interests, you tend hangout around your peers since you spend so much of your time with your school.

i'd still suggest ppl stay cautious of L2D's posts and myself included. i am on this forum because i am applying this year. this forum gives me lots of info. however, why would a med student who's far into med school be on this pre-allo forum? he's not a moderator or anything, so why is he "helping" a bunch of anonymous premeds on a public forum? honestly, i think just to boost his own ego. let's put it this way....do you think you'll still be on this pre-allo forum a year from now (assuming you get into a school this year lol)?

i know there are several med students on this forum who come to simply help us premeds. if you read their threads, then you know it's obvious that's why they're here. if you read L2D's posts, though, they're always pessimistic and debbie-downy as many ppl on this thread pointed out. go read his argument on that thread about physician's salaries decreasing. although he makes some good points, everything he says is negative. L2D is a debbie downer.

anyways, that was definitely just an ad hom towards L2D. i apologize, L2D. unfortunately, i know the mods will still get rid of me lol. 👎

 

[mdgator]

however, why would a med student who's far into med school be on this pre-allo forum? he's not a moderator or anything, so why is "helping" a bunch of anonymous premeds on a public forum? honestly, i think just to boost his own ego. let's put it this way....do you think you'll still be on this pre-allo forum a year from now (assuming you get into a school this year lol)?

anyways, that was definitely just an ad hom towards L2D. i apologize, L2D. unfortunately, i know the mods will still get rid of me lol. 👎

Seriously? You do realize that most of the info on these forums would be completely useless if it weren't for people like L2D who are willing to share their experiences...right? If you wanted to learn how to fly a plane, would you seek guidance from an experienced pilot, or a bunch of people who've spent a few hours playing around with a flight simulator?

 

[HumidBeing]

Testingfood, you are misinformed. L2D is a highly respected and valued mod who gives a lot of time to this forum. It's people like him who come back year after year to share their experiences who keep our forum from being just a bunch of premeds filling each other in on hearsay.

Yes, many of us will still be on the forum, just as many of us, including med students, residents, and attendings, are volunteers on the high school forum.

It may be difficult for some to understand, but quite a few members are grateful for the help that we received from this site, and actually want to pay back our gratitude by helping others in return.

As Caesar so politely stated, it's time to change the direction of this thread from talking about individual people and their perceived motives to talking ONLY about whether one "Can Have a Life In Med School".

 

[Law2Doc]

You guys are free to believe what you want and only listen to the advice of folks who say what you want to hear. Most wouldn't suggest that to be the wisest course, but I know you can bring a horse to water...

And no, getting into a place like Wash U doesn't permit you to coast -- it's pretty dependent on what she wants to go into, and a little thing called board scores is still going to count in a big way. your friend may think this, but once she gets to fourth year I would probably ask her again. Heck there was just an article in the NY Times this past year about a couple hoping for derm who felt the need to interview at over 90 places to ensure an acceptance. That hardly sounds like being advised they were a shoo-in because of the H on their sweater. A lot of med students are under a delusion that getting into med school is the end of the race. But it's really just the first lap. You gotta keep running, because you are continously tested on this road and the competition gets tougher. Lots of folks in pre-allo feel that the MCAT and application process is the hardest thing they've faced, but in a few years you will laugh about that -- there are harder tests and other application processes awaiting. And you don't know what specialty you are going to like in a few years, so if you coast (assuming you aren't putting yourself at risk of failure as you will at many schools), you may not learn enough to do well on Step 1, and keep the competitive doors open. The best school students don't always get the best board scores, but the competitive specialties still maintain the highest averages -- they don't get those by taking anyone from a Wash U who wants to come. All of this you will learn when you get to med school.

But seriously, if you think you are going to do fine in med school with 1-2 hours of studying a night and 1-3 on the weekend, you are in for a really big surprise. I personally know of no one who does this, at least not after the first exam. I do know folks who like to talk a big game about how little they have to study, but then I sure see them hitting the library for more hours than they admit.(It's a form of gunning, a way they use to try to psych out others -- saying they do well without even trying. You see this on SDN in allo now and then too). With the 1-2 hour schedule, you are clearly still trying to treat it like college, and maintain what you are doing. This probably seems like plenty in college. But in med school, this that tends to get the same result as trying to treat a lion like a house cat. It doesn't work and you get mauled. Good luck with that.

 

[Instatewaiter]

well let me tell you...this weekend my friend is visiting me. she goes to WashU and just finished her first year. yes, WashU, one of the best med schools in the country. go check their #s...they have the highest mcat and gpa averages in the country (3.9 and 38). i'm applying right now, so i was asking her today how her first year was. she said she didn't study much at all. she went to class 8am to 3pm TWTh and 12-3 pm MF. she said she only studied the week before tests. she said she had 3 tests per semester. she said she has every evening (minus test weeks) to relax and do what she wants.

she did say she thinks her 2nd year will be much different, though. at WashU, the first year is P/F while the 2nd year has real grading. they also have Step1 next summer. she said you have 5 weeks off for Step1 at WashU. most students study for 3 weeks, take the test that 4th week, and relax the 5th week before starting the 3rd year.

she said at WashU that the 1st and 4th years tend to be easier while the 2nd and 3rd are supposedly hell.

I think everyone is missing something crucial. Those med students who are saying med school doesnt take up that much of your time are first or second years. First and second year are demanding but not all that bad. I probably studied 5h/day during the week (didnt go to class) and another 5-8 on each weekend day and then double that on test weeks. You will have time to hang out with friends but dont expect to have as free of a schedule as in college.

Most schools start you out slow. They slowly build the material. You may not even notice the transition but by the end of second year you will realize you are studying a whole heck of a lot more than you were at the beginning of first year.

The real time crunch is 3rd year. You generally will be working 65-80+ hours a week. Add to that the fact that you also have to study for a shelf exam and you will basically spend all of your time in the hospital or reading for it.

I am currently in a medium clerkship. I wake up at 445a everyday and get home either at 430p or 730p depending on the day (alternating days). I work 6 days a week. When I get home I eat and then study until I go to sleep around 930. It is hard to get your mind in gear after 13h of work so I rarely get any meaningful studying done. My "day off" is spent studying so I dont fail the shelf.

 

[greg1184]

Guys, L2D is speaking from HIS experiences and from the people HE knows. Take it for what it is! Don't make it personal and take offense because of his opinion. If your experiences are different.... fantastic. It is better to be overprepared than underprepared for what it is to expect from med school. SDN is a great place to get advice and information, but don't make anything here personal. For example, people from SDN say from their experiences that 3rd year is hell on earth. Well, most people from my school tell me they absolutely enjoy 3rd year over the clinical years. It is relative to what school you go to, the personality of the attendings, etc. Remember, this is a MESSAGE BOARD. There is going to be some kind of hyperbole coming from people sometimes (not necessarily from this thread); it is the nature of the internet forum. If you take anything from a message board personally, you are not going to live a long time with all of the stress. Time to get some thick skin.

OP: The best thing you can do is try to get a hold of some medical students from the school(s) that you have applied to. Ask them what their experience is in both the basic sciences and clinical years. Find out which subjects require the most time devoted towards your studies and which are "easier." Because, as you have seen in this thread, no one's experience is indicative of the entire macrocosm of medical school.

 

[tiedyeddog]

okay, i'll be nice. who knows, my friend could be somewhat misinformed. she only finished her 1st year at WashU....

Ok, let me make some points and maybe you can respond to them before the mods rightfully ban you for being so ignorant.

1. People at WashU do well because they are self-selecting. You said it yourself, people at washU are likely to not fail because they are driven people who work hard. HOWEVER, they don't do well just because they go to WashU. You're missing the point. Just going to WashU doesn't mean you are going to get into whatever residency (or even any) in some specialties. It's about self-selection.

2. Your friend is probably an outlier. While med school might be easy for her it's probably because she is a super student. Give me a break, she got a 42 on the MCAT.. Your average student matriculating tried to get a 35 and couldn't do it. Don't use your friends(n=1) experience and make a broad statement about what medical school is like. That would be really stupid. You think the person in the bottom of the class at WashU thinks medical school is easy?

3. I'm going to freely say that 50% or more of the threads in here would be useless without someone like Law2Doc informing premeds. Who else could better talk about what it is like to get into medical school and do well than someone who has been there?! It's not you, for the record.

4.How do you know your friend didn't just barely pass her 1st year classes? Don't you think has a school that does f/p/h that it would take a hell of a lot more time to get a honor than a pass? I'd say so. Your friend's experience is very institution dependent.

5. Law2Doc has an opinion. He never bashed anyone elses. Just because it hurts your little feelings when he says med school might be hard doesn't mean you need to try and demean him....

 

[Law2Doc]

For example, people from SDN say from their experiences that 3rd year is hell on earth. Well, most people from my school tell me they absolutely enjoy 3rd year over the clinical years.

Well, third year IS the first "clinical year" (you probably meant basic science). However I would suggest both statements above are true for most people, which is why you see a conflict -- there really isn't one. Both the SDN crowd and the people from your school are correct, and are giving you glimpses of the same thing. It is hell on earth. And you can have some fun with it. You are working long hours (13 hour days and 30 hour call shifts every third or fourth night are generally the rule in certain rotations (inpatient IM, Surgery, OB) at many school), and are sleep deprived. The residents are protected by an 80 hour work week, but no such rule exists for med students, so you can sometimes go above this, although it's not the norm. And they expect you to study for a shelf and look up things on top of that. So yeah, it's going to be the hardest you've likely every worked in your life. But unlike the previous two years where you spent your time in a classroom, you are actually in the wards, doing stuff, being productive. You are learning by actually seeing sick patients, helping out in the OR, sticking needles and lines in folks. And so most people find this really cool compared to staring at a book all day. But again, it's cool that you may have to appreciate from 5 am until noon the next day before they let you go home to sleep every third day, so that's the snag. It's a lot like eating ice cream. You may love it, but when someone is force-feeding you your 40th scoop, you probably will appreciate the hell on earth notion a bit better.

 

[greg1184]

Well, third year IS the first "clinical year" (you probably meant basic science). However I would suggest both statements above are true for most people, which is why you see a conflict -- there really isn't one. Both the SDN crowd and the people from your school are correct, and are giving you glimpses of the same thing. It is hell on earth. And you can have some fun with it. You are working long hours (13 hour days and 30 hour call shifts every third or fourth night are generally the rule in certain rotations (inpatient IM, Surgery, OB) at many school), and are sleep deprived. The residents are protected by an 80 hour work week, but no such rule exists for med students, so you can sometimes go above this, although it's not the norm. And they expect you to study for a shelf and look up things on top of that. So yeah, it's going to be the hardest you've likely every worked in your life. But unlike the previous two years where you spent your time in a classroom, you are actually in the wards, doing stuff, being productive. You are learning by actually seeing sick patients, helping out in the OR, sticking needles and lines in folks. And so most people find this really cool compared to staring at a book all day. But again, it's cool that you may have to appreciate from 5 am until noon the next day before they let you go home to sleep every third day, so that's the snag. It's a lot like eating ice cream. You may love it, but when someone is force-feeding you your 40th scoop, you probably will appreciate the hell on earth notion a bit better.

Unless, of course, you love to indulge yourself in ice cream. 😛

 

[Retsage]

Does L2D make it out to be dismal and bleak? Yes, he does. I also must retract my apology to him, he is a D bag (this is my personal opinion). Perhaps he should see a doctor instead of seeding his own sadomasochistic tendencies in the minds of others.

Christ, what the **** is your problem? He's been nothing but respectful, and you've been nothing but a little **** throughout this thread. Trolls are awesome.

 

[papa tr1x]

If you had a life before... you will probably have one after. You'll make time for it because its who you are.

 

[Instatewaiter]

If you had a life before... you will probably have one after. You'll make time for it because its who you are.

For the first 2 years I totally agree with you. However in the 3rd year "your" time really belongs to someone else.

 

[Law2Doc]

If you had a life before... you will probably have one after. You'll make time for it because its who you are.

Well, you make time to squeeze in what's important to you in the sense that you will have a few hours each day that you can use to decompress OR watch TV OR work out OR get a bit more sleep OR maintain your "life". The time is fungible, you just have to figure out your priorities and squeeze it in around the studying. It's about balance -- you cannot have everything you want, but can have some. But there will still just be 24 hours in a day no matter how you play it, and if you need X hours of studying a day, and Y hours of sleep, there's only so much of Z you get to maintain.

And yeah, come third year, you may have to throw out the Z and a good chunk of the X and Y; your time is not your own for much of that year.

 

[thechad]

Christ, what the **** is your problem? He's been nothing but respectful, and you've been nothing but a little **** throughout this thread. Trolls are awesome.

I am not hairy. I do not live under a bridge. I do not eat children. I simply do not like L2D's macabre posts, or him for posting them.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I am not hairy. I do not live under a bridge. I do not eat children. I simply do not like L2D's macabre posts, or him for posting them.

Sorry. Would you like some milk to go with your candy-coated universe?

 

[thechad]

Sorry. Would you like some milk to go with your candy-coated universe?

You're pre-med, so what experience do you have in med school exactly?

Look, I have always been good at memorizing, maybe that's why I don't think it's so damn hard. Yeah, I'm sure MS2 and 3 are harder than MS1, but right now, I am not crying myself to sleep, I am not thinking of finding a high building to jump off of, I am merely saying that as far as I know, L2D's post are full of exaggerations (and I'm not the only one who thinks so).

 

[HumidBeing]

Guys, if you find a post or poster offensive, there are two acceptable solutions that can be done individually, or consecutively. You can use the Report Post button, and/or your ignore option. Please refer to the sticky, "How to Beat a Troll Senseless". The techniques work, not just on trolls, but on anyone whose posts you find annoying.

The unacceptable option is to deride or insult other members in the threads. The person who winds up being penalized when you choose that method is yourself for violating the TOS. Stalking someone in threads to continually put them down is also a violation.

You can do things the smart way and win. You can do things the stupid way and lose.

 

[thechad]

 

[adamMD]

Nobody has a brain capable of retaining a constant flow of incoming information. Everyone needs breaks from time to time. Of course you can have fun in med school. Your brain will thank you. It won't be the same as undergrad but it won't be 100% different.

 

[RSAgator]

You're pre-med, so what experience do you have in med school exactly?

Well spending less than three months as an MS1

doesn't exactly make you the authority on the subject either.

 

[tiedyeddog]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=442544&page=4

Look, people, I'm just saying to chill out. Not everyone will think medical school is hard or easy or somewhere between.... L2D has an opinion why would you hate him for having one?! Besides, it seems you're the rarity who thinks it's easy.

The link above is filled with advice on how hard medical school is.

 

[Haemulon]

Depends a lot on how you define a social life. In terms of the first two years if you are like most people: You will not likely be done studying by 8pm every day. On some days you can if you are diligent about it and use mornings and afternoons wisely. And sure, it will be possible to go out at least one weekend night a week and party, but I wouldn't plan on it every week (eg before exams), and I wouldn't plan on going out much on week days. Between classes and studying you will likely spend over 8 hours a day every day x7/week. In third year, all bets are off. You will have rotations where you are spending every third or fourth night overnight in the hospital. You will have rotations where 13 hour days are pretty regular. And you will have weeks where you don't get the weekend off. So I wouldn't plan on the same kind of social life that year. Fourth year is pretty amenable to a social life, but you will perhaps be doing away rotations in other states or travelling a lot for interviews. Hope that clarifies. It won't be so bad, because all 150 of your peers will be in the same boat, and misery loves company.

Your friends will fall by the wayside in droves. Once they realize you are never around to do stuff they move on. You will make new friends -- friends with similar time constraints, who expect less time. Your family will forgive you when you come up for air on major holidays. They have to -- that's what family is all about. In terms of GF/SO, if that person doesn't understand your workload, and are okay with it, and are able to self-entertain, they they will soon be gone. Med school breaks up all of the weaker relationships. The stronger, more understanding ones survive.

I want to echo these sentiments. This has pretty much been my experience so far as well. But much of the experience is very individual. Maybe go into it expecting the worst and then allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised if you are able to have more time than expected. In any case, most everyone finds their own groove, and adjustments tend evolve naturally (after the initial shock most people experience at first).

 

[Haemulon]

For what it's worth my first year's schedule was basically lectures and labs between 9:00am-4:30pm most week days, with an hour lunch or lunch-meeting/lecture in the middle. Basically averaged about 6-7 hours of formal instruction time during the day all total each day during the week.

I usually took a break to play ping pong and/or get some dinner after classes/lab and then studied from about 5:30p or 6:00p until maybe 10 or 11pm most nights. Some nights I would leave an hour or two sooner, some nights would need to stay past midnight. The study hours basically had to include reading ahead for the next days material (when I wasn't falling behind), reviewing what we went over that day in class and almost always cramming for whatever exam was next on the horizon. (after the first few weeks, there was almost always another major exam within a week to 10 days away, often several).

Weekdays were still somewhat variable though, so sometimes there was a morning or afternoon free for reading or study here and there (usually when there was a big exam in the immediate future). And there was usually the option to skip class and study in the library instead (I did this maybe half the time by the end of the year).

Weekends for me included about 8-10 hours at school on sat, and maybe 6 on Sun. This time was initially spent trying to get ahead for the next week's reading/lectures and cramming for upcoming exams. Later on it was spent trying desparately to catch up on all the material I was behind on and praying that suddenly all the lectures would load "Matrix-style" into my head just in the nick of time to take the exam.

Admittedly, some of my study time was not well spent, as I did end up goofing off in the game room with classmates or wasting time on Facebook applications after every couple hours of study. It is just so hard to stay completely focused for extended lengths of time, so you have to factor in a little waste here and there just for mental breaks, if nothing else.

Other then the above schedule, for which all bets are off during finals and mid-terms, I tried to go out to eat with classmates and ocassionally had a beer or two. Mostly I went home to watch a movie with my wife and kiss my kids as they were sleeping before catching some zzz's myself. Most of my other friends and activities fell away as there just wasn't the time for everything.

Like I said, this is just my experience. Take it for what you will.

 

[Slack3r]

Wasn't it proven (or at least demonstrated) that anything past 1.5 hours and your brain becomes less efficient at retaining information? 😱

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Wasn't it proven (or at least demonstrated) that anything past 1.5 hours and your brain becomes less efficient at retaining information? 😱

Take a 5-10 min. break every hour to hour and a half and you should be okay. Yea, it's painful to study for several hours in one sitting, but taking a small break here and there really helps out. I remember during finals week (only undergrad here) where taking a break for about 10 min. for every hour or so of studying made everything much more bearable.

 

[Depakote]

Take a 5-10 min. break every hour to hour and a half and you should be okay. Yea, it's painful to study for several hours in one sitting, but taking a small break here and there really helps out. I remember during finals week (only undergrad here) where taking a break for about 10 min. for every hour or so of studying made everything much more bearable.

I have no idea where it was proven/demonstrated... but in general the above advice is good. A short break every hour or so will help you stay efficient. I don't care who you are, you're definitely going to be spending more than 1.5 hours a day studying.

 

[Law2Doc]

Wasn't it proven (or at least demonstrated) that anything past 1.5 hours and your brain becomes less efficient at retaining information? 😱

This hasn't been demonstrated to my knowledge. But as others have mentioned, there is no law saying you need to do all your studying in one straight shot, and it's simply a bad idea. If you take 10-15 minutes off every hour or two, to take a walk, hit the bathroom, answer emails, post on SDN, and then diligently go back to work, you avoid any of these concerns. The key is to keep the break short and get right back to work. If 10 minutes becomes an hour, then I would probably recommend spacing out the breaks a lot further apart.

 

[neuroanatomy]

.

 

[RSAgator]

i have a follow-up question to this.
does difficulty in med school depend on what major you were in college? ie do humanities majors typically find it harder to grasp info than a physiology/neuro/biochem major because all the material presented is absolutely foreign, whereas the science major is familiar with related, though (of course) generalized concepts?

just curious.

I'm not in med school but my understanding is that it's more about study habits and work ethic than prior knowledge. The volume and the scope of the material in med school is so much greater than that of undergrad that any edge gotten from prior experience is probably negligible. It's not that the concepts are difficult to understand, it's just that there are a lot of them.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm not in med school but my understanding is that it's more about study habits and work ethic than prior knowledge. The volume and the scope of the material in med school is so much greater than that of undergrad that any edge gotten from prior experience is probably negligible. It's not that the concepts are difficult to understand, it's just that there are a lot of them.

I would agree with that. In a few first year courses perhaps, the first week or two may involve a bit more work than peers who had undergrad versions of the same course. But undergrad courses and med school courses are so dissimilar and med school courses cover so much more material at such a faster pace and with such a different focus that any advantage is so short lived to make it, as you suggest, pretty negligible. Certainly there doesn't appear to be a lot of correlation between majors and where they end up in class rank. Some of the nonsci majors will contend for the top of the class while many of the science majors will be bringing up the rear notwithstanding all the quasi-medical subjects they took. (The couple of folks I know who had to repeat first year were science majors, for what that's worth).

 

[Gut Shot]

I had a not-so-Hellish time in medical school. Not sure where I graduated in terms of rank, but I was in the second quartile after M2 year and scored decently above average on Step 1. M3 was definitely the busiest, but in general I had ample opportunity for socializing.

I attribute my experience to several factors:

1. My school's curriculum is done in consecutive blocks, with exams every 2-3 weeks. This setup forces a fairly consistent study pace throughout the year, which was nice.

2. Lectures were not mandatory. After abandoning class, I found I could prepare adequately by hitting the library M-F from 8 or 9 to 4 or 5. The amount of weekend studying depended on if an exam was imminent. Except for those few days right before a test, I spent every evening relaxing and recharging.

3. I had a couple of good study partners, which made learning more efficient (and enhanced retention).

4. After writing a dissertation, med school just can't hurt you that badly.

 

[ghost08]

I agree with Gut Shot, I think the school's curriculum has a lot to do with this. Some school doesn't have grades, examinations or class rank for the first 2 years.