Just Started and Dying...

[Houseness]

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Hey everyone-

I just started as an MS1 about three weeks ago and we are having our first block exams and I feel like I'm going to die! I worked so hard for my first exam and just barely passed.

Further, my next exam is looking almost impossible (it's anatomy, and there's so much stuff) that no matter how much time i put in, i'm not doing better than a 75 (which is still passing) on the practice exams


I'm just so frustrated. It seems its clicking for everyone else except me. Will it always be like this? Am I going to work my ass off every day just to pass (my school is on the "honors/high pass/pass" system). I always wanted to do a residency in a big city (don't know what specialty yet) but now it seems like that won't happen.

Do any of you older, wiser people have advice?

 

[SocialistMD]

Hey everyone-

I just started as an MS1 about three weeks ago and we are having our first block exams and I feel like I'm going to die! I worked so hard for my first exam and just barely passed.

Further, my next exam is looking almost impossible (it's anatomy, and there's so much stuff) that no matter how much time i put in, i'm not doing better than a 75 (which is still passing) on the practice exams


I'm just so frustrated. It seems its clicking for everyone else except me. Will it always be like this? Am I going to work my ass off every day just to pass (my school is on the "honors/high pass/pass" system). I always wanted to do a residency in a big city (don't know what specialty yet) but now it seems like that won't happen.

Do any of you older, wiser people have advice?

Relax. Your clinical grades weigh much more in the overall calculation of GPA/AOA status as well as what residency programs examine. Do your best but don't feel it is the end of the world if you only pass things in your first semester/year.

 

[Freakingzooming]

yeah- this is process is a little different from regular college. getting honors can only help but learning the material well so you can ace those boards will help more. Get the material down and try to study with others if you have questions. I feel like I'm drowning half the time too.

 

[njbmd]

Hey everyone-

I just started as an MS1 about three weeks ago and we are having our first block exams and I feel like I'm going to die! I worked so hard for my first exam and just barely passed.

Further, my next exam is looking almost impossible (it's anatomy, and there's so much stuff) that no matter how much time i put in, i'm not doing better than a 75 (which is still passing) on the practice exams


I'm just so frustrated. It seems its clicking for everyone else except me. Will it always be like this? Am I going to work my ass off every day just to pass (my school is on the "honors/high pass/pass" system). I always wanted to do a residency in a big city (don't know what specialty yet) but now it seems like that won't happen.

Do any of you older, wiser people have advice?

Hi there,
Adjust your study up or down depending on how you do on your first group of exams. The whole medical school thing takes adjusting as you go and you WILL adjust your studies to accomodate. Take solace in that you are passing. Don't give up and don't get depressed.

As someone wisely pointed out, make sure you are learning the material for boards. Your grades are going to come in time.

Good luck!
njbmd 🙂

 

[getunconcsious]

At least you're passing dude. I'm so afraid I'm going to just out-and-out fail my block 1 exams. 😱

 

[jonb12997]

Am I going to work my ass off every day just to pass (my school is on the "honors/high pass/pass" system)

Unfortunely the answer to this question is Yes, but like the previous people said, just make sure you pass. Your board scores, clinical grades, and Letters (from what I've been told) are going to count a lot more when looking for a residency. It's going to be tough, but keep working hard and you'll get through it! 😳

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

hey. doing well is 20% luck dude.

 

[Medikit]

I really appreciate this thread 🙂

 

[BingGirl]

I was in that same spot three years ago. I thought i was the only one who didn't get it and I thought i worked as hard as i could for my first test and i actually thought i did ok but than i failed...oops.
anyhow, i freaked out for a week or so and than the next block made much more sense to me and other people were confused...i ended up with the highest score in the class.
after that, i fell into the average group for test taking but I think i make up for it in patient care and clinical know how. I'm competitive for residency. I'm going to be fine.
a couple things- first- the first six months of school is mastering a new language...if you struggle with languages you'll start slower but the information you are learning now is going to come back over and over again and eventually you'll look back and be surprised you didn't know it all "back then"
second- you have to get out of the mode of undergrad...every test isn't going to change your chance of becoming a doctor. i spent many a day before a test back in first year asking myself "what is the WORST that can happen?" it helped to recognize that the worst is no longer not getting into a med school...at the absolute worst it might might might mean changing residency location but the above posters are totally right about preclinical grades counting for little and just like in undergrad you will have plenty of oppurtunities to buffer your grades with volunteer experience and research.

so the bottom line is...the worst thing that will happen is not that bad and although the material isn't going to get easier, your ability to hear it and absorb it will and you will be fine. best of luck!

 

[Houseness]

Thanks so much y'all for your encouraging words. I'm really gonna try hard for the next block. I just want to get this last block out of my head and focus on what's coming up. Seriously though, what y'all said really meant a lot.

 

[it.]

Hey everyone-

I just started as an MS1 about three weeks ago and we are having our first block exams and I feel like I'm going to die! I worked so hard for my first exam and just barely passed.

Further, my next exam is looking almost impossible (it's anatomy, and there's so much stuff) that no matter how much time i put in, i'm not doing better than a 75 (which is still passing) on the practice exams


I'm just so frustrated. It seems its clicking for everyone else except me. Will it always be like this? Am I going to work my ass off every day just to pass (my school is on the "honors/high pass/pass" system). I always wanted to do a residency in a big city (don't know what specialty yet) but now it seems like that won't happen.

Do any of you older, wiser people have advice?

ha ha


j/k

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I was in that same spot three years ago. I thought i was the only one who didn't get it and I thought i worked as hard as i could for my first test and i actually thought i did ok but than i failed...oops.
anyhow, i freaked out for a week or so and than the next block made much more sense to me and other people were confused...i ended up with the highest score in the class.
after that, i fell into the average group for test taking but I think i make up for it in patient care and clinical know how. I'm competitive for residency. I'm going to be fine.
a couple things- first- the first six months of school is mastering a new language...if you struggle with languages you'll start slower but the information you are learning now is going to come back over and over again and eventually you'll look back and be surprised you didn't know it all "back then"
second- you have to get out of the mode of undergrad...every test isn't going to change your chance of becoming a doctor. i spent many a day before a test back in first year asking myself "what is the WORST that can happen?" it helped to recognize that the worst is no longer not getting into a med school...at the absolute worst it might might might mean changing residency location but the above posters are totally right about preclinical grades counting for little and just like in undergrad you will have plenty of oppurtunities to buffer your grades with volunteer experience and research.

so the bottom line is...the worst thing that will happen is not that bad and although the material isn't going to get easier, your ability to hear it and absorb it will and you will be fine. best of luck!

thanks so much. i haven't even had a test yet and i already feel like i'm losing it. I can't imagine ever learning all the stuff they expect you to....

 

[Lesion Of Doom]

thanks so much. i haven't even had a test yet and i already feel like i'm losing it. I can't imagine ever learning all the stuff they expect you to....

"Haha..welcome to medical school."


This the reply given by an undergrad buddy of mine who joined med school 1 year before I did when I voiced similar concerns to him. He told me he lost 25 pounds worrying about those exams during the first 3 months and the guy is one of the smartest guys I know.

"Well, if that what it takes..."


Is the reply given to me by my counselor when I told her I worked my a$$ off just to "get by" on the first couple of blocks of the exam.

If you have to work hard just to pass then work hard to pass. Many people play it cool and don't like anyone to see them sweat in medical school but be realistic....you definitely can't nearly be the only person who struggles to get by. Look at the exam scores---that is only half the story.

 

[C. LaRue]

Yeah, I'm completely buried under this godawful workload. It's not even hard, it's just so MUCH! I feel like a complete *****, too, because nobody else seems to be caving in like I am. I can barely keep my eyes open when I try to study. I'm just not a very hard worker because I've always been able to skate through school, MCAT, whatever without too much effort. I'm paying the price for my lack of study skills now. I'm pretty depressed about it today. It's just so hard to think about all the things I have to work on for my quiz friday, small group session Wednesday, Exams looming....

I know we'll get the hang of it, and we'll make it out alive! I've just gotta figure out this studying thing for myself. 🙁 If you ever want someone else to talk to, OP or anyone else who's feeling overwhelmed, PM me.

 

[Dire Straits]

haha, i have a photographic memory so it's easy to memorize everything and get honors.

 

[TruTrooper]

haha, i have a photographic memory so it's easy to memorize everything and get honors.

Yeah, everyone claims to have a photographic memory in med school. 🙄

 

[Dire Straits]

Yeah, everyone claims to have a photographic memory in med school. 🙄

yeah they may claim it but very few actually do. i can read over the text just once and it sticks.

 

[BingGirl]

another little saying that is important to remember...

don't compare your insides 😱 to other peoples' outsides 😎 .


they often look calm cool and collected and aren't.

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

That's pretty much what I was going to say. I was in your position last week, and I posted on my school's discussion board freaking out, and I got about 20 emails from people being like "Of course! Don't you think we're freaking out too??" Some people are just more open about it than others, but you're really in the same boat as your classmates. I thought I was the dumbest person in my class, and I made a B on the first exam (which allegedly over half the class fails). So if you're passing your practice exams, you're probably not doing nearly as badly as you think. Chin up, we'll make it! 🙂

 

[Psycho Doctor]

"Haha..welcome to medical school."


This the reply given by an undergrad buddy of mine who joined med school 1 year before I did when I voiced similar concerns to him. He told me he lost 25 pounds worrying about those exams during the first 3 months and the guy is one of the smartest guys I know.

"Well, if that what it takes..."


Is the reply given to me by my counselor when I told her I worked my a$$ off just to "get by" on the first couple of blocks of the exam.

If you have to work hard just to pass then work hard to pass. Many people play it cool and don't like anyone to see them sweat in medical school but be realistic....you definitely can't nearly be the only person who struggles to get by. Look at the exam scores---that is only half the story.

yikes! and I already lost 25 lbs over the summer and can't afford to lose any more. I guess I just can't worry about exams. 😀

 

[Psycho Doctor]

yeah they may claim it but very few actually do. i can read over the text just once and it sticks.

sounds like someone saying they're hot but won't post their pic 😉

 

[Paws]

Welcome to medical school - you will be just fine.

Last year I felt the same way and I was way bummed by other students who were saying they had no trouble, or were hardly studying at all, etc. One guy used to come to lecture and open the newspaper. 🙄

Yeh, yeh, whatever. I eventually just ignored all that bs and focused on what was important for me, Paws, and what I really needed to do. By the end of the year I had found my pace and I didn't get so bent out of shape about what other people were doing, or saying - or not doing or saying.

This year (second) I had no expectations but to just learn as much as I can and do my best. I am finding people are way more honest about their struggles and we all seem to be dropping the weird, false front of insecurity. Be true to what is right for you - if you need to bust a gut to even just pass (welcome to the club) then that is what you will need to do. But, every class will be different and some you will intuitively do well in and others you may struggle. Think: clinical years. That's where it all gets super important and hopefully, you will begin to really enjoy all this stuff.

Hang in there - it will all work itself out ok. 👍

 

[Dire Straits]

i study 1-2 hours per day max monday-thursday and still get honors. i take friday night and the whole weekend off completely and don't even look at med school stuff. there are a few good books out there if you guys are interested in developing a photographic memory.

 

[DoctorFunk]

i study 1-2 hours per day max monday-thursday and still get honors. i take friday night and the whole weekend off completely and don't even look at med school stuff. there are a few good books out there if you guys are interested in developing a photographic memory.

That being said, I think for the rest of us studying six days a week for three or four hours each day (not including time spent in lecture as study time) is probably a pretty good start. You can always adjust this time up or down as you see fit.

Then again, if you have a photographic memory or suffer from phallomegaly, as I'm sure Dire Straits does, then you can probably take a cat nap on your lecture notes or textbooks for about 15 minutes a day and spend the rest of your time starring in adult films while honoring your basic science years.

 

[synapse lapse]

That being said, I think for the rest of us studying six days a week for three or four hours each day (not including time spent in lecture as study time) is probably a pretty good start. You can always adjust this time up or down as you see fit.

Then again, if you have a photographic memory or suffer from phallomegaly, as I'm sure Dire Straits does, then you can probably take a cat nap on your lecture notes or textbooks for about 15 minutes a day and spend the rest of your time starring in adult films while honoring your basic science years.

I study 3 hours a day during the weekend, and probably 4-6 on both weekend days. Before the test (We've only had one so far) I put in 14-16 hours on the weekend. I think 3 hours a day is managable. Problem is, even though you may only study 3 hours, you are in class from 9-5 most days (if you go) and so every day is non-stop. Overall, school is very busy and stressful, but managable and fun, atleast for me. I think I have a good memory, but i am sure everyone in my class does too!

 

[Paws]

i study 1-2 hours per day max monday-thursday and still get honors. i take friday night and the whole weekend off completely and don't even look at med school stuff. there are a few good books out there if you guys are interested in developing a photographic memory.

This is not realistic. Dire, why do you even say this stuff? You are being a troll -

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

i study 1-2 hours per day max monday-thursday and still get honors. i take friday night and the whole weekend off completely and don't even look at med school stuff. there are a few good books out there if you guys are interested in developing a photographic memory.

yeah?? well list them. I want isbn numbers

 

[kcumbDO]

After reading these posts and reflectin on my own experience, im just so happy to be a third year. 😀