Lessons from I Yr

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

subi

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2006
Messages
59
Reaction score
0
Members don't see this ad.
:hardy: those done with I yr...

What have you learnt from first year???

1.I ve learnt to manage time more efficiently ...

2.Also i learnt that i am not good at biochemistry related stuffssss..
( the information from biochemistry books never crosses my blood brain barrier to enter brain, even if it does it is only for few days):meanie:

I am glad i am finishing I yr...😍
 
shivasHeroLike said:
lesson: don't memorize. understand the concept.
Click to expand...

Funny. At the end of first year, the lesson I got was "Don't understand the concept. Just memorize."

(In my experience, for 2nd year classes, you have to do a little of both.)
 
What I learned:

1. Powerpoint has ruined education.

2. Memorize first, understand second / with whatever leftover time you have.

3. Much of the first year (second?) are competely pointless to my long-term education.
 
1) also learned to memorize first/understand second

2) that for some reason we don't need to know the clinical stuff, but the four neuro lectures on nerve action potentials are apparently the most important thing to know:laugh:

3) that I can go without sleep much longer than i ever thought

4) that the easiest of our 3 classes this year was harder than any of the ones I took during undergrad and that because of the relative easiness compared to the 2 others, I could really learn the material the night before for a decent grade
 
SeventhSon said:
What I learned:

1. Powerpoint has ruined education.

2. Memorize first, understand second / with whatever leftover time you have.

3. Much of the first year (second?) are competely pointless to my long-term education.
Click to expand...

I like the convenience of studying from powerpoints, but I think you have a point. I'm glad I had a college experience that was entirely free of powerpoints.

I agree with all your other points, too.
 
i learnt that


Music + Studying is not a bad idea...!😀
 
I am starting my first year soon, but I feel that memorizing is the way to go. Understanding is a second nature if you are intelligent... which we all are or else we wouldn't be becoming doctors (there are exceptions of course).
 
Congrats people! And dont make my mistake and let people scare-monger you into fearing M2 year. Its much more important, but its really much more manageable than first year, at least for me. I went through first year wondering when the hell I would finally be done. When second year ended, I was a bit sad. Crazy as it may sound, there are many things I will miss. It can be a great year if you let it be, or it can be a bitch. For those of you who struggled first year, dont give up. Im proof that you can improve and do ok. Good luck to all! 👍
 
1. Memorize .ppt slide. No one cares if you understand. If it's memorized, you understand it.

2. Med school is like high school.

3. I love it! Not the high school aspect, but the education.
 
I learned the following things during this first year of med school (I've just got one last final exam left on Monday):

1) Memorizing is the only good you can do first year and one should try to get a picture of what one is reading, not neccesarily understanding it.

2) One can function with less sleep but that comes with a lot of cons.

3) One can study like mad and still be able to maintain a reasonable social life.

4) Spare time and extracurricular activities are very doable.
 
damn. lol.

i guess i'm the minority here with understanding/memorizing.


guess in the end it all depends on what works for you

i also agree with powerpoint slides as a bad teaching method.
 
Now it's my turn...

1) Never EVER turn your back to the studies. They'll come back to haunt you.

2) The anatomy Atlas becomes a part of you. If you die, it dies and vice versa. You understand that the Atlas will follow you for the rest of your life and that you'll be buried with it. It's your precious...

3) The Altlas doesn't judge you. It listens to you. It teaches you. Can you have a better friend?

4) The teachers don't give a damn. You are the one that should give a damn.

5) Powerpoint lectures are more or less useless. It's what the teacher is mumbling in front of you that matters, except in the anatomy class. They scream there.

6) You realize that you are rougher than you thought.
 
1. repititon is the key to memorization.
2. understanding alone is not enough - memorizing is important too.
3. the key to physio is understanding concepts.
4. the key to neuroscience is memorizing pathways.
5. biochemistry is just hell.
6. never give up even when sometimes it seems like there is no light in the day.
 
1) Organize your notes into Excel so it makes searching and finding those facts/pathways much faster
2) Never fall more than 1 day behind because the material is cumulative.
3) If you are sleep deprived, skip class.
4) Test yourself to see if you actually understand/memorize the material.
5) Repetition, repetition, repetition
6) Ask yourself what can the prof actually test (e.g what is high-yield)
7) Don't get discouraged if you do worse than your classmates. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.
 
well, I'm sure I could think of a larger list... but one thing I learned that hasn't been mentioned yet

If your given practice quizzes, memorize them cold. I thought (for over half of the year) that there was no way we would actually be asked the same question on exams and so I took the quizzes to test my knowledge and to try to understand the questions I missed. At the end I finally realized that the teachers were to lazy to recreate questions, and if it was asked on a quiz, it would be asked on a quiz (but perhaps in a slightly different manner). I did quite a bit better on tests after I figured that out. (And I felt really dumb for taking as long as I did to figure it out).
 
Would anyone encourage trying to be one day ahead in study material, so you study the lecture material the night before a lecture? Or do most think it is more benefical to study the material after the proff has gone over it and emphasized the important aspects?
 
HarveyCushing said:
Would anyone encourage trying to be one day ahead in study material, so you study the lecture material the night before a lecture? Or do most think it is more benefical to study the material after the proff has gone over it and emphasized the important aspects?
Click to expand...

Don't do it. All you need is one professor who deviates from the pre-printed syllabus/lecture material, and your schedule is all screwed up.

Pre-reading (if you have time) is okay. But otherwise, just try to keep up with each day.
 
1. Find whatever works for you. Until you find it feel free to try what others are doing. Once you've found it ignore what everyone else is doing.

2. If you find that you aren't retaining a good portion of each lecture stop going immediately (if you have a note service or something similar of course).

3. You will rarely/never have that glorious feeling of knowing that you know everything you need to know as you stroll into an exam, thats ok, no one else feels that way either . . . that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach halfway through is what it feels like to pass.

3. Don't stop working out even when it feels like there is no time to spare, it is essential for your sanity and it will make you time studying more productive.

4. If your school does not have built in clinical experience in your first year volunteer or arrange to shadow every once in a while, it will remind you why you are doing this to yourself when you lose track the reasons.
 
awesome thread. this should be stickied and all recovering MS1s should post. lol
 
medicine is medicine is medicine anywhere you go. that being said, try using other resources and whatever book makes sense to you. if reading grey's anatomy for students (when your course text is, say, moore), then do that. if you use ganong for physiology and don't like it, try costanzo's text. in my experience, schools test based on key concepts and whatever you can do to understand that stuff is only going to help you learn the material better and do better on the test.

oh, and memorization helps.

i'm not sure why there are so many biochem-related complaints here... i kicked biochem's ass and hardly studied for it (except 1wk cramming before the test) -- if you've had a comprehensive course in undergrad, you'll be fine. just know your metabolic pathways, enzymes, and all levels of control.
 
re: biochem - is it useful to do some organic review before starting biochem? (i.e. nomenclature, rxn mechs etc.) i did both undergrad organic and biochem a looooong time ago and now I am afraid. (although i liked it and did well at the time).
 
supa76 said:
re: biochem - is it useful to do some organic review before starting biochem? (i.e. nomenclature, rxn mechs etc.) i did both undergrad organic and biochem a looooong time ago and now I am afraid. (although i liked it and did well at the time).
Click to expand...
no, enjoy your free time.
 
1) DON'T try to learn the material passively. do something that will actively test your knowledge of the material, such as making index cards with possible test questions, saying things out loud, making pneumonics...whatever you find works best for you.

2) DON'T feel obligated to study with other classmates if you think they might be slightly crazy and a bit too stressed for you. everyone has their own style, so if you're the type that got thru college without being too stressed out then you can keep it up in med school.

3) Powerpoints have both ruined the traditional lecture system and made my life infinitely easier. I didn't go to class at all, just used my school's transcript system and the PPs that were available for download. Use the transcript system if your school has one. Don't feel obligated to go to class if you find it to be low-yield.

4) Relax. M1 year really ain't all that bad. I had a good time
 
SeventhSon said:
What I learned:

1. Powerpoint has ruined education.
Click to expand...

No doubt.

When I was an undergrad, ppt wasn't used at all and I always went to class.

Now, ppt has negated me from ever going to lecture again.
 
1. Exericise is incredibly important to stay sane.

2. Coffee is even more important to stay sane
(and helps make passing 1st year achievable).

3. Memorizing tons of randomness that probably isn't clinically useful can be done, although it is annoying.

4. Grasp for the long-term goal, even when in the short term it sucks to study so much.

5. Watch Scrubs, comedy central, and Will Ferrell movies regularly.

6. try to have fun : P

That's all i have for now!!
 
What's up with the PPT hat3'n? It's just another instructional channel. Abuse/overuse is not it's fault but the person who doesn't know how to effectively use the channel.
 
Twitch said:
What's up with the PPT hat3'n? It's just another instructional channel. Abuse/overuse is not it's fault but the person who doesn't know how to effectively use the channel.
Click to expand...

You're right - but PowerPoint is set up to be very easy to abuse.

"My belief is that PowerPoint doesn't kill meetings. People kill meetings. But using PowerPoint is like having a loaded AK-47 on the table: You can do very bad things with it." - Peter Norvig

http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/ - A great parody of using PowerPoint. Definately seems like some of my older professors trying to get the computer to work.
 
veenut said:
1) DON'T try to learn the material passively.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with this. I got through 3 blocks of anatomy with passively reading notes in my lap over and over, but that was it. What a waste of time! Make your study time useful and be active in learning. Or do like me and study twice as long for half the result. Fortunately, I learned from this before it was too late.
 
GWmdwannabe said:
You're right - but PowerPoint is set up to be very easy to abuse.

"My belief is that PowerPoint doesn't kill meetings. People kill meetings. But using PowerPoint is like having a loaded AK-47 on the table: You can do very bad things with it." - Peter Norvig
Click to expand...

That might be true (I've used powerpoint all through undergrad, so this is what I'm used to). However, powerpoint was absolutely invaluable during pathology case studies all throughout 2nd year. It definitely saved money, energy, and time. It was also useful during cardiology (when we did EKG case studies) and during derm (it allows you to show disgustingly clear and focused pictures of nasty skin lesions).

Plus, at my school, the lecture podium is set up with a stylus and a special touch screen that allows the lecturer to "draw" on his powerpoint slides. (Kind of like Monday Night Football commentators do.) You definitely can't do that with slide projectors!
 
smq123 said:
It was also useful during cardiology (when we did EKG case studies) and during derm (it allows you to show disgustingly clear and focused pictures of nasty skin lesions).
Click to expand...

I found that to be a bit of a problem when studying this past year. We had some rather detailed, in-focus and close-up pictures of deformed genitalia in embryo and endocrinology. Sometimes when studying in public, you get a few odd looks. (Note to self - install a privacy filter on my laptop monitor before August.)
 
Three things....Don't let medicine take over your life. Keep your head up (there will be many times when you won't know as much as others but with hard work you can catch up...only if you keep your head up). Don't loose your ability to hold conversation on topics other than medicine.

These three are important....many of my classmates can't get past them and are very unhappy. Your family and friends back home are good source to help with this.
 
Anyone ever heard of Edward Tufte? He has an even stronger opinion of the evils of powerpoint and argues that PPT is in fact responsible human death, re the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster.


http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1

On my MCAT, I had a VR passage on the inside-the-box thinking that PPT creates. By virtue of using the PPT, a preset form, all information (yours and everyone elses) is displayed in the same way, e.g. hierarchical. I cant remember all of the salient points but it was persuasive.
 
subi said:
:hardy: those done with I yr...

What have you learnt from first year???

1.I ve learnt to manage time more efficiently ...

2.Also i learnt that i am not good at biochemistry related stuffssss..
( the information from biochemistry books never crosses my blood brain barrier to enter brain, even if it does it is only for few days):meanie:

I am glad i am finishing I yr...😍
Click to expand...
I've learned I'm quite good at high yield studying, bad at low yield studying, good at test taking, distrustful of many of my peers, shouldn't have pursued med school, and should probably seek a viable escape plan. So I wouldn't say I've learned skills but I've learned about myself.

And I also learned not to eat wine and cheese with MAO inhibitors.

Oh and I would be finished sans PPT--I find the bullet point learning style incredibly efficient compared to reading. I end up tucking away information into my brain in bullet points anyway, so PPTs eliminate the need to translate long passages into discrete points. This may hurt me as I am prone to studying for tests (and am really good at this) instead of studying "to learn"
 
TheMightyAngus said:
No doubt.

When I was an undergrad, ppt wasn't used at all and I always went to class.

Now, ppt has negated me from ever going to lecture again.
Click to expand...
Seconded. Further evidence that makes me want to create an online med school for basic sciences once I have the resources to do so.

Another thing I learned after first year is that med students are overrated IMO. Yet another--while I've always found studying with friends to be unproductive, I find last minute reviewing with the right friends to be highly productive.
 
I've always felt that memorization was just a way to get around not understanding something. It gets you through multiple choice tests, and not much further. You can spit back answers verbatim from syllabi, or what not, but couldn't explain it to anyone if you had to. It's just a stopgap solution that bypasses any meaningful learning. Most memorization fades away very quick, without use, especially at such high volume like in med school. Without looking it up, name the nerves that contribute sympathetic fibers to the pterygopalatine ganglion? Could you? Whats the point in having learned it 9 months ago. It probably faded, the knowledge is functionless. You might end up rememorizing it again for the boards but once again just really to pass a test not any real world, pragmatic use of knowledge. Just facts for the sake of facts. I would venture that most specialists know their material cold because they are required to understand and USE it frequently. Its functional knowledge.

Ok I'm off my soapbox now. With that being said, memorization is a necessary element in the current educational process. If you can't do it, you will struggle. Understanding concepts is great, but inevitably you have to buckle down and memorize a lot of facts. Personally I try to get the concept of the what is going on, feedback loops, reciprocal regulation, etc... and then the names just fit in easier because they have a place in a conceptual framework. Thats what works for me so far.

"You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."
Richard Feynman (1918 - 1988)

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein




(its the superior cervical ganglion->carotid plexus->deep petrosal nerve->nerve of the pterygoid canal)
 
I'd say I agree with most of what you said. I find it very hard to memorize without understanding the material. Or put another way, understanding the material makes memorization go a lot easier for me. But hey, I'm not yet in med school so what do I know.

popbirch said:
I've always felt that memorization was just a way to get around not understanding something. It gets you through multiple choice tests, and not much further. You can spit back answers verbatim from syllabi, or what not, but couldn't explain it to anyone if you had to. It's just a stopgap solution that bypasses any meaningful learning. Most memorization fades away very quick, without use, especially at such high volume like in med school. Without looking it up, name the nerves that contribute sympathetic fibers to the pterygopalatine ganglion? Could you? Whats the point in having learned it 9 months ago. It probably faded, the knowledge is functionless. You might end up rememorizing it again for the boards but once again just really to pass a test not any real world, pragmatic use of knowledge. Just facts for the sake of facts. I would venture that most specialists know their material cold because they are required to understand and USE it frequently. Its functional knowledge.

Ok I'm off my soapbox now. With that being said, memorization is a necessary element in the current educational process. If you can't do it, you will struggle. Understanding concepts is great, but inevitably you have to buckle down and memorize a lot of facts. Personally I try to get the concept of the what is going on, feedback loops, reciprocal regulation, etc... and then the names just fit in easier because they have a place in a conceptual framework. Thats what works for me so far.

"You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."
Richard Feynman (1918 - 1988)

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein




(its the superior cervical ganglion->carotid plexus->deep petrosal nerve->nerve of the pterygoid canal)
Click to expand...
 
Things I have learned first year...

1. I definitely agree powerpoint sucks, unless the lecturer makes it interesting with videos or good visuals. Otherwise it is very passive learning.

2. Don't stress about studying all the time or memorizing everything. Stick with the concepts. At least this works at the school I'm at. Many of my classmates spend infinite and unnecessary hours studying details that they will forget right after the test.

3. Non-traditional block curriculum rocks, no more boring biochem or pharmacology classes, everything is integrated and so much more interesting. Early clinical experience through apprenticeships is also great.

4. Get involved in things that you care about.

5. Get away from the medical school world sometimes. Spend time with other friends and significant other, exercise, go on trips, do something you enjoy.
 
cadilakgrl said:
Things I have learned first year...

1. I definitely agree powerpoint sucks, unless the lecturer makes it interesting with videos or good visuals. Otherwise it is very passive learning.

2. Don't stress about studying all the time or memorizing everything. Stick with the concepts. At least this works at the school I'm at. Many of my classmates spend infinite and unnecessary hours studying details that they will forget right after the test.
3. Non-traditional block curriculum rocks, no more boring biochem or pharmacology classes, everything is integrated and so much more interesting. Early clinical experience through apprenticeships is also great.

4. Get involved in things that you care about.

5. Get away from the medical school world sometimes. Spend time with other friends and significant other, exercise, go on trips, do something you enjoy.
Click to expand...




so AGREED....
 
smq123 said:
Nope. Biochem is almost exclusively cell bio/metabolism. Nothing from organic chem ever shows up. No nomenclature, no reaction mechanisms, nothing.
Click to expand...

In pharm, there was one day that the prof was like, "Here's why you had to take organic chemistry in college. This drug has an Sn1 reaction." He spent 2 min explaining it, then went on to something else.
 
cadilakgrl said:
2. Don't stress about studying all the time or memorizing everything. Stick with the concepts. At least this works at the school I'm at. Many of my classmates spend infinite and unnecessary hours studying details that they will forget right after the test.
Click to expand...

Be careful with this one, as YMMV.
 
Jainraisig said:
Anyone ever heard of Edward Tufte? He has an even stronger opinion of the evils of powerpoint and argues that PPT is in fact responsible human death, re the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster.


http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1

On my MCAT, I had a VR passage on the inside-the-box thinking that PPT creates. By virtue of using the PPT, a preset form, all information (yours and everyone elses) is displayed in the same way, e.g. hierarchical. I cant remember all of the salient points but it was persuasive.
Click to expand...

I don't blame acetate or overhead slide projectors because they couldn't format slides like that before the invention of Power Point. 🙄

It's less the fault of the technology than it is of the professor that is too lazy to tailor each lecture to his students and to deliver the information in such a way as to encourage absorption of the material (or even worse, those profs that feel all they need to do is chop up portions of the book and spew them up on the screen while delivering them verbatim as if we couldn't read the book ourselves). It's also the fault of the student who feels that not attending class and just reading the bullet points is the way towards understanding, who then finds out that the professor provided additional learning and information outside of the PPT slides, and ultimately blames PPT because they got a bad grade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
SDN Article: Practical Lessons for the Parent in Medical School
Replies
0
Views
883
Karin Brown
K
G
Gross misconduct from unapproved absences from former employment?
Replies
16
Views
2K
Robin-jay
Robin-jay
A
Away rotation from Oct-Nov question
Replies
6
Views
611
Alexxxxx
A
Sram.jpg
Changing From P/F to Letter Grades
Replies
7
Views
1K
14_karat
14_karat
PuffBlueCat
MD & DO Is it feasible for someone to spend their entire 4th yr OUTSIDE their base rotation site?
Replies
1
Views
726
LucidSplash
LucidSplash
Top