med school curriculum making me miserable

[deleted1082375]

OMS II with a normal curriculum here. This semester has been a a steaming pile of trash to be honest. I have focused primarily on Zanki, Pathoma, and Sketchy Pharm to learn course materials and have not been doing super great in class. I am passing everything. Profs seem to teach everything from these resources and add their own stuff in the mix. After talking to many of my classmates, we have come to the conclusion that the professors are intentionally leaving out content from Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, etc. I have been able to do well on board questions (combank) pertaining to these subjects (70-80% correct) but I am still wondering if I did the right thing here. I feel like it's too late to go back and relearn a lot of the material I may have missed this semester while focusing on boards content.

-Any advice or words from non-PhD people who actually sit for boards or will sit for boards would be great.

Edit: I find it super messed up that I have to worry about boards and can't focus on class.

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[slowthai]

This is par for the course. If your school just gave NBMEs instead of low yield professor written exams, your concerns would vanish, instantly. All you can do is keep focusing on what really matters: the boards. As long as you're passing, you're good.

 

[Ho0v-man]

You’re doing what you’re supposed to. Just get through the semester. Take some time for your sanity. Buy uworld and start cranking that before class starts back in January. Ditch combank.

 

[deleted1082375]

You’re doing what you’re supposed to. Just get through the semester. Take some time for your sanity. Buy uworld and start cranking that before class starts back in January. Ditch combank.

Thanks. I am going to fling that **** to the wind when the semester is over. It's better than Kaplan and it's free for me so I'm using it.

Starting Uworld after doing some Bchem review over break.

 

[JimBone905]

You’re doing what you’re supposed to. Just get through the semester. Take some time for your sanity. Buy uworld and start cranking that before class starts back in January. Ditch combank.

Are. You of the belief that uworld should not be saved for dedicated?

 

[deleted1082375]

Are. You of the belief that uworld should not be saved for dedicated?

people do two passes on it.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Are. You of the belief that uworld should not be saved for dedicated?

I know I wouldn’t have been able to finish it in time if I’d waited. It exposed some pretty big gaps in my knowledge base. Specifically cardio and stats. I had to stop doing questions and do some intense content review.

 

[You shall know the Truth]

OMS II with a normal curriculum here. This semester has been a a steaming pile of trash to be honest. I have focused primarily on Zanki, Pathoma, and Sketchy Pharm to learn course materials and have not been doing super great in class. I am passing everything. Profs seem to teach everything from these resources and add their own stuff in the mix. After talking to many of my classmates, we have come to the conclusion that the professors are intentionally leaving out content from Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, etc. I have been able to do well on board questions (combank) pertaining to these subjects (70-80% correct) but I am still wondering if I did the right thing here. I feel like it's too late to go back and relearn a lot of the material I may have missed this semester while focusing on boards content.

-Any advice or words from non-PhD people who actually sit for boards or will sit for boards would be great.

Edit: I find it super messed up that I have to worry about boards and can't focus on class.

It took you until 2nd year to figure this out?

 

[Sardonix]

OMS II with a normal curriculum here. This semester has been a a steaming pile of trash to be honest. I have focused primarily on Zanki, Pathoma, and Sketchy Pharm to learn course materials and have not been doing super great in class. I am passing everything. Profs seem to teach everything from these resources and add their own stuff in the mix. After talking to many of my classmates, we have come to the conclusion that the professors are intentionally leaving out content from Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, etc. I have been able to do well on board questions (combank) pertaining to these subjects (70-80% correct) but I am still wondering if I did the right thing here. I feel like it's too late to go back and relearn a lot of the material I may have missed this semester while focusing on boards content.

-Any advice or words from non-PhD people who actually sit for boards or will sit for boards would be great.

Edit: I find it super messed up that I have to worry about boards and can't focus on class.

I'm confused--you're worried that you're missing out on the minutiae that professors test on yet you're still getting 70-80% on board questions in first semester of 2nd year? My friend, let me tell you a couple things:

1. Second year curriculum is always DDDBF (doo-doo dookie barf farts) because that's when the school doubles down on bringing in clinicians who can't really teach well vs. teaching high yield material.

2. I was only hitting 70% like a month out from Step/Level 1. The people in my class who rocked their boards were the ones that basically did what you did--they realized they'd take a hit in grades during 2nd year in order to ace boards, and that's what usually happened. So long as you're still passing and doing well, focus on boards if that's what you desire.

 

[deleted1082375]

It took you until 2nd year to figure this out?

ew.

 

[deleted1082375]

I'm confused--you're worried that you're missing out on the minutiae that professors test on yet you're still getting 70-80% on board questions in first semester of 2nd year? My friend, let me tell you a couple things:

1. Second year curriculum is always DDDBF (doo-doo dookie barf farts) because that's when the school doubles down on bringing in clinicians who can't really teach well vs. teaching high yield material.

2. I was only hitting 70% like a month out from Step/Level 1. The people in my class who rocked their boards were the ones that basically did what you did--they realized they'd take a hit in grades during 2nd year in order to ace boards, and that's what usually happened. So long as you're still passing and doing well, focus on boards if that's what you desire.

Thanks for the real talk. I just didn't know how much the minutiae shows up on boards. I heard combank was absolute crap so I wanted to make sure I'm not making missteps.

The people doing "well" in my class are only doing lectures.

 

[Sardonix]

Thanks for the real talk. I just didn't know how much the minutiae shows up on boards. I heard combank was absolute crap so I wanted to make sure I'm not making missteps.

The people doing "well" in my class are only doing lectures.

COMBANK is absolutely terrible. But questions are questions and they're challenging you to remember what you've reviewed rather than passively learning. The good news is that you can use it until you active your UWorld account in 2nd semester. UWorld will still absolutely demolish your self esteem (cuz it does for everyone no matter what), but at least you'll be used to the board question game by then.

Either way, it all comes down to what you want. Do you want to be first percentile or in the academic honors club? Do you want to get the best board score you could achieve? Some people can do both, but if that's not you then you gotta prioritize according to your goal.

By all means, still try at class lectures/tests, but don't compare yourself to others. That leads down the path of sadness, self loathing, and purchasing a Corvette at the age of 50 years old. And no one wants that.

 

[Neopolymath]

I heard Sattar has a tattoo of @Sardonix's avatar because his posts on SDN are so HY when he decides to post.

 

[Sardonix]

I heard Sattar has a tattoo of @Sardonix's avatar because his posts on SDN are so HY when he decides to post.

I would never dream of besmirching our High Yieldly Father with my presence!

 

[Osteosaur]

I felt the same man. Got a 230 in the end and i am happy with that.

Stick to the resources, trust that Zanki is making you smarter and keep up with it. When zanki is done the day is done. That keeps it manageable. And just remember it comes together better once you actually finish all your subjects.