Med school is a 60 hour a week job?

[leagall]

Does the 60 hours a week you spend studying include time in lectures/labs or do you have to study 60 hours outside of lectures/labs?

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[cliffhuxtableDO]

Depends on the week. Sometimes it's more sometimes its less. I'm talking about total work hours including labs and lectures.

 

[MCAT guy]

Being an entrepreneur is a 60 hr a week job?

 

[notbobtrustme]

eh, more like 40. Time before tests is closer to 60-70 hours though.

 

[FSU2013]

Depends on the person, year/clerkship, med school and point in rotation.

There will be weeks when you don't break 30 hours and weeks when you break 100 in stride *cough* surgery *cough* (my school's surgery clerkship director is fond of the fact that resident work hours don't apply to med students).

There's really no normal week in med school except for maybe during second year when things become monotonous.

 

[Textbookversion]

60-80 hours with studying, class and other school/career related obligations (CV filler crap). It depends on how much class you are required to attend and how useful class is to you. I mostly don't like class, although some subjects it's okay.

 

[kindasorta]

It'll depend entirely on where you go to school.

 

[tobi44]

For me its 35-40 hours a week, just studying not counting labs or required class. I don't go to lectures. I don't go much over 40 hours even on test week because I can't retain information after 6 hours of study. If I'm consistent with my hours there is no need to study more then that.

I'm sure about my own hours because I keep count with a timer and an excel sheet.

 

[Textbookversion]

For me its 35-40 hours a week, just studying not counting labs or required class. I don't go to lectures. I don't go much over 40 hours even on test week because I can't retain information after 6 hours of study. If I'm consistent with my hours there is no need to study more then that.

I'm sure about my own hours because I keep count with a timer and an excel sheet.

Yeah that's pretty much the same as my experience. Although during block exams I definitely put in 60 hrs studying those weeks.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Don't go to class. The first two years can be beautiful at less than 40. Last two are a different story.

 

[Laryngophed]

Don't go to class. The first two years can be beautiful at less than 40. Last two are a different story.

This guy (genderless) knows.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Depends on how well you study in a focused manner, and how quickly you can grasp and retain information. I would say if it's more than 60 hours/week (and not just exam weeks or during Step 1 studying), you're probably doing something wrong.

 

[fahimaz7]

During the pre-clincial years I rarely hit 60 hours/week on a non test week.Most of the weeks I bet I was in the 40-50 range. If we had 3 weeks between tests I would skip a full week and then just make it back up after I came back into town. Gotta love medical school (vs a real job that is).


Clinical years I averaged over 60 with some months in the 80-110 hour range. It's fine though. Medical school is a whole lot easier than working a dead end job at 50-60 hours/week for the next 30 years.

 

[Law2Doc]

Depends on how well you study in a focused manner, and how quickly you can grasp and retain information. I would say if it's more than 60 hours/week (and not just exam weeks or during Step 1 studying), you're probably doing something wrong.

Nah. Everyone is different. There will be people who need to put in 80 hours a week to accomplish what they need, and folks for whom 40 is enough. We are all very different, there is no one size fits all rule. We an only talk about average, but it is naive to suggest that someone who needs more is doing something wrong. It's no more wrong than the people in this thread who are saying 40 should be enough -- that's just the other end of the spectrum. The average for folks who want to do well, based on my own observations, is probably somewhere around 60. Meaning that if the average person treats medical school as a full time long houred job, and between classes and the books puts in 60 hours a week (eg 10 hours each weekday and 5 hours each weekend day), they should do quite well. But there will be people who need more or less than this, and they still aren't doing anything wrong, they are just wired differently.

 

[username456789]

To add to the wide variations, there are also wide variations in goals (which is touched upon in L2D's post).

Consider that there is a fairly wide variation between people in amount of hours needed to accomplish X; however, different people may have different goals (hitting class averages vs. top 25% vs. as many points as humanly possible).

One student may be putting in 80 hours/week just to pass, and second may only need 40 just to pass as well. Conversely, that second student may instead be putting in 80 hour weeks in an attempt to honor his/her classes. And every possible permutation in between.

So, as was pointed out, there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all prescription when it comes to studying. Between all the different goals, innate abilities/speed, and studying methods, the variation is huge.

 

[fahimaz7]

I think the guys who spend 80 hours/week "studying" are the guys who spend 20+ hours/week watching youtube, facebook, and SDN.

I've mentored quite a few students who were "studying all the time" and doing poorly. Once I had them stop messing around during their dedicated study period their grades went up and free time did as well. Funny how that works.

11-12 hours/day of actual studying would be tough for anyone to maintain for 140 weeks.

 

[Renaissance Man]

I would say on that a regular week my total time commitment to medical school (I do go to class though) would around 40-50 hours. Not too bad at all, especially spread over a 6 day week. The week before a test this goes out the window though.

 

[45408]

I think the guys who spend 80 hours/week "studying" are the guys who spend 20+ hours/week watching youtube, facebook, and SDN.

Many yes, but not all. Some people really are hardcore.

11-12 hours/day of actual studying would be tough for anyone to maintain for 140 weeks.

It's only the first two years, which is more like 20 months (minus Christmas and spring breaks as well). After that, you're doing a lot more clinical duties. And I do know a guy who maintained a pace pretty similar to that. He scored >260 on his boards, was junior AOA and matched into integrated plastics.

 

[fahimaz7]

Many yes, but not all. Some people really are hardcore.


It's only the first two years, which is more like 20 months (minus Christmas and spring breaks as well). After that, you're doing a lot more clinical duties. And I do know a guy who maintained a pace pretty similar to that. He scored >260 on his boards, was junior AOA and matched into integrated plastics.

Sounds like me but with more balance and a sexy wife. I know I didn't average 80 hours a week even in the clinical years, which required a lot more "time" than anything in the pre-clinical years.

 

[45408]

Sounds like me but with more balance and a sexy wife. I know I didn't average 80 hours a week even in the clinical years, which required a lot more "time" than anything in the pre-clinical years.

He took time off on weekends, and we'd shoot the sh-t regularly on study breaks. He's married and had two kids in med school. Some people just make the rest of us look bad.

 

[username456789]

Sounds like me but with more balance and a sexy wife. I know I didn't average 80 hours a week even in the clinical years, which required a lot more "time" than anything in the pre-clinical years.

I think your first sentence is backwards, unless you're assuming TheProwler's friend has a sexy wife (and a more balanced life than you).

Also, I found the clinical years to be less time-consuming for me. Busting my ass the first two years in similar fashion to TheProwler's friend made third year so much easier in terms of studying for shelves/Step 2. Despite what some people tend to think, a good bit of M1/M2 (more so M2) course material still ends up being high yield during M3 even on exams. Getting to M3 felt like a huge breath of fresh air for me, and I suddenly had tons more free time (with a few exceptions here and there). The momentum built up during the first two years made cruising through the clinical years (and by cruising I don't mean slacking) so much easier.

 

[fahimaz7]

He took time off on weekends, and we'd shoot the sh-t regularly on study breaks. He's married and had two kids in med school. Some people just make the rest of us look bad.

So he spent 16 hours/day studying (M-F) every week during the pre-clinical years? And did so with a wife and two kids? Not really believing that one. 7am - 11pm without breaks or distractions takes some serious motivation, talent, and a fetish for foley cath's and g-tubes.

While I do know one girl who may have studied as much as we are talking about on this thread (productive studying at that), the vast majority of medical students cannot sustain this type of effort for more than 10 days at a time. In the end it really doesn't matter how much time people are putting into it, as long as they are achieving the goals that they are content with and they are doing so in a fashion that makes them happy.

If you looked at the top 30 people in my class, most who have been elected to AOA, you will find very different studying techniques and theories on the approach, effort, and definition of "balance" truly is.

 

[45408]

So he spent 16 hours/day studying (M-F) every week during the pre-clinical years? And did so with a wife and two kids? Not really believing that one. 7am - 11pm without breaks or distractions takes some serious motivation, talent, and a fetish for foley cath's and g-tubes.

Did you read my post? I said nothing about 16 hours/day or 80 hours/week.

You said:

11-12 hours/day of actual studying

I said:

I do know a guy who maintained a pace pretty similar to that

I didn't calculate his time spent in the facility, I was just friends with him and knew that he got there before me and left after me on a very regular basis.

 

[Lanolin]

I thought you were saying that your buddy did 80 hours/week while only working during the week. That's what this post is about. It's not about the guy doing 50-60 hours/week while in medical school, which is something that I did most of the time as well.

Did you read my post? I said nothing about 16 hours/day or 80 hours/week.

You said:


I said:


I didn't calculate his time spent in the facility, I was just friends with him and knew that he got there before me and left after me on a very regular basis.

Many yes, but not all. Some people really are hardcore.


It's only the first two years, which is more like 20 months (minus Christmas and spring breaks as well). After that, you're doing a lot more clinical duties. And I do know a guy who maintained a pace pretty similar to that. He scored >260 on his boards, was junior AOA and matched into integrated plastics.

 

[MCAT guy]

To add to the wide variations, there are also wide variations in goals (which is touched upon in L2D's post).

Consider that there is a fairly wide variation between people in amount of hours needed to accomplish X; however, different people may have different goals (hitting class averages vs. top 25% vs. as many points as humanly possible).

One student may be putting in 80 hours/week just to pass, and second may only need 40 just to pass as well. Conversely, that second student may instead be putting in 80 hour weeks in an attempt to honor his/her classes. And every possible permutation in between.

So, as was pointed out, there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all prescription when it comes to studying. Between all the different goals, innate abilities/speed, and studying methods, the variation is huge.

Exactly.

It's kind of dumb to compare because of this also. But top med students love measuring the biggest egos.

 

[Fox800]

Don't go to class. The first two years can be beautiful at less than 40. Last two are a different story.

This. Class is for suckers.

 

[tobi44]

This. Class is for suckers.

A lot of people say this about class. And its true for a lot of students. But when I think about the students that go to class, even into second year, they are mostly the best students in the class and they stay on top of all the material. I know that approach does not work for me, I would just get behind and miss a lot of information. But if going to class works for you, its probably a good thing.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Thought I'd just resurrect this thread rather than start a new one.

Is the general consensus that total time (class + study + ECs) puts you somewhere between 35-70 per week during MS1 and 2 depending on the week and the individual? I'm married with kids, so I'm planning to fill the "Phantom Student" role by studying hard and making appearances only at mandatory functions and maybe a club or two.

I ask because I was at a second look recently and someone asked about working part time during med school (why do people always ask this...?). The admissions guy said they "don't recommend it because you'll be studying 6 hours a day outside of required classes." At schools that have a lot of class, this would put people at ~90 a week not even counting weekends, which I know cannot be true.

 

[DrEnderW]

At schools that have a lot of class, this would put people at ~90 a week not even counting weekends, which I know cannot be true.

It depends if your school is pass fail or not, amongst other things. I can absolutely assure you that you will have classmates putting those hours in.

 

[Psai]

Thought I'd just resurrect this thread rather than start a new one.

Is the general consensus that total time (class + study + ECs) puts you somewhere between 35-70 per week during MS1 and 2 depending on the week and the individual? I'm married with kids, so I'm planning to fill the "Phantom Student" role by studying hard and making appearances only at mandatory functions and maybe a club or two.

I ask because I was at a second look recently and someone asked about working part time during med school (why do people always ask this...?). The admissions guy said they "don't recommend it because you'll be studying 6 hours a day outside of required classes." At schools that have a lot of class, this would put people at ~90 a week not even counting weekends, which I know cannot be true.

Also the fact that working most jobs part time wouldn't put much of a dent in your loans anyway.

 

[xffan624]

Thought I'd just resurrect this thread rather than start a new one.

Is the general consensus that total time (class + study + ECs) puts you somewhere between 35-70 per week during MS1 and 2 depending on the week and the individual? I'm married with kids, so I'm planning to fill the "Phantom Student" role by studying hard and making appearances only at mandatory functions and maybe a club or two.

I ask because I was at a second look recently and someone asked about working part time during med school (why do people always ask this...?). The admissions guy said they "don't recommend it because you'll be studying 6 hours a day outside of required classes." At schools that have a lot of class, this would put people at ~90 a week not even counting weekends, which I know cannot be true.

Depending on the school, you could probably fit in a part time job, but unless it was a high paying job like a pharmacist or moonlighting nurse, it's simply not worth taking away the couple hours of free time you have to work some crappy $8/hour job. It's possible for some people, but the question is, is it worth it?

 

[mcloaf]

Depending on the school, you could probably fit in a part time job, but unless it was a high paying job like a pharmacist or moonlighting nurse, it's simply not worth taking away the couple hours of free time you have to work some crappy $8/hour job. It's possible for some people, but the question is, is it worth it?

^^^

There are some people in my class who tutor/teach MCAT/bartend. Doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Thought I'd just resurrect this thread rather than start a new one.

Is the general consensus that total time (class + study + ECs) puts you somewhere between 35-70 per week during MS1 and 2 depending on the week and the individual? I'm married with kids, so I'm planning to fill the "Phantom Student" role by studying hard and making appearances only at mandatory functions and maybe a club or two.

I ask because I was at a second look recently and someone asked about working part time during med school (why do people always ask this...?). The admissions guy said they "don't recommend it because you'll be studying 6 hours a day outside of required classes." At schools that have a lot of class, this would put people at ~90 a week not even counting weekends, which I know cannot be true.

6 hours a day outside of required classes is definitely on the high end. On the days that classes ended at noon, I might have come close to studying for 6 hours (probably more like 5 at most), but on days that class ended at 2 or 3, I would only get in a couple hours max.

 

[notbobtrustme]

^^^

There are some people in my class who tutor/teach MCAT/bartend. Doesn't seem worth it to me.

I tutored MCAT during M1; made like 500-700 bucks a month extra, which was nice.

 

[fastlane]

One thing I have noticed is that most of my classmates lie about how many hours they put in studying. AKA severely lowball the number.
Anyone that is telling you they are studying 30-40 hrs/week and not attending class are completely bsing to your face. Even if you're aiming to "just pass" you will need to work more than that.
The only caveat I see to this is that the amount you need to work is GREATLY dependent on what classes you took before medical school. Such as, in undergrad if you have already taken Embryology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Neuroanatomy, Anatomy, Cell Biology etc... learning it the second time around WILL be easier. I know this for a fact because all of the classes I took earlier in undergrad are now a joke in medical school while I watch some of my peers struggle. Conversely, I had to put in more time/effort in the classes I had no background in due to not taking it during undergrad. The larger foundation of information you have before starting medical school, the easier your time during your pre-clinical years will be (because you build knowledge on a previously established base), and that's a fact.

 

[Psai]

There actually are some people who actually don't study that much for some classes. It tends to be the people who pick things up really quickly but don't really talk much about school and you wouldn't know how quick they are. The people who go around talking about their grades and how they're going to be a neuroendovascular surgeon might be smart but their need for validation is annoying. And there are definitely the weirdos who will look you in the eyes and tell you that they started studying the night before when you know for a fact that they sit in their room all day and flip through powerpoints and books. I don't understand why they think it makes them look good to act like they're doing well without trying but I can see why residency directors keep telling us that the main point of the interview is to weed out the misanthropes and the psychos.

 

[codybraxton]

It can be really hectic. Some weeks you will not study at all. Other weeks you will study all day every day. Each school is different too because of their curriculums and scheduling.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

60? Push it down to maybe 20 and thats more accurate. Med school is hard, but its nowhere close to as hard as most students say it is.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

60? Push it down to maybe 20 and thats more accurate. Med school is hard, but its nowhere close to as hard as most students say it is.

You really want me to believe that you only spend 20 hours a week going to class and/or studying for medical school?

 

[ChrisGriffen]

I don't want you to believe anything. Its not all about you bro. But yea I probably get up to 30 or so on some weeks, but most of the time its 20 or less. And I would venture that 99% of students who claim 60 hours of "studying" are ACTUALLY studying for less than half of that.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

One thing I have noticed is that most of my classmates lie about how many hours they put in studying. AKA severely lowball the number.

What I would say is that most med students are VERY bad at quantifying their hours studying. I'd say the frequency of severe lowballers is about the same as the frequency of those who drastically overestimate their hours.

 

[DrEnderW]

I tutored MCAT during M1; made like 500-700 bucks a month extra, which was nice.

I did the same, but what sounds like slightly less hours. It was definitely worth it and doable but I recently cut back. Tutoring is a great option, especially if you enjoy teaching anyways.

And I would venture that 99% of students who claim 60 hours of "studying" are ACTUALLY studying for less than half of that.

Less than 30 hours of studying a week? And doing well in class? All while setting yourself up comfortably for Step 1?

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Less than 30 hours of studying a week? And doing well in class? All while setting yourself up comfortably for Step 1?

Couldn't agree with you more.

I don't want you to believe anything. Its not all about you bro. But yea I probably get up to 30 or so on some weeks, but most of the time its 20 or less. And I would venture that 99% of students who claim 60 hours of "studying" are ACTUALLY studying for less than half of that.

Good luck with step 1, bro. Seriously.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Less than 30 hours of studying a week? And doing well in class? All while setting yourself up comfortably for Step 1?

It's doable. If you efficiently manage your time and found a studying strategy that works for you while limiting distractions, <30 hours/week should be enough to do well for classes. I can't say anything about Step 1 since I'm 8 weeks out, but I'm killing UWorld right now. I hope that's a good sign.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

When you guys mention 30 hours, does that include attending labs and mandatory lectures, or that is for out of class studying only?

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Guys are getting hostile.... But i am right on or near class average every test, and I got a 74% on a practice usmle before i started boards studying, so I'm not too worried. Thanks for wishing me good luck though, I appreciate it.

Total time investment is around 20 hours per week. Back in first year with anatomy lab it was substantially higher, but now I double speed lectures at home and do them a couple times each. Given that we now have tests ~every 2 weeks or so, each with between 30-40 hours of lecture material, I cant imagine it is any higher than 20-30 hours per week. I do not take "breaks", or get distracted by facebook or whatever.
I get **** done.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Guys are getting hostile.... But i am right on or near class average every test, and I got a 74% on a practice usmle before i started boards studying, so I'm not too worried. Thanks for wishing me good luck though, I appreciate it.

Total time investment is around 20 hours per week. Back in first year with anatomy lab it was substantially higher, but now I double speed lectures at home and do them a couple times each. Given that we now have tests ~every 2 weeks or so, each with between 30-40 hours of lecture material, I cant imagine it is any higher than 20-30 hours per week. I do not take "breaks", or get distracted by facebook or whatever.
I get **** done.

I think it's great that you can do well with only studying 20-30 hours a week. I would have killed to be able to study that little and still perform as well as I did.

 

[dyspareunia]

I lol'd at 20 or less hours per week of studying. Less than 3 hours per day? Ok, boss.

I hope you have a job, otherwise you are legit wasting all that time you don't spend studying.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

I do not take "breaks", or get distracted by facebook or whatever.
I get **** done.

I believe this, although I doubt I could pull off 20 or 30 a week. I studied for MCAT primarily at a medical school library. There would be people there for 10 hours on a Saturday who spent at least a third of that time watching Hulu, checking facebook, reading ESPN.com, etc.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Uhh no job but I do have a family, which I don't consider a waste of time.

And the library is a great place for people at my school to go and talk about how much work they have to do. Maybe my school isn't the same as the rest of you, but if you were to look around at any pool of people doing what THEY call studying, maybe 3 out of 10 are being productive at any given time.