MS0 who will be starting in the Fall, question on how to spend my time? Read all please.

[TXMS2]

Hello everyone! I was fortunate enough to get an acceptance this cycle and will be starting medical school this fall. I graduated from undergrad this last December so I do not have work or classes until August when classes start. I wanted to know, what is the best way ahead of time to prep for medical school and get a headstart on material? I know what you're gonna say, "Don't study! Go travel! Go do things you enjoy!" Please keep in mind that I still do these things and have them planned. I am doing this studying of my own volition and need some guidance from those who have already gone through the process. These are the materials I have currently:

I have begun the Anking Step 1 study deck on Anki. Currently doing 40 cards a day in Biochem only, as I majored in Biochem and found this to be a great starting point.

I have bought the most recent First Aid book and also have the newest edition of Netter's Anatomy.

How would you recommend I use Anki, First Aid, and Netter's in the most effective way possible together?

What other steps would you recommend I do to get ahead with all this free time I have? Please refrain from saying anything rude, "Gunner" etc. I am simply trying to make better use of my time. Thanks!

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[mrbreakfast]

I find it ironic how frequently posts like this ask for advice from people who've "already gone through it" yet reject the near-unanimous advice from those people to not study at all.

If you insist that you want to spend your free time preparing for a medical career, I would, in order of priority:
1) Either learn medical Spanish or develop a new hobby you're interested in and can do in med school. There is a very short window of time when people will care at all what you scored on boards. They'll always care about who you are as a person.
2) Shadow a diverse group of fields, even stuff you aren't as interested in. I can't quote the source, but anecdotally I've been told 80% of med students go into a different specialty than they initially thought they would.
3) If you have to study, I'd study anatomy, and maybe a little histology. Being able to quickly identify a histology slide - while something you'll probably never actually do in real life - is something you'll always be tested on, including potentially on your medical boards. While having a good knowledge base of biochem is nice, realistically that'll get you the first few weeks of med school at best.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

First off.... Stop doing anki cards right now. You're an MS0, so go enjoy your last bit of freedom. I promise you that you won't be behind if you start medical school without having prepped first. Anki truly is the GOAT though so even with a pass/fail step 1 I would still highly recommend using it when your classes start. I know you are saying you are trying to make the best use of your time, but what you are doing right now is unnecessary. Stop thinking about school, go have fun.

 

[DarkBluMage]

Hello everyone! I was fortunate enough to get an acceptance this cycle and will be starting medical school this fall. I graduated from undergrad this last December so I do not have work or classes until August when classes start. I wanted to know, what is the best way ahead of time to prep for medical school and get a headstart on material? I know what you're gonna say, "Don't study! Go travel! Go do things you enjoy!" Please keep in mind that I still do these things and have them planned. I am doing this studying of my own volition and need some guidance from those who have already gone through the process. These are the materials I have currently:

I have begun the Anking Step 1 study deck on Anki. Currently doing 40 cards a day in Biochem only, as I majored in Biochem and found this to be a great starting point.

I have bought the most recent First Aid book and also have the newest edition of Netter's Anatomy.

How would you recommend I use Anki, First Aid, and Netter's in the most effective way possible together?

What other steps would you recommend I do to get ahead with all this free time I have? Please refrain from saying anything rude, "Gunner" etc. I am simply trying to make better use of my time. Thanks!

Stop wasting your time with pre-studying and enjoy your summer. You’ll understand why everyone is saying that once you start.

 

[ChocolateChipCookiez]

If you're going to prestudy, wait until orientation at least so you know what topics you're actually going to need to know during your first block.

 

[Hzreio]

Tbh biochem Anking is not a terrible idea.

I take it you want to do competitive specialty so I understand the sentiment. 40 cards a day isn’t a lot but it starts to add up. The disadvantage is that anking is better when supplemented with classes. Your classes gives you a solid base for understanding the material.

But I also agree that you should travel. I almost emptied out my savings to do a month long road trip with by girlfriend now fiancé that I will never regret and likely remember my entire life. You will not ever have the time to do things like that again. At least not for the next decade or so.

Imo learning medical Spanish is a waste of time. Interpreters exist for a reason and unless you are near fluent in Spanish you should always be using an interpreter anyways. No amount of studying Spanish in that period of time will get you near to that level

 

[deleted1079620]

Please don't pre-study, it won't help you at all.

Instead use this time to figure out all the adulting skills you might be missing, and "get your house in order", so to speak. Start a gym routine, learn to meal prep and cook, go see your pcp, ophthalmologist, dentist and get your routine healthcare squared away. If you see a doctor on a regular basis for anything, start looking now in your new area because getting established can take time...this is especially true if you see a therapist, don't let your mental resources fall to the wayside during this next transition.

Declutter if you're moving and start looking for housing and/or roommates. Spend time with family and friends because you're going to be busy for a while. Get your car thoroughly checked out and make any needed repairs. If you have a pet you're bringing with you, get them a full check up too, I've had classmates have a really rough time because they had a beloved pet get sick or pass away during medical school.

Read books...medical or non-medical related.

 

[CanIBeAnonymous]

Hello everyone! I was fortunate enough to get an acceptance this cycle and will be starting medical school this fall. I graduated from undergrad this last December so I do not have work or classes until August when classes start. I wanted to know, what is the best way ahead of time to prep for medical school and get a headstart on material? I know what you're gonna say, "Don't study! Go travel! Go do things you enjoy!" Please keep in mind that I still do these things and have them planned. I am doing this studying of my own volition and need some guidance from those who have already gone through the process. These are the materials I have currently:

I have begun the Anking Step 1 study deck on Anki. Currently doing 40 cards a day in Biochem only, as I majored in Biochem and found this to be a great starting point.

I have bought the most recent First Aid book and also have the newest edition of Netter's Anatomy.

How would you recommend I use Anki, First Aid, and Netter's in the most effective way possible together?

What other steps would you recommend I do to get ahead with all this free time I have? Please refrain from saying anything rude, "Gunner" etc. I am simply trying to make better use of my time. Thanks!

Everyone is going to say don't pre-study - they're 100% correct, do NOT prestudy. There's no reason, it will not benefit you. Take pretty much any of the advice from above posters. The best use of this time is to relax and/or work on skills you've wanted to work on (learn a new language, get into a hobby, etc). I personally used the time before med school to become financially literate and it has done more for me than any prestudying could do.

However, I'm sure like most humans you're not going to take someone's advice when you're very clear on not doing so. So, I would say having a strong foundation in physiology is something that is always useful - take a read through Costanzo Physiology.

When you get bored of that go out and touch some grass

 

[djiboutiman]

I agree with everyone else. Don't waste your precious free time studying. But, if you must pre-study then:

1. Learn how to use hierarchical tags, this video by Anking is good. You might even want to watch all of the high yield video playlist on his channel to get an understanding of how to use Anki.
3. For anatomy, download an anatomy-specific deck, as Anking doesn't emphasize anatomy. Netter Better follows Netter's, but might be overkill. Go through the page in your Netter book, then do the corresponding Anki cards. Many more highly regarded Anki decks listed here, if you don't like Netter Better.
4. The above user is right, Costanzo Physiology (textbook) is excellent, and you can follow along with the Costanzo tag in Anking. Just know there are no corresponding cards for chapters 1-3. This is the only textbook I bought for my first two years (6th edition is fine and cheaper).
5. First Aid is a reference, so no need to really touch that for now.
6. Biochem is low yield, but if you don't mind going through the Anki cards then go ahead.

Again, you can just do this when you start school, please don't study for more than an hour a day. You'll never have time off like this again. I think your time would be better spent connecting with a research mentor at your new school in a specialty that you are interested in. That way you can hit the ground running in research once you start school. This is especially true if you are interested in a competitive specialty (dermatology, ophthalmology, or surgical specialty).

 

[Lawpy]

Hello everyone! I was fortunate enough to get an acceptance this cycle and will be starting medical school this fall. I graduated from undergrad this last December so I do not have work or classes until August when classes start. I wanted to know, what is the best way ahead of time to prep for medical school and get a headstart on material? I know what you're gonna say, "Don't study! Go travel! Go do things you enjoy!" Please keep in mind that I still do these things and have them planned. I am doing this studying of my own volition and need some guidance from those who have already gone through the process. These are the materials I have currently:

I have begun the Anking Step 1 study deck on Anki. Currently doing 40 cards a day in Biochem only, as I majored in Biochem and found this to be a great starting point.

I have bought the most recent First Aid book and also have the newest edition of Netter's Anatomy.

How would you recommend I use Anki, First Aid, and Netter's in the most effective way possible together?

What other steps would you recommend I do to get ahead with all this free time I have? Please refrain from saying anything rude, "Gunner" etc. I am simply trying to make better use of my time. Thanks!

I’ll never understand this annual obsession to prestudy rather than doing actually useful things like having fun, traveling, learning Spanish etc. The only thing academically useful to do is research and learning new scientific skills that’ll best help you churn out papers the fastest. Prestudying is a waste of time with very little to no return.

 

[Oso]

Just relax and do things you enjoy that you may not get to do as much once school starts.

That is truly the best use of your time and I highly doubt you’ll regret it one year from now.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Make money to reduce loan burden and give you flexibility to do fun stuff in med school (ie travel)

 

[xffan624]

Tbh biochem Anking is not a terrible idea.

I take it you want to do competitive specialty so I understand the sentiment. 40 cards a day isn’t a lot but it starts to add up. The disadvantage is that anking is better when supplemented with classes. Your classes gives you a solid base for understanding the material.

But I also agree that you should travel. I almost emptied out my savings to do a month long road trip with by girlfriend now fiancé that I will never regret and likely remember my entire life. You will not ever have the time to do things like that again. At least not for the next decade or so.

Imo learning medical Spanish is a waste of time. Interpreters exist for a reason and unless you are near fluent in Spanish you should always be using an interpreter anyways. No amount of studying Spanish in that period of time will get you near to that level

When you're a resident or even M3/4 you will learn that in person interpreters are usually not available for every interaction with a Spanish speaking patient and that IPAD translators or blue phones aren't always available for whatever reason (someone else is using it or there are technical problems, etc). I would never advise trying to wing it if they are available (especially for patient history or other important conversations), but a little Spanish knowledge (ie basic phrases) can be helpful especially in areas with a large Spanish speaking population (or even a small one). Where I did my residency, there wasn't a significant population which actually made it more important given that the hospital had less native speakers and less resources for translation.

 

[Billiam95]

Start a good workout routine and learn how to cook 3-4 quick, healthy meals.

 

[CanIBeAnonymous]

Start a good workout routine and learn how to cook 3-4 quick, healthy meals.

Tbf this implies they already can't do that - I see this advice thrown out a lot but cmon how many people are reaching the adulthood required for med school who don't know how to cook basic meals? Also, that takes like half an hour to learn how to do just gotta look up recipes.

Not saying it's terrible advice, just doesn't really fill OPs time. Starting to workout, if you don't already, is ofc always a good starting point.

 

[Mr.Blackdoc.5]

Maybe in the outlier here, but I wouldn’t be spending any of my free time now on Anki (or any studying at all). Even as I come towards the end of my M1 year, I haven’t touched anki or used notecards and I’ve done extremely well (granted each school has a different curriculum and mine is pass/fail pre clinical). Who knows how that strategy will turn out. Anki is an effective strategy. All I know is that there will be a time for anki in the future, and there are just SO many other things I would be doing than flipping through note cards. Even regarding school related stuff, I’d rather use those two hours a day of Flashcards on my research projects, for example.

 

[Billiam95]

Tbf this implies they already can't do that - I see this advice thrown out a lot but cmon how many people are reaching the adulthood required for med school who don't know how to cook basic meals? Also, that takes like half an hour to learn how to do just gotta look up recipes.

Not saying it's terrible advice, just doesn't really fill OPs time. Starting to workout, if you don't already, is ofc always a good starting point.

You'd be surprised - most people I know in school don't know how to do either.

 

[deleted1079620]

Tbf this implies they already can't do that - I see this advice thrown out a lot but cmon how many people are reaching the adulthood required for med school who don't know how to cook basic meals? Also, that takes like half an hour to learn how to do just gotta look up recipes.

Not saying it's terrible advice, just doesn't really fill OPs time. Starting to workout, if you don't already, is ofc always a good starting point.

I was surprised how many medical students can’t cook, and either did take out, Starbucks, lived off frozen meals or made sandwiches.

 

[AvsPearTree]

Tbf this implies they already can't do that - I see this advice thrown out a lot but cmon how many people are reaching the adulthood required for med school who don't know how to cook basic meals? Also, that takes like half an hour to learn how to do just gotta look up recipes.

Not saying it's terrible advice, just doesn't really fill OPs time. Starting to workout, if you don't already, is ofc always a good starting point.

The average college student lives quite a sheltered life, and that can be exacerbated if they are rolling straight from college to med school. Doing well in school and checking boxes for a medical school application doesn't directly correlate to being a well adjusted individual. Learning how to be a fully functioning adult can be a full time job, and you would be surprised how many adults don't know how to cook.

 

[Dr G Oogle]

If you’re really spending your time just chilling until med school (highly advisable) and want to get ahead, whatever meager studying you’re going to do before school Will maybe get you through a few days worth of schooling, it’s literally drinking from a fire hose and you want to drink from a water fountain to prepare for it. However, since you seem committed to this mode of action you can try to learn stats and maybe R or another stats software. Since step 1 will be pass fail I anticipate research will be a much bigger component of your residency application. This is already happening. I used to get maybe 5-10 emails before summer for research. Since P/F I’ve had 33. I have said no to 32. The one i said yes to knows stats and how to program which makes a summer research project much more likely to go to completion and does not overly drain my time.

TLDR: don’t do anything other than relax, but if you insist learn stats and a stats software

 

[Goro]

Stop wasting your time with pre-studying and enjoy your summer. You’ll understand why everyone is saying that once you start.

This. /thread

 

[CanIBeAnonymous]

If you’re really spending your time just chilling until med school (highly advisable) and want to get ahead, whatever meager studying you’re going to do before school Will maybe get you through a few days worth of schooling, it’s literally drinking from a fire hose and you want to drink from a water fountain to prepare for it. However, since you seem committed to this mode of action you can try to learn stats and maybe R or another stats software. Since step 1 will be pass fail I anticipate research will be a much bigger component of your residency application. This is already happening. I used to get maybe 5-10 emails before summer for research. Since P/F I’ve had 33. I have said no to 32. The one i said yes to knows stats and how to program which makes a summer research project much more likely to go to completion and does not overly drain my time.

TLDR: don’t do anything other than relax, but if you insist learn stats and a stats software

I will say - I learned R in my free time at work in the year before matriculating, was super helpful in pushing out pubs on my own. It's certainly not necessary, especially since you can do research with folks who have their own stats team, but it never hurts to truly understand stats if you have any interest in research, and being able to work with the data yourself can help you come up with projects, answer questions, etc.

I did most of my learning just via the internet (youtube, stackshare, etc), but also pulled Discovering Statistics Using R from my local library

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

This but Python with focus on statsmodels, sklearn, scipy probably better and easier.

 

[deleted1100659]

1. proceed to your computer
2. google flights to exotic countrys with a large population of attractive women (or men, depending on your preference)
3. Pull out wallet/credit card
4. Book most appealing flight

If after your trip you don't feel like you have obtained a therapeutic response, try again for good measure

 

[VincentAdultman]

I mean if youre going to insist on studying why not study something not related to medicine at all?

 

[DigNewton]

I didn't believe everyone when they told me pre-studying wouldn't help at all... and I tried to pre-study. Guess what? Didn't help at all. I know it sounds hyperbolic when people say "any material you get ahead on will be covered in a couple days," but it's true.

But if you insist on studying, go with anatomy. You could use anki, or you could do something chiller like color the Netter coloring book. I still think there's a good chance you'll only buy yourself a couple days' worth of advantage, though. For example, the upper limb is a nightmare for a lot of people, and I think we covered it in 2 days? In the past, I might have said biochem or anatomy, but biochem minutiae got way less important the instant Step 1 went P/F.

 

[mrbreakfast]

I don't really recommend people learn stats over the summer unless you're ready to really dive in. It's not the software that's the challenge, it's actually knowing the basis of statistics. If stats is like cooking, SPSS or R is like knowing how to use a stove - it doesn't make you a good cook.

If you can do statistics for a paper (beyond chi squareds and basics like that) and find the right research group, you'll get double-digit publications easily. But, everyone I know who successfully did that already knew a decent amount of statistics; they just needed to be taught SPSS.


Also, as everyone else is pointing out, you already basically didn't really need to know biochem when step 1 was graded. Now that it's not, I think curricula will adapt to kind of skimming over it.

 

[Lawpy]

I don't really recommend people learn stats over the summer unless you're ready to really dive in. It's not the software that's the challenge, it's actually knowing the basis of statistics. If stats is like cooking, SPSS or R is like knowing how to use a stove - it doesn't make you a good cook.

If you can do statistics for a paper (beyond chi squareds and basics like that) and find the right research group, you'll get double-digit publications easily. But, everyone I know who successfully did that already knew a decent amount of statistics; they just needed to be taught SPSS.


Also, as everyone else is pointing out, you already basically didn't really need to know biochem when step 1 was graded. Now that it's not, I think curricula will adapt to kind of skimming over it.

Statistics isn’t really difficult to learn

 

[Ho0v-man]

I promise that in December when you’re in hour 14 of studying and thinking about making a blood sacrifice to Asclepius to somehow get through tomorrows first day of 8 hour final exams covering more information than you learned in all of undergrad… you won’t think back fondly of your decision to do Anki 3+ months before orientation.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Do most of the medical students ITT have essay based exams or something? I feel like many schools are moving to multiple choice only exams. Surely nobody has to study 8+ hours a day for MC exams (assuming no procrastination). From my experience, MC requires recognition/recall rather than retrieval so it’s easier to study

 

[Dr G Oogle]

I will say - I learned R in my free time at work in the year before matriculating, was super helpful in pushing out pubs on my own. It's certainly not necessary, especially since you can do research with folks who have their own stats team, but it never hurts to truly understand stats if you have any interest in research, and being able to work with the data yourself can help you come up with projects, answer questions, etc.

I did most of my learning just via the internet (youtube, stackshare, etc), but also pulled Discovering Statistics Using R from my local library

Not necessarily but helpful to get research throughput and especially first author. I have a very robust stats team (including myself), they work on high impact projects for myself and other research faculty, I will put students as middle authors if they work on something else, but in general the only students I’ve worked with who got first author knew enough stats to benefit from guidance rather than full on didactics. I am reasonably sure that is the case for most people with a team/funding for a stats. They will simply not devote that much funded time for stats to a med student summer project unless funding was explicitly obtained to help med student do research.

 

[DarkBluMage]

Wow, this thread got a lot of valuable responses. To start, I do currently work out and cook! I also do spend time gaming and relaxing, and have a trip planned this summer. I plan to do all these things, but ALSO use the time on something useful, hence why I asked. I will take all of your advice into consideration and ensure I can get somewhat of a headstart, however menial it may be. Thank you everyone!

The point we’re all trying to make is it’s honestly not useful at all. Just simply go full chill mode and enjoy your summer. You’ll thank us all later.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

Hello everyone! I was fortunate enough to get an acceptance this cycle and will be starting medical school this fall. I graduated from undergrad this last December so I do not have work or classes until August when classes start. I wanted to know, what is the best way ahead of time to prep for medical school and get a headstart on material? I know what you're gonna say, "Don't study! Go travel! Go do things you enjoy!" Please keep in mind that I still do these things and have them planned. I am doing this studying of my own volition and need some guidance from those who have already gone through the process. These are the materials I have currently:

I have begun the Anking Step 1 study deck on Anki. Currently doing 40 cards a day in Biochem only, as I majored in Biochem and found this to be a great starting point.

I have bought the most recent First Aid book and also have the newest edition of Netter's Anatomy.

How would you recommend I use Anki, First Aid, and Netter's in the most effective way possible together?

What other steps would you recommend I do to get ahead with all this free time I have? Please refrain from saying anything rude, "Gunner" etc. I am simply trying to make better use of my time. Thanks!

Pre-studying is the silliest idea. For starters, you don’t really know how material will be delivered at your school. You could literally spend your whole summer studying and then find out… You’ve wasted time. You say you want advice from those who have gone thru the process? Here it is: Relax. Find a place to live & prepare for moving if necessary. If your new class has a Facebook or GroupMe, spend time getting to know them. Do fun stuff. Hang out with your family. You won’t have many opportunities to do so once you’re in medical school. Trust me, you’ll get ample time with the Netters, Anking (Personally, I don’t care for Anki), and all the other stuff that makes up medical school. You’ll learn what you need to learn. Don’t waste precious free time trying to “pre study”.

 

[NYC Doc]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

Trust me when I say you will rapidly find your groove. I can say this as a 50 year old non-trad who last saw the hard sciences in 2010, the year that I finished undergrad. I started medical school last year and found that 1) Your upperclass colleagues are so very helpful. They will give you resources and tips regarding what to study and how to study it; 2) Most faculty are going to be very open to you and they have a wealth of knowledge and resources should you choose to avail yourself of what they have to offer; 3) If you will be attending a well-resourced school, you’ll have s great deal of assistance when it comes to developing a good study routine and wise strategies to get through your coursework; and 4) Your life’s experiences have prepared you for this. You will quickly settle down and find your grove. Don’t spend your summer pre-studying; you are going to sacrifice so much time snd over these next four years, you will miss out on so much in terms of time spent with family snd friends. I’m glad that I spent my summer before starting med school with family; my paternal grandmother’s 97th birthday occurred the weekend before my Unit 1 finals so I wasn’t able to see her but since I’d spent several weeks in NE Texas before school started, I didn’t feel quite so bad about having to miss her birthday celebration.

 

[deleted1079620]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

Look up AnKing on YouTube and see if anki might be something you’d be interested in, and familiarize yourself with how the settings and setup works. You could also browse a few med school YouTubers who post about study schedules and stuff and see if anything jumps out as you as a reasonable place to begin once school starts. Zach Highley, Kharma Medic, and the MD Journey are good places to start.

It seems that what you’re really looking for might be for study techniques you can arm yourself with for when classes start. Technology has changed in 10 years and there’s more online/computer based stuff now than pen & paper/hard copy book learning. However, I still had lots of die hard notebook and paper classmates that did just as well on exams as the anki true believers, so ultimately do what works for you. (edited to add: I mixed up the OP and the response directly above me...OP has not been out of school 10 years. My other advice stands.)

I’m also a nontrad, and I agree with the poster above. You’ll quickly find your groove!

 

[Lawpy]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

Get into research early. I’m serious. Research is the best way to learn relevant background and develop valuable and critical skills that will help you in long term.

 

[Gilakend]

Get into a good gym, diet, and sleep routine. These are things you might struggle to make time for in med school if you don't already have them hammered down. You will have tons of time to study, way less time to do the others (unless you already have a solid routine).

The time savings and mental recharge you will get from those, in my experience, is literally astronomical. It is unbelievable how much more efficient and effective I am at school stuff when those are in order.

At most, if you pre-study like this until med school starts, you MIGHT be slightly ahead/less stressed for a couple of weeks. Doing the above, you'd be ahead/less stressed the whole year.

 

[RangerBob]

I think pre-studying is more likely to hurt you than help, since you may not feel obligated to study as much in early M1 since you may "know it already," and thus it just pushes further into the future the inevitable inner reconciliation we all go through when we realize the way we studied in undergrad won't work in medical school. And you just can't learn to study like a med student until you are one. It's simply a different league.

The reason why everyone who has been through it all universally says not to pre-study is we either did and felt it was a waste of time, or we didn't and we saw that it would have been a waste of time and were thankful we didn't.

Diet. Exercise. Relationships (family, friends, SO's, etc.). Reading for fun. Whatever hobbies you have. Learning a new hobby that you've always wanted to try--this is very possibly the last time you have to learn it.

If you still feel the urge to still pre-study, book a one-way ticket to a Spanish-speaking country, find yourself a Spanish-speaking boy/girlfriend, and stay there until you start medical school. Legitimately, Spanish is the only thing worth studying right now as a way to help your medical career. I say the find a boyfriend/girlfriend partly in jest, but I am also 100% honest that aside from immersion being the best way to learn Spanish, it will be far, far, far more helpful than any other studying you could possibly do--assuming you continue to use Spanish after coming back home.

 

[Dr G Oogle]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

Totally normal to be nervous and want to do something. But like everyone said you’ll find your groove. I was an engineering major and took my MCAT my sophomore year in a 5 year program (I was in a dual degree program but still had to take mcat). It was another 3 years of hardcore engineering which is completely different than med school. I fumbled for a bit that. 2 weeks i found my groove and so will you.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

The average college student lives quite a sheltered life, and that can be exacerbated if they are rolling straight from college to med school. Doing well in school and checking boxes for a medical school application doesn't directly correlate to being a well adjusted individual. Learning how to be a fully functioning adult can be a full time job, and you would be surprised how many adults don't know how to cook.

This!!! I am an untraditional medical student, but the lack of common sense or adulting life experiences in some of the people in my class is just mind boggling. They are all very intelligent people (book smart), but when it comes to situations outside of what enzymes are involved in the Krebs cycle or the pathogenesis of DKA then they are completely lost. One thing I will never forget is when one of my roommates cut our entire backyard without ever engaging the lawn mower blade... My other roommate who is 24 years old just got his first credit card when I explained to him what credit is. But if you ask them anything in first aid they can recite it like the back of their hand.

 

[NegativeMargin]

Threads like this always end the same way, but I do see differing advice in other places, especially the anki subreddits. I'd love to see more feedback on that.

I'm certainly not going to start Anki now, but with good STEP 1 decks being 30,000 cards in length, if I want to maintain a feasible number of reviews each day and not jump over 1500+ cards/day, I'm going to have to start that Day-1 or damn there close to it.. and starting a 30,000 card deck on day-1 would be quite difficult if the person in question didn't research anki and/or use it for the MCAT. I did, but it took me weeks of messing around before I was using it in a way that actually benefited me, and months before I felt any sort of mastery over it.

There is a lot to learn on top of just normal anki stuff that people use specifically for STEP 1, 20 extra add-ons and strategies used in tandem with key resources.. and from my perspective it looks like it's going to be an even bigger learning curve than using Anki for the MCAT was for me. Again, I don't plan on starting a STEP 1 deck now, but there are people who will start med school in less than 3 months, and I don't think it would be absolutely crazy for those folks to at least dabble around with it... Am I wrong?

 

[DigNewton]

Threads like this always end the same way, but I do see differing advice in other places, especially the anki subreddits. I'd love to see more feedback on that.

I'm certainly not going to start Anki now, but with good STEP 1 decks being 30,000 cards in length, if I want to maintain a feasible number of reviews each day and not jump over 1500+ cards/day, I'm going to have to start that Day-1 or damn there close to it.. and starting a 30,000 card deck on day-1 would be quite difficult if the person in question didn't research anki and/or use it for the MCAT. I did, but it took me weeks of messing around before I was using it in a way that actually benefited me, and months before I felt any sort of mastery over it.

There is a lot to learn on top of just normal anki stuff that people use specifically for STEP 1, 20 extra add-ons and strategies used in tandem with key resources.. and from my perspective it looks like it's going to be an even bigger learning curve than using Anki for the MCAT was for me. Again, I don't plan on starting a STEP 1 deck now, but there are people who will start med school in less than 3 months, and I don't think it would be absolutely crazy for those folks to at least dabble around with it... Am I wrong?

Checking out anki, learning the basics, "dabbling around with it" is pretty much the only pre-work I ever suggest. If you think you'll want to use anki but have no experience with it, it's worth exploring enough to get over the initial learning curve. BUT... that's way different from actually starting a Step 1 deck.

As an aside, please don't try to mature an entire 30k card Step 1 deck for P/F step. You deserve to live a happier life than that.

 

[Billiam95]

Threads like this always end the same way, but I do see differing advice in other places, especially the anki subreddits. I'd love to see more feedback on that.

I'm certainly not going to start Anki now, but with good STEP 1 decks being 30,000 cards in length, if I want to maintain a feasible number of reviews each day and not jump over 1500+ cards/day, I'm going to have to start that Day-1 or damn there close to it.. and starting a 30,000 card deck on day-1 would be quite difficult if the person in question didn't research anki and/or use it for the MCAT. I did, but it took me weeks of messing around before I was using it in a way that actually benefited me, and months before I felt any sort of mastery over it.

There is a lot to learn on top of just normal anki stuff that people use specifically for STEP 1, 20 extra add-ons and strategies used in tandem with key resources.. and from my perspective it looks like it's going to be an even bigger learning curve than using Anki for the MCAT was for me. Again, I don't plan on starting a STEP 1 deck now, but there are people who will start med school in less than 3 months, and I don't think it would be absolutely crazy for those folks to at least dabble around with it... Am I wrong?

Biggest key for anking is consistency; most people seem to either fall way behind on reviews, suspend cards from prior systems, or some combo of the two, which completely destroys the point of anki. FWIW, I started on the AnKing deck November of MS1 and have matured ~28k cards. Several thousands of those cards I'd say are not very pertinent, as in they've never come up in an exam or uworld question, so I would recommend checking out the high/medium/low yield tag add on.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Why do met students dislike quizlet compared to anki

Biggest key for anking is consistency; most people seem to either fall way behind on reviews, suspend cards from prior systems, or some combo of the two, which completely destroys the point of anki. FWIW, I started on the AnKing deck November of MS1 and have matured ~28k cards. Several thousands of those cards I'd say are not very pertinent, as in they've never come up in an exam or uworld question, so I would recommend checking out the high/medium/low yield tag add on.

 

[Billiam95]

Why do met students dislike quizlet compared to anki

Can only comment on anki since I've never tried to use quizlet med school. I can say that people like anki because it's 1) free, 2) has premade decks, 3) has a mobile app, and 4) is easy to use.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

Why do met students dislike quizlet compared to anki

I personally prefer Quizlet and Brainscape to Anki. You’ll find most students use Anki but there are a few of us oddballs who don’t use it.

 

[catnip12]

Go out, have a jolly time and try not to pick up an alcohol habit. Life is too short and medicine will take all the time you give it and demand more. Just celebrate getting into med school but live your life OP. Every single one of the residents and med students above knows something you don't. Heed their advice

 

[anesussy]

Memorize sketchy micro and pharm with Anki. Anyone saying pre studying doesn’t help is delusional.

PM me if you need help understanding something. I’ll try my best to answer.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I understand the sentiment of pre-studying doing no good for students. However, I am a non-trad who has been out of school for FOUR full years. Even my MCAT is years out. Suffice to say, I am incredibly nervous that I do not even remember how to study and lack the focus required to study beyond an hour and a half. So yes, I would like to put some time into re-developing a habit of looking at academic literature. Not for the purpose of giving me a "knowledgeable edge" but to reestablish habits.

I think you'll be surprised how quickly it comes back to you. Non-traditional students have the advantage that they're used to having full-time jobs. It's not difficult to go from working from 8:00 to 5:00 everyday to studying from 8:00 to 5:00 everyday.

In my class, the non-traditional students were the ones who always seemed the most relaxed with everything and still did exceptionally well because of this.