MS1 and other med students

[Ironheme]

So I started MS1 a few weeks ago and read the other threads on advice. However, I am nervous about upcoming tests and could use some feedback. I thought I was doing fine with studying, felt comfortable with the material, kept up with the classes, but then I was paired with another student in one of my classes. She seems to know everything about anything and I'm stressing out and second guessing myself. She'll know, for example, anatomy that we haven't covered yet and then asks me questions on what part is this even though the prof hasn't gone over it at all. Then she'll spout a whole bunch of terms I haven't even heard of before let alone know. She always shows up dressed super well (heels and the whole nine yards) which combined with the other things makes me feel like I'm a slacker/way behind in comparison.

And then there's another guy that says he's read the entire pharmacology textbook already (I actually believe he has) and then answers all the questions the prof asks the class under his breath (which I find really distracting and no longer sit next to him for that reason) and later asks me for all my study materials.

I wanted to do really well in my classes but now I feel like I don't know anything compared to some students. Besides these two, I would say I know probably more than the average student that has NOT taken the class before. I totally don't believe people when they say having taken anatomy before doesn't help that much. At least you've heard of some of these terms before.

If you've been in this situation how have you handled it? How did you do on the exams compared to the rest of the class? How did these geniuses do on exams? I don't know if they're going to be the ones that score 270+ on the USMLE or their model of somehow knowing everything is the one I should follow.

I'm just worried that I'm going to flunk the tests unless I read cover to cover or memorize or spend 12 hours in the library or do whatever it is they do. I really was following the MS1 advice thread - studying on my own, being balanced, keeping up with the material but now I'm panicking as exams are coming up sooner than I'd like. Thanks in advance.

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[sylvanthus]

You absolutely must not compare yourself to your classmates or youll end up going nuts. There will always be someone better than you.plus alot of med students lie or all just plan full of it. They do it specifically to freak you out and it is working.Dont let it. Also realize people have differing backgrounds. Some have taken anatomy, others have masters degrees and so have an advantage at the beginning.!

 

[Hemichordate]

OP sounds like an average medical student

 

[Slack3r]

Gunners gonna gun, bro.

 

[Ironheme]

Gunners gonna gun, bro.

Lol. Is that what they are? Thanks for the laugh. I was feeling pretty demoralized.

 

[ccmonopolies]

Lol. Is that what they are? Thanks for the laugh. I was feeling pretty demoralized.

Do what you feel is comfortable to you. Tune out those people.

 

[Flapjacks]

These cats scream gunner, like you should be able to figure it out, here are the clues:


-Girl knows terms not covered and dresses too well.

-Guy uses tactics to psych you out and throwing you off by asking you for notes to inconvenience you.

These dudes be professional.

 

[Ironheme]

These cats scream gunner, like you should be able to figure it out, here are the clues:


-Girl knows terms not covered and dresses too well.

-Guy uses tactics to psych you out and throwing you off by asking you for notes to inconvenience you.

These dudes be professional.

Ya my bad. They were nice at the beginning of the term so I didn't think the gunner label applied. Then one of them looked in my slightly open backpack and saw a book in there that he wanted and asked to borrow it. He also looks on other people's computer screens to what files they have on their desktop and asks for copies. He also seems to come around only when he needs something. He seemed cool at the beginning but after things like that I started to wonder.

 

[Hemichordate]

Ya my bad. They were nice at the beginning of the term so I didn't think the gunner label applied. Then one of them looked in my slightly open backpack and saw a book in there that he wanted and asked to borrow it. He also looks on other people's computer screens to what files they have on their desktop and asks for copies. He also seems to come around only when he needs something. He seemed cool at the beginning but after things like that I started to wonder.

All symptoms of gunnerhia.

 

[Jack is Back]

Run your own race. Medical students will stress you out guaranteed.

Realize this and either learn how to deal with it or avoid studying with them. Also, don't do a quiz session with someone studying ahead of you, it isn't only unproductive, it's antiproductive.

Set goals for how well you want to know the material then put blinders on OR find people you like to study with.

 

[Crow King]

She seems to know everything about anything and I'm stressing out and second guessing myself. She'll know, for example, anatomy that we haven't covered yet and then asks me questions on what part is this even though the prof hasn't gone over it at all. Then she'll spout a whole bunch of terms I haven't even heard of before let alone know.

What a competitive piece of ****. People like that suck.

 

[NickNaylor]

What I've learned thus far:

1) You won't feel absolutely prepared for a test. There will be anxiety with a slight sense of panic.

2) Ignore everything about anyone else related to what they know, don't know, and how they study. Most of it is probably bull**** anyway, and even if it isn't it probably won't help you all that much. The exception to this is talking to someone that you trust - I would ask how they study for ideas what might work for you. I purposely try and stay away from people on test day because that just causes me more anxiety rather than helping me.

3) At some point you just have to say **** it, be happy with what you know, and give it a whirl.

 

[Flapjacks]

Good luck on your goals OP, I know you'll do great.

 

[Morsetlis]

You should come to my school, there's nobody like that here!

 

[Ironheme]

Thanks guys. I needed that reality check. And I actually wasn't studying with the person that was quizzing me. They just did it when we were working together for lab. I thought being nice excluded a person from being a gunner, but I suppose it's niceness that comes and goes depending on the opportunity.

Morsetlis, I completely thought my school would have been that way too. That's what the reputation was for the classes before us. Maybe it's me but there's some shiftiness going on here. I was a little late for class and asked a guy I helped out with sharing notes for a class he missed if there was any important announcements. He said nope. I found out later prof made a big announcement of class time being moved. I want to think he just forgot.

I am really tempted to become a hermit at this point and live according to NickNaylor up there. I am beginning to think you can't trust anyone in med school. I've made some good friends outside the med school however.

And thanks Flapjacks. I'm reviewing what the old tests looked like and focusing on the areas the profs seemed to love, and using books as references instead of bibles. Will dip into some review books for a rough idea of important info after I look over the practice exams. Gl to you too.

Though seriously thanks guys.

 

[Salient]

My school recently started giving honors based on % correct instead of class rank. Pretty much the only thing class rank matters for anymore is AOA. I haven't noticed any gunners yet, and a significant portion of my class is sharing all of their notes, spreadsheets, flash cards, and study guides.

 

[isoquin]

I agree. There are a few things in effect early in med school. First and foremost, gunners are indeed gonna gun. Now this is a complex issue in early med school. Whereas third year gunners tend to gun on their own, newbie first year gunners tend to gun and be loud enough so everyone knows it.

This brings us to #2: non-gunners gonna act like they gun. It's social mimicry at its worst, whereby otherwise benign med students act like gunners so as to appear smart/poisonous.

Third: This is a time of year where people who otherwise wouldn't gun try to anyway, regardless of whether they have the capacity or stamina. Students tend to start med school with a lot of steam. This usually goes away, especially after grades start coming in and they realize they got the same pass as if they just relaxed a bit. Again, this is the only time of med school where you will see this effect in a good percent of your classmates, but it will die down.

Fourth: observation bias runs strong, and this will continue throughout med school. It's a classic scenario. You're sitting in small group or something, and the facilitator is asking questions which everyone seems to know but you. Perhaps you know the answer to one question, and pipe up when you hear it. Otherwise, you're lost. The thing is, everyone else in the group just did the same thing. From their perspective, each individual may have only known a small handful of answers. Combined however, it looks like everyone but you knows everything, when that's not actually the case.

Fifth: gunners gonna gun.

It will get better. Give it some time, and try to stay away from people who will stress you out. Best of luck!

 

[Morsetlis]

Thanks guys. I needed that reality check. And I actually wasn't studying with the person that was quizzing me. They just did it when we were working together for lab. I thought being nice excluded a person from being a gunner, but I suppose it's niceness that comes and goes depending on the opportunity.

Morsetlis, I completely thought my school would have been that way too. That's what the reputation was for the classes before us. Maybe it's me but there's some shiftiness going on here. I was a little late for class and asked a guy I helped out with sharing notes for a class he missed if there was any important announcements. He said nope. I found out later prof made a big announcement of class time being moved. I want to think he just forgot.

I am really tempted to become a hermit at this point and live according to NickNaylor up there. I am beginning to think you can't trust anyone in med school. I've made some good friends outside the med school however.

And thanks Flapjacks. I'm reviewing what the old tests looked like and focusing on the areas the profs seemed to love, and using books as references instead of bibles. Will dip into some review books for a rough idea of important info after I look over the practice exams. Gl to you too.

Though seriously thanks guys.

Personality disorder: Gunnerism.

Make friends with the fatter people in your class: They may be nicer.

 

[Brewmeister]

Dude, these people blow. What's good is that you are usually able to identify these malignant people early on and stay clear. The type of person who is equally annoying is the one who pretends to be above studying and looks down their nose at people who are putting in a lot of work, even when they themselves are doing the same. My favorite is the story of the person in my class who "didn't study until a week before step 1" and then got a great score. Yeah, bull****. Also watch out for the people who spew out their career aspirations to anyone who will listen. You can usually identify this person because usually by the 2nd or 3rd month of school people will start say "ooo man did you hear that so-and-so wants to do plastics? that's really impressive!" Yeah, I can say that I wanna be president of the USA and win a nobel prize, doesn't mean it's gonna happen

 

[Ironheme]

Yes, met a guy who on day 1 said he was planning on doing derm in southern California. And yes, I have to say it's completely different reading about med school advice and actually going through it now. I did meet a few seemingly nice people in my class. Time will tell. The others mentioned above I am staying away from.

Morsetlis, that's funny you mention that. I can't think of any really overweight people in my class, but some of the best friends I have are overweight.

Isoquin, thanks for the post. It makes sense, and yes there's a few people that are really loud about what they're doing.

Again, thanks guys, you rock for the advice, encouragement and even the smart-ass remarks.

 

[Diesel Mind]

OP, like everyone else has said, there is already too much going on in med school to worry about other people. You will burn out way too quickly. But remember, dont take a knife to a gun(ner) fight.

 

[Substance]

Avoid your class. Keep your social life far away from medicine. The nicest most successful people in my class were the ones that did just that.

 

[J ROD]

My class is great...we all help each other and get along.....

There are a few gunners but they are not overt gunners....

we have a very relaxed atmosphere.....

much better than I expected.........

 

[willen101383]

Yup. One of the best pieces ive ever gotten from a resident I am good friends with is: realize nobody knows what is going on any better than you. Everyone is freaked, nobody knows wtf they need to study. WORRY ABOUT URSELF. Because that dude that just memorized the whole pharm txt is a dumb*****. You dont need to be a minutiae recepticle in order to do well on these exams (well maybe in biochem/anatomy). Use your knowledge to answer questions vs straight memorization. I would venture to say I only memorize about 50% of the info on most exams...the rest i actually read through and UNDERSTAND. I cannot believe the worthless crap I see some of my classmates memorizing. Like flashcards on the most idiotic crap imaginable ....like srsly you guys are making a flashcard that says "vagal stimulation" and then **** like "salivation, increased gi motility, increased hcl secretion etc.....come on.....really? Just think evolutionarily....what would you be doing while resting and digesting? Ugh.

Try to ignore supplemental crap your classmates send out. If it is a study guide and you dont learn by looking at other people's poorly made tables then dont feel the need to look at that crap. I dont know how many study guides I get before each exam. Listen, I get that you are trying to be nice...but no thanks. If I needed your help I would have asked for it. You need to figure out how YOU study and ignore everyone else.

Its really your best bet to just steer clear of other med students (especially around test time.) I post about this all the time on here I feel like....but watch recorded classes!!! I am 100% an online class watcher and I love my life. Med school is significantly more laid back for me than undergrad or grad school was.

Another thing that helps (me) is my hobby. I shoot....a lot...at least once a week. I reload, do a lot of gunsmith work, etc. Another one of my best friends at school is a gun nut too so its nice to get away and send some lead down range and NOT mention school. In most gun circles mentioning youre a med student will get you LESS street cred...and thus i talk about it even less than normal. Its really nice hanging with a crowd who wouldnt be impressed by your med studentness!

 

[willen101383]

Yes, met a guy who on day 1 said he was planning on doing derm in southern California. And yes, I have to say it's completely different reading about med school advice and actually going through it now. I did meet a few seemingly nice people in my class. Time will tell. The others mentioned above I am staying away from.

Morsetlis, that's funny you mention that. I can't think of any really overweight people in my class, but some of the best friends I have are overweight.

Isoquin, thanks for the post. It makes sense, and yes there's a few people that are really loud about what they're doing.

Again, thanks guys, you rock for the advice, encouragement and even the smart-ass remarks.

Dude youll find your clique. I have my group of 10 that I am close with and really close with maybe 2 or 3 in that group. The funny thing about M1 is you may find your clique...and then later in the year or over the summer things will change as you realize these people arent really going to be long lasting friends.

And remember that everyone in your class is equally as clueless as you

 

[ArcGurren]

Yup. One of the best pieces ive ever gotten from a resident I am good friends with is: realize nobody knows what is going on any better than you. Everyone is freaked, nobody knows wtf they need to study. WORRY ABOUT URSELF. Because that dude that just memorized the whole pharm txt is a dumb*****. You dont need to be a minutiae recepticle in order to do well on these exams (well maybe in biochem/anatomy). Use your knowledge to answer questions vs straight memorization. I would venture to say I only memorize about 50% of the info on most exams...the rest i actually read through and UNDERSTAND. I cannot believe the worthless crap I see some of my classmates memorizing. Like flashcards on the most idiotic crap imaginable ....like srsly you guys are making a flashcard that says "vagal stimulation" and then **** like "salivation, increased gi motility, increased hcl secretion etc.....come on.....really? Just think evolutionarily....what would you be doing while resting and digesting? Ugh.

Try to ignore supplemental crap your classmates send out. If it is a study guide and you dont learn by looking at other people's poorly made tables then dont feel the need to look at that crap. I dont know how many study guides I get before each exam. Listen, I get that you are trying to be nice...but no thanks. If I needed your help I would have asked for it. You need to figure out how YOU study and ignore everyone else.

Its really your best bet to just steer clear of other med students (especially around test time.) I post about this all the time on here I feel like....but watch recorded classes!!! I am 100% an online class watcher and I love my life. Med school is significantly more laid back for me than undergrad or grad school was.

Another thing that helps (me) is my hobby. I shoot....a lot...at least once a week. I reload, do a lot of gunsmith work, etc. Another one of my best friends at school is a gun nut too so its nice to get away and send some lead down range and NOT mention school. In most gun circles mentioning youre a med student will get you LESS street cred...and thus i talk about it even less than normal. Its really nice hanging with a crowd who wouldnt be impressed by your med studentness!

I agree that you should worry about yourself, but if someone is sending out their study materials, use it to your advantage. Don't be a dick and just delete those emails. I've had stuff sent to me which I found really helpful. Obviously stick primarily with what you have, but there's no harm in looking at other stuff.

 

[willen101383]

I agree that you should worry about yourself, but if someone is sending out their study materials, use it to your advantage. Don't be a dick and just delete those emails. I've had stuff sent to me which I found really helpful. Obviously stick primarily with what you have, but there's no harm in looking at other stuff.

Perhaps I should have worded things differently. Check the stuff out...but if its not your style dont feel like you NEED to use it. I have a very distinctive study method that probably wont work for most people...so I delete all these study guides generally. I know a few people who get themselves so wound up and crazy because they feel like they need to review everyone elses materials before exams.

 

[J ROD]

Another thing that helps (me) is my hobby. I shoot....a lot...at least once a week. I reload, do a lot of gunsmith work, etc. Another one of my best friends at school is a gun nut too so its nice to get away and send some lead down range and NOT mention school. In most gun circles mentioning youre a med student will get you LESS street cred...and thus i talk about it even less than normal. Its really nice hanging with a crowd who wouldnt be impressed by your med studentness!

Yeah, I shoot too. I am not a nut but it is good stress relief. I also work some too to break the med school pattern and it reminds there is a normal world out there. Plus, it is cool to have some money to cover my living expenses.......

 

[Postal]

Clarification needed

When referring to gunnerism on sdn:

This concept is

A) People who spend every waking moment studying and obsess over the minute details

or

B) People who do the above but stab you in the back as well?

I think it's unfair to call people in category A gunners. Some people just want to do well. Why hate on that?

Proceed.....

 

[willen101383]

Yeah, I shoot too. I am not a nut but it is good stress relief. I also work some too to break the med school pattern and it reminds there is a normal world out there. Plus, it is cool to have some money to cover my living expenses.......

We sound very similar. Lift study shoot....brah...its a good way to stay stress free...ish in med school. The funny thing is I only had 2 guns when I started med school....me this kid and we totally feed off of each other....now im on my 12th lol.

EDIt you wrote work not workOUT...but I see you do that also judging by your location haha. Ive tried to find a job but nobody is really interested once they catch wind I am a med student.

 

[ArcGurren]

Perhaps I should have worded things differently. Check the stuff out...but if its not your style dont feel like you NEED to use it. I have a very distinctive study method that probably wont work for most people...so I delete all these study guides generally. I know a few people who get themselves so wound up and crazy because they feel like they need to review everyone elses materials before exams.

Fair enough, I can agree with that.

Clarification needed

When referring to gunnerism on sdn:

This concept is

A) People who spend every waking moment studying and obsess over the minute details

or

B) People who do the above but stab you in the back as well?

I think it's unfair to call people in category A gunners. Some people just want to do well. Why hate on that?

Proceed.....

I think I would pity people in category A more than hate on them