MS1 First Year advice

[6ft3dr2b]

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Hello everyone,

I'm about to start med school this fall and I'm a nervous wreck. I've been reading every book so I can to become familiar with what to expect in med school. Then I remembered this site and thought I would ask those already experienceing it. Here are my questions:

1. How much time do you study per day?
2. Do you attend EACH class?
3. What text books do you buy OR borrow?
4. How much time do you exercise or socialize? When and how do you have time for friends?
5. What classes are taught in the 1st year and do they overlap?
6. For those who stay off campus, how long is your commute? (should you live as close to the school as possible?)
7. For those who haven't been in school for the last couple of years, how do you prepare yourself for the start of med school?
8. How much time do/should you spend with your classmates?
9. Do you read the material the night before then hear it again the next day?
10. HOW do you study (memorize?)

THANKS A MILLION!

 

[THP]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to start med school this fall and I'm a nervous wreck. I've been reading every book so I can to become familiar with what to expect in med school. Then I remembered this site and thought I would ask those already experienceing it. Here are my questions:

1. How much time do you study per day?
2. Do you attend EACH class?
3. What text books do you buy OR borrow?
4. How much time do you exercise or socialize? When and how do you have time for friends?
5. What classes are taught in the 1st year and do they overlap?
6. For those who stay off campus, how long is your commute? (should you live as close to the school as possible?)
7. For those who haven't been in school for the last couple of years, how do you prepare yourself for the start of med school?
8. How much time do/should you spend with your classmates?
9. Do you read the material the night before then hear it again the next day?
10. HOW do you study (memorize?)

THANKS A MILLION!

I'll try and answer some of your questions.

1. I study anywhere from 2-6hrs per day depending on what the lecture schedule is like and how much other stuff I have to do. I probably average around 4hrs.

2. I attend probably 97% of classes, I occasionally have to miss one. I would say about 40% of my class does not go to any lectures.

3. I get all of the text books, in contrast to what most will tell you. I'm already spending 34K per year what is a couple hundred extra dollars?

6. I live about 15mins from campus by car. Most of my classmates are within walking distance. I don't mind, I like the neighborhood I live in better.

7. I took 3 years off. I did nothing to prepare other than buy some ruled binder paper and a couple of 3 ring binders. There is also a certain kind of pen I prefer to use.

9. No

10. At my school the lecturers do not give any notes. However, we do get the audio files for each lecture and the powerpoint presentation. I like to do the assigned reading and the summarize the powerpoint lectures. It has worked well for me through 1st year. Review books are good also.

 

[Ramoray]

Well congrants first off! and dont freak out at all! It can be anything you want to make it. If you really want to do well in your classes, learn the stuff at a level beyond memorizing notes and prepare for step 1 from the beginning than you could spend 10-12 hours a day studying If you jsut want to get by you could scrape by with 2. youll learn as you go! good luck!

 

[LoneCoyote]

Okay, I'll try to answer some of these since I am starting the week by procrastinating. Seriously though, try to relax and enjoy your summer. There's really no way to prepare or know what is like until you are here, no matter how much you think you can now. And everyone's experience is different. That said:

1. How much time do you study per day? Anywhere from not at all to 12+ hours during exam period. On average probably between 3-5 hours.
2. Do you attend EACH class? It depends on the class but overall I attend less than a third of the lectures, and all labs/discussions.
3. What text books do you buy OR borrow? I ended up buying most of them, or at keast buying a review book.
4. How much time do you exercise or socialize? When and how do you have time for friends? It depends on the day... I study a lot with med school friends. Weekends I leave and try to see friends who are not in school.
5. What classes are taught in the 1st year and do they overlap? This really depends on your curriculum.
6. For those who stay off campus, how long is your commute? (should you live as close to the school as possible?) 5-10 min. It's nice to be close but not necessary if you don't mind driving a bit.
7. For those who haven't been in school for the last couple of years, how do you prepare yourself for the start of med school? I had been out of school and I did not really prepare at all. I cam eback from vacation late ont he night before it started. I figured it would be hard at the beginning anyway so I got the most out of my summer.
8. How much time do/should you spend with your classmates? This is a personal decision and it depends on your own circumstances. It can definitely be nice to study with classmates and keep each other motivated.
9. Do you read the material the night before then hear it again the next day? No, since I rarely go to lecture.
10. HOW do you study (memorize?) You have to find what works for you. For me it's reading, writing summary study sheets, and going back over them. Some people like note cards. Others are audio learners. It depends.

Hope that helps.

 

[raidermedic]

1) Depends on what we had that day and how comfortable I am with it. For instance if it was an anatomy heavy day I may spend up to 6 hours because anatomy is my weak point. If it happens to be a micro (one of my better subjects) heavy day i can usually get it done in about an hour.

2) To be honest I skipped alot cause that is what worked for me in undergrad. I might start going more next year because the profs seem to hint at their answers.

3) Moore Dally Anatomy, the blue boxes are a must. An anatomy atlas goes without saying. Definately check out BRS anatomy. I could of got a lot more points if I had discovered this book earlier.

4) I can usually fit in an hour a day for the gym.

5) We use a system based approach so there is alot of overlap.

6+7) Can't really answer

8) There are some classmates you'll spend alot of time with. Others you'll want to avoid like the plague.

9) No but i should start.

10) I like to put the information into a orderly format. ie charts or outlines. You'll be suprised how much random info you'll recall just by doing this.

 

[Anka]

If you're stressed before you start, you're gonna have a hard time. Perhaps now would be a good time to build your stress management skills? Meditation, yoga... something.

Below are answers to your questions, but realize that no one else's answer is going to help you prepare in any way. Everyone finds their own rhythm (and, it shouldn't be underestimated, their own level -- not everyone is going for honors in everything, not every one can get honors in everything).

1. 5-6 hours /day. More on weekends.
2. Only if its required.
3. Lots. Key for your first year:
a. Anatomy: Moore (Essentials if you need something condensed; I liked big Moore) or Snell (hard to start off with, but some people get used to it, and some parts are better than Moore). Chung (board review book) -- great for the questions; mark it up as you read your text book to keep from having to make your notes de novo. For an atlas, Netter has very nice pictures, with everything on one page. I don't like the pictures in Grant as much, but each one is meant to demonstrate one particular point, and does that very well -- and there's text as you go, which can be great for an overview of that region before you launch into a textbook. But Netter is what I would always see in my head when I took the exam.
b. Embryo: Langeman's is great. Moore and Persaud is also excellent, if a bit more long winded; as an added advantage, there's a workbook to go along with it, which can help you identify weak points. Consider getting the Netter embryo atlas, or taking it out of the library.
c. Histo: Wheater's. Very worthwhile.
d. Micro: The Lange book by Levinson (for board review). Very well laid out, and there's a small section at the back where all the major bugs are summarized with all you need to memorize. If you're very visual, Micro Made Rediculously Simple is good, too.
e. Immuno:There's a small book by Abbas that was very manageable in the time we had. Janeway is popular at schools with a more rigorous immuno course.
f. Pharm: Lippincott's.
e. Biochem: Lippincott's.

4. I have time to work about 20 hours per week, and socialize a bit with friends. I haven't been out for real since I started med school. Nor have I seen a movie. But there is time for that if it's important.

5. Very school dependent.

6. I live about 15 minute walk from school. I think it's important for me, but I have a lot I like to do and communting isn't one of them 🙂

7. I took 3 years off. What's to prepare for? You're just going to wake up every day, as you have for your whole life, and sit down with a pile of books and work your way through it. If you do that every day, you'll be fine.

8. I avoid my classmates around exams. I try to hang out with them other times, if only stopping by to say 'hi' when I see them studying. Most of my socialization is around work rather than school.

9. If I went to class, I suppose that would be the way it worked. Usually, I read through everything the night before quickly (or at least scan through it), then that day watch the lectures on line at double speed, then take notes, decide what I'm going to read more about in my textbooks, then do that. On the weekend I try to consolidate my notes a bit, but that's not my biggest priority.

10. Being a medical student is a lot like being a waitress. At first, you struggle to remember everyone's order, and suddenly you've got a professional memory that clings to such trivia as the percentage of african-american gay men who smoke but don't drink and such. The most important thing is you spend time with the material -- think about it, read about it, stare at it. You'll be surprised at how much you remember.

Anka

 

[mikedc813]

1. How much time do you study per day? varies, but about 3 hrs on average
2. Do you attend EACH class? depends, but most of them. i skip the ones that are just reading me the slides, like gross anatomy
3. What text books do you buy OR borrow? borrow if i can from 2nd years
4. How much time do you exercise or socialize? When and how do you have time for friends? you have TONS of extra time. exercise everyday after school for an hour at the gym
5. What classes are taught in the 1st year and do they overlap? different schools teach classes in different orders. i had biochem, bio/genetics, physical diagnosis, anatomy, physiology, neuroanatomy, behavioral, ethics, humanities during my first year
6. For those who stay off campus, how long is your commute? (should you live as close to the school as possible?) doesn't matter how far you live from campus really. takes me about 20-30 min to drive
7. For those who haven't been in school for the last couple of years, how do you prepare yourself for the start of med school? chill out, it's not as bad as you might think it will be. it's a lot of studying but once you get used to it it's totally fine
8. How much time do/should you spend with your classmates? not that much when i'm out of class if i can help it...well i like some of them 😉
9. Do you read the material the night before then hear it again the next day? sometimes it's hard to do bc you're always trying to catch up, but if you do it's REALLY helpful just to skim the next day's material
10. HOW do you study (memorize?) either you have a good memory or you don't. use lots of mnemonics and draw lots of pathways. it really varies from person to person as far as their learning style

 

[OmahaMX80]

Relax. Seriously.

 

[6ft3dr2b]

bump

 

[Fif the Great]

Congrats on getting in. I don't know what some of these people on here are talking about... studying 6 hours a day??!! Yeah, maybe if you want to finish in the top 5% of your class (which is fine, I just personally want to finish in the top half) and have no life. I'm married so I have no choice but to neglect studying to spend time with my wife. Anyways, on to your questions:

1. How much time do you study per day?

It depends. We normally have exams every 3 to 4 weeks. I study about 6 hours TOTAL the week after an exam, then gradually increase every week leading up to an exam. On the weekend before an exam I'll put in about 6 hours a day give or take 2 hours. It also depends on the material, if it's relatively easy to get, then I may not look at it until the weekend before the exam. Again, I'm a top half student, not top 5%. Ignore this if you want to be an AOA guy.

2. Do you attend EACH class?

Ha. No way. I attend the majority of them however. I guess the best thing to do is get to know who your lecturers are. If they get up there and read powerpoint slides that you have anyways, it's a waste of time. If they give an outline and lots of write-down notes, then you're better off going.

3. What text books do you buy OR borrow?

I bought all of mine.

4. How much time do you exercise or socialize? When and how do you have time for friends?

Like I said, depends on when it is in regards to upcoming exams. After an exam I'll go to the rec and play ball every day. The week before an exam, not so much really. I always take my wife out every Saturday, no matter if I have an exam or not. It's one of her "requirements".

5. What classes are taught in the 1st year and do they overlap?

In my school, Biochem/Physiology combined, Gross Anatomy/Histology comined, Neurobiology, and two other classes that were cake. B/P lasted 17 weeks, GA/H lasted 16 weeks, and Neuro lasts 7 weeks. There is some overlap but not much. I imagine more overlap will occur in second year.

6. For those who stay off campus, how long is your commute? (should you live as close to the school as possible?)

Fifteen minutes.

7. For those who haven't been in school for the last couple of years, how do you prepare yourself for the start of med school?

N/A

8. How much time do/should you spend with your classmates?

Too much time. It depends on if you want to have friends in med school or not. I have a few friends, but for the most part, other students get on my nerves (mainly because they're so self absorbed and fake). But making friends is important in case you miss a lecture or need someone to call if you have a last minute question.

9. Do you read the material the night before then hear it again the next day?

Yeah right. If you read the reading assignments before the lecture chances are you won't understand what you are reading (unless you have an excellent author). I have never read before a class. NEVER.

10. HOW do you study (memorize?)
I'm a "write-it-all-down-10-times" studier. For some classes this obviously isn't feasible, but for main points or pathways, it's helpful. Here is some advice I head that I live by somewhat: Go over everything from a lecture the evening the lecture was given. Try to memorize important pathways but the main thing is to get familiar with your notes. Then, that weekend, go over everything from the previous week. Repeat the next week, except on the weekend, go over the previous weeks material as well. By the time the weekend before an exam comes, you should know the first weeks material very well.

Finally, don't fret this summer. Don't read anything (that is med school related), watch TV, play video games, sleep until noon everyday, and chill out. That's the best advice I have for anyone entering their first year.