MS2 AMA - ask us questions

[NickNaylor]

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Hey everyone,

Did this thread last year after MS1 (unfortunately I can't find it, so if someone happens to have a link handy, please post it!) and I thought I'd do the same thing this year.

If you have any questions about the MS1 or MS2 years, please ask them here! Any other MS2+s are also welcome to chime in with their input and experiences. This is meant to be a way to give you guys some insight into what medical school and life as a medical student is like. This is NOT a thread for admissions advice - please don't post that kind of stuff here.

I'm getting ready to head out to take step 1, but when I get back I'll start responding to any questions that have been posted by then. In the mean time, share your questions, and any other MS2+s, come talk about your experiences! See you guys in a bit.

 

[Lucidity]

Good luck Nick!

 

[BigBlueBear]

How many hours per day do you or the average student study during preclinical years?

Do you find it difficult to find any free time to socialize/chill or is it really not that bad?

 

[The Beyonder]

Do you have any tips for someone who is about to start school at an non-rank, P/F.

When should we start studying for the step?

Did you worry about step at all during MS1?

You once said you had trouble at the beginning of school, how can I avoid this?

How can we best help future students on next years school specific class thread?

How is SDN helpful to you as a MS2?

 

[red doctober]

Does working hard during MS1 make studying for Step 1 easier, presumably because you've hammered it in the first time around, or does it not really matter? Ie just pass MS1?

 

[Guero]

First off, good luck NickNaylor! We, the c/o 2017, look forward to continuing the tradition next year.

(1) What are some resources you used to study anatomy, biochem, and pharm?

(2) Aside from studying the cadavers after hours in lab, what is your best study advice for anatomy?

(3) What do you feel was your hardest class so far?

(4) If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you change?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Black Mamba24]

- How hard was it and how long did it take to find study habits that worked?

- Is it difficult to find the motivation to study consistently?

 

[487806]

Hey everyone,

Did this thread last year after MS1 (unfortunately I can't find it, so if someone happens to have a link handy, please post it!) and I thought I'd do the same thing this year.

If you have any questions about the MS1 or MS2 years, please ask them here! Any other MS2+s are also welcome to chime in with their input and experiences. This is meant to be a way to give you guys some insight into what medical school and life as a medical student is like. This is NOT a thread for admissions advice - please don't post that kind of stuff here.

I'm getting ready to head out to take step 1, but when I get back I'll start responding to any questions that have been posted by then. In the mean time, share your questions, and any other MS2+s, come talk about your experiences! See you guys in a bit.

Good luck with Step 1, even though you will definitely destroy it.

Not being evil, mean, insincere, harsh or arrogant (I'm not any of those ), but how is this different from your fireside chat?

 

[ClotBuster]

Its a follow-up to the fireside chat I guess, since they weren't able to do second one.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

[bjb305]

How many hours per day do you or the average student study during preclinical years?

Do you find it difficult to find any free time to socialize/chill or is it really not that bad?

so i'm an MS4 matched into radiology... figured i'd help chime in with some answers...

hours per day - at least a few.. the week before exams and during exam week i prob went as high as 14 hours a day.. but that's just for that week. otherwise a couple hours a day was good

at times, yes it is difficult.. it also depends on your curriculum. mine was 4-5 weeks of class followed by 1 week of exams.. this just recently switched to smaller exam every week.. so for me when i had the exam week, that week and the week prior i essentially didn't do anything but study, but then typically took 2 easy weeks and went out a lot to make up for it

 

[sinombre]

I know very little material from MS1 is tested on step I, but do you think it would make sense to buy First Aid and annotate it as you cover the topics in class? How did you approach the test (i.e. when did you start studying, what did you do in your first two years to prepare, etc.)?

Have you worked on any research projects or published anything during your first two years?

This may not be especially relevant to you, but I respect your opinion and figured I'd ask anyway: do you think taking a research year after MS2 would be a good way to increase the likelihood of matching into a strong academic program if you attend a school with a big emphasis on primary care? I'll probably be attending one because it will cost close to 100k less over 4 years.

Sorry if any of this was covered in your fireside chat, I haven't seen it yet (but will try to over the weekend).

Thanks for doing this!

 

[bjb305]

Do you have any tips for someone who is about to start school at an non-rank, P/F.

When should we start studying for the step?

Did you worry about step at all during MS1?

You once said you had trouble at the beginning of school, how can I avoid this?

How can we best help future students on next years school specific class thread?

How is SDN helpful to you as a MS2?

if you're about to start med school... ENJOY YOUR FREE TIME! you seriously should NOT be doing anything to "get ready" for med school

Worry about step 1 during first year - no, absolutely not.. just focus on classes and do as well as you can

SDN i still found helpful for study tips for step 1 and learning about how the match process works, where to/how to apply for residency etc

 

[Bamfu]

at times, yes it is difficult.. it also depends on your curriculum. mine was 4-5 weeks of class followed by 1 week of exams..

/want

This sounds amazing for students that keep up pretty well like myself. I'm all for stretches of intensity followed by an easy week or two!

 

[Bacchus]

Do you have 4th year envy? 😛

 

[bjb305]

Does working hard during MS1 make studying for Step 1 easier, presumably because you've hammered it in the first time around, or does it not really matter? Ie just pass MS1?

the harder you study, the easier step 1 will be.. there will be first year material on step 1, it also depends on yoru curriculum (ie having all of cardiac in your first year). There is definitely a bigger focus on path/micro/pharm material than basic physio, but you still need to know it

with that said, if all you did was pass your first year, that does NOT mean you can't rock step 1.. doing a lot of practice questions at the end of 2nd year and studyin for step 1 will help more than anything - moreso than doing really well first year

 

[tiedyeddog]

Does working hard during MS1 make studying for Step 1 easier, presumably because you've hammered it in the first time around, or does it not really matter? Ie just pass MS1?

Depends on the subject. Anatomy - not much help. Other stuff - most certainly yes.

 

[bjb305]

First off, good luck NickNaylor! We, the c/o 2017, look forward to continuing the tradition next year.

(1) What are some resources you used to study anatomy, biochem, and pharm?

(2) Aside from studying the cadavers after hours in lab, what is your best study advice for anatomy?

(3) What do you feel was your hardest class so far?

(4) If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you change?

Thanks in advance!

Resources - netters for anatomy, everything else i only used my school's syllabi that they gave us.. oh and goljan rapid review path is a good book
2. anatomy advice - REPETITION is better than anything, learn the relationships relative to other structures
3. hardest class = path
4. i would have liked to balance my life out better.. i didn't work out much 1st and 2nd year cause i was so stressed out about studying all day long.. 3rd yr and 4th yr i fixed that and i still did fine

 

[bjb305]

- How hard was it and how long did it take to find study habits that worked?

- Is it difficult to find the motivation to study consistently?

i did a masters program where i took 3 med school courses with the med students prior to getting into med school so that helped with my study habits.. i basically just read everything over and over as many times as i could before exams

and no it's not difficult to find motivation. ther'es motivation at every starbucks, folgers, Au bon pain, whereever you can get a nice cup of joe, you got a nice cup of motivation

 

[bjb305]

I know very little material from MS1 is tested on step I, but do you think it would make sense to buy First Aid and annotate it as you cover the topics in class? How did you approach the test (i.e. when did you start studying, what did you do in your first two years to prepare, etc.)?

Have you worked on any research projects or published anything during your first two years?

This may not be especially relevant to you, but I respect your opinion and figured I'd ask anyway: do you think taking a research year after MS2 would be a good way to increase the likelihood of matching into a strong academic program if you attend a school with a big emphasis on primary care? I'll probably be attending one because it will cost close to 100k less over 4 years.

Sorry if any of this was covered in your fireside chat, I haven't seen it yet (but will try to over the weekend).

Thanks for doing this!

i did some volunteering first year and some extracurrics 2nd year, no research tho.. the research mainly depends on what field you wanna go into.. radiology you don't really need research to match.. as far as a year off for research, i don't think that'd be necessary unless you wanna go into say derm/plastics/ortho/uro and have a bad step 1 score

 

[tiedyeddog]

I know very little material from MS1 is tested on step I, but do you think it would make sense to buy First Aid and annotate it as you cover the topics in class? How did you approach the test (i.e. when did you start studying, what did you do in your first two years to prepare, etc.)?

There is a decent amount of first year stuff on step 1, except anatomy. Work hard during all of it. I would NOT annonate first aid UNLESS you annoate from kaplan Qbank or something else like that. Often in classes you go WAY too deep into most topics. You'll end up filling FA with stuff that won't help you.

This may not be especially relevant to you, but I respect your opinion and figured I'd ask anyway: do you think taking a research year after MS2 would be a good way to increase the likelihood of matching into a strong academic program if you attend a school with a big emphasis on primary care? I'll probably be attending one because it will cost close to 100k less over 4 years.

I did research during MS1-2. Some weeks were very hard, most were not. If you like it you can make it work. I got a few pubs by the end of second year, anyone can do it with hard work and luck. 😉

I am planning on taking a research year between 2 and 3. I am doing it because I like research but a bonus will be hopefully making me more competitive. I wouldn't do it just to be more competitive, plenty of people match great places without it, regardless of what medical school you attend.

 

[sinombre]

i did some volunteering first year and some extracurrics 2nd year, no research tho.. the research mainly depends on what field you wanna go into.. radiology you don't really need research to match.. as far as a year off for research, i don't think that'd be necessary unless you wanna go into say derm/plastics/ortho/uro and have a bad step 1 score

There is a decent amount of first year stuff on step 1, except anatomy. Work hard during all of it. I would NOT annonate first aid UNLESS you annoate from kaplan Qbank or something else like that. Often in classes you go WAY too deep into most topics. You'll end up filling FA with stuff that won't help you.

I did research during MS1-2. Some weeks were very hard, most were not. If you like it you can make it work. I got a few pubs by the end of second year, anyone can do it with hard work and luck. 😉

I am planning on taking a research year between 2 and 3. I am doing it because I like research but a bonus will be hopefully making me more competitive. I wouldn't do it just to be more competitive, plenty of people match great places without it, regardless of what medical school you attend.

Thanks guys! Much appreciated.

 

[NickNaylor]

How many hours per day do you or the average student study during preclinical years?

Do you find it difficult to find any free time to socialize/chill or is it really not that bad?

Depends widely on both 1) your ability to memorize things and 2) your goals. If you want 90+s on exams, you will likely be spending a ton of time studying no matter what. If you don't care, then you have a bit more freedom. During MS1 I studied very little - probably an average of 2 hours a day. In reality, that was spent more as a 1-2 days off/1 day on schedule. In MS2, I probably spent an average of 4-5 hours per day studying. Most days were 8-2 with a day or two off every now and then. Step 1 studying was by far the most intense: I did a pretty consistent 8-5 with a couple of hours total before and after, 6 days a week.

As with the above, free time is a very individual thing. You have plenty of time if you make time for it. If you don't or if your main priority is school, you likely won't have much time. MS1 was awesome - pretty much a party 24/7 with the exception of the few days leading up to an exam. I still had plenty of time during MS2 as well, but things definitely settled down for most folks. I haven't even seen most of my classmates since step 1 studying began.

I guess the theme of that story is "it all depends on you." I think that's one of the great things about med school, especially if you go to a P/F, unranked school (though you can certainly to these things at a graded school - it just might require more diligence).

 

[NickNaylor]

Do you have any tips for someone who is about to start school at an non-rank, P/F.

When should we start studying for the step?

Did you worry about step at all during MS1?

You once said you had trouble at the beginning of school, how can I avoid this?

How can we best help future students on next years school specific class thread?

How is SDN helpful to you as a MS2?

1) I would say use Firecracker from the get-go. I wish I had known about it and used it when I first started. Based on what I've seen and heard, it absolutely seems like the way to go. Look into it and talk to people that have used this method. It seems like a great way to not only make your studying super efficient but also crush the boards. As far as actual advice, soak in unranked P/F, have fun, and have a life. Don't worry about school too much unless doing that will make you worry.

2) At the EARLIEST I would say the second half of MS2. Before that you really shouldn't do anything (unless you're using FC/GT) because it's just wasted time. I was constantly worried about this because I knew absolutely zero from MS1. Really, I mean nothing. We had seven weeks of dedicated time to study (including a week of "spring break"), and that was MORE than enough time to prepare yourself. Don't do ANY step-specific studying in MS1 or the first half of MS2. If you're gunna gun (which isn't a bad thing IMO), I'd start working on it at some point halfway through MS2, unless, again, you're using a spaced-repetition technique like FC or GT.

3) No, not really. I suppose I did in the sense that I really only learned the stuff in FA/board review books well and memorized only enough of the other material to pass exams. But no, I didn't do any step-specific studying during MS1.

4) I don't know if you can. Having now been through the gauntlet of step 1, I think my greatest difficulty was actually that I never knew how to study smart and effectively. Sure, I did well during undergrad, but most of the time it wasn't that "hard" per se; if you put in your time, most of the time you could do well. Not so much for med school - it requires time AND effective/"smart" studying. If you learned how to do this in undergrad, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. A couple of classmates (coincidentally enough, people that went to U of C for undergrad) say that undergrad was actually more difficult than med school for them. The point is that if you know how to study and you know how to work hard, you'll do fine. Just expect the worse and you'll be happy.

5) Participate in the thread, give students candid and honest perspectives of your experiences as a students, and try and win them over with kindness and helpfulness. Think about the things you wish you knew when you were an applicant or trying to choose a school and provide that information. I think that's probably the most valuable info you can provide.

6) The allo and specialty boards are EXTREMELY informative. They're really not even comparable to pre-allo (in a good way). Much less trolling, much more useful, substantive advice, and people are generally more intelligent and have more enjoyable discussions. Outside of pre-allo, I like seeing what other peoples' experiences as med students are (in the allo forum) and I like exploring other careers (specialty-specific forums). As with pre-allo all this information must be taken with a grain of salt, but I think SDN actually gets MORE valuable as you get through the process rather than less. There's overall much less activity in those boards, but the quality:quantity ratio is substantially higher IMO.

 

[NickNaylor]

Does working hard during MS1 make studying for Step 1 easier, presumably because you've hammered it in the first time around, or does it not really matter? Ie just pass MS1?

IMO, no, it doesn't make it easier. The only case where I think it might is if you actually keep reviewing the material throughout MS2. The problem is that step 1 is going to test the material at the same depth as you're likely learning it in class. It's already difficult to learn everything for class - now imagine trying to remember all of that material while still adding even MORE. It's a very difficult task, and while I wouldn't say it's impossible, for most people it probably isn't worth the effort.

I think you might see some positive impact if you really, really learn the material well as reviewing might be more of a task of recall rather than a task of relearning. But I think it will have little impact either way. I barely passed most MS1 exams - in fact, even failed an anatomy exam - and yet I realistically expect to score pretty well on step 1. Not an astronomical score by any means, but well enough to not worry about being limited by a specialty (and as it just so happens, my leading interest at the moment is one of the most competitive specialties around).

 

[Gauss44]

Hey everyone,

Did this thread last year after MS1 (unfortunately I can't find it, so if someone happens to have a link handy, please post it!)

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=929521

 

[NickNaylor]

First off, good luck NickNaylor! We, the c/o 2017, look forward to continuing the tradition next year.

(1) What are some resources you used to study anatomy, biochem, and pharm?

(2) Aside from studying the cadavers after hours in lab, what is your best study advice for anatomy?

(3) What do you feel was your hardest class so far?

(4) If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you change?

Thanks in advance!

1) Anatomy: Netter's (diagrams), Rohan's (photographs), and a dissector (whatever your school uses). Biochem: our biochem course was school-specific and silly, so I have nothing to really add. I didn't use a boards book for our course. Pharm: tough one. I used Lippincott's cards, which I found to be pretty nice. Ultimately though no matter what you use pharm is pretty much the equivalent of memorizing the phonebook: very boring, very dull, and depending upon your curriculum organization you have zero context for the information, which makes it even worse.

2) I started doing reasonably well in anatomy when I went back into the lab and basically did the dissection myself. A few days before the exam, I would literally walk through the dissector for the entire body area (e.g., lower limb, upper limb, thorax, etc.) and find all the structures and really try to remember as much as I could. This was very time-intensive - I went into the lab around 8-9pm and didn't leave until 1-2am - but it was well worth it IMO. I would say that whatever you do, just make good use of that time. If you're not cutting, walk around and look at other bodies and have people point stuff out to you. It's helpful for them as they get quizzed and it's helpful for you as you see the structures on a different body (perhaps with a slightly different look/arrangement). What you don't want to do is dick around in lab the entire time (what I did). You don't learn anything and you ultimately waste your own time. I should also add that if you have a practical portion (i.e., structures are actually pinned on bodies and you go around and identify them) to your exams, SPEND TIME IN LAB. Simply looking at Netter's and Rohen's likely won't prepare you as well for the practical as you think. I say that from experience.

3) Hardest course... depends on what you mean by hard. I'd say that anatomy was overall the least enjoyable, most time intense, and the most difficult, if only because I had to learn how to study while getting pounded with material. In terms of objective difficulty... I'd say our pathophys course was the most difficult. Lots of material that you've never seen before that integrates all of the different topics together. However I didn't find it a big pain in the ass because there was this sense of, "ahhh, this is why I came to med school." You learn things that are actually useful in a clinical context.

4) I'd use FC/GT. Other than that, though, no regrets. With the exception of the last few weeks, I really enjoyed the pre-clinical curriculum and how I handled things, and I don't think I'd change anything other than that one point.

 

[NickNaylor]

- How hard was it and how long did it take to find study habits that worked?

- Is it difficult to find the motivation to study consistently?

1) As I mentioned before, TBH I really didn't get super efficient at studying until ~midway through MS2. I definitely improved my technique during MS1, but I never got really good at memorizing and learning material until MS2. I think the best way to describe med school is to imagine being strapped on the front of a train. Regardless of your ability to keep up, the train keeps moving and you have to figure out a way to learn as much as you can. The mind is incredibly good at adapting. You'll slowly figure out what works best for you and tweak your method over time. At the end of it, you have a perfectly tuned study method that works for you.

2) Yes, definitely - especially during MS1 when most of the material is absolutely useless. Even during step 1 studying I had to force myself to stay to it. Medicine is great, and I love the biological sciences, but no matter what there are still things I would rather do than sit at a desk and memorize things all day. I'm not sure if that means I got into the wrong field or what, but that doesn't sound like a good time no matter what the topic being studied/worked on is.

 

[NickNaylor]

Its a follow-up to the fireside chat I guess, since they weren't able to do second one.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Yeah, we still really want to do one, but we sorely underestimated how busy we would be during the second half of the year. Maybe we'll get one together before we start MS3...

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

How did the test treat you bro?

 

[NickNaylor]

I know very little material from MS1 is tested on step I, but do you think it would make sense to buy First Aid and annotate it as you cover the topics in class? How did you approach the test (i.e. when did you start studying, what did you do in your first two years to prepare, etc.)?

Have you worked on any research projects or published anything during your first two years?

This may not be especially relevant to you, but I respect your opinion and figured I'd ask anyway: do you think taking a research year after MS2 would be a good way to increase the likelihood of matching into a strong academic program if you attend a school with a big emphasis on primary care? I'll probably be attending one because it will cost close to 100k less over 4 years.

Sorry if any of this was covered in your fireside chat, I haven't seen it yet (but will try to over the weekend).

Thanks for doing this!

1) I think looking through FA isn't a bad idea, but it's not very useful when you first start out. FA is purpose-built to give you a very high yield review of the material. It makes connections between subjects and topics that you simply won't and do not need to know when you first start out. It also absolutely isn't a source for learning things for the first time. However, I don't think it would be a bad idea to follow along in FA to get a sense of what is important and what isn't. Really, though, it shouldn't be the cornerstone of your studying, especially at the beginning.

2) I had 7 weeks to study. I did questions from a qbank intermittently during the latter half of MS2, but not really that much boards-specific studying. The most I did was reading the entirety of the organ systems sections as we went along with them. I thought that was a great way to learn the material we were covering while getting reviewing on the embryology, phys, etc.. Beyond that I didn't do much - not for lack of desire, but for lack of time.

3) Did post-MS1 summer research, didn't really produce anything useful unfortunately. I wasn't smart when picking my mentor/project and it bit me in the ass. If you're going to do research, do something that 1) will get you something useful on a CV (e.g., presentation, poster, even a pub) and 2) work with people that know what they're doing. One of my good friends (Phil from the fireside chat) had the opposite experience; his summer project has been an excellent thing for him, yielding him a great poster session at a conference and a pub that will likely get him first or second author in a big-name journal. Just choose your mentor and project wisely.

4) I'm really not that familiar with residency apps, so I'll leave it to others with more experience to answer. I just haven't spent much time reading about the process TBH.

 

[NickNaylor]

Do you have 4th year envy? 😛

YES TOTES JELLY

😡

 

[NickNaylor]

Is step 1 mostly memorization, was it as bad as the MCAT.

It is far worse than the MCAT. Multiply the body of knowledge you're expected to know by about 10-20, most question stems are basically a verbal problem in terms of reading and comprehending what is relevant and what isn't, and ~5% of the test is filled with random content that there is absolutely no way you will have ever seen before.

As far as memorization, I would say that it's mostly memorization, BUT memorization alone won't get you a good score. Doing well IMO requires a combination of memorizing a whole bunch of material + having critical thinking/logical skills + being able to quickly understand information and filtering out what's unimportant.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Is step 1 mostly memorization, was it as bad as the MCAT.

I lol'd.

 

[NickNaylor]

How did the test treat you bro?

Eh, it was aight. Hard, but more or less what I expected. Now the waiting for the score begins...

 

[chemsmith]

Worst smell of the preclinical years ?

 

[NickNaylor]

Worst smell of the preclinical years ?

Ischioanal fossa + formaldehyde =

 

[NickNaylor]

This actually sounds like how the MCAT is late 2012 early 2013. Maybe that was the reason for the change they wanted it to be more like step 1. I took the MCAT in 2011 and 2012, the test in 2012 was wayyy more difficult, dense, convoluted passages that you had to analyze in ~8 minutes. Most of the passages are irrelevant junk.

Yeah... but it's really not even comparable in any sense.

 

[kavorca]

Is step 1 mostly memorization, was it as bad as the MCAT.

Often you have to take a 50/50 guess, even on things you know pretty well. It is frustrating.
You will study certain subjects really well and have 3 softball questions on it, and then you will have 40 questions on a subject you just kind of skimmed. Then you will talk to your friends and realize they had 40 questions on your strongest area. It makes you want to punch a wall.

 

[Lafakads]

1) What speciality you thinking of out of curiosity?

2) What is Firecracker or Gunner Training thing? Is it only to study for the step 1 or is it an extra set of lectures that you can use to learn alongside your classes.

3) If you were on a waitlist at your top choice of med school, what would you do?

 

[Daodejing]

Hey Nick, congrats on being done with the beast!

I just wanted to ask you more specifically about FC/GT. You say you wished you had done it, but what exactly, in your opinion, are the specific benefits? I realize it's a spaced repetition program that allows you to bank material. Many people love it and have success with it, and many people hate it and drop out of it altogether. But isn't making your own flashcards (which is not what FC/GT is) a key part of learning the material? Or is the simple answer you just have to figure out your personal learning style?

In the same vein, do you have an opinion about DIT? I hear it's more for people who would prefer to get spoonfed the material...

 

[mvenus929]

I'm a rising MS4, so I'll add a few notes as well.

When should we start studying for the step?

Depends on what you mean by study. I highly recommend paying attention to your classes first, and then worrying about studying as you get closer to the end of your second year.

Did you worry about step at all during MS1?

Please don't.

I know very little material from MS1 is tested on step I, but do you think it would make sense to buy First Aid and annotate it as you cover the topics in class? How did you approach the test (i.e. when did you start studying, what did you do in your first two years to prepare, etc.)?

I recommend this to students at my school, but we have a systems based curriculum from the get go, so it makes sense. We're also heavily clinical based in our teaching, which makes annotating easier.

If you are going to annotate, don't annotate in the sense that you want to get all the information that isn't included in FA down, but do it so that you can better understand the concepts listed in FA. If something doesn't make sense, or you need a little more information to remember it, write that down.

This may not be especially relevant to you, but I respect your opinion and figured I'd ask anyway: do you think taking a research year after MS2 would be a good way to increase the likelihood of matching into a strong academic program if you attend a school with a big emphasis on primary care? I'll probably be attending one because it will cost close to 100k less over 4 years.

I have no idea the reputation of your school or what you want to go into, but if you do decided to take a research year, I think it'd be better placed after third year. Couple reasons for this.

1) Our MSTP students have a difficult time adjusting to the wards when they get back on, because they've been super focused on research for the past several years. It makes it much more difficult to retrieve the information relevant to the wards from Step 1 if you're trying to apply it a year out without any help in between.

2) After third year, you'll probably have a better idea of what you want to do, and thus are more likely to be able to find research in that area, which is really what's going to help you on your application. I mean, if you go into ortho, they're probably not going to care as much if you did research in neurology, for instance.

Of course, I'm going into pediatrics and haven't done any research, so feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt.

2) What is Firecracker or Gunner Training thing? Is it only to study for the step 1 or is it an extra set of lectures that you can use to learn alongside your classes.

If it's the same as it was when I did it, it's basically just a bunch of notes that are then formulated into flashcards. My problem with it is that either the flash cards were too easy, or there were just way too many of them to be able to get through to review. So, it can be helpful for class, but it'll depend on how your class is set up for how useful it actually is to you for that purpose.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Is step 1 mostly memorization, was it as bad as the MCAT.

rofl

 

[NickNaylor]

1) What speciality you thinking of out of curiosity?

2) What is Firecracker or Gunner Training thing? Is it only to study for the step 1 or is it an extra set of lectures that you can use to learn alongside your classes.

3) If you were on a waitlist at your top choice of med school, what would you do?

1) Pending step 1 score, very seriously considering derm... 😳

2) It is a spaced-repetition that, from my understanding, is roughly FA in a semi-flashcard format. I haven't spent much time with it, but the guy that I studied with used it, and he showed it to me and told me about it. Seems like a great system.

3) If you're on a waitlist, get in touch with the school, be straightforward, and hope for the best. If you have an acceptance, you still had a successful cycle even if it's not your "top" school you're attending.

Hey Nick, congrats on being done with the beast!

I just wanted to ask you more specifically about FC/GT. You say you wished you had done it, but what exactly, in your opinion, are the specific benefits? I realize it's a spaced repetition program that allows you to bank material. Many people love it and have success with it, and many people hate it and drop out of it altogether. But isn't making your own flashcards (which is not what FC/GT is) a key part of learning the material? Or is the simple answer you just have to figure out your personal learning style?

In the same vein, do you have an opinion about DIT? I hear it's more for people who would prefer to get spoonfed the material...

It's certainly not for everyone, but based on my understanding of it I think it would've been an excellent way for me to learn and stay caught up with the material. Had I known about this in MS1, I absolutely would've used it. I guess I just didn't do my research back then.

Don't know anything about DIT unfortunately.

 

[mimelim]

For your OP: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=929521

Search: Threads created by NickNaylor, limit to pre-med, scroll down and pick from list of 27 😉.

 

[NickNaylor]

For your OP: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=929521

Search: Threads created by NickNaylor, limit to pre-med, scroll down and pick from list of 27 😉.

😉 Thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[FloridaMedicine]

1) Pending step 1 score, very seriously considering derm... 😳

Lol, really? I don't blame you lol. I remember you had an interest in transplant surgery some time ago, are you still kind of interested in surgery at all?

Also this maybe a silly question 😳 but can research done in medical school actually help you get a competitive fellowship after residency? Or is research needed for a competitive fellowship done during residency?

By the way hope you and any other ms2's contributing to to thread get a great score on step 1

 

[NickNaylor]

Lol, really? I don't blame you lol. I remember you had an interest in transplant surgery some time ago, are still kind of interested in surgery at all?

Also this maybe a silly question 😳 but can research done in medical school actually help you get a competitive fellowship after residency? Or is research needed for a competitive fellowship done during residency?

By the way hope you and any other ms2's contributing to to thread get a great score on step 1

Hah, well while the lifestyle is nice it's really more about the medicine itself and the typical work of derm. I have zero interest in doing any of that cosmetic stuff (with the understanding that that entails a drop in salary). I think the pathophys and the strong reliance on traditional path is awesome.

No idea how fellowship apps work or what's important.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[FloridaMedicine]

Hah, well while the lifestyle is nice it's really more about the medicine itself and the typical work of derm. I have zero interest in doing any of that cosmetic stuff (with the understanding that that entails a drop in salary). I think the pathophys and the strong reliance on traditional path is awesome.

No idea how fellowship apps work or what's important.

Sent from my Nexus 7

Nice... during your first two years were you able to get any experience or shadowing in derm? I imagine any experience would be limited.

I figured about the fellowship thing maybe Mimelim or others can answer. Over the last year I got really into research and never thought that I could. However now that I'm pretty open to it during med school I was just wondering how I can make the best of it in terms of residency/fellowship like your friend.

 

[La Presse]

Being from TX, I know you must still have time to sip "drank" and listen to "screwed-up" music. But besides that, are you interested in research? If you are, which departments are you collaborating with and what projects are you working on?

 

[NickNaylor]

Being from TX, I know you must still have time to sip "drank" and listen to "screwed-up" music. But besides that, are you interested in research? If you are, which departments are you collaborating with and what projects are you working on?

I have very little interest in doing research in my career - at least not bench resesrch. I actually really like research and enjoy the process, but I don't want it to be a huge part of what I do. I would much rather teach, for example.

Sent from my Nexus 7