Also a graduate of this university (2017), here are some tips and advice that helped me at the time I was going to MUA; as I have gotten several private messages about major changes I had to make in order to be successful, I've included the major things that I did.
Time Management/Scheduling
I became very selfish with my time, unfortunately, that's what you have to do. The only thing I had power over was the time I had, and I did the best I could to make the most of it. Remember MUA on the island is a marathon not a sprint, so it isn't about how much you do everyday, it's also about how consistent you stay with it.
1. For instance, after finishing class, I would eat and spend the rest of my time in the library until closing time (i.e. 1030pm-11pm?). I structured my days in ways that would benefit me, I know I'm not morning person, but I would sleep 6.5 hours (1130am-6am) and then I would dedicate the rest of my time to learning (whether in class or in person). Everything I learned in class, I would review at least 3x that day, would break up the rest of my day into 2-3 blocks of 3 or 2 hours as a piece, review the material discussed in class a few times each.
2. On the weekends, I would spend all my time at the library studying with the exception of bathroom breaks/eating. Typically would get approximately 15-17 hours of raw studying accomplished each day on the weekend. I would use weekend times to get ahead, review material especially after block exams; I would rest on Friday evening and Saturday morning (for a short bit, but by 10 AM), I would start reviewing slides/reading add'l text to get ahead for the next week. This way I would stay current and things would mesh well.
3. After exams, that block weekend, that Friday evening would do all my groceries and go into town just that day to make sure I'm ready for the next 3 weeks. I had it all pre-organized so that I didn't need to go on another weekend, which would potentially compromise studying time. Don't get me wrong, you can take breaks in between while studying, but most of mine were just eating/watching clips on youtube or a quick episode (<20 minutes) of something on Netflix.
Don't Do's
1. Do NOT hang out, go to parties, find a soulmate, that type of behavior is soft and distracting. Remember why you are present there, it's to become a physician; all of these distractions will circumvent your thought process and not allow you to be successful. Plenty of time for that later on.
2. Do NOT procrastinate, if it's something that can be done in the evening, do it. Remember your schedule, the best way to do it is to build your focus and hard discipline. That's how I succeeded; I prayed, ate, studied and went to class, everything else that didn't involve those 4 things I did not pursue. I did have friends in class, was amiable but I did not allow this to undermine my schedule/priority. That's the kind of mentality you need.
3. Do NOT study in groups, while it is beneficial for some, it's very few and far in between and most times than not, it's distracting. You need time to familiarize yourself with the material, and the best way to do that, is to go through it yourself first. Some of the material is just brute force memorization and there are no 2 ways about it.
Bottom line: Make a schedule/setting for yourself, stick to it and do not waiver.
If anything else comes to mind, will update it here.
