Overwhelmed

[futuredoctor1995]

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I started med school about a month ago and I genuinely feel scared here. I feel like I might fail out and I barely sleep. I study for 16 plus hours every day and nowadays I feel like I am not retaining anything. I fail the first test and then do really well on the next test so I pass the class but it is a overwhelming cycle. Now I feel that I’m getting anxiety and since it’s affecting my mental health so much I want to quit before it’s too late. What are some good approaches to this? Thank you!

 

[workaholic181]

Utilize your school's counseling services first and foremost.
It's a huge adjustment trying to deal with such massive amounts of material but if you keep at it you'll find an efficient and effective way to study that works for you.

 

[Goro]

Utilize your school's counseling services first and foremost.
It's a huge adjustment trying to deal with such massive amounts of material but if you keep at it you'll find an efficient and effective way to study that works for you.

This!
Also make use of your school's learning or education center.

 

[Hippocrates II]

I know the same advice gets rehashed on here constantly, but it's because the advice is generally the same for everyone. Be adaptive and try to change/fix study habits as you discover what is and isn't working. We're 6 weeks into class and I've already changed my approach to studying numerous times. What's working for me are the following:

1) skip every class and watch at 1.5x speed while pausing to make flashcards (I am using brainscape since our class shares cards on there, but I bet quizlet and anki are the same)

2) Force yourself to try and make big picture connections, rationalize why things are important, etc. to develop a deeper understanding of material and help apply some logic to answering test questions. Use this same logic when making flashcards - it's amazing to me how much time some of my classmates spend debating random bull**** details that I know will never be tested, or will be at best one point for some obscure fact.

3) Review due cards every day in the morning before lectures are posted

4) Run through all cards due + go over the entire deck over the weekend in the morning/early afternoon, do practice questions leading up to an exam to make sure you understand the material.

I've been doing this and I've been above our class avg on every test so far (we've only had 3, so take that for how you will), and I feel like I study less than my peers. If you try to study the way our school admins would have you believe is the right way, you'll be putting in 10 hours day every day and feel overwhelmed/behind at every turn. I don't know if I'll ever feel like I'm ever fully prepared for a test, but I always feel like I'm keeping on top of what I need to do with this approach.

 

[MakeLifeHappen13]

Couple of things:

• Get consistent exercise to decompress and avoid burnout/depression.
• Rely on your classmates to help you, some of them might have great advice to offer, we are all vulnerable in this process.
• Use your family/friends or any support system you have to vent and express your frustrations, you will feel a lot better
• Figure out how to utilize more efficient study methods. You shouldn't have to study 16 hours a day to just pass, that's crazy. 6-8 hours a day is all that is needed to do well. Try making your own Anki cards out of lecture material or using pre-made decks that correspond to lecture material like Zanki. It really helps with retaining info.

Good luck and hang in there.

 

[Goro]

I started med school about a month ago and I genuinely feel scared here. I feel like I might fail out and I barely sleep. I study for 16 plus hours every day and nowadays I feel like I am not retaining anything. I fail the first test and then do really well on the next test so I pass the class but it is a overwhelming cycle. Now I feel that I’m getting anxiety and since it’s affecting my mental health so much I want to quit before it’s too late. What are some good approaches to this? Thank you!

Read this:

• Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2018 edition)

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Take a break. Get normal sleep, >7 hours. Try to take a deep breath and approach the material with composure and enthusiasm. You're here because you want to be a doctor and or should enjoy learning materials important for becoming a doctor. So try to enjoy the ride.

The first couple of months always suck.

 

[BlueFeesh]

it's amazing to me how much time some of my classmates spend debating random bull**** details that I know will never be tested, or will be at best one point for some obscure fact.

+1

Drives me nuts

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Take a break. Get normal sleep, >7 hours. Try to take a deep breath and approach the material with composure and enthusiasm. You're here because you want to be a doctor and or should enjoy learning materials important for becoming a doctor. So try to enjoy the ride.

The first couple of months always suck.

Play ping pong in between studying @AlteredScale

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Play ping pong in between studying @AlteredScale

I'll see that table in 8 months

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[Knight in shining armor]

if you sleep well, you will retain more. I had a professor say that after a day of lecture it’s “better to get 6 hours of studying and 8 hours of sleep than to get 8 hours of studying and 6 hours of sleep”. It’s true. Good sleep will make you happier, healthier, and more Productive. Also, get help from a counseler of sorts (psychologist, acedmic counseler) and reach out to others you trust that’s not in medical school for outside opinion (family, friends, people from church if you attend church, etc.). I got burnt out pretty badly during January of my first year of medical school. I know exactly how you feel. Also, give it time since Medical school is a big Adjustments. Additionally, your next block course could be a lot better for you. Hope this helps a little.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

if you sleep well, you will retain more. I had a professor say that after a day of lecture it’s “better to get 6 hours of studying and 8 hours of sleep than to get 8 hours of studying and 6 hours of sleep”. It’s true. Good sleep will make you happier, healthier, and more Productive. Also, get help from a counseler of sorts (psychologist, acedmic counseler) and reach out to others you trust that’s not in medical school for outside opinion (family, friends, people from church if you attend church, etc.). I got burnt out pretty badly during January of my first year of medical school. I know exactly how you feel. Also, give it time since Medical school is a big Adjustments. Additionally, your next block course could be a lot better for you. Hope this helps a little.

I think, from experience, you retain more when you actually study and know stuff.. If you feel great, sure goto sleep, but if you know it takes three rounds to be sure of passing and you just haven't finished them yet, suck it up and do your first 28 hour call. I have stayed up overnight before many an exam, and only 1 time did I regret it (out of about 20). I have walked out of many exams certain that the reason I got an A instead of the 'average' was because I got those extra 8 hours of studying that other people just couldn't put off sleeping for. Get ready for the big leagues now. Residency's have proven that your cognitive function is 'good enough' on little sleep to push the standards back for intern year. You won't be getting 8 hours in residency, so do what you must to make sure you make it there.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I started med school about a month ago and I genuinely feel scared here. I feel like I might fail out and I barely sleep. I study for 16 plus hours every day and nowadays I feel like I am not retaining anything. I fail the first test and then do really well on the next test so I pass the class but it is a overwhelming cycle. Now I feel that I’m getting anxiety and since it’s affecting my mental health so much I want to quit before it’s too late. What are some good approaches to this? Thank you!

I can relate to this, use a timer and make sure you are actually studying is my first suggestion. My second is make yourself complete what you know needs to be done. I trust myself. If I don't think I know something well, I study it again. But at the same time you must make, in my experience, 3 passes of all material. If you know it, the passes will be faster, and if not, slow down and quiz yourself. As I said in the post above, sleep is not the priority, passing is.

 

[futuredoctor1995]

I can relate to this, use a timer and make sure you are actually studying is my first suggestion. My second is make yourself complete what you know needs to be done. I trust myself. If I don't think I know something well, I study it again. But at the same time you must make, in my experience, 3 passes of all material. If you know it, the passes will be faster, and if not, slow down and quiz yourself. As I said in the post above, sleep is not the priority, passing is.

My school's learning specialist and psychologist are not very helpful. Maybe I can try a different one but I am just always scared that they are going to kick me out.. I am already so burned out and its only October. Does it get easier after Anatomy? There is just so much memorization in school..

 

[Emmit]

Medical school is an adjustment for everyone. I second all the constructive feedback in this forum so far.

Some words of encouragement, your brain will learn to adapt to the vast amount of material it needs to learn. Additionally, I am assuming you have anatomy lab for the first semester. Life gets better when anatomy is over. It is essentially double the workload if you take it as seriously as you should be.

I would also recommend checking out Anki. It is a research proven, effective method of studying material that in the long run will save you a lot of hours. If you are spending 16 hours a day writing notes or watching videos, using Anki will cut that time in half. I don't know how I would be passing medical school without it. If you need some guidance on getting started, feel free to DM me.

Most importantly, don't quit! You wouldn't have made it here if you didn't deserve to be in medical school or weren't intelligent enough to handle the workload. Almost every person on this website, at some point in their studies or another, has felt similarly to how you are feeling right now. You can do it.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

My school's learning specialist and psychologist are not very helpful. Maybe I can try a different one but I am just always scared that they are going to kick me out.. I am already so burned out and its only October. Does it get easier after Anatomy? There is just so much memorization in school..

Anatomy is such a time sink, especially if you get graded on dissection, so for me, it did get easier even tho the classes were actually harder.

Also learning specialist have no clue what your going through. The best thing they can do is try to help you help yourself by figuring out a learning style. If you want practical advice, ask the year ahead of you and get a mentor. Thats the best thing.

 

[Desired Member]

My school's learning specialist and psychologist are not very helpful. Maybe I can try a different one but I am just always scared that they are going to kick me out.. I am already so burned out and its only October. Does it get easier after Anatomy? There is just so much memorization in school..

What worked for me in the first couple years was making things nice for myself and taking my time. E.g. buying my favorite coffee, sitting down in comfy clothes with nice paper and pens, listening to lecture at my own speed, really focusing on googling extra info as I went, printing netters images and drawing pictures. I was slow but I learned. For anatomy, it may sound weird, but I tried to associate a person with a muscle or whatever I was studying, or give it a personality. It helped me remember the names.
I felt like quitting so many times. I hope something I said will help.