preparing for medical school after being accepted?

[nonsciencemajor]

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I know a lot of students will say that after having been accepted to med school to enjoy life before med school starts... but I dont really want that advice anymore....

I am a nonscience major in undergrad having taken only a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics. Got accepted to med school, so excited about that. But I want to take some courses to prep me for med school.

Is cell bio worth taking? I know cell bio is a course in med school, but will this undergrad cell bio course lab also cover histology??

is biochem in undergrad worth taking? I have heard that undergrad biochem focuses on different things as compared to med school biochem. Is it better to just study Lippincott biochem rather than studying for an undergrad biochem class?

My school offers a year of human anatomy and physiology. Obviously I dont have a year, but my school also offers like an human anatomy and physiology course that runs one semester. Obviously it is scaled down from the year long course, but is it worth taking this class? Or should i do a course my undergrad offers which is like an 400 level human physiology course, and not worry about anatomy?

also is it worth taking pathophysiology undergrad course?


all these courses that i plan to take I WILL NOT register for but rather sit in the class, and study from the textbooks

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

One of the saddest posts I have seen on SDN.

Sorry, but true

 

[Fiddlergirl]

It may not be what you want to hear, but there isn't much you can do to "prepare" for med school. Seriously, take this time and store up some good memories. Med school is hard and long...don't make the process longer than it needs to be.

 

[bravofleet4]

do whatever helps relieve your anxiousness about medical school...it's clear that no matter what anyone says you won't be able to relax until you feel more comfortable about the material. It's not hard to imagine this goal though like many others which involve studying independently during the summer....If you want to force yourself to learn the material I would just take the classes cheaply at the local community college pass/fail.

 

[Catalystik]

Biochem is one of the most useful courses you could take ahead of time. My undergrad Biochem used the same book as my med school and the course content was the same, though I'm sure the focus varies from school to school. After that, I'd say Physiology (do the 400 level), Cell Bio, Genetics. Then Anatomy if it stands alone in a course.

Cell Bio is unlikely to cover histology. Pathophysiology won't help until year 2, and you'd forget a lot by then.

As a non-science major, getting some of these courses under your belt will help take off some of the stress during the MS1 year.

 

[7starmantis]

Hmmm, the adcom obviously felt you were ready to handle med school material with your current courses and education....but what do they know? 😉

 

[voitokas]

I know a lot of students will say that after having been accepted to med school to enjoy life before med school starts... but I dont really want that advice anymore....

I am a nonscience major in undergrad having taken only a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics. Got accepted to med school, so excited about that. But I want to take some courses to prep me for med school.

Is cell bio worth taking? I know cell bio is a course in med school, but will this undergrad cell bio course lab also cover histology??

is biochem in undergrad worth taking? I have heard that undergrad biochem focuses on different things as compared to med school biochem. Is it better to just study Lippincott biochem rather than studying for an undergrad biochem class?

My school offers a year of human anatomy and physiology. Obviously I dont have a year, but my school also offers like an human anatomy and physiology course that runs one semester. Obviously it is scaled down from the year long course, but is it worth taking this class? Or should i do a course my undergrad offers which is like an 400 level human physiology course, and not worry about anatomy?

also is it worth taking pathophysiology undergrad course?


all these courses that i plan to take I WILL NOT register for but rather sit in the class, and study from the textbooks

It depends on the school, of course - I'd say take anatomy/physiology, read through Biochem review on your own. Also use Spring semester to try different methods of studying: I found that the way I study in med school is different from how I studied in undergrad, since I want to both memorize and really know a large body of material. And DO do something fun as well. Take a trip if you can afford it! Do pottery, play frisbee, spend time with your friends. You got in! The hard part's over; the rest is just work. 🙂

 

[whatuthinkin]

👍 👍 👍

Thats what she said.

 

[iMD]

if you get off by torturing yourself for no reason, then by all means, study hard and long up until the day you start med school. if youre a regular person, who gets off by having fun and relaxing, do only the things you enjoy up until the day you start med school.

 

[silverhorse84]

In my experience (as someone who only has 4 months of med school behind her), biochem helped. I didn't take cell bio or any histology class in undergrad, and had no problem with the cell bio/histology here. Anatomy and physiology won't be as detailed as what you need to know in med school, but it will help you learn the basic/bigger stuff, which makes that part easier to relearn here and then you only have to worry about the smaller details they didn't make you know in undergrad.
If you want to take classes to prepare, I think that's fine, but don't expect it to teach you everything you'll need to know here. At the very least, please take the summer off from school. 👍 A lot of people burn out if they go too long, and a summer break will really help you jump into med school fresh. When we first got here, the 2nd years told us to hit the ground running, study as much as you can and then scale it back after the first round of tests. That was probably the best advice I've gotten. I got good grades on the first couple exams, so now that I'm starting to hit a brick wall and burn out, I can take a lower score on these last few exams before winter break without worrying about failing 😳

 

[FloatOn]

I know a lot of students will say that after having been accepted to med school to enjoy life before med school starts... but I dont really want that advice anymore....

I am a nonscience major in undergrad having taken only a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics. Got accepted to med school, so excited about that. But I want to take some courses to prep me for med school.

Is cell bio worth taking? I know cell bio is a course in med school, but will this undergrad cell bio course lab also cover histology??

is biochem in undergrad worth taking? I have heard that undergrad biochem focuses on different things as compared to med school biochem. Is it better to just study Lippincott biochem rather than studying for an undergrad biochem class?

My school offers a year of human anatomy and physiology. Obviously I dont have a year, but my school also offers like an human anatomy and physiology course that runs one semester. Obviously it is scaled down from the year long course, but is it worth taking this class? Or should i do a course my undergrad offers which is like an 400 level human physiology course, and not worry about anatomy?


also is it worth taking pathophysiology undergrad course?


all these courses that i plan to take I WILL NOT register for but rather sit in the class, and study from the textbooks

Biochem!? Anatomy!? Physiology!? Hell I'm taking Italian for no good reason except that I feel like it. Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy one day during clinical rotations.

 

[7starmantis]

Thats what she said.

Haha, this made me think of this quote:

A Sheldon can do your income taxes, if you need a root canal, Sheldon's your man... but humpin' and pumpin' is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. 'Do it to me Sheldon, you're an animal Sheldon, ride me big Shel-don.' Doesn't work

Biochem!? Anatomy!? Physiology!? Hell I'm taking Italian for no good reason except that I feel like it. Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy one day during clinical rotations.

right on, I'm doing a study at home Italian course just because I always wanted to learn Italian. Not very far yet, but I can order beer and lemonade like a champ.

 

[FloatOn]

right on, I'm doing a study at home Italian course just because I always wanted to learn Italian. Not very far yet, but I can order beer and lemonade like a champ.

That's all that matters. I'm hoping to land me a sexy Italian man if I ever go to Italy. Gotta get them homebred.

 

[ahmcadams]

Despite how this question makes me die a bit inside, here's my advice: if you MUST study, contact your future med school's academic office and see what the required textbooks are for the fall quarter/semester. Pick up a cheap copy of whatever anatomy text they recommend and browse through it to just familiarize yourself with how things are presented. This won't provide enough structure to really memorize or master anything, but if it eases stress about what's coming up, that's not so bad either.

You could also talk to any current MS-1s at your future school and get a sense for what, if anything, they'd recommend to someone in your place.

 

[Perrotfish]

Things you can't do:

Study for medical school in advance. Many have tried, none succeeded. Med school courses really don't have any resemblance to the undergraduate courses with the same names. I performed no better, relative to the class average) in the courses which I had had before (biochem as a chem major) then I did in the ones that were new to me (pharm, path).

That isn't to say you need to waste the time, though.

What you can do:

1) If you're planning to do a dual degree,for example an MPH, where you would be coenrolled with your medical school, you can start knocking off courses now. I'm not saying a dual degree is a good idea (though it might be, depending on where you want to go) but if you want to do one it is a very good idea to start now rather than later.

2) You can learn a language: a lot of hospitals need doctors that are fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc and some residencies require them. Studying abroad is a good way to learn in a hurry. BTW if you want to do spanish, I recommend www.ecela.com.

3) You can start working at a research lab at your future medical school. Again, not saying it's a great idea, but if you want published research in ortho it might be nice to start while you can be full time. Note: working at a research lab not afffiliated with your medical school is not going to earn you publications in school and therefore is not worth the time.

4) You can round yourself out. Now is the time to pick up a martial art, improve your golf game, learn about politics, or study theology. Besides your personal development, medicine is a snotty profession. If you can't speak intelligently about anything outside of the office people are going to think you're an idiot.

5) You can relax. Not underrated. No one wins a marthon by doing a 5 mile warm up.

6) If you go to certain medical schools, you MIGHT be able to take a first or second semester course the summer before school starts for credit. Good way to meet classmates, and it's nice to start off with a light load. Don't take any courses unless passing them means you don't need to take them again in medical school.

7) You can make money. 'Nuff said.

8) You can take the last two weeks of your freedom to set yourself up in your new place. Seriously, don't be trying to move stuff in three days after class starts. Give yourself time to unpack.

Anyway, wow. That was a much longer response then I meant to write.

 

[oldprogrammer]

It seems counterintuitive to me that taking Physiology, for example, as an undergraduate wouldn't help make it easier to digest in medical school. It's like saying no one should take an introductory course in a subject because the advanced course is harder. And that doesn't make any sense at all to me. I'm a total newbie to this, so forgive my ignorance. What am I not understanding?

 

[7starmantis]

It seems counterintuitive to me that taking Physiology, for example, as an undergraduate wouldn't help make it easier to digest in medical school. It's like saying no one should take an introductory course in a subject because the advanced course is harder. And that doesn't make any sense at all to me. I'm a total newbie to this, so forgive my ignorance. What am I not understanding?

You are technically correct. I think no one is saying you shouldn't take it, but dont take it expecting it to make med school easier. For one, I can't remember 1/10 of my undergrad education (is that kosher to say? 😉) and the difference between med school and undergrad is just far more than an undergrad physio class could bridge. I think the idea is that you should relax a bit, enjoy life, have some fun because med school is going to rock your world regardless of how well you have "prepared" for it. I haven't been to med school so forgive me, but I don't think med school is simply a harder course of undergrad. Its a different animal, to use an obnoxiously overused interview phrase.

Edit: Welcome to the boards by the way!!

 

[fahimaz7]

I know a lot of students will say that after having been accepted to med school to enjoy life before med school starts... but I dont really want that advice anymore....

I am a nonscience major in undergrad having taken only a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics. Got accepted to med school, so excited about that. But I want to take some courses to prep me for med school.

Is cell bio worth taking? I know cell bio is a course in med school, but will this undergrad cell bio course lab also cover histology??

YES

is biochem in undergrad worth taking? I have heard that undergrad biochem focuses on different things as compared to med school biochem. Is it better to just study Lippincott biochem rather than studying for an undergrad biochem class?

YES

My school offers a year of human anatomy and physiology. Obviously I dont have a year, but my school also offers like an human anatomy and physiology course that runs one semester. Obviously it is scaled down from the year long course, but is it worth taking this class? Or should i do a course my undergrad offers which is like an 400 level human physiology course, and not worry about anatomy?

NO

also is it worth taking pathophysiology undergrad course?

NO

all these courses that i plan to take I WILL NOT register for but rather sit in the class, and study from the textbooks

There you go. If you have nothing to do I would take Cell and Biochem.

A lot of the posters on here were science majors, so when they got into MS1 it was an easy transition. I know two guys in my class, both from GA Tech (engineering and literature) that had a hard time dealing with our integrated cell/biochem/genetics module. The speed at which the material is covered is very quick, and both students have said that they would have taken those courses if they could go back and do it again. Make your transition easier.. There's nothing more frustrating than starting out MS-1 by getting your teeth kicked in.

 

[7starmantis]

I dont know, I could see that biochem could be somewhat helpful. I mean you memorize the amino acids, krebs, blah blah blah. Classes like this that give you a base could be helpful but in the same light I would think anatomy would be helpful since you also build a base of terms, structures, etc. I think both are going to be very low in actual transitional help, but those saying not to take anatomy I have to disagree. Being exposed to 10,000 new anatomy terms in your anatomy in med school I would think having a base to start from could be helpful. This would also work for medical terminology. Of course at my school anatomy is the first course, so my thinking is biased I guess.

However this would not work for classes that do not relate in med school. Patho in undergrad isn't really setting you up a base to build on in med school. Or O-Chem for that matter 🙄

Obviously I haven't been to med school yet, just some thoughts of mine, feel free to agree or disagree.

 

[Vulcan]

You are technically correct. I think no one is saying you shouldn't take it, but dont take it expecting it to make med school easier. For one, I can't remember 1/10 of my undergrad education (is that kosher to say? 😉) and the difference between med school and undergrad is just far more than an undergrad physio class could bridge. I think the idea is that you should relax a bit, enjoy life, have some fun because med school is going to rock your world regardless of how well you have "prepared" for it. I haven't been to med school so forgive me, but I don't think med school is simply a harder course of undergrad. Its a different animal, to use an obnoxiously overused interview phrase.

Edit: Welcome to the boards by the way!!

Sorry, couldn't help myself 😀

 

[fahimaz7]

Obviously I haven't been to med school yet, just some thoughts of mine, feel free to agree or disagree.

Biochem has a lot more information than the simple amino acids and their structures. The students that had been exposed to glycolysis, TCA, ETC, protein transport, N.A. Metabolism, etc were a lot better prepared for our first module.

There's no doubt in my mind that these students would have preferred to have that background before medical school.

For example, we had a 4.0/38 student from GTech (full scholarship) make a C in that first module. Why? B/c it moved so quick and he had never seen it before. As for anatomy..He's now rocking an A in our head and neck, neuro anatomy, and neuroscience block.

You tell me what was harder for him?

PS. We are exposed to ~3,000 terms in anatomy. Is that a lot? Sure, but it's the easiest component for most people in MS1....

 

[7starmantis]

Biochem has a lot more information than the simple amino acids and their structures. The students that had been exposed to glycolysis, TCA, ETC, protein transport, N.A. Metabolism, etc were a lot better prepared for our first module.

There's no doubt in my mind that these students would have preferred to have that background before medical school.

For example, we had a 4.0/38 student from GTech (full scholarship) make a C in that first module. Why? B/c it moved so quick and he had never seen it before. As for anatomy..He's now rocking an A in our head and neck, neuro anatomy, and neuroscience block.

You tell me what was harder for him?

PS. We are exposed to ~3,000 terms in anatomy. Is that a lot? Sure, but it's the easiest component for most people in MS1....

Wasn't really disagreeing, those things were included in my "blah blah blah" 😀

I actually enjoyed biochem and think it will help. I was just saying that in the same way, I think anatomy would help as well. I still dont think either would give you an amazing advantage.

Sorry, some med school curriculum websites have stated 10,000 terms. Just regurgitating what I read like a good little pre-med.

 

[7starmantis]

^^ 👍

Trying!!

 

[da8s0859q]

I know a lot of students will say that after having been accepted to med school to enjoy life before med school starts... but I dont really want that advice anymore....

I am a nonscience major in undergrad having taken only a year of general bio, chem, orgo, and physics. Got accepted to med school, so excited about that. But I want to take some courses to prep me for med school.

Is cell bio worth taking? I know cell bio is a course in med school, but will this undergrad cell bio course lab also cover histology??

is biochem in undergrad worth taking? I have heard that undergrad biochem focuses on different things as compared to med school biochem. Is it better to just study Lippincott biochem rather than studying for an undergrad biochem class?

My school offers a year of human anatomy and physiology. Obviously I dont have a year, but my school also offers like an human anatomy and physiology course that runs one semester. Obviously it is scaled down from the year long course, but is it worth taking this class? Or should i do a course my undergrad offers which is like an 400 level human physiology course, and not worry about anatomy?

also is it worth taking pathophysiology undergrad course?


all these courses that i plan to take I WILL NOT register for but rather sit in the class, and study from the textbooks

Okay, so basically, you want the advice that aligns with what you're already going to do.

Take biochem, histo, cell bio, and A&P -- all the things you mentioned. If you can snag a pathophysiology and neurobiology class, take those as well.

Most of SDN, (usually) myself included, will tell you not to do this, but... hey. I can kind of understand why you want to do it, but I gotta tell you, going textbook-intensive with all this is kind of silly -- you're going to spend countless hours pouring over texts, get to med school, and then see the same content in a fraction of the space in some PhD or MD's powerpoint or PDF handout.

(To be clear: I think you should relax, too!)

 

[BlueElmo]

It seems the consensus is to just relax, have fun, and take it easy before classes start.👍

 

[SparkleMotion]

Yeah. I would generally listen to the people that have been to, or are currently in med school.

Definitely don't take any more than 12 credits if you do take classes. I'll probably do the same.