Reviewing before starting MS1

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justmoi

justmoi

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I'm starting med school at UTSW this fall, and I'm excited and nervous :).

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice for the incoming students in terms of preparing for the courses...like, are there things you wish you had reviewed before you were thrown into the vortex? Biochem/anatomy/etc...any thing specific you wish you had studied before rushing into it? I graduated Dec 07 so I've been taking quite a bit of time off and doing something completely different and non-bio, and I'm a little concerned I'll be a bit rusty come August. Esp when it comes to biochem, which I feel I took ages and ages ago.

So any advice for people who've been away from the bio books a little too long or the non-trad majors who're trying to get ready?
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justmoi said:
So any advice for people who've been away from the bio books a little too long or the non-trad majors who're trying to get ready?
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Grab your favorite piece of fiction and hit the beaches until the day you have to start school. Nothing can prepare you for the volume of material they will throw at you during your first semester--better to just hit the situation well-rested.
 
yeah, i like that, and i'm doing that, but a voice inside keeps telling me 'beware beware' with an occasional siren screaming in the background. destroys the fun of a good novel.

everyone should read 'the brain that changes itself' by norman doidge. everyone in the world, not just doctors and doctors-to-be
 
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If you want to get started. Make sure first that you do come in well-rested, don't pull all-nighters on this stuff k?

I would go into your school's webpages and see if you can't find the syllabi. Buy your books, you're going to have to do it anyway, so no real added expense. Then sit down and read with a pen/pencil - make some notes but don't try to memorize it. just play with the material - put it into your own words, draw some diagrams or whatever you need to work it out in your head.

It's gonna be tough when you start, no one will tell you otherwise w/o lying. But you can come in warmed up (just like a race, because med school is one hell of a marathon and just keeping the pacer in sight will become your goal after a while).

again, don't go crazy and try to memorize all this stuff. Just kind of lay down some concepts and clean out the cob webs upstairs. And make sure that when you start, everything you can possibly finish beforehand is done: finacial aid, moving into your apartment, being comfortable in your apartment, try meeting a few people before you start, getting your home rigged with wifi, getting your computer or whatever other things you think you might need bought or checked and upto snuff & feel comfortable with it, etc ...
 
Really no prep is necessary or advisable. The most important thing is to prep your mind and body for a tough time. Get plenty of rest, eat right, work out. Hitting med school in great physical shape will be a big help. If you absolutely must do some studying, keep it real simple. Learning the TCA cycle, steps in glycolysis, amino acid synth and breakdown, could have been a help. It would just be a little mindless memorization so that you are ready to focus on the mechanistic stuff from the get go.
 
Whatever you learn, you will forget in a few days. So no point in it really.

Best thing to do? Go check out some larger sized novels from the library. Something a bit more difficult to read, a famous literary piece that will take you a few months to finish. Even you can read smaller books such as the DaVinci code or Angels and Demons by Dan Brown....or even look at magazines such as Time and Newsweek.... honestly it doesn't even matter if u read tabloid gossip mags.... as ridiculous as it sounds... just read a bit every day, enjoy what you read... just GET OFF THE INTERNET!!!

When I started med school I hadn't read anything for a year or two...and I had to teach myself how to read for a couple hours straight.

Hope this helps :)
 
Don't bother.

You will end up doing one or more of the following:
(a) studying at way too slow a pace (i.e. spend a week learning what med school will cover in day one)
(b) studying at the wrong level of depth
(c) studying the wrong stuff, period
(d) end up stressing yourself out
(e) give yourself a false confidence going into the year that will result in not studying as hard as you need to once you get there
 
You can do a search of this forum and find many threads. Most of the advice has been "don't bother".
 
I am also an MSO. I have done a few things. I have gotten a Step I book so I can become intimately familiar with it as I study for the classes. I have also ordered the Board Review Series Anatomy book. That is the most recommended guide for the final in our Gross class. I use those two things for my light reading at night. I do know what order that we do Gross so I am going to read in that order. I have also had Human Anatomy so most of the stuff is very familiar. I cannot imagine trying to read the BRS book without having Human Anatomy.

I also got some Clinical Vignette books that have one specifically for Anatomy. I haven't cracked that one yet. It is still a little of my head.

All of the books I got off of eBay.

I also play on the website www.getbodysmart.com.

Good luck!:thumbup:
 
I say don't bother. Enjoy your free time. I took 5 years off before starting med school and didn't prep beforehand. And I turned out fine.
 
dont study now...if anything, just make sure you have all the books/supplies you need and make sure that you are adjusted because once classes come, it will come fast and hard and with no mercy so you dont want to worry so much about getting used to your sorroundings, buying books, etc

other than that, rest up and good luck!
 
Don't pre-study. It won't be worth your time. Also, I'd generally wait to buy books until you know which ones that you will need. You can get books from amazon in a couple of days or from the bookstore on campus. A lot of the times, at least at my school, the books are a waste because all of the information is provided in the notes. Also, I've found in one class that the book that I like for a class is not the same as the recommended book. Basically, your school will probably get you in contact with some second years, just listen to them about what books will actually be helpful for class.
 
justmoi said:
I'm starting med school at UTSW this fall, and I'm excited and nervous :).

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice for the incoming students in terms of preparing for the courses...like, are there things you wish you had reviewed before you were thrown into the vortex? Biochem/anatomy/etc...any thing specific you wish you had studied before rushing into it? I graduated Dec 07 so I've been taking quite a bit of time off and doing something completely different and non-bio, and I'm a little concerned I'll be a bit rusty come August. Esp when it comes to biochem, which I feel I took ages and ages ago.

So any advice for people who've been away from the bio books a little too long or the non-trad majors who're trying to get ready?
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Or instead of studying before med school starts you could just ram a gigantic rod up your ass as fast and as hard as you can and ruin the rest of your free time that way.
 
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Ask your school if it's possible to take one or two of the first year classes the summer before school starts to lighten your load. If you can, consider doing it. It's nice be able to ease into first year.

If you have the intention of doing any sort of masochistic dual degree program like a 4 year MPH/MD or MBA/MD, consider taking some of their classes the summer before, if you can.

However if you can't actually lighten your scheudle any, don't just prestudy hoping to be better prepared. You wont be the least bit better off, even though you'll make yourself miserable all summer.
 
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saqrfaraj said:
Hmm...interesting. I was imagining some sort of secret double life, but this is much more plausible.
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secret double life is right...after all, doesn't the nickname justmoi just echo super-cool-secret-life and amazing adventures? ;)

haha, nope, i wasn't purposefully trying to mislead anyone (and a troll? ive been on SDN intermittently for two years, and been in absentia for some time, but have trolls been on such a rise recently that we have to be so paranoid? eek!!). mmmcdowe got it right, last time i updated details i may have gotten confused on the definition of fellow because the user details options puts it as Fellow [Any Field] and I am actually currently on a fellowship, and in the health professions. Didn't think twice about it, but now I've realized my erroneous ways and made the change to prevent future misunderstandings! :)

Thank you everyone for your input, I appreciate all the advice given. I expected don't bother to be the general answer, but I do like the other ideas thrown out there. I've really been making the most of my time off but just thought it might be good to hear if there was anything I could be doing to help myself. Appreciate all the thoughts!
 
How many times must this stupid question be asked
before people learn how to search
Yes, n' how many times will posters respond
before they go totally insane

/thinking of forming a folk med group.
 
surebreC said:
How many times must this stupid question be asked
before people learn how to search
Yes, n' how many times will posters respond
before they go totally insane

/thinking of forming a folk med group.
Click to expand...

The answer my friend, is more than I can count.
The answer is more than I can count.
 
surebreC said:
How many times must this stupid question be asked
before people learn how to search
Yes, n' how many times will posters respond
before they go totally insane

/thinking of forming a folk med group.
Click to expand...

Each year the new M1s soon to be M2s pay their dues by answering the "but shouldn't I study" threads. Its the way of the world.

PS: I didn't study. I did brows thru Isersons Getting into a Residency to better understand the next process (I'd always wished I'd better understood medschool applications as a freshman). I also read a book about memory techniques which has been helpful. But please don't study.
 
Read the big Robbins Pathology book. Interesting stuff and lots of pathology on the boards. Just skim through it once you don't have to memorize every single little thing. Just familiarize yourself with how disease works IMHO.
 
mrmandrake said:
Read the big Robbins Pathology book. Interesting stuff and lots of pathology on the boards. Just skim through it once you don't have to memorize every single little thing. Just familiarize yourself with how disease works IMHO.
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Yeah, no. That's called M2 year.
 
Rest your eyes... i had to get 3 new scripts in the first 2 years... boo to reading/computer screens 14hrs/day
 
I know I'm the voice of opposition here, but I wish I had started early. I barely missed honoring the first class of my first semester (anatomy) and it cost me Junior AOA. I had a huge improvement after the first exam, but it wasn't enough. From then on out, I studied over breaks, etc. and honored every other class.

A buddy of mine was in the opposite boat. He studied the head and neck portion of anatomy before school started and honored anatomy, but not a single other course throughout med school.

If I had to do it over again, I would master the first section of each of the first semester classes. Lippencott is good for biochem. I liked Kaplan for neuroanatomy, Big moore (the pictures, not the text) for anatomy, and costanza for physiology. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
Trust me when I say there are plenty of folks that never pre-studied that honored all sorts of classes, made AOA, matched into the specialty of their choice, and even got their chosen program. Don't allow yourself to get sucked into the medical school equivalent of the e-peen just yet (i.e. "how much ya bench?" becomes "how much ya study this weekend?")

Those of you recommending otherwise should grab that benzo your doc prescribed for your generalized anxiety disorder and take a breather before posting in here again. For the love of jehosephat, this is their last chance at happiness!
 
DoctorFunk said:
Trust me when I say there are plenty of folks that never pre-studied that honored all sorts of classes, made AOA, matched into the specialty of their choice, and even got their chosen program. Don't allow yourself to get sucked into the medical school equivalent of the e-peen just yet (i.e. "how much ya bench?" becomes "how much ya study this weekend?")

Those of you recommending otherwise should grab that benzo your doc prescribed for your generalized anxiety disorder and take a breather before posting in here again. For the love of jehosephat, this is their last chance at happiness!
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I only understand about 50% of your post, but if you believe your last sentence, it's a shame you went into medicine at all.

No one said that you couldn't make honors if you don't study beforehand, but I felt that it helped in my case. Maybe the difference is that I really don't mind studying, especially when there isn't the pressure of tests looming over me. You don't have to be anxiety-prone to study during your free time.
 
Buy your books, you're going to have to do it anyway, so no real added expense.
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Noooooooooooooo! Do not buy your books ahead of time. That's a gargantuan waste of money. You don't have to - and probably shouldn't - buy all of the books the school tells you to. Talk to the M2's to see what they found useful. I don't ever buy textbooks unless I have to, but literally everyone I've spoken with in my class is pissed at having bought the biochem and cell texts. That's a good $250 down the drain just with those two books.
 
thesauce said:
I only understand about 50% of your post, but if you believe your last sentence, it's a shame you went into medicine at all.
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I take it back, you probably should have pre-studied prior to matriculating. For those who can read beyond a 5th grade level, however, feel free to skip the pre-studying. ;)

As for my happiness in medicine, there's the satisfaction of a job well done and helping others--but it's never the same as the pure joy that is time off with no responsibilities. You'll figure it out.

Until that day though, it might benefit you to learn that on SDN we never just stop at insinuating that a poster should never have gone into medicine at all, we make sure they understand that they are already horrible physicians and are likely killing patients by the truckload. Just check the pre-allo forum to see how it's done.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Noooooooooooooo! Do not buy your books ahead of time. That's a gargantuan waste of money. You don't have to - and probably shouldn't - buy all of the books the school tells you to. Talk to the M2's to see what they found useful.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Also, some of those M2s and even M3s will be selling used books / willing to let you borrow them.
 
DoctorFunk said:
Trust me when I say there are plenty of folks that never pre-studied that honored all sorts of classes, made AOA, matched into the specialty of their choice, and even got their chosen program. Don't allow yourself to get sucked into the medical school equivalent of the e-peen just yet (i.e. "how much ya bench?" becomes "how much ya study this weekend?")

Those of you recommending otherwise should grab that benzo your doc prescribed for your generalized anxiety disorder and take a breather before posting in here again. For the love of jehosephat, this is their last chance at happiness!
Click to expand...

agreed. you don't have to study every waking moment of every day off/vacation to get ahead and do well.

pre-studying is useless for a variety of reasons:
-you won't be studying efficiently because you won't know what's going to be covered and in what detail for exams.
-by the time you actually get to the material that you prestudied in class, you will have probably forgotten what you prestudied.
-you will memorize all the enzymes for glycolytic pathways, lipid metabolism, and other useless drivel that will not ever be tested.
-your brain needs rest. don't waste brainpower when it doesn't matter. that goes for during classes too. you need sleep and a day off here and there.
 
DoctorFunk said:
I take it back, you probably should have pre-studied prior to matriculating. For those who can read beyond a 5th grade level, however, feel free to skip the pre-studying. ;)

As for my happiness in medicine, there's the satisfaction of a job well done and helping others--but it's never the same as the pure joy that is time off with no responsibilities. You'll figure it out.

Until that day though, it might benefit you to learn that on SDN we never just stop at insinuating that a poster should never have gone into medicine at all, we make sure they understand that they are already horrible physicians and are likely killing patients by the truckload. Just check the pre-allo forum to see how it's done.
Click to expand...

Doctorfunk: I've had a pretty good time in med school. You make it sound like prison. And hey, I like insulting people for their reading levels as much as the next person, but maybe the OP would appreciate answers to his questions instead of insults directed towards those whose views differ from your own.

I truly thank you for teaching me the meaning of the word "e-peen." Someday I hope to reach the pinacle of enlightenment that you have.

OP: I stand by what I said: I wish I had studied beforehand. Please PM me if you want to know my suggestions.
 
Jolie South said:
agreed. you don't have to study every waking moment of every day off/vacation to get ahead and do well.

pre-studying is useless for a variety of reasons:
-you won't be studying efficiently because you won't know what's going to be covered and in what detail for exams.
-by the time you actually get to the material that you prestudied in class, you will have probably forgotten what you prestudied.
-you will memorize all the enzymes for glycolytic pathways, lipid metabolism, and other useless drivel that will not ever be tested.
-your brain needs rest. don't waste brainpower when it doesn't matter. that goes for during classes too. you need sleep and a day off here and there.
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This is so true. The main problem with pre-studying for medical school is anything you do will be EXTREMELY low yield and may not correlate well to what is being tested.

It is conceivable that if you knew beforehand the first test was going to cover exactly chapters 1, 2 and 3 from some text. Then you could read that text and probably try to "master" it to some degree before school started. Though if you did that, you would have only helped yourself in medical school on ONE test. Not to mention you would have wasted your summer before school.

On the other hand you could try and study anatomy, physiology, biochemistry etc all during summer before school. However you probably would not have covered either the right material or the material in enough depth for it to help at all.

Just relax and enjoy your time before school starts.
 
LOL. Don't study. It is an absolute waste of time. Relax. Be well rested. You don't want to burn out.
 
No, no, no, no, no! Do NOT study before school starts! Along with what most people said, you'll study minutiae you won't need to know for the exam. You'll maybe do a few days work that'll be quickly passed by classes. It'll most likely be ineffective. You don't want to go off half-cocked because you don't know exactly what your professors want you to know.

Why waste you last few weeks of freedom, before you're massively in debt, studying?

If you're so keen to start studying now, hold back on the reins a little bit and wait until school starts. THEN start studying as much as you want. Don't listen to people if they call you a "gunner" based on the amount of time you put into study. Study smart. Keep up with classes and do NOT fall behind. That's where you'll get caught, and pre-studying BEFORE classes start won't help you with that. (However, pre-studying material a night before the class could be a big help though -- eg. reading the notes/slides ahead of time.)
 
Hey guys. I also start medical school this fall. I understand all of the arguments for and against the summer pre-study, but I have a separate question:

I know that many of you say NOT to buy books before you find out which ones you will use, but is this true only for schools with lecture-based curriculums? I am starting at a PBL school and we have no lectures. Basically, no lecture notes or outlines to use instead of text. So, should I go ahead and purchase books early then if it is certain that I will most likely read them all?

Thanks!
 
I would still probably hold off on buying books. Our school has a large booksale during the first month of M1 year where upperclassmen sell texts they are no longer using. Usually amounts to a large amount of savings, plus you get a chance to find out what books are really useful before buying.
 
Agreed. You'll still want to talk with the M2's before buying stuff. If nothing else, go straight review books (which is pretty much what you should do anyway). If nothing else, you could do a whole lot worse than just buying the BRS for each subject. There are cheaper ways to go, though. For example, you can often buy used copies of old editions of books for FAR cheaper than the new ones. You won't lose much - if any - material, and you'll save a load. My Gross, Phys, and Neuro BRS's cost me a total of $21 including Amazon's $4/book shipping fee. All were essentially brand new but were 1 edition old.
 
I know everyone says to relax and don't do any studying before MS1, but if was really motivated to do some relaxed studying beforehand like you are, here's what I'd suggest:

The courses that caught me offguard the most were biochemistry and neuroanatomy.

The best material I've looked at for these subjects are:

Biochemistry: Lippincott - Illustrated Reviews Biochemistry

Neuroanatomy: Barr - The Human Nervous System: An Anatomical Viewpoint

People might say get BRS and High-Yield series books, but at this point, you need more textbook-like material, with lots of pictures and diagrams. Otherwise, the terminology in BRS and HY will be gibberish.

Those two subjects would probably be enough to keep you occupied til the fall, but you can also learn some Anatomy and Physiology for a change of pace.

Anatomy: Moor and Agur - Essential Clinical Anatomy

Physiology: Costanzo - Physiology


For all of these, I'd suggest just reading to get the bigger picture, as you'll learn more detail-oriented information during school. Just getting familiar with the terminology will make it a lot easier for you later on.
And if you feel frustrated and overwhelmed, just stop, relax, and enjoy your summer, cause even if you don't do anything during the summer, you'll be fine. :)
 
You're making me nervous. I'm also starting at UTSW in the fall. I sure as hell hope that not everyone's gonna be this nuts.

Edit: by 'this nuts,' I mean spending the summer studying and working on academic stuff so as to get some sort of advantage. I don't want to bust my ass all summer just to keep up with my classmates who've been busting their asses all summer! Listen, dude, we're all going to be a little rusty in the start. It'll be fine, I promise. Either that, or it'll be really not fine for all of us. Either way, chill out!
 
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lainapox said:
You're making me nervous. I'm also starting at UTSW in the fall. I sure as hell hope that not everyone's gonna be this nuts.

Edit: by 'this nuts,' I mean spending the summer studying and working on academic stuff so as to get some sort of advantage. I don't want to bust my ass all summer just to keep up with my classmates who've been busting their asses all summer! Listen, dude, we're all going to be a little rusty in the start. It'll be fine, I promise. Either that, or it'll be really not fine for all of us. Either way, chill out!
Click to expand...

Most people do not study before starting. It's just that several people (across the US, not in every single class) every year come on here and ask the same question, and it turns into a debate.

You're in good company if you follow the general advice of: have fun, read non-medical books for recreation, don't study, and again, enjoy the time before you sell your life to med school
 
there is no advantage to be had. I "prestudied" physiology because I took a year off (took the MCAT after sr. year ugrad) and I needed some intellectual stimulation. Needless to say, I thought I had an advantage going into physio. I had never taken an anatomy class in my life, and I busted out with one of the highest grades in anatomy, while needing biochemistry (part of the same module) to bring up my physiology grade.

I'm not one of the ones who'll say you're a nerd if you prestudy, or that its foolish. I'm just saying it won't help. The competitive advantage goes to the ones who hit the ground running. Ace the first test, and you're set. There is no better feeling than going into the last few tests of a block with some accumulated "cushion". :D Best feeling in the world. But to get there, you have to kick some butt in the beginning.

Good luck :luck:
 
And as far as daledgend's post goes, neuroanatomy doesn't really lend itself to bookstudy. Unless you have had it before, the only way to efficiently study it is to have all of the resources (lab, professors, books, review books, videos, lecture) available to you. Otherwise, you probably won't understand what you are reading.

But his other suggestions are reasonable, if (and only if) you really think you NEED to prestudy, for your sanity or to calm your nerves or whatever. But don't do it because you think others are doing it... they just aren't. Nontrads and people (moi) that took a year or 18mo. off, we just need to get those synapses firing again. Hippocampus.
 
bodonid said:
And as far as daledgend's post goes, neuroanatomy doesn't really lend itself to bookstudy. Unless you have had it before, the only way to efficiently study it is to have all of the resources (lab, professors, books, review books, videos, lecture) available to you. Otherwise, you probably won't understand what you are reading.
Click to expand...

One can probably make a dent in the basics of Neuroanatomy with "Sidman's Neuroanatomy," but it really wouldn't be worth the time investment. I join with those who urge the OP to relax and enjoy the time prior to matriculation. There's more than enough time to spend studying once school starts.
 
thank you everyone for your advice, both pro and against, and thanks for the pms from some of you. i do appreciate everyone's two cents. as some of you pointed out, this question is asked every year, and I appreciate your patience and your willingness to answer it yet again.

lainapox, don't worry, I'm not 'this nuts,' and I think we'll all be okay this fall, and each of us will be doing things our own way. We should all do what we think is right for us, and I've been told be many SDNers that the first tip is to not follow what everyone else is doing in our med school class but find what works for us. The purpose of this tbread was to just get some general advice to guide me. So enjoy your summer and do everything that's right for you!! :) I myself am travelling different parts of the globe and chilling more than I thought was possible before I return home this summer :)

Thanks again, everyone!
 
don't study before you have to!!!! nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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