scared of failing...

[anxietypeaker]

I'm only an M1 who just began and am overwhelmed by the content. I feel like there is NO WAY to remember most of this information (anatomy, biochem, etc etc). The general concepts sure. But the details (ie Thoracic levels/ etc) seem impossible......i mean, if i had 2 fewer courses, maybe.

Its so different from college. Undergrad i could go in saying that i needed to memorize X number of reactions/factoids and i KNOW i went through them all in my head. It was a matter of applying them to test questions.....

NOW, it seems like, i just keep reading/memorizing the class notes but its IMPOSSIBLE to feel confident that you know all the info like i explained how i was in undergrad....sorta like u just keep reading/memorizing and HOPE that you'll pass......

I'm pretty scared of failing some of the courses now......... anyone felt/feel this way in M1 (espeically third pargraph)?

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[DrBowtie]

Pretty much everyone feels that way. You'll never be able to master the material in the same way as undergrad since the volume is much higher. Just prioritize the higher yield points and fill in with as many details as time allows.

 

[sideways]

That's medical school in a nutshell.

The key is repetitions. Don't sit there and try to memorize each bit as you go along. Read the whole section of your notes. Then do it again. And again. Do it as many times as you're able to before the exam (3-4x is typically what I'm able to get through).

With each read, things start coming together a little better, and you slowly start retaining more and more of the details. With the seriously nit-picky details, those are crammed the night before.

It's an adjustment for sure, especially if you're the type in college that didn't have to work very hard. But if you can pull your ass into gear and work hard, you should be fine.

Remember: REPETITION! Multiple passes through the material is the name of the game.

 

[DrYoda]

I think most of us know how you feel. I've done above average thus far in med school and not once have I walked into a basic science exam feeling ready.

It's a strange feeling compared to undergrad, but after you take a few tests and don't fail you kind of get used to it.

 

[UAAWolf]

I'm only an M1 who just began and am overwhelmed by the content. I feel like there is NO WAY to remember most of this information (anatomy, biochem, etc etc). The general concepts sure. But the details (ie Thoracic levels/ etc) seem impossible......i mean, if i had 2 fewer courses, maybe.

Its so different from college. Undergrad i could go in saying that i needed to memorize X number of reactions/factoids and i KNOW i went through them all in my head. It was a matter of applying them to test questions.....

NOW, it seems like, i just keep reading/memorizing the class notes but its IMPOSSIBLE to feel confident that you know all the info like i explained how i was in undergrad....sorta like u just keep reading/memorizing and HOPE that you'll pass......

I'm pretty scared of failing some of the courses now......... anyone felt/feel this way in M1 (espeically third pargraph)?

Yep same here.

It is possible though...I hope.


Fear is good...you learn through fear and repetition (or perhaps respect for the material/repetition....lol)

 

[LossForWords]

Everyone else in your med school class feels the same way right now, and keep in mind that some of them will finish in the top 10% of the class. Just keep working and know that the only day in med school you feel caught up is the day before classes start first year.





Incidentally, you're a 5+ year memeber and are just now an M-1? You got an early jump on the SDN train. 👍

 

[dude1344]

It's good you have this fear. It'll keep you studying so you DON'T fail. 🙂

 

[Laryngophed]

A few weeks ago I told a couple of friends who have been through this beast about how scared I was to fail. Their reply was reassuring. In a nutshell they said it is a good thing, it'll keep us studying our *** off. Everyone feels overwhelmed, it is the fear that drives us to do well. I hope they were right.

 

[UAAWolf]

It's funny how the scared ones are smarter than the ones who don't really worry about anything

 

[cubssox2000]

Big shocker, medical school is not like undergrad.

Don't worry, everyone else in your class feels the same way. Also, don't forget that you don't need to know EVERYTHING. Learn as much as you can handle without going absolutely crazy, and do the best you can. It is nearly impossible to learn every single concept that they want you to know, but if you learn the basic concepts and know how to apply them, you will be fine.

 

[MDNM15]

I'm only an M1 who just began and am overwhelmed by the content. I feel like there is NO WAY to remember most of this information (anatomy, biochem, etc etc). The general concepts sure. But the details (ie Thoracic levels/ etc) seem impossible......i mean, if i had 2 fewer courses, maybe.

Its so different from college. Undergrad i could go in saying that i needed to memorize X number of reactions/factoids and i KNOW i went through them all in my head. It was a matter of applying them to test questions.....

NOW, it seems like, i just keep reading/memorizing the class notes but its IMPOSSIBLE to feel confident that you know all the info like i explained how i was in undergrad....sorta like u just keep reading/memorizing and HOPE that you'll pass......

I'm pretty scared of failing some of the courses now......... anyone felt/feel this way in M1 (espeically third pargraph)?

I am just now applying to medical school, but I know I will probably feel the same way you are feeling right now!!! Not to sound cliche, but I really think it's very normal to feel this way - that's what medical school is! But just remember this is what you want, and all that hard work will pay off in four years (Congrats on getting in by the way!). Don't worry about failing just yet, just focus on studying hard, focusing all you have on the concepts you are unfamiliar with, and if you feel that you are not doing as well as you could, contact an MS2/3/4 at your school for advice - I am sure they all felt the same! Good luck, and again, congrats on getting in! 🙂

 

[anxietypeaker]

It's funny how the scared ones are smarter than the ones who don't really worry about anything

Trust me. I am not one of them.... i wish i were...

 

[BlueElmo]

I feel the same way dude. There is just so much information every freaking day. Overwhelmed is a great word to describe this. Takes forever to memorize things only to forget them the next day. So annoying.

 

[swamprat]

I agree too but I'm not freaking out considering everyone gets through it somehow and I do notice that even after one brief overview things actually stick where when I was reading the info I was like how the f am I going to remember this.

 

[mvenus929]

I just want to emphasize the idea of repetition. I took my first 'exam' today (it was only 40 questions and is worth 20 points), and the fact that I had gone over some of the material so many times was what saved me in the end. This is what I plan on doing from here on out:

Reading the lecture materials the night before, whether that be textbook or actual handouts.
Go to class, take notes (note that that doesn't work for everyone, so adjust as necessary)
Go over our learning objectives (which they use to build our exams) following class.
Take any practice exam questions as time allows, but before exam.

That allows me to go over the material several times in several different formats before I see it on the exam. And, like I said, doing all that (though certainly not in order... I didn't do most of my learning objectives from the first two weeks until two days ago) really helped me when it came time for the exam.

 

[silverhorse84]

I think most of us know how you feel. I've done above average thus far in med school and not once have I walked into a basic science exam feeling ready.

It's a strange feeling compared to undergrad, but after you take a few tests and don't fail you kind of get used to it.

+1
I could always study enough to feel ready for the exams in undergrad - I don't think I felt ready for a single medical school exam last year and I'm sure it'll just be worse this year. You definitely get used to it, and you kind of get a new gauge about your abilities and how 'ready' you feel when exam time comes.


You'd be surprised how many of your classmates feel the same way. I really felt isolated part of last year with some of the ways I was feeling - when I started talking to some of my classmates I was really surprised how many felt similar. That made me feel a lot better! 😳

 

[rachmoninov3]

Medical school in a nutshell:

Year 1: OMG I am so terrified that they are going to kick me out! (The first tests in medical always seem like huge deal prior to taking them, but then eventually you realize where you are comfortable, how to study, and things generally stop being so dramatic.)

Year 2: Hey, they HAVEN'T kicked me out! (by this time you look back at your first tests and laugh at how much importance you placed on "the first test in medical school" And in the hell that is second year, you need the little bounce in your step that says at the very least, you're succeeding if not excelling in medical school.)

Year 3: They're running out of time to kick me out! (this is the point of no return...because it's much easier to simply go forward than it would be to repeat anything)

Year 4: They're finally going to kick me out...but it will be with a diploma!

 

[gman33]

So, I did fail the first class of med school.
Totally bombed the first test in anatomy, did ok on the final, but still failed by a point.

It made me reevaluate all my study plans and I did well from there on.

As said above, repetition is key. Don't try to memorize everything at once. Start with learning high level keys and big concepts. On the next pass through the material, try to learn a few more details. Keep doing this as many times as time permits. For some tests/courses you will NEVER get all the way down to knowing everything. It's better to to know 80% of the material inside/out, than to know 100% of it half-assed.

Also, figure out what kind of books/notes work best for you. It may not be what the school gives you or suggests you buy. For anatomy we got a really long, intense pack of notes. This is what I tried to memorize. Didn't work for me. I'm more of a bullet point guy. Just give me the facts. If I need details, I'll look them up as needed. Knowing this guided my study materials.

Another big thing it to do practice exams. Do them early as you are still learning the material. It doesn't matter if you get all the questions wrong (which you might if you haven't studied the material yet). Just use the questions to help you figure out what you need to learn. This is especially helpful if they are past exams from your school. The teachers are lazy and will use the same or similar questions quite often. If you are short on time, NEVER skip doing old exams. It will give you a good laugh when you see those questions on the real exam. It will also give you free points which may make the difference inpassing or getting honors or whatever.

Boy am I glad to be done with the first two years of med school.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I second everything gman said, especially the old exams idea. If you haven't done old tests, you haven't done ****. I'm also totally on board with this:

Boy am I glad to be done with the first two years of med school.

...and I've just spent the last 8 weeks holding retractors and getting pimped for 13 hours a day. It really is that much better.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I second everything gman said, especially the old exams idea. If you haven't done old tests, you haven't done ****

My school doesn't allow students to keep their exams. Therefore, there are no old exams to do.

 

[MilkmanAl]

We don't get to keep our exams either. 😉

 

[MedStudentWanna]

So the old exams you practice with come from where? Rebel students who steal them?

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'd imagine that 150 people who've worked hard to hone their memories could rally and pretty well piece together a 100-180-question test, don't you think?

 

[gman33]

Our school had copies of old exams, before they stopped letting the students keep the exams.
They were 3-4 years old, but the questions were very similar (if not the same).

If you don't have access to this kind of stuff, just do questions out of a board review book or something similar.

 

[illegallysmooth]

Understand that your mind has capabilities you have only begun to touch upon. Think of learning in med school as a product of UNDERSTANDING and REPETITION. Don't try to memorize things with no understanding. That will leave your brain shortly.

Think of your learning as a layering of information and concepts. Every day you add a few more layers, and every few days you review all the layers you have to keep them strong. Don't think of your learning as trying to smush all the info you can into a little box. It won't work.

 

[blueberrybaby]

In my first semester when we did anatomy, phys, biochem, pharm.... I felt the same way...I thought there was too much to know and too little time. Esp I was so over whelmed with anatomy (although some thought it was the easiest subject ever).... I just cudnt get my head around all the details I tried to memorize. And it is really impossible trying to get through Gray's x4 times....so what I did was...I went over Gray's x1 then I did this review book called CLINICAL ANATOMY by monkhouse x1 and I made notes on the class notes which had useful diagrams and pnemonics! Ended up with really good scores in anatomy towards the end. You will be amazed by how much you actually know...I shocked myself at card signings....because I used to nearly **** my pants before those oral anatomy exams....lol came out with A's most of the time!

Physiology seems like basic science to me. A lot like A-level biology but at a greater detail. (I'm an undergrad medical student- straight from high school). I used guyton and hall for things I did not understand and baby guyton for revision.

Bio chem was jokes... I just found it ridiculously easy compared to everything else. I just read through lippincots summaries and wrote out all the important reactions. Thats pretty much all you need to know. Its totally do-able.

Pharmacology can be daunting depending on the level of detail you go into. I never used the big rang and dale. Its too big, and too depressing. I just used class notes and made charts that I tried to learn off and prayed to God that the easiest drug comes up and not some random **** about future drugs that I don't care for. (which came up!!!!!!!)