Should I feel guilty for chilling during first year?

[NicMouse64]

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Hey all,
First year medical student at a low ranked MD school. We have H/HP/P/F grading, and thus far in my anatomy and biochem class I am getting either mid 70s (anatomy) or around 80 (biochem). I know I could do better but have been prioritizing things in my freetime like the gym, sports, reading scientific american, videogames, hanging with my gf, etc.. I know I want to go into academics/research in some IM subspecialty but haven't figured out which. I currently study probably 4 hours per day, and am doing less than average. We move into systems based during second semester and plan on ramping it up into second year, but right now I don't really see the point. We are doing a very basic overview of a lot of things, but not diving deep into one specific subject/system, and I like to synthesize all the information together.

Can people who've been through it before give me their experiences with this strategy? I know that I will have to ramp up how much time I spend studying if I want to do well on Step 1, but I feel like this is a marathon and not a sprint. I currently am enjoying Medical School while I feel my peers are always miserable. Should i be studying more?

 

[deleted87051]

No. 4 hours/day is plenty. More than I ever did.

 

[831929]

Well sounds like you are feeling guilty so figure out why. Do you want a shot at a good academic program for IM? Probably should work more. Those places like AOA and top ranking in class. They love research so sounds like you have plenty of time for that now. Go get a project done while you are free.

Or take this free time to think if you actually want to do academic stuff. People sometimes get stuck on that cause that's what is looked highly upon by students when they really don't know what that entails.

If realize you don't care to do a fellowship or research, well then go enjoy your life because that's what it all boils down to.

 

[deleted645092]

I took the same attitude towards first year, chilling and prioritizing my free time over schoolwork, until I failed 2 separate subjects over 2 blocks. I ramped it up after that cause of the fear of failing, and it ended up carrying over into 2nd semester and 2nd year, even after I wasn't at risk anymore.

While it doesn't sound like you've failed anything yet, it's not a great idea to say that you'll ramp it up later, cause later never comes. I'm not saying to study your life away right now, but the best strategy would be to get used to a study schedule where you push yourself so that you can get used to putting the hours in, and it won't be so hard to transition into 2nd year where you're studying for 8-10 hours a day on average. This especially applies if you want to be competitive and go into academics. Nobody gets that by studying only 4 hours a day and performing below average on their exams. I'm not saying that you're doing bad, but for your stated goals you have to ramp it up sooner rather than later.

 

[NicMouse64]

I took the same attitude towards first year, chilling and prioritizing my free time over schoolwork, until I failed 2 separate subjects over 2 blocks. I ramped it up after that cause of the fear of failing, and it ended up carrying over into 2nd semester and 2nd year, even after I wasn't at risk anymore.

While it doesn't sound like you've failed anything yet, it's not a great idea to say that you'll ramp it up later, cause later never comes. I'm not saying to study your life away right now, but the best strategy would be to get used to a study schedule where you push yourself so that you can get used to putting the hours in, and it won't be so hard to transition into 2nd year where you're studying for 8-10 hours a day on average. This especially applies if you want to be competitive and go into academics. Nobody gets that by studying only 4 hours a day and performing below average on their exams. I'm not saying that you're doing bad, but for your stated goals you have to ramp it up sooner rather than later.

It's not that I can't study more, it's that it seems like what I will get out of it isn't as much as I will when we transition to systems based. To really get a 95 in anatomy you have to slave away in the lab. There will be no lab component on step 1 so I am ok with getting a 75 on my anatomy exams. Biochem is stuff we will see again later in our system modules.

 

[Lawpy]

I know I want to go into academics/research in some IM subspecialty but haven't figured out which.

Maybe an expert like @Syncrohnize can correct me but academic IM with subspecialization can be difficult to get and these residencies are quite competitive. So taking a casual approach to preclinical years may not be a good idea when things like good Step scores, good clinical grades and AOA are important.

 

[NicMouse64]

Maybe an expert like @Syncrohnize can correct me but academic IM with subspecialization can be difficult to get and these residencies are quite competitive. So taking a casual approach to preclinical years may not be a good idea when things like good Step scores, good clinical grades and AOA are important.

That's what I needed to know! Thanks. Yeah I am pretty sure about wanting academics/research, I have extensive research before medical school. I am interested in drug development and being a medical director/provider for those in clinical trials for new drugs. If the lax approach is detrimental to that then I'll just have to bite the bullet.

 

[Redpancreas]

Maybe an expert like @Syncrohnize can correct me but academic IM with subspecialization can be difficult to get and these residencies are quite competitive. So taking a casual approach to preclinical years may not be a good idea when things like good Step scores, good clinical grades and AOA are important.

Thanks for the shout-out @Lawper. Everything you say is true. For Cards/GI, you can get by with lower but aim for top half of the class, one-two quality research projects, and 240+ step 1. You can slip in with less down the road , but that keeps things comfortable.

 

[libertyyne]

It's not that I can't study more, it's that it seems like what I will get out of it isn't as much as I will when we transition to systems based. To really get a 95 in anatomy you have to slave away in the lab. There will be no lab component on step 1 so I am ok with getting a 75 on my anatomy exams. Biochem is stuff we will see again later in our system modules.

Bolded is not true.

It really comes down to what you feel is ok, if you feel like putting in this amount of time is fine for you and you arent at risk of failing its probably ok. I would atleast stay close to the class average.

Now I will say this as this is my personal experience. But in year two i constantly find myself referencing back to year 1 material , and wishing i had spent a little more time mastering it since it is all a scaffolding that builds upon each other. This is not apparent to you right now, but becomes quickly obvious when you are in the middle of year two. Its not an impossible task to catch up, but it is more time intensive and requires more effort the second year. Whereas mastery of the year one classes helps make it easier to pick up stuff the second year. This is obviously just one person's opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Knight in shining armor]

If you are happy with your level of understanding of the material and with your grades, you are fine. i personally know if I study more than a certain amount, my brain shuts off and I’m much less efficient. And personal time (working out, church or other religious activity, relationships, Netflix) is important. It prevents burnout and it makes life better. Don’t overstudy.