Silly to review Lippincott's Biochem before MS1?

[UAAWolf]

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I'm not talking about reading big robbins or anything...just going over Biochem using Lippincott's. I have an OK background in biochem but it could be a lot better...was thinking about just studying Lippincott 30 mins a day or so til MS1 starts in august.


Should give me a good head start...and I've already taken a year of gross anatomy and am teaching that this summer. Just don't want to drown first year!!!

 

[njbmd]

I'm not talking about reading big robbins or anything...just going over Biochem using Lippincott's. I have an OK background in biochem but it could be a lot better...was thinking about just studying Lippincott 30 mins a day or so til MS1 starts in august.


Should give me a good head start...and I've already taken a year of gross anatomy and am teaching that this summer. Just don't want to drown first year!!!

Complete waste of valuable time that could be put to better use doing something that would actually help you.

 

[UAAWolf]

Complete waste of valuable time that could be put to better use doing something that would actually help you.

But it's only 30 mins a day lol....

What should I be doing (serious)?

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Yes it's silly.

 

[elektroshok]

But it's only 30 mins a day lol....

What should I be doing (serious)?

Working
going to bars
traveling
leisure reading
going to bars

anything but studying. You'll be doing that the rest of your life come august.

 

[thesauce]

I had a good friend who read Lippencott's Biochem before MSI. He ended up with >98% in the class before scoring 127% on the shelf (after the curve, of course). He honored and won an award for the highest grade out of ~170 kids. It might look good on his residency app in a couple of years, who knows?

Anyway, it's definitely a good book, but do whatever you want.

 

[metallica81788]

 

[MilkmanAl]

I think that pretty much sums it up.

 

[willen101383]

Again.....I cant believe people would actually think of doing this!

 

[Laryngophed]

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Says the seasonally inappropriate, dancing milk carton. 😛

 

[deuce924]

Again.....I cant believe people would actually think of doing this!

Same here.... This topic is brought up over and over and over again. I understand the desire to prep for medical school but nothing you do will be more beneficial than just relaxing and doing things that you want to do. Trust the thousands of people who have posted on this topic over the years.

 

[mmmcdowe]

If you are dead set on wasting a summer on studying buy Netter's anatomy cards and memorize everything on the cards. This, at least, is efficent in the sense that you will probably have to memorize most of that stuff anyways (and more). Even if you don't remember it, at least you will begin to be familiar with the names of some things. If you really hate yourself, you can memorize the muscle connections and innervations. Don't bother with blood supply. All of this is in the cards.

I would also point out that if 30 minutes of biochem reading a day left you at a significant advantage at the beginning of next year, you clearly didn't need it because you are likely to plow through the competition with your stunning memory.

 

[UAAWolf]

If you are dead set on wasting a summer on studying buy Netter's anatomy cards and memorize everything on the cards. This, at least, is efficent in the sense that you will probably have to memorize most of that stuff anyways (and more). Even if you don't remember it, at least you will begin to be familiar with the names of some things. If you really hate yourself, you can memorize the muscle connections and innervations. Don't bother with blood supply. All of this is in the cards.

I would also point out that if 30 minutes of biochem reading a day left you at a significant advantage at the beginning of next year, you clearly didn't need it because you are likely to plow through the competition with your stunning memory.

Not to sound like a dick...but I already know all the muscles and innervations and stuff from my year of gross and since I have to teach it this summer.

I SWEAR I'm not trying to be a stupid SDN gunner prick...I'm not even a gunner. I go to the bars every weekend etc workout daily etc...I just feel LAZY these days!


To be honest- if I were you guys reading my original post I would have facepalmed too lol

 

[UAAWolf]

I had a good friend who read Lippencott's Biochem before MSI. He ended up with >98% in the class before scoring 127% on the shelf (after the curve, of course). He honored and won an award for the highest grade out of ~170 kids. It might look good on his residency app in a couple of years, who knows?

Anyway, it's definitely a good book, but do whatever you want.

Most useful post in the entire thread!!

To everyone telling me to work, have a life, go to bars, etc....I DO work/party/go to bars/workouts/have a gf/go have fun/everything lol...nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can be.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I had a good friend who read Lippencott's Biochem before MSI. He ended up with >98% in the class before scoring 127% on the shelf (after the curve, of course). He honored and won an award for the highest grade out of ~170 kids. It might look good on his residency app in a couple of years, who knows?

Anyway, it's definitely a good book, but do whatever you want.

Who cares if he got the highest grade in biochem? From what I understand, it's very low-yield for Step I and M1/M2 grades are very low in the list of things residency PDs consider. It's probably not going to make him stand out for residency at all.

OP, why would you waste your summer on such a low-yield topic? Why would you waste your summer studying (even 30 min/day) when you don't even have to? Mind boggling.

 

[Ok2Panic]

Most useful post in the entire thread!!

To everyone telling me to work, have a life, go to bars, etc....I DO work/party/go to bars/workouts/have a gf/go have fun/everything lol...nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can be.

I don't think anyone is disputing that. The advice that has been CONSISTENTLY given every single time one of these threads comes up is that it will be of incredibly little (if any at all) use to you for when you start med school. Every single time. No disrespect to thesauce, but the plural of anecdote isn't data. But, if you've been around here for a while, you knew exactly what everyone was going to say, and I'm sure you're going to end up doing whatever you feel is best for you.

 

[metallica81788]

How about spending those 30min/day playing Operation?

 

[thomasyorke]

If you want to get prepped for biochem, just memorize the TCA cycle, urea cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and beta oxidation and FA synthesis.

We didn't have to know every single step. The important enzymes, committed steps, and regulation of the cycles were the most tested.

I was a biochem major in college and it was one of my highest scores with the least effort.

I knew NOTHING about anatomy going in and it turned out to be my worst class, surprise surprise.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Not to sound like a dick...but I already know all the muscles and innervations and stuff from my year of gross and since I have to teach it this summer.

I SWEAR I'm not trying to be a stupid SDN gunner prick...I'm not even a gunner. I go to the bars every weekend etc workout daily etc...I just feel LAZY these days!


To be honest- if I were you guys reading my original post I would have facepalmed too lol

Then buy pharm cards and memorize drugs, see if you can get a drug list for UWash or buy a step 1 review book and focus on those. My point is your time is what you make of it, but do something that is likely to actually be taught.

As for the dude who's friend scored 98 on a biochem test, someone neurotic enough to hard core study for a biochem class all summer probably was hard core enough to pull similar grades in pretty much all classes. I bet he was 1 standard deviation or higher above the mean in 80+% of exams.

 

[thesauce]

Who cares if he got the highest grade in biochem?

He does.

From what I understand, it's very low-yield for Step I and M1/M2 grades are very low in the list of things residency PDs consider.

At this point, you understand very little considering you haven't started medical school yet. I'd wait until you start before you call out medical students on their experiences. Biochem is not particularly low yield for step 1. It's somewhere in the middle of the subjects in terms of its representation on the exam and you might get a biochem-heavy exam (it happens). Pre-clinical grades count toward your class rank and toward AOA, so they are not unimportant.

It's probably not going to make him stand out for residency at all.

Citing examples from the future is not a strong argument. How it will look when he applies to residency remains to be seen. If I was a PD and I saw someone with an award for the highest grade in the whole class, I'd be impressed, but no one knows what difference it will make until he goes through that process.

OP, why would you waste your summer on such a low-yield topic? Why would you waste your summer studying (even 30 min/day) when you don't even have to? Mind boggling.

Heaven forbid he not spend his time drinking and playing games.

The problem with these threads is that as soon as someone posts anything other than the "party line," the rest jump on them. Post your opinion and move on.

 

[thesauce]

Then buy pharm cards and memorize drugs, see if you can get a drug list for UWash or buy a step 1 review book and focus on those. My point is your time is what you make of it, but do something that is likely to actually be taught.

As for the dude who's friend scored 98 on a biochem test, someone neurotic enough to hard core study for a biochem class all summer probably was hard core enough to pull similar grades in pretty much all classes. I bet he was 1 standard deviation or higher above the mean in 80+% of exams.

Surprisingly not. The pre-studying for biochem probably made a big difference in his case.

 

[thesauce]

I don't think anyone is disputing that. The advice that has been CONSISTENTLY given every single time one of these threads comes up is that it will be of incredibly little (if any at all) use to you for when you start med school. Every single time. No disrespect to thesauce, but the plural of anecdote isn't data. But, if you've been around here for a while, you knew exactly what everyone was going to say, and I'm sure you're going to end up doing whatever you feel is best for you.

None taken. But to be fair...no one has posted any data on this.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Surprisingly not. The pre-studying for biochem probably made a big difference in his case.

Then it ultimately didn't do him any good. One good pre-clinical grade and then mostly average grades isn't going to turn heads even with the award, but who knows? Every point on the step 1 counts and I suppose at the very least he will have an easier time relearning what he forgets. He obviously lost his "head start' (not surprisingly) or realized he didn't need to kill himself as much as he was.

 

[plauto]

start by memorizing this:

Then add the genetics, epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical presentations. Oh, don't forget therapies and path slides. This will keep you busy....for a couple of years not exaggerating, in other words, welcome to med school.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

He does.



At this point, you understand very little considering you haven't started medical school yet. I'd wait until you start before you call out medical students on their experiences. Biochem is not particularly low yield for step 1. It's somewhere in the middle of the subjects in terms of its representation on the exam and you might get a biochem-heavy exam (it happens). Pre-clinical grades count toward your class rank and toward AOA, so they are not unimportant.



Citing examples from the future is not a strong argument. How it will look when he applies to residency remains to be seen. If I was a PD and I saw someone with an award for the highest grade in the whole class, I'd be impressed, but no one knows what difference it will make until he goes through that process.



Heaven forbid he not spend his time drinking and playing games.

The problem with these threads is that as soon as someone posts anything other than the "party line," the rest jump on them. Post your opinion and move on.

My intention wasn't to "call you out." I'm too lazy to look it up right now but there was a file floating around on SDN regarding the importance of various factors to PDs. And, if I remember correctly, preclinical grades were pretty low on the list. That's what I based my statement on. You're right that the grades would have an impact on ranking/AOA but I honestly don't remember off the top of my head how high those were regarded by PDs.

I still maintain that prestudying, especially for a memorization-intensive (rather a concept-intensive) course like biochem, is pretty low yield. If anything, looking over physio seems like it would be a better payoff.

 

[thesauce]

Then it ultimately didn't do him any good. One good pre-clinical grade and then mostly average grades isn't going to turn heads even with the award, but who knows? Every point on the step 1 counts and I suppose at the very least he will have an easier time relearning what he forgets. He obviously lost his "head start' (not surprisingly) or realized he didn't need to kill himself as much as he was.

I think the wording was "pull similar grades in pretty much all classes." It's hard to match his biochem performance. The average in the class was ~80 and he got 30+% higher than that. He honored most classes, but not all, so I wouldn't say that his grades are "mostly average." He did rock step 1, but everyone in the field that he's going into will have done that as well.

There's also an element of personal satisfaction here. I know the guy well and he's very proud of this (as he should be). From a purely book-keeping standpoint, it might not make a difference in his residency pursuits, but he'll always be proud of it.

In the extreme case, you can say that a guy on a national championship football team who doesn't get drafted into the NFL "ultimately didn't do him any good."

 

[UAAWolf]

I don't think anyone is disputing that. The advice that has been CONSISTENTLY given every single time one of these threads comes up is that it will be of incredibly little (if any at all) use to you for when you start med school. Every single time. No disrespect to thesauce, but the plural of anecdote isn't data. But, if you've been around here for a while, you knew exactly what everyone was going to say, and I'm sure you're going to end up doing whatever you feel is best for you.

lol you're right...I knew for a fact no one was going to be like "Yes! Excellent idea! You are such a good student let me give you a gold star!"

My bad guys 😛 If it makes you feel better I'm having some beers tonight 😀

 

[UAAWolf]

Keep in mind also my intention is to get in good "shape" for medical school by getting used to studying. I know for me personally, a summer of not studying would be catastrophic when I am suddenly bombarded with tons of material in med school. Just like it takes a while to get in shape in the gym, it takes me a few weeks to get my brain in shape to really get my studying down 100%.

Even if I'm not going to use every fact I learn this summer..it will certainly help me get in the groove of studying.


I apologize for coming off like a prick though...I'm not I promise lol

 

[Hope2008]

Do you have a bigger version of this?

I am really curious about the details. Thanks.

start by memorizing this:

Then add the genetics, epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical presentations. Oh, don't forget therapies and path slides. This will keep you busy....for a couple of years not exaggerating, in other words, welcome to med school.

 

[Morsetlis]

Swiss MD/PhD mentor is telling me to pre-read Netter's and Lippincott's while also recommending the Caribbeans cause the whether is great and internal medicine is where most people end up anyway.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Keep in mind also my intention is to get in good "shape" for medical school by getting used to studying.

That's all part of the "don't do it" package. Getting used to studying for a few minutes a day will not help you in the slightest and will probably be counterproductive since you'll get accustomed to a slower pace and much, much lighter workload than you'll have bearing down on you in the fall.

 

[silverhorse84]

I think one of the main reasons people say not to pre-study is because it can lead to early burn-out. I took an entire year away from school, and I still burned out towards the end of fall semester this year. If you're pre-studying, you're setting yourself up to burn-out even earlier, which will actually be the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish.

Just my opinion though, do what you think will be best for you.

 

[mordounhas]

If someone wanted to pre-study, I wouldn't think that's the end of the world. However, I'd pick something I'm interested in to study in that time. If the OP loves Biochem, great. If you prefer physiology, excellent. I just wouldn't worry about pre-studying in subjects you don't already enjoy (you don't need to be doing anything in that time, so why start the masochism early?). Now, how someone can enjoy biochem is a bit beyond me, but to each their own.

 

[HelloGoodbye]

Well what do you think about this...

At my med school you can test out of biochem. Do you think its better to study and test out of it or to take the actual class?

 

[thesauce]

Well what do you think about this...

At my med school you can test out of biochem. Do you think its better to study and test out of it or to take the actual class?

Test the f*#* out of that sh^%!

 

[mordounhas]

I've never heard of such a thing, but if you can test out and not have it affect your class standing, I'd seriously consider doing so.

 

[call me x]

slightly off-topic.....a doc who is a friend of the family told me i should enroll in an anatomy course over the summer prior to medical school since "most people have had exposure to anatomy already and you don't want to be behind"

there is ZERO chance i'm enrolling in a course, but have most people taken anatomy prior to med school/started studying before getting to school....am i completely screwed when i start with zero exposure?

 

[mmmcdowe]

slightly off-topic.....a doc who is a friend of the family told me i should enroll in an anatomy course over the summer prior to medical school since "most people have had exposure to anatomy already and you don't want to be behind"

there is ZERO chance i'm enrolling in a course, but have most people taken anatomy prior to med school/started studying before getting to school....am i completely screwed when i start with zero exposure?

Nope, I had no experience and did very well. Like I suggested to the OP, if you want to start memorizing Netter's Flashcards you will be learning all of that at least, but you probably will have to relearn it by the time it comes time. It will be easier the second time around but ultimately its not going to allow you to glide to the top of your class. Gross anatomy is one thing, theoretical anatomy is a lot harder to prep for.

 

[wordswordswords]

slightly off-topic.....a doc who is a friend of the family told me i should enroll in an anatomy course over the summer prior to medical school since "most people have had exposure to anatomy already and you don't want to be behind"

there is ZERO chance i'm enrolling in a course, but have most people taken anatomy prior to med school/started studying before getting to school....am i completely screwed when i start with zero exposure?

i'm pretty worried also. I took an osteology class and it was HORRIBLE. I have a head for memorization but remembering all of the landmarks/fossa & learning how to distinguish the different teeth was very, very hard for me. I learned the rules for how to identify things, spent a lot of time in lab, and would also look at illustrations, but when presented with a previously unseen tooth or bone I would be too distracted by the individual variation to properly identify it. I think anatomy might end up being a disaster, especially since the school I'm (probably) going to does it all in 7 weeks at a very, very fast pace.

 

[call me x]

Nope, I had no experience and did very well. Like I suggested to the OP, if you want to start memorizing Netter's Flashcards you will be learning all of that at least, but you probably will have to relearn it by the time it comes time. It will be easier the second time around but ultimately its not going to allow you to glide to the top of your class. Gross anatomy is one thing, theoretical anatomy is a lot harder to prep for.

thanks! i figured i couldn't be the only one considering the only human anatomy course at my undergrad was for the nursing students.

 

[call me x]

i'm pretty worried also. I took an osteology class and it was HORRIBLE. I have a head for memorization but remembering all of the landmarks/fossa & learning how to distinguish the different teeth was very, very hard for me. I learned the rules for how to identify things, spent a lot of time in lab, and would also look at illustrations, but when presented with a previously unseen tooth or bone I would be too distracted by the individual variation to properly identify it. I think anatomy might end up being a disaster, especially since the school I'm (probably) going to does it all in 7 weeks at a very, very fast pace.

wow 7 weeks does seem really fast....how long is it at most schools (i'm going to go look up how long it is at the school i'll be going to as well hah)

 

[ChiDO]

If you don't have big Robbins memorized by Day 1 M1, kiss your junior AOA and competitive residency down the drain.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I've never heard of such a thing, but if you can test out and not have it affect your class standing, I'd seriously consider doing so.

No freakin' kidding. If you can test out of a class, you'd better study your butt off this summer. Memorize Lippincott's like it's your job.

 

[wordswordswords]

wow 7 weeks does seem really fast....how long is it at most schools (i'm going to go look up how long it is at the school i'll be going to as well hah)

I didn't catch the details at most places, but I was told at Cornell that they wait until the second semester, do the below the neck stuff all spring, and then do head & neck second year. So it probably varies between schools from 6 weeks (I think I heard this is what Mayo does?) to a yearish.



re: everyone whose advice is basically "chillax," with greater or lesser amounts of scorn--the type and volume of information we'll be asked to learn in med school is very different from what we've done before. There's nothing wrong with having a big dose of humility about this change and being a little nervous.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Columbia does their over a semester. Johns Hopkins does there's in like 4 weeks or something, but that's ALL they do. One way or another you're getting pretty much the same thing.

 

[Narmerguy]

Only Health & Exercise Science majors can take anatomy at my school.

I think it'd be better to study up on super memorization techniques and train your brain 😛

 

[Raryn]

My intention wasn't to "call you out." I'm too lazy to look it up right now but there was a file floating around on SDN regarding the importance of various factors to PDs. And, if I remember correctly, preclinical grades were pretty low on the list. That's what I based my statement on. You're right that the grades would have an impact on ranking/AOA but I honestly don't remember off the top of my head how high those were regarded by PDs.

I still maintain that prestudying, especially for a memorization-intensive (rather a concept-intensive) course like biochem, is pretty low yield. If anything, looking over physio seems like it would be a better payoff.

The file you're talking about was the pdf of this paper.

 

[plauto]

Do you have a bigger version of this?

I am really curious about the details. Thanks.

I have the Penn biochem pathways sheet, it's on A3 paper and legible.
I don't know where you can get it though, my school gave it to us at the beginning of biochem to show us what we'd learn along the way. Nonetheless, most of this stuff comes back after biochem so you eventually do end up knowing most of it one way or another.