So, am i studying enough??

[Mr. Rosewater]

i do like 3-4 hrs/ 5 or 6 days a week. is that enough to be in the top of the class in anatomy? If not top, is it at least enough to be in solid "pass" range. sorry if this is a dumb ?, but it's hard to get an honest discussion about this going at school.

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[Blake]

i do like 3-4 hrs/ 5 or 6 days a week. is that enough to be in the top of the class in anatomy? If not top, is it at least enough to be in solid "pass" range. sorry if this is a dumb ?, but it's hard to get an honest discussion about this going at school.

3-4 hours only on anatomy, or 3-4 hours in total ? I am currently doing around between 6-10 hours each day. I do want to fully understand the material and I am not depressive when I study that much, so why not do it. Besides, I want to get the best grades I can get, to match into any residency program I want ( focused on neurosurgery right now, but it can change any day so ). My schedule allows me to relax during the weekends though, so it's not that bad . I'll probably change my studying schedule if it starts bothering me at some point.

 

[closertofine]

3-4 hours only on anatomy, or 3-4 hours in total ? I am currently doing around between 6-10 hours each day.

Are you serious? 6-10 hours a day? This must be why I'm so behind! I can't seem to sit down and focus for more than an hour or so a day!

 

[Sessamoid]

So, am i studying enough??

No! Absolutely not! So stop screwin' around on SDN and get back to the books!

 

[Blake]

Are you serious? 6-10 hours a day? This must be why I'm so behind! I can't seem to sit down and focus for more than an hour or so a day!

I'm serious. Maybe I have a good concentration I don't sacrifice food and sleep ( a good 8 hours feels good ) over for studying though.

 

[JattMed]

Hey if you guys are doing anywhere from 4-10 hrs of studying per day total I cannot see how you will not be in the top 10-15% of your class!!!
You guys are putting in 20-50hrs per week outside of class-time and nothing on the weekends.
Id be shocked if you guys werent in the top rankings of your class.
Good work!

 

[Blake]

Hey if you guys are doing anywhere from 4-10 hrs of studying per day total I cannot see how you will not be in the top 10-15% of your class!!!
You guys are putting in 20-50hrs per week outside of class-time and nothing on the weekends.
Id be shocked if you guys werent in the top rankings of your class.
Good work!

One of our teachers said that students who get As study 50-55 hours ( excluding class hours ). This was in a survey... I'm on the right track, it seems. I really want to fully understand the material. I still have the pre-med mentality, it seems. Oh well, as long as it makes me an excellent physician, it's all good. I know, I know, grades aren't everything, and I'm not seeking As just for the sake of getting As, but because I hope it'll somehow make me a better physician. Oh well...

Medicine is about sacrifices, like they say. I personally think I owe it to myself, my family, my partners and my patients to be as competent as possible. I sure didn't enter medicine to do the minimum work, enjoy the money and to keep telling to my patients " I have no idea what is your disease. Go back home, I can't do anything for you ". To each his own...

 

[JattMed]

One of our teachers said that students who get As study 50-55 hours ( excluding class hours ). This was in a survey... I'm on the right track, it seems. I really want to fully understand the material. I still have the pre-med mentality, it seems. Oh well, as long as it makes me an excellent physician, it's all good. I know, I know, grades aren't everything, and I'm not seeking As just for the sake of getting As, but because I hope it'll somehow make me a better physician. Oh well...

Medicine is about sacrifices, like they say. I personally think I owe it to myself, my family and my patients to be as competent as possible. I sure didn't enter medicine to do the minimum work, enjoy the money and to keep telling to my patients " I have no idea what is your disease. Go back home, I can't do anything for you ". To each his own...

I love your last 'quoted' line!

Dude if you can grind out that much studying good for you.
However I dont think some people need to put in so much time.
It all depends on technique and natural ability.
However it is not 'hurting' anyone to spend 50-55 hrs outside of class time to study.

 

[Blake]

I love your last 'quoted' line!

Dude if you can grind out that much studying good for you.
However I dont think some people need to put in so much time.
It all depends on technique and natural ability.
However it is not 'hurting' anyone to spend 50-55 hrs outside of class time to study.

Oops, I didn't want to give the impression that bad docs are the ones not studying as much as myself. It all depends on people, in the end. I also want to say that I'm not a gunner, not at all. I did propose to help a classmate who just told me an hour ago he didn't understand a chapter on photocarcinogenesis and melanomas. I consider myself to be a quite balanced individual, personality-wise. I help people the best way I can. Too bad a lot of people I've met so far have been nothing else than hypocrits and backstabbers. The med school process is way too complicated imo, and the screening of such individuals isn't that effective. But I digress...

 

[rahulazcom]

Hey if you guys are doing anywhere from 4-10 hrs of studying per day total I cannot see how you will not be in the top 10-15% of your class!!!
You guys are putting in 20-50hrs per week outside of class-time and nothing on the weekends.
Id be shocked if you guys werent in the top rankings of your class.
Good work!

The hours studied means nothing. Sometimes I feel like I have to put in that much time just to be competitive or in the middle of the class. It depends on how efficient you are. And your efficiency is determined by your background and IQ. If you were an anatomy, physiology or biochemistry major and you are a quick reader who can understanc concepts quickly then 5 or 6 hours everyday will guarantee you in the top 10-15%. For me, I think I would have to study 8-10 hours a day to be in the top 10-15% and that's not happening. I just don't have the energy after going to class from 8-5.

 

[Blake]

The hours studied means nothing. Sometimes I feel like I have to put in that much time just to be competitive or in the middle of the class. It depends on how efficient you are. And your efficiency is determined by your background and IQ. If you were an anatomy, physiology or biochemistry major and you are a quick reader who can understanc concepts quickly then 5 or 6 hours everyday will guarantee you in the top 10-15%. For me, I think I would have to study 8-10 hours a day to be in the top 10-15% and that's not happening. I just don't have the energy after going to class from 8-5.

Going to class from 8 to 5. Ouch... There's no way you can put 8-10 hours of studying after that. I just love how my school works.

Efficiency based on background ? Yes, of course. Based on IQ ? Hmm, not from what I've seen so far. Medical school isn't exactly MIT and we're not studying nuclear physics and quantum mechanics. Do we even do science as med students ? We mostly read about it... Replace IQ by memory and you get my approval.

 

[efex101]

Same here;...some of us are in class from 8-5 so putting in another 6 hours or more is pretty impossible. Regardless, some need to put in two hours others like myself just to know one lecture cold may take four or six hours...it just depends on your natural ability and of course it also depends on the difficulty of each medical school IMHO...some medical schools cover more material others less etc...so it really depends.

 

[daelroy]

3-4 hours only on anatomy, or 3-4 hours in total ? I am currently doing around between 6-10 hours each day. I do want to fully understand the material and I am not depressive when I study that much, so why not do it. Besides, I want to get the best grades I can get, to match into any residency program I want ( focused on neurosurgery right now, but it can change any day so ). My schedule allows me to relax during the weekends though, so it's not that bad . I'll probably change my studying schedule if it starts bothering me at some point.

Blake

I think that's awesome man. I don't think you should apologize for working hard and making sacrafices. I admire people like you and I wish you the most success in medical school.

 

[Blake]

Blake

I think that's awesome man. I don't think you should apologize for working hard and making sacrafices. I admire people like you and I wish you the most success in medical school.

Hey, thanks for the support I'll keep doing my best I realize I'm only at the beginning, and it'll get harder in the years to come, but I truly hope I'll keep my motivation all the time.

Now, if I could only get rid of my SDN addiction

 

[DrMom]

Hey, thanks for the support I'll keep doing my best I realize I'm only at the beginning, and it'll get harder in the years to come, but I truly hope I'll keep my motivation all the time.

Now, if I could only get rid of my SDN addiction

Hopefully you'll get more efficient with studying as time goes on. My first year I studied insane hours (and really needed to for the grades I wanted), but second year I studied about half as much and kept my grades where I wanted them (actually increased them a bit). I felt like we got more info to learn second year but I was better at absorbing it.

 

[efex101]

Any tips..?

 

[DrMom]

Part of it is really the fact that you get used to learning more at a faster rate. Part of it was probably just that I liked MS2 coursework better (except pharm).

I'm one of those who went to most of the classes, but I was more willing to skip them during MS2 if I didn't feel like my time was being well spent. If I skipped a class, I would go through the material covered that day (often during the lecture time) to be sure that I didn't get behind by not going. I used fewer extraneous texts and was better about sticking to the notes and some of the assigned readings.

I just felt more efficient. Like I said, studied less, maintained and increased grades. And this was while dealing with a house remodeling, death in the family, and personal medical issues which included having surgery a couple of weeks before finals.

Sorry that I don't have anything really specific. Just hang in there and you should get past the "my-brain-is-too-full" feelings before too long.

 

[automaton]

the top of the class doesn't ask "am i studying enough?"
they ask "am i sleeping enough?"
if you are trying to set arbitrary study hour quotas, then you don't yet have the dedication it takes to be the best.
but then again, who cares about being the best during your first year. that's pretty low yield.

boards and clinicals.
boards and clinicals.
boards and clinicals.

 

[Paws]

Well, I'm with Blake on the studying thing. I have to do it like, 8-10 hours at a stretch and so I look to the weekends especially when I can really crank them out. But I'd say that each day I try and do about 5-8 hours. It depends on the day or the week, but I am a slow thinker (I guess) and so I need beacoups time (what's that French phrase?) to digest stuff and then cross reference it, etc.

I am trying to vary my techniques and to do different things and see how I can best absorb the material and and understand the concepts. Oh, and I second the straight memorization. Absolutely.

Alright guys, I gotta get back to studying - another exam tomorrow!

 

[azcomdiddy]

The biggest lesson I learned as an MS1 is that the focus is erroneously placed on the number of hours studied and not what is occurring during that studying. I remember as an MS1, i would read for 8 hours and get almost nothing out of it. The amount of time is very important so this isn't one of those "You can get by with 3 hours of studying if you use this technique." It's just that when you study, you need to study for understanding and relating. Cross referencing is an excellent idea and figure out how things relate to one another. This can be time consuming and physically exhausting.

 

[ParisHilton]

As some others have mentioned, 1st yr material is low-yield. Studying a long time means absolutely nothing. You will realize soon enough that the top people in your class usually study the least. The ones who study day and night are the usually the ones who are struggling. If not, then why do they have to study so much? "To know it better" is not really an answer, because once you know something, you know it. Do you recite the alphabet or practice your long-division every day? Raw IQ is not as important as interest (are you forcing yourself to study something or do you actually enjoy it the way you can read the ESPN site and memorize all the statistics without even really trying), technique (knowing what's important, knowing what's useless, having access to old tests or "secret" review summaries) and background (obviously the chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, PA etc) will breeze over the material while you're still stuck on page 3. If someone is flying over a certain subject you can be sure that this person has studied that material before at some point. Don?t be intimidated. There will be times you spend all day studying and you can?t remember a single thing. The key point is that when you review the same material later on, you?ll find yourself going through it much faster than the first time. That?s how you can tell you?re making progress.

 

[Blake]

(what's that French phrase?)
Alright guys, I gotta get back to studying - another exam tomorrow!

Good luck on the exam. And the french phrase is " beaucoup de temps "

 

[omarsaleh66]

As some others have mentioned, 1st yr material is low-yield. Studying a long time means absolutely nothing. You will realize soon enough that the top people in your class usually study the least. The ones who study day and night are the usually the ones who are struggling. If not, then why do they have to study so much? "To know it better" is not really an answer, because once you know something, you know it. Do you recite the alphabet or practice your long-division every day? Raw IQ is not as important as interest (are you forcing yourself to study something or do you actually enjoy it the way you can read the ESPN site and memorize all the statistics without even really trying), technique (knowing what's important, knowing what's useless, having access to old tests or "secret" review summaries) and background (obviously the chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, PA etc) will breeze over the material while you're still stuck on page 3. If someone is flying over a certain subject you can be sure that this person has studied that material before at some point. Don?t be intimidated. There will be times you spend all day studying and you can?t remember a single thing. The key point is that when you review the same material later on, you?ll find yourself going through it much faster than the first time. That?s how you can tell you?re making progress.

HELL YEAH, LOW YIELD. Dude study MORE BIOCHEM!!! F Anatomy. Thats better use of ur time. So many people spend hours on anatomy, they cant Ace the aceable classes; Anatomy u can spend so much time, that will still not gurantee u an A, while u can easily ace biochem or whatever else histo.
And the sad thing is, Anatomy is barely tested on the boards, whereas ull get alot more biochem.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

First year = low yield info.

go drink at the bar, hang out with friends, pick up or maintain hobbies, balance your life...first year should be an extension of senior year college (assuming you went to med school straight from college).

Cuz after first year, life gets really really busy second year stuff is what gets tested mostly on USMLE step 1. then 3rd year is clinical rotation...a whole world of hell and hurt I don't even wanna go into now

 

[SoulRFlare]

Hey if you guys are doing anywhere from 4-10 hrs of studying per day total I cannot see how you will not be in the top 10-15% of your class!!!
You guys are putting in 20-50hrs per week outside of class-time and nothing on the weekends.
Id be shocked if you guys werent in the top rankings of your class.
Good work!

...on the first day of biochem, the committee chair told us that we should spend 60 hours a week on biochem outside of class

 

[SoulRFlare]

One of our teachers said that students who get As study 50-55 hours ( excluding class hours ).

hehe...i just read that after i posted

 

[Sean2tall]

As some others have mentioned, 1st yr material is low-yield. Studying a long time means absolutely nothing. You will realize soon enough that the top people in your class usually study the least. The ones who study day and night are the usually the ones who are struggling. If not, then why do they have to study so much? "To know it better" is not really an answer, because once you know something, you know it. Do you recite the alphabet or practice your long-division every day? Raw IQ is not as important as interest (are you forcing yourself to study something or do you actually enjoy it the way you can read the ESPN site and memorize all the statistics without even really trying), technique (knowing what's important, knowing what's useless, having access to old tests or "secret" review summaries) and background (obviously the chiropractor, pharmacist, nurse, PA etc) will breeze over the material while you're still stuck on page 3. If someone is flying over a certain subject you can be sure that this person has studied that material before at some point. Don?t be intimidated. There will be times you spend all day studying and you can?t remember a single thing. The key point is that when you review the same material later on, you?ll find yourself going through it much faster than the first time. That?s how you can tell you?re making progress.

Totally agree.

 

[WyldeWolf1]

I'm finding that 3-4 hours of high quality study time per day is all I need to get into High Pass/Honors territory. I was spending a lot more time studying at first, but I found that I did just as well if I took regular breaks.

Now, every time I sit down, I decide what I'm going to learn before I have the option of a break. Then, I can either press on or refocus. For instance, I might sit down and learn the anatomy of the liver until I can sketch it out myself with ease, then either browse SDN a bit or move on to the pancreas.

 

[TheFlash]

First year and second year grades don't really mean jacksh$t. Getting the residency you want is almost totally based on boards, clinical year grades, LOR's and AOA membership.

God, I'm so happy that I'm at a school that has strictly unranked p/f for the first two years. Have fun studying 8 hours a day!

 

[JattMed]

The hours studied means nothing. Sometimes I feel like I have to put in that much time just to be competitive or in the middle of the class. It depends on how efficient you are. And your efficiency is determined by your background and IQ. If you were an anatomy, physiology or biochemistry major and you are a quick reader who can understanc concepts quickly then 5 or 6 hours everyday will guarantee you in the top 10-15%. For me, I think I would have to study 8-10 hours a day to be in the top 10-15% and that's not happening. I just don't have the energy after going to class from 8-5.

Have you ever thought of cutting class and using the time to study........

 

[pharmer]

Here's my advice...first year I went to class pretty much full time the first half of first semester and studied about 5 hours a day on top of that. I got A's on my exams. The second half of first semester we began anatomy and my study time and time spent in class increased both by about an hour a day leaving little free time but I still got A's on exams. First half of second semester I started skipping some classes and studied about 6 hours a day and maintained the same grades. The second half of second semester I skipped 60% of my classes and still studied 6 hours a day. I got a 4.0 first year. The first go around of exams for 2nd year was about 2 weeks ago and I went to class about 20% of the time. I don't plan on returning to class again except for required classes like my clinical medicine and small group. Now I only study about 5-6 hours a day and don't go to class and my free time is huge. 6 hours a day spent doing school work leaves the rest of the day to work or do what ever. Moral of the story: Don't go to class unless required your grades will stay the same and your free time will increase greatly.

 

[ice_23]

Dude, study as much as you think you need. If you like to study and it makes you feel better, then do it. People who think the first 2 years mean nothing will have a very difficult time both turning it on for the boards and clinical years (I am speaking generally). Medical school seems to be more about discipline than anything. Develop techniques early, and you'll be good.

More power to you Blake, do what makes you happy, and ace your class. If you don't end up acing it, you can take solace in the fact that you did everything you could in the process.

-Ice

 

[macdown]

I spend between 3 to 4 hours a day 5 days a week. Friday nights and Saturdays are off limits (unless we have a test comming up). My grade average last year was slightly above a 90 (something like 90.4%). The one thing I have noticed about the people who study 5,6,10 hours a day is that it is not productive. They spend hours on details that in the whole scheme of things will get them 1 more question right on the test.

I tend to do quality studying, I start off by getting a good grasp of the "big picture" and after that the details just fall into place. You've got to UNDERSTAND and not MEMORIZE. When you understand concepts there is no need to memorize.

Oh yeah, I go to every class. The way I see it is that is one less hour I have to study outside of class. I'm already familiar with the material as I have already heard it once.

 

[DW]

...on the first day of biochem, the committee chair told us that we should spend 60 hours a week on biochem outside of class

you HAVE to be joking

Study smarter, not harder. If you're struggling with time your first year, you better work on finding ways during the year to be more efficient, cause you will get your ass handed to you when 2nd year starts cause its even more material than the first year, and its a LOT more salient for the boards and wards.

Does going to class work for you? Reading texts? Reading review books? Studying by yourself? In groups? Flashcards? Find simple "yes" or "no" answers to these questions and others...the ones that for work you, keep doing them, the ones you answer "no" to STOP DOING IMMEDIATELY. Don't feel guilted into following any academic strategy that other people use, use what works best for you.

I find some people start out first year ultra gung ho, reading pages upon pages of Stryer or whatever your unnecessarily dense hardcover biochem text is along with other low yield activities, and the always completely useless "showing up to a class when you know the lecturer is terrible". You'll snap out of it soon

 

[Long Dong]

I'm just a dumba$$, and study 5-6 hours a day 6 days a week and still get average. But it's just p/f so who cares. You can get a letter of distinction for each block if talk alot during small groups, but I just talk to much an try to sound like I know what I'm talking about. I probably get a letter of indistinction.

 

[spumoni620]

parishilton gave some really good advice. basically, cliched as it might sound, you have to figure out what works best for you. i absolutely MUST have at least one day where i don't do anything med-school related, so if this means studying on friday evening, i've learned to do it, although it was hard at first. our school is a bit different too in that we take our quizzes online anytime from friday at 5 to monday at 8, and once you finish taking your quiz you're basically done for the weekend. so i always try to take mine as early as possible, b/c the one-two free days a week (with COMPLETELY no studying) is just heaven after a brutal week.

as far as hrs/day, i don't think that's a very accurate benchmark at all - staring passively at slides for 2+ hours or at netters (and believe me it's so easy to just stare away at netter's when attempting to "study") isn't really going to sink anything in your mind. what's key is making your learning style an active one...and then figuring out the whole lecture vs. no lecture thing. i spend my time best with the learning objectives and videotaped lectures, but it can vary for others. so far i haven't really touched a book except netters.

anyway blake, more props to you for being able to maintain such a rigorous schedule, but it's something i know i'd burn out on. good luck though - you sound like you'll make an excellent neurosurgeon.

 

[rahulazcom]

Have you ever thought of cutting class and using the time to study........

Yeah but the problem is you can't skip most of your classes at AZCOM. Our professors really provide information in lectures that are simply not in the notes and we lack a note taking service at our school. I started skipping biochem because our biochem lectures don't provide anything that isn't in the notes. But anatomy, histology, ICM and OMM are classes you can't skip. ICM and OMM have quizzes at the beginning of class. In my experience, class attendance is almost a requirement at AZCOM which sucks. It would be nice to be able to skip all you classes and study from lecture handouts and notes from a note taking service. Maybe I should start up a note-taking service at our school.

 

[rahulazcom]

parishilton gave some really good advice. basically, cliched as it might sound, you have to figure out what works best for you. i absolutely MUST have at least one day where i don't do anything med-school related, so if this means studying on friday evening, i've learned to do it, although it was hard at first. our school is a bit different too in that we take our quizzes online anytime from friday at 5 to monday at 8, and once you finish taking your quiz you're basically done for the weekend. so i always try to take mine as early as possible, b/c the one-two free days a week (with COMPLETELY no studying) is just heaven after a brutal week.

as far as hrs/day, i don't think that's a very accurate benchmark at all - staring passively at slides for 2+ hours or at netters (and believe me it's so easy to just stare away at netter's when attempting to "study") isn't really going to sink anything in your mind. what's key is making your learning style an active one...and then figuring out the whole lecture vs. no lecture thing. i spend my time best with the learning objectives and videotaped lectures, but it can vary for others. so far i haven't really touched a book except netters.

anyway blake, more props to you for being able to maintain such a rigorous schedule, but it's something i know i'd burn out on. good luck though - you sound like you'll make an excellent neurosurgeon.

Amen, you are so dead on. I wasted a lot of time by just passively reading and memorizing. Active studying is so much more important. The biggest myth I have learned thus far in medical school is the "Just memorize everything" phrase. To me, memorizing is just remembering items without making connections between or elaborating upon ideas. You memorize spelling or Spanish vocabulary but you don't just memorize anatomy or biochemistry. Anatomy is far more than just memorizing structures. Okay, maybe that's true for the practicals but for the written portion that hasn't been true. The questions are clinically related and if you don't understand how the structures interrelate with one another, you will be screwed. I know for many people this idea is intuitive but for me, I took the instruction to "memorize" everything literally. I won't make the same mistake for the next exam. I think memorizing everything is a given but you also have to understand how everything works.

 

[JattMed]

Yeah but the problem is you can't skip most of your classes at AZCOM. Our professors really provide information in lectures that are simply not in the notes and we lack a note taking service at our school. I started skipping biochem because our biochem lectures don't provide anything that isn't in the notes. But anatomy, histology, ICM and OMM are classes you can't skip. ICM and OMM have quizzes at the beginning of class. In my experience, class attendance is almost a requirement at AZCOM which sucks. It would be nice to be able to skip all you classes and study from lecture handouts and notes from a note taking service. Maybe I should start up a note-taking service at our school.

If you are going to start up a note taking service.......make sure it is kosher with the Dean's Office......otherwise you may be 'black-listed'.........some schools are like that........they think it undermines their way of teaching etc., etc.
Note taking service is a great idea.

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

How do you know what is high-yield stuff? My professors include objectives with their lecture notes, but most of the time the objectives cover the entire lecture, so I don't know what to focus on if I have limited time. I'm in class basically from 8-5, and I'm exhausted by the time I get home and don't have 5 hours to study like some of you. Any suggestions on how to focus my study?

 

[efex101]

Yup same here we are in class ALL day...so then going home and studying for six hours is well ...you get the picture. Again different schools will be different so what works for X person at Y school will NOT work for Y person at X school...

 

[missbonnie]

woah maybe i'm a slacker cuz no one at my school studies that much (well maybe the cloest studiers)..but we are pass/fail here.

b

 

[TheFlash]

Dude, study as much as you think you need. If you like to study and it makes you feel better, then do it. People who think the first 2 years mean nothing will have a very difficult time both turning it on for the boards and clinical years (I am speaking generally). Medical school seems to be more about discipline than anything. Develop techniques early, and you'll be good.

More power to you Blake, do what makes you happy, and ace your class. If you don't end up acing it, you can take solace in the fact that you did everything you could in the process.

-Ice

Actually, I think this is wrong. Most people around my school accept that grades from the first two years are worthless. 99% of us get P's anyway, with the rare F in the class. Even with this knowledge, the average board scores here peaked at nearly 230 last year and have been steadily increasing ever since my school went p/f. There's a lot to be said for enjoying your first two years without competition and then cooperating with your classmates to crush the boards.

Grades breed gunning and terror.

 

[johnhobbes]

EVERYONE HERE IS WASTING TIME!!!!!!! GET BACK TO WORK!!! (whip cracks echo in the distance)
YOU ARE BLATANTLY DISRESPECTING YOUR PROFESSORS, YOUR PEERS, YOUR FUTURE PATIENTS, HIPPOCRATES, NETTER, THE ADMISSIONS COMMITEE, YOUR ALMA MATER, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HOME TOWN, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR LENDER(S), & ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS INVESTED OR IS INVESTING IN YOUR BECOMING THE BEST GOSH DARNED DOC THIS PLANET HAS EVER KNOWN! FOR SHAAAAMMMME!

AGAIN I SAY, FOR THE LOVE ALL THAT IS ORGANIC AND GOOD, GET BACK TO WORK!!

Ahem, it has come to my attention that I too am now wasting time. My deepest apologies. I have brought dishonor to my people, so I will now retreat in disgrace to my Fortress of Edification until my medical soul is once again pure.

johnhobbes
(AKA:Lindau von Hipple)

p.s. seriously ya'll, get back to work

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

EVERYONE HERE IS WASTING TIME!!!!!!! GET BACK TO WORK!!! (whip cracks echo in the distance)
YOU ARE BLATANTLY DISRESPECTING YOUR PROFESSORS, YOUR PEERS, YOUR FUTURE PATIENTS, HIPPOCRATES, NETTER, THE ADMISSIONS COMMITEE, YOUR ALMA MATER, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HOME TOWN, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR LENDER(S), & ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS INVESTED OR IS INVESTING IN YOUR BECOMING THE BEST GOSH DARNED DOC THIS PLANET HAS EVER KNOWN! FOR SHAAAAMMMME!

AGAIN I SAY, FOR THE LOVE ALL THAT IS ORGANIC AND GOOD, GET BACK TO WORK!!

Ahem, it has come to my attention that I too am now wasting time. My deepest apologies. I have brought dishonor to my people, so I will now retreat in disgrace to my Fortress of Edification until my medical soul is once again pure.

johnhobbes
(AKA:Lindau von Hipple)

p.s. seriously ya'll, get back to work

best advice yet!

-seriously though, thanks to all who've chimed in. i appreciate the thoughts.

 

[Blake]

Actually, I think this is wrong. Most people around my school accept that grades from the first two years are worthless. 99% of us get P's anyway, with the rare F in the class. Even with this knowledge, the average board scores here peaked at nearly 230 last year and have been steadily increasing ever since my school went p/f. There's a lot to be said for enjoying your first two years without competition and then cooperating with your classmates to crush the boards.

Grades breed gunning and terror.

Finished studying yesterday, so no work today, and it's only 9 AM, so I'll post it a bit on SDN. Your school works differently than mine. The residency system is also different. Considering 45 to 50 % of med students in my province are family practitioners, it's really hard to be a specialist since there are very limited surgery residencies here. I've talked a lot to some 2nd years, 3rd years, etc... and what they've been telling me so far is : you want to become a cardiothoracic or whatever surgeon ? Well, ace the boards, know people in the field ( LOR from a teacher with contacts ), receive good evaluations during 3rd and 4th year, and ace your cardiology unit during 1st year.

That's the way our system works. There's little chance you can become an orthopedic surgeon if you got a B, let alone a C in the " orthopedic " unit. Good for you if your system doesn't require you to ace your classes to get into residency. I just want to put every chance I can get on my side.

( sorry for the average english. It's not my 1st language ). Now, I'm off to soccer practice with some classmates

 

[Blake]

EVERYONE HERE IS WASTING TIME!!!!!!! GET BACK TO WORK!!! (whip cracks echo in the distance)
YOU ARE BLATANTLY DISRESPECTING YOUR PROFESSORS, YOUR PEERS, YOUR FUTURE PATIENTS, HIPPOCRATES, NETTER, THE ADMISSIONS COMMITEE, YOUR ALMA MATER, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HOME TOWN, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR LENDER(S), & ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS INVESTED OR IS INVESTING IN YOUR BECOMING THE BEST GOSH DARNED DOC THIS PLANET HAS EVER KNOWN! FOR SHAAAAMMMME!

AGAIN I SAY, FOR THE LOVE ALL THAT IS ORGANIC AND GOOD, GET BACK TO WORK!!

Ahem, it has come to my attention that I too am now wasting time. My deepest apologies. I have brought dishonor to my people, so I will now retreat in disgrace to my Fortress of Edification until my medical soul is once again pure.

johnhobbes
(AKA:Lindau von Hipple)

p.s. seriously ya'll, get back to work

Did I really give that impression

 

[ice_23]

Actually, I think this is wrong. Most people around my school accept that grades from the first two years are worthless. 99% of us get P's anyway, with the rare F in the class. Even with this knowledge, the average board scores here peaked at nearly 230 last year and have been steadily increasing ever since my school went p/f. There's a lot to be said for enjoying your first two years without competition and then cooperating with your classmates to crush the boards.

Grades breed gunning and terror.

To each their own, I suppose.

Most people I speak to agree that if you can't breed discipline during medical school, you'll probably get torn apart on the boards. Studying more sometimes does not equate to rampant competition. Many people need to study just to feel as if they did everything they could to learn the material. Who am I to tell them they're wrong?

-Ice

 

[quideam]

Hey, Ice, I think our class has figured out the best way to do well in classes. Study, Drink, do a little PBL, and then more Drinking ;-).

See you tonight??

Quid ;-)

 

[ice_23]

Hey, Ice, I think our class has figured out the best way to do well in classes. Study, Drink, do a little PBL, and then more Drinking ;-).

See you tonight??

Quid ;-)

That sounds like the perfect study plan, quid.

-Ice