So how was first year?

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Easier than expected, honestly. To be fair, I was extremely busy in undergrad (EMT, on campus computer science job, ran XC/track, 16-18 credits, etc.) and now all I do is focus on school work and training.

Don't get me wrong, the year was still difficult and required tons of time/work, just not as crazy as everyone makes it to seem. Treat it like a job, stay consistent, ask questions, and most importantly, enjoy it!
 
As rough as I expected, which is pretty ****ing rough. I always felt like I had some slight mental health problems but this year really fleshed them out. I never had such intense suicide ideations before. There was a lot of external pressure for me though.
 
TheShaker said:
As rough as I expected, which is pretty ****ing rough. I always felt like I had some slight mental health problems but this year really fleshed them out. I never had such intense suicide ideations before. There was a lot of external pressure for me though.
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That is very rough - hope you are feeling better. Maybe the summer break will bring you some fresh perspective. Try to not let the external pressure get to you (though I do not know what that pressure is). I know, easier said than done. Many who are close to me in my life have witnessed the change med school has done in one year of life to my personality/outlook/etc. Many times they give me the same advice and I find it hard to follow. But I'm working on it, and it has become better. I'm learning to have an on/off switch and to take breaks more often. One of the reasons I personally find their advice hard to follow is because they do not truly understand med school. Anyways, take care. Stress is only normal to a certain point. After that, interventions of some kind become necessary.
 
TheShaker said:
As rough as I expected, which is pretty ****ing rough. I always felt like I had some slight mental health problems but this year really fleshed them out. I never had such intense suicide ideations before. There was a lot of external pressure for me though.
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I had a rough time as well. Relax a little bit this summer...
 
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I thought this year was easier than expected. I'm not saying it was easy, but it wasn't hard. There were maybe one or two weeks where exams on top of exams on top of exams happened, but other than that I got to enjoy myself and still read about a book a week for fun.
 
The pace was so new at first. I probably thought I'd never get used to it. But after a while, you do, and it just becomes normal. It all becomes normal: being stressed about having a million things to do but never ending the day feeling like you did enough, then the moment of clarity after a big exam where you feel like this is actually totally manageable—until you realize you're already behind for the next block.

Sometimes it feels like this year went by ridiculously fast. Other times, like I've been in med school forever. I can't quite make up my mind. Orientation feels like it was few weeks ago, and I routinely feel like I haven't learned—or at least retained—much of anything. Then I think of my naive pre-M1 self and consider the vast quantities of power point I've been forced to consume, small groups I've been forced to sit through, worthless stuff I've been forced to pretend has value, and I feel like knowing any other reality was a lifetime ago.
 
It's sucked pretty bad. A humbling experience to say the least.

The worst part isn't the pace, although that is pretty rough at first but you get used to it. For me the worst feeling is busting *** just as much as many of my classmates and consistently scoring so far below the average. I've reexamined my study habits several times, tried new things here and there, and nothing ever seems to get me where I want to be.
 
O Grady said:
It's sucked pretty bad. A humbling experience to say the least.

The worst part isn't the pace, although that is pretty rough at first but you get used to it. For me the worst feeling is busting *** just as much as many of my classmates and consistently scoring so far below the average. I've reexamined my study habits several times, tried new things here and there, and nothing ever seems to get me where I want to be.
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but are you comfortably passing?
 
Let's just say...you learn a lot about yourself, and how you function without sleep.
 
I have a pretty strong suspicion this might've been a horrible mistake lol
 
Yadster101 said:
but are you comfortably passing?
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Depends on the class. I actually did really well at conceptual things like biochem, physio, and path (I did hit above average on a couple physio exams). However, I struggled with brute memorization classes like micro, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy. I failed and will have to remediate neuroanatomy cause I just couldn't get my head around the material in such a short amount of time with so many other tests going on.
 
Undergrad was way more fun, and way easier. I can't fathom how some people can say medical school was easier but maybe it was because I went to a public undergrad where you could just cram the week of the test and still get an A. I study constantly in medical school and it's way friggin harder. Undergrad was way more free time and less to worry about for me. Way more down time.

It was also insanely more stressful in medical school because of the stakes that are raised for doing poorly on one exam/ie remediation and low class rank limiting your options later etc.
 
Started out rough, gradually got better. Only 3 days left. I've pretty much lost the will to study anything this past week because I can almost taste the summer freedom.
 
O Grady said:
Depends on the class. I actually did really well at conceptual things like biochem, physio, and path (I did hit above average on a couple physio exams). However, I struggled with brute memorization classes like micro, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy. I failed and will have to remediate neuroanatomy cause I just couldn't get my head around the material in such a short amount of time with so many other tests going on.
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Neuroanatomy is a crazy class... It's a class that should be taught in 2.5-3 months IMO--not in 5-6 weeks.
 
clonoGnic said:
roughly how many hours a day do you study? (also for others)
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I'm doing ~65 hrs/week in class+studying+research. This is actually towards the higher end at my school. Average probably falls ~50hr/week.

edit: 4 hours class, 6 hours studying to more directly answer your question
 
Anicetus said:
Undergrad was way more fun, and way easier. I can't fathom how some people can say medical school was easier but maybe it was because I went to a public undergrad where you could just cram the week of the test and still get an A. I study constantly in medical school and it's way friggin harder. Undergrad was way more free time and less to worry about for me. Way more down time.

It was also insanely more stressful in medical school because of the stakes that are raised for doing poorly on one exam/ie remediation and low class rank limiting your options later etc.
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If there are people who actually say this, then they likely had a really ****ty life in undergrad, they're slacking off, or they are putting up a front so that people don't see how much they're struggling. Maybe about 1% of my class actually thinks that things got better in terms of work/life balance. Or maybe these people who say this are one of those anti-gunning gunners who constantly go on and on about "lol i don't even care about grades" while they remain tucked away in the dark corner of the library, furiously studying and calculating and recalculating their current class score.
 
TheShaker said:
If there are people who actually say this, then they likely had a really ****ty life in undergrad, they're slacking off, or they are putting up a front so that people don't see how much they're struggling. Maybe about 1% of my class actually thinks that things got better in terms of work/life balance. Or maybe these people who say this are one of those anti-gunning gunners who constantly go on and on about "lol i don't even care about grades" while they remain tucked away in the dark corner of the library, furiously studying and calculating and recalculating their current class score.
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You havent ever had to take fluid mechanics, advanced thermodynamics, or real analysis have ya? Ms-1 has been much easier than undergrad. It's as time consuming but the concepts are much easier. Extra maturity + easier work = fun.
 
Anecdotally, I know several engineering people in my class (some from prestigious engineering backgrounds) who all pretend like "Oooo i can't decide if med school is harder than engineering." They go on and on about engineering. They ask irrelevant engineering type questions to try and "prove" that they think harder and deeper than others.

What's the weirdest part of all this? I can confirm that these people all do significantly below our class average.
 
WhendoIstartfirstaid? said:
You havent ever had to take fluid mechanics, advanced thermodynamics, or real analysis have ya? Ms-1 has been much easier than undergrad. It's as time consuming but the concepts are much easier. Extra maturity + easier work = fun.
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You said that you currently work 65 hours per week, and that's supposedly an easy load compared to what you had in undergrad, so I would guess about 80 hours per week in undergrad? I'd say that qualifies with my point about having a ****ty life in undergrad, which is consistent with the amount of engineering majors I see talk down to people and try to prove how their life is superiorly crappy.

Also, it's not that I'm immature and oblivious to how the world works, I'm just saying that medical school being "easy" or easier than undergrad is nowhere close to the norm.
 
It's been a good year, probably put in 5 hours/week before test week watching lectures 2x and browsing notes, test week right around 30 hours of studying. Happily average. Went for honors on the first test and decided after that to chill out and enjoy the year of freedom as much as possible. I will say I get stressed during that last week with the fear of failure, which motivates me to study, but then I'm worried for a few days until the grade comes out... so maybe not the best idea for sanity.
 
I was very surprised to see how manageable medical school is. Work hard- stay focused- and you'll be fine.
 
Bobcat18 said:
I was very surprised to see how manageable medical school is. Work hard- stay focused- and you'll be fine.
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depends on what else you have that takes up your time. i'm very impressed by the people who manage to have a family as a medical student and resident, especially the women
 
Don't forget it varies by curriculum. Accelerated curricula can be brutal. Some schools have painful attendance requirements. Some schools have competitive grading schemes. People have varying goals. Net result= people saying all kinds of things and most importantly, what they say doesn't apply to you at all
 
What would you guys say was the hardest class? Or one you wish you had exposure to in undergrad?
 
Neurology... specifically the pathological leisons in the tracts, brainstem, etc... doubt undergrads really have a chance to experience it, in its full greatness. For each person who says med school is just memorization, i'd like to show them this.
 
ronnicus said:
What would you guys say was the hardest class? Or one you wish you had exposure to in undergrad?
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Personally, I found neuro to be the hardest just in terms of concepts, pathways, etc. Funnily enough, it was one of my best classes.
 
W19 said:
Neuroanatomy is a crazy class... It's a class that should be taught in 2.5-3 months IMO--not in 5-6 weeks.
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Ours is spread out over the whole year :claps:
Not sure how it gets integrated each block, though.
 
O Grady said:
Depends on the class. I actually did really well at conceptual things like biochem, physio, and path (I did hit above average on a couple physio exams). However, I struggled with brute memorization classes like micro, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy. I failed and will have to remediate neuroanatomy cause I just couldn't get my head around the material in such a short amount of time with so many other tests going on.
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How's it work at your school? Do you get a week to just retake an exam? Also jc do u guys have a max number of remediations allowed till u gotta repeat the year?


O Grady said:
Depends on the class. I actually did really well at conceptual things like biochem, physio, and path (I did hit above average on a couple physio exams). However, I struggled with brute memorization classes like micro, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy. I failed and will have to remediate neuroanatomy cause I just couldn't get my head around the material in such a short amount of time with so many other tests going on.
Click to expand...
 
This thread scares me for August. Anyone on SDN want to shed a more positive light on first year? To the sound of = it was tough as hell, a completely different experience, but still very fun and memorable.

I'm not looking for a "story book ending" reflection, just a more balanced POV... unless... unless... unless this was a balanced POV. :slap:
 
^^^^haha...well the positives are that the curriculums are generally designed to be successfully completed (i.e. they are not designed as super impossible). They give fair test questions. Just put in your work and you'll be fine. Don't fret too much. Everyone does it, and you will too.
 
CardiacLion said:
This thread scares me for August. Anyone on SDN want to shed a more positive light on first year? To the sound of = it was tough as hell, a completely different experience, but still very fun and memorable.

I'm not looking for a "story book ending" reflection, just a more balanced POV... unless... unless... unless this was a balanced POV. :slap:
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Again, I really really loved my first year of medical school. If you didn't completely jack around during undergrad, the work shouldn't be too alarming. The thing is you will just spend more time studying, and less time doing other things (if you did sports, club events, etc, in college to fill your time). Granted, you will have time for a few things you enjoy, and I highly recommend still doing those things.

For me, I worked a ton in undergrad, among many other things, and was literally constantly busy. Coming to medical school, I didn't have to worry about a job or anything. I just focused on having a social life, studying, and training (I compete in triathlons in the summer months). I even found time during the winter to help coach the local high school wrestling team for a few hours per week for my volunteer service. It's all about priorities.

Just relax! I was petrified before starting last year, constantly worrying if I had what it takes. Be consistent with your work and have fun 🙂
 
WhendoIstartfirstaid? said:
A/b/c/f scale. Lots of competitiveness in the class.
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Yikes.

ronnicus said:
What would you guys say was the hardest class? Or one you wish you had exposure to in undergrad?
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I don't think there's ever been a class I wish I had learned in undergrad. I thought micro was pretty tough, personally. So much minutiae and I found most of it boring.

CardiacLion said:
This thread scares me for August. Anyone on SDN want to shed a more positive light on first year? To the sound of = it was tough as hell, a completely different experience, but still very fun and memorable.
Click to expand...
I wake up almost every day at whatever time I want, watch lectures from home at times that are convenient for me, and spend most weekends hanging out with my classmates in a great city. Parts of first year definitely suck, but it could be a lot worse. Just ask the third years.
 
micro sucks especially since you can cover most patients with ancef if you're getting some procedure done, flagyl/cipro if you have something going on in the gi system, vanc if you have some methicillin resistant something etc.
i don't remember those minutiae about changing the trna sites for resistance and all that
 
Tri723 said:
^^^^haha...well the positives are that the curriculums are generally designed to be successfully completed (i.e. they are not designed as super impossible). They give fair test questions. Just put in your work and you'll be fine. Don't fret too much. Everyone does it, and you will too.
Click to expand...

Tri4thlete said:
Again, I really really loved my first year of medical school. If you didn't completely jack around during undergrad, the work shouldn't be too alarming. The thing is you will just spend more time studying, and less time doing other things (if you did sports, club events, etc, in college to fill your time). Granted, you will have time for a few things you enjoy, and I highly recommend still doing those things.

For me, I worked a ton in undergrad, among many other things, and was literally constantly busy. Coming to medical school, I didn't have to worry about a job or anything. I just focused on having a social life, studying, and training (I compete in triathlons in the summer months). I even found time during the winter to help coach the local high school wrestling team for a few hours per week for my volunteer service. It's all about priorities.

Just relax! I was petrified before starting last year, constantly worrying if I had what it takes. Be consistent with your work and have fun 🙂
Click to expand...

Reckoner said:
Yikes.


I don't think there's ever been a class I wish I had learned in undergrad. I thought micro was pretty tough, personally. So much minutiae and I found most of it boring.


I wake up almost every day at whatever time I want, watch lectures from home at times that are convenient for me, and spend most weekends hanging out with my classmates in a great city. Parts of first year definitely suck, but it could be a lot worse. Just ask the third years.
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My oh my, this is exactly what I wanted. Thanks for the encouragement guys, looking forward to starting school!
 
Psai said:
micro sucks especially since you can cover most patients with ancef if you're getting some procedure done, flagyl/cipro if you have something going on in the gi system, vanc if you have some methicillin resistant something etc.
i don't remember those minutiae about changing the trna sites for resistance and all that
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you are literally killing patients by not knowing that.
 
It depends on how you define the expectations. It's significantly easier to pass than I thought it would be, but it's also significantly harder to get an A on anything than I thought it would be. I've had sections where I put in about 6 hours during the week and 10-12 hours on the weekends and passed comfortably (low B). I've also had a section where I put in about 4-6 hours per night during the week and 20-24 hours on the weekend (on top of class) and couldn't pull an A. I'd also say I think these sections were about the same difficulty.


ronnicus said:
Really? Not immuno?
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I think most people would say either Renal or Neuro for systems based curriculum. For us I thought it was immuno, but that could be because we crammed a semester's worth of material into a 2 week class...
 
Compared to second year, first year was a breeze (although, at the time, it was more stressful because I still getting into my groove). For the record, neither caused me too much angst. I had bad days, everyone does, but once I adjusted to the workload and being back in school I did fine. I did go to a pass/fail school, nonranked for the first two years. Just recently took my Step 1 exam and did better than average, which was fine for me. For me, the secret of the first two years was Anki. Study everyday in a focused manner and then you don't have to cram or kill yourself.
 
Still have 16 days left until we are done 🙁 but it's honestly been pretty easy since anatomy ended back in November. Lots and lots of work, but it was never insurmountable as long as I put in the hours.
 
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