so is it okay to be "chill"?

[blackarrowmoose]

or is it gonna bite me in the ass?

Im in my 4th week of freshman year, im aiming on applying to med school. However, i feel as if im completely different than 90% of the pre-med freshman population here. Im taking chem, writing, spanish and history. I do my work, study adequately for the tests and never miss anything. However when i have conversations with these other pre-med kids, they talk about how they studied 8-9 hours, did all the problems in the back of the book, and well. It sends shivers down my spine. Is this really what med schools are looking for?? i mean i study aswell, but enough so i have a good grasp of the chapters

I mean ive been trying to land a job at the EMT department for the rest of my college career, and i plan to do some research but i also do like to have fun, especially on the weekend.

Like fridays, saturday nights my friends and i go out and party, but then i talk to some pre-meds and they tell me they spent their friday studying.

I get this feeling that this would drive them insane eventually, or im just slacking behind? Im not sure, but should pre-med really consume life like this..? i mean isnt it necessary to have fun after a long week of homework/tests??

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[CougarMD]

or is it gonna bite me in the ass?

Im in my 4th week of freshman year, im aiming on applying to med school. However, i feel as if im completely different than 90% of the pre-med freshman population here. Im taking chem, writing, spanish and history. I do my work, study adequately for the tests and never miss anything. However when i have conversations with these other pre-med kids, they talk about how they studied 8-9 hours, did all the problems in the back of the book, and well. It sends shivers down my spine. Is this really what med schools are looking for?? i mean i study aswell, but enough so i have a good grasp of the chapters

I mean ive been trying to land a job at the EMT department for the rest of my college career, and i plan to do some research but i also do like to have fun, especially on the weekend.

Like fridays, saturday nights my friends and i go out and party, but then i talk to some pre-meds and they tell me they spent their friday studying.

I get this feeling that this would drive them insane eventually, or im just slacking behind? Im not sure, but should pre-med really consume life like this..? i mean isnt it necessary to have fun after a long week of homework/tests??

You're fine. Have fun, stay away from other premeds, and pretend that you are not a premed.

I think your life will be nicer that way.

 

[Longshanks]

Work hard play hard.

In all serious: if you're doing well in classes and getting strong grades, then don't feel guilty about having a social life. Its healthy. If you can balance academics and having fun, the more power to you. Just have the self-discipline to reel yourself in if your grades ever start dipping or if you really need to hunker down for a tough assignment. One weekend of not going out isn't going to ruin your college years or life. Equally, enjoy college.

 

[VikingLegacy]

baleeted

 

[gravitywave]

most pre-meds are crazy.

most pre-meds don't make it.

correlation doesn't equal causation, blah blah

 

[blackarrowmoose]

yes! exactly. finally some people who agree with me.

The other day, i was talking to this asian premed student and she asked me how my weekend was, i told her i went to an awesome party last night and she gave me the dirtiest look and asked me why i didnt study for our test. I was like, well.. i have the whole daytime to study sat/sun.

these reactions are pretty scary rofl.

 

[QuizzicalApe]

You've got the right attitude. Balance relaxation and fun with academic success. Never be overly concerned if you run into someone who thinks you're crazy for not trying to grab that coveted 4.3 GPA by getting an A quintuple + in advanced premedicology.

Hell, it's even entirely legitimate to look at a syllabus that says "an excellent paper will get an A-, but a PERFECT PAPER that cites every instance of this word used in every major journal whose third letter translates into a tree-dwelling mammal via the complex zoo-based cipher I've hidden somewhere on campus gets an A+" and say to yourself, "to hell with that. I'm going to shoot for that A- and if I slip down a rung on that ladder, who cares."

It's sort of how you want to have a clean room, but not the kind of clean obtained by people who need to shower in soapy magma every time a stranger twitches their arm as if they wanted to shake hands.

 

[Compass]

Those guys which study more than they breathe creep me out. As long as you're doing well, you're doing enough.

 

[CaliGirl14]

Lol this is a joke right??

 

[CarlATHF]

Lol this is a joke right??

It most certainly is not.

 

[CaliGirl14]

It most certainly is not.

Oh phew. Yeah sorry. I accidentally read that the OP was a freshmen and was applying freshmen year.

Mah bad.

 

[astrife]

I agree with most of the above posters, but at the same time there is definitely a certain level of seriousness one needs to take about being pre-med. Most people I know who started out pre-med couldn't hack it. From what I have observed they had the attitude that becoming a doctor was great as long as it didn't interfere with their social life.

Being a freshman you probably haven't been challenged all that much yet academically. I know I hadn't been. When your first truly hard class comes around you might have to adopt some of the crazy pre-med habits.

On a side note, pre-meds are crazy. The only interaction I had with them was in class, and that is where I wanted it to stay.

 

[Hifey]

as long as you're making the grades then don't worry about how much other people study. Many people in my undergrad would boast about how they've studied for hours and hours but they still didn't get a better grade than others I knew who were more chill. Please keep your sanity.

There are two things that you must have/realize though. When there is something more difficult coming up then you will need to dedicate more time than usual to it which requires discipline. Also, once you start adding in research, volunteering, and jobs, your schedule will change and you will need even more self control and time management to get everything done. Seriously though, enjoy freshman year but DON'T screw up your grades b/c freshman year screw ups are the hardest to recover from GPA wise.

 

[willen101383]

OP I am definitely in the same boat as you. I was as an undergrad, in grad school, and now im med school. It really starts to get to you in med school....when you realize that you only need to study X hours to get X grade...and everyone around you needs to study wayyy more than you to get that grade.

It gives you a bit of a "im not studying enough" complex. Some people are just really rapid memorizers. That is the category I fall into. I can rapidly memorize large amounts of information (but not everything), and then use reasoning to figure out why the wrong answers and wrong.

I think a lot of people try to memorize every single little tidbit of information....and arent quite as strong at reasoning out the answers during exams.

People are intelligent in different ways...and you need to try to understand that..otherwise everyone elses manic studying is really going to piss you off

 

[OtoHNS]

Yep, just study as much as YOU need to study. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing.

 

[Lizzybeth]

Don't let the other pre-meds get to you. If you are doing fine in your classes, then stick with your study methods. If you start slipping, that would be the time to ask yourself if you are being too chill.

 

[Slack3r]

or is it gonna bite me in the ass?

Im in my 4th week of freshman year, im aiming on applying to med school. However, i feel as if im completely different than 90% of the pre-med freshman population here. Im taking chem, writing, spanish and history. I do my work, study adequately for the tests and never miss anything. However when i have conversations with these other pre-med kids, they talk about how they studied 8-9 hours, did all the problems in the back of the book, and well. It sends shivers down my spine. Is this really what med schools are looking for?? i mean i study aswell, but enough so i have a good grasp of the chapters

I mean ive been trying to land a job at the EMT department for the rest of my college career, and i plan to do some research but i also do like to have fun, especially on the weekend.

Like fridays, saturday nights my friends and i go out and party, but then i talk to some pre-meds and they tell me they spent their friday studying.

I get this feeling that this would drive them insane eventually, or im just slacking behind? Im not sure, but should pre-med really consume life like this..? i mean isnt it necessary to have fun after a long week of homework/tests??

I sometimes wonder where you guys find these people. I majored in physiology and still didn't run into these types of people ANYWHERE. I figured these types of pre-meds were myths...

But then again, I also went to a state school known for its basketball team and parties, so who knows.

 

[13132]

I was a miserable premed my freshman year but I have converted. I had a revelation similar to what all these people are saying. I knew the material...but continued to study. I was like a saturated sponge I kept dipping in water. It was really quite ridiculous.

I am glade I had a solid freshman year GPA so I can take a hit in the harder things like Organic II, but looking back I did not enjoy my freshman year.

 

[BigRedBeta]

No...for the love of all that is holy, enjoy the **** out of your freshman year - especially first semester. It's a time unlike any other, especially the first half or so, when you can make life long friends merely by asking someone if they want to eat with you. No posturing, no cliques or subcultures to navigate.

My motto in undergrad was "no wasted effort" if a 94 got the A, what was the point of getting a 97 if it meant I had miss things I wanted to do. Obviously it goes without saying that you'll still put in the effort that's required, but no more and no less. Yes being a pre-med is different than being a business major, but it's not an all or nothing situation.

 

[orthomyxo]

No, please be chill. We don't need more neurotic, grade-grubbing premeds in the world. The key is to do well and still find time to do the things you want, while feeling like a boss when you learn you did just as well as the hardcore premed geeks in your class. Just don't let them know that.
​

 

[trep14]

Relax and enjoy your freshman year because it only gets harder after that. Just know that there will always be differences between how people study. If you can still get A's and just cram the night before the test, then by all means, do that, and don't feel obligated to study 5 hours a day because everyone else does.

 

[AH3]

You will go insane if all you do is study. It's important to do a lot of other things outside school. I studied enough to understand the material and get good grades, but I didn't take it to the extreme. I just figured out how I study/learn best and stuck to that. There's no need to read 100 dense pages of a biochem textbook if you are able to learn from the teacher's notes and figures.

Medical schools want real people who can treat diseases (science) AND interact with people (social). It's best to develop both of those skills. You don't have to understand every detail of organic chemistry, just enough to get an A in the course and do well on the MCAT. Worry about deep, thorough understanding in medical school, where they will teach you everything you need to know to actually be a doctor.

That being said, understand that medical school will be hard and will require a lot of time and effort. As long as you know you want to be a doctor and are willing to work hard to get there, you will be fine. It certainly gets more time consuming as you go along.

 

[Disinence2]

Heres a Tip.

Avoid other pre-meds. They make great acquaintances, but try to surround yourself with a diverse group of people.

I was the only "Pre-Med" In my group of friends, and it really saved me a great deal of anxiety.

Be sure to find yourself one of the more "Chill" med schools

 

[Spates Catalog]

Most premeds don't know WTF they are doing. 90% sounds about right. Hell, most med students don't know what they are doing either for that matter.

 

[da8s0859q]

Don't overstudy. If you get the material, you get the material. If you are naturally smart enough to absorb the material without effort, it will carry over into medical school.

I've run into several doctors who were that kind of student, and they say the same thing - while most of the class spent 2935892385 hours a week studying, they just reviewed their material once a week, took their tests and did fine.

Agree somewhat with this. OP, screw what everyone else is doing. Worry about your own studying -- if it works for you, it works for you. Period. At that point, what your classmates are doing is immaterial.

Disagree about it always carrying over to med school, though. Medical schools are full of people who were the types to naturally absorb much of college without much of a time investment, and then they hit M1 and realize that it is a different ball game. I imagine that the docs you're talking about are understating how much time they spent studying.

OP: for what it's worth, I still study less than some of my classmates (which is way, way more than the college version of "me" studied, I might add). I am an M2, and I'm not at the top of my class, but I've been doing pretty well for myself ever since we hit organ systems at the end of M1. Did decently before that. Just have to find a happy medium between time investment and sanity.

or is it gonna bite me in the ass?

If you're doing what you need to be doing (based on knowledgeable sources, school sites, etc. -- not some freshman pre-med kid who has pitched a tent in the back left corner of the library), then nope, it isn't. Don't let the neuroticism get to you.

 

[blackarrowmoose]

thanks for all the replys guys, im glad theres other people that feel the same way as me.

Im a bit concerned about my gen chem I (advanced) grade though, apparently its one of the hardest courses in the school, average test grade is a 55. Im gonna throw myself at this class completely

 

[barcoderider]

I think it's generally a good idea to work harder than you think you need to until you've at least taken the first midterm for a class. What you think might be overkill might turn out not to be. Once I knew how much I could slack off I usually slacked exactly that amount though. 🙂

 

[IfeelYourPain]

I think that maybe posting a thread during your freshman year asking if you are too chill might be a sign that you are almost a typical pre-med student lol. In all seriousness, I think that if you can't learn the material for a test in 5 or less hours, you probably shouldn't be in the class. I literally hate when people ask me: "Have you started studying yet for ___"? Inevitably, the answer is no.

Side note: not really studying for the MCAT really bit me in the ass the first time I took it lol, had to swallow my pride and actually put some time into it the second go-around.

 

[orthomyxo]

I think that maybe posting a thread during your freshman year asking if you are too chill might be a sign that you are almost a typical pre-med student lol. In all seriousness, I think that if you can't learn the material for a test in 5 or less hours, you probably shouldn't be in the class. I literally hate when people ask me: "Have you started studying yet for ___"? Inevitably, the answer is no.

Side note: not really studying for the MCAT really bit me in the ass the first time I took it lol, had to swallow my pride and actually put some time into it the second go-around.

This is a really stupid statement.

 

[IfeelYourPain]

Ok, I did leave a lot of room there for bashing. Lol, let me clarify. I meant that if a person goes to class, takes decent notes, and actually engages in lectures, it shouldn't take him or her more than 5 hours to sit down, review notes, get some reading done, practice some problems, and ultimately have a pretty solid base of knowledge for an upcoming test-- assuming its not some monster comprehensive final or something like that. Keep in mind that 5 hours of actual study time is a relatively large amount... didn't mean to sound like a douche, it's just that if someone spends that much time trying to understand something and still doesn't get it, when will he or she?

It's all about being efficient and leaving time for your fantasy football league lol.

 

[orthomyxo]

Ok, I did leave a lot of room there for bashing. Lol, let me clarify. I meant that if a person goes to class, takes decent notes, and actually engages in lectures, it shouldn't take him or her more than 5 hours to sit down, review notes, get some reading done, practice some problems, and ultimately have a pretty solid base of knowledge for an upcoming test-- assuming its not some monster comprehensive final or something like that. Keep in mind that 5 hours of actual study time is a relatively large amount... didn't mean to sound like a douche, it's just that if someone spends that much time trying to understand something and still doesn't get it, when will he or she?

It's all about being efficient and leaving time for your fantasy football league lol.

What you said still doesn't make sense, considering that you can easily spend 5 hours per day reading/studying for an upper level science class.

 

[FIREitUP]

I think that maybe posting a thread during your freshman year asking if you are too chill might be a sign that you are almost a typical pre-med student lol. In all seriousness, I think that if you can't learn the material for a test in 5 or less hours, you probably shouldn't be in the class. I literally hate when people ask me: "Have you started studying yet for ___"? Inevitably, the answer is no.

Side note: not really studying for the MCAT really bit me in the ass the first time I took it lol, had to swallow my pride and actually put some time into it the second go-around.

good luck in biochem.

 

[Lack of Name]

http://break.com/index/amazing_dartmouth_tour_group_prank.html?matchid=?matchid=

 

[IfeelYourPain]

good luck in biochem.

Took it last fall... done with my pre-reqs, and my 5 hour policy held true throughout my classes. Not saying I made 100s or anything like that, but my GPA is ~3.8 and graduating this December after 3.5 years with bio major/ chem minor, never had to drop or re-take a class either.

Anyway, back to the point, I think it is fine to chill lol (way more fun-- enjoy it, because from what i've heard, med school is killer)... didn't mean to sound overly presumptuous. But seriously, there's nothing you can learn on friday night that you can't learn on sunday night.

Exceptions: MCAT and cumulative finals (the biochem final did suck).

 

[apumic]

What you said still doesn't make sense, considering that you can easily spend 5 hours per day reading/studying for an upper level science class.

Sure, you could spend that much time, but why would you?!

Sorry, I'm with the guy you seem to be calling stupid on this. If you're spending 5 hrs/day on any upper-division undergraduate science course, you're way overdoing it (or not studying efficiently). Sure, on occasion (e.g., just before a cumulative final), it might make sense to study 3-5 hrs (in 1-2 hr blocks) but I'd say I spend an average of about 1 hr/wk on upper division science courses (outside of lecture). Any more than that is really unnecessary if you go to lecture, listen, understand what was presented the first time, and skim the textbook or any supplementary material.

 

[songbird]

No, please be chill. We don't need more neurotic, grade-grubbing premeds in the world. The key is to do well and still find time to do the things you want, while feeling like a boss when you learn you did just as well as the hardcore premed geeks in your class. Just don't let them know that.
​

I could not agree more!!!

 

[trep14]

What you said still doesn't make sense, considering that you can easily spend 5 hours per day reading/studying for an upper level science class.

Just wait until med school and you are studying 3-5 hours a day just to pass a class, not ace the material.

 

[orthomyxo]

Sure, you could spend that much time, but why would you?!

Sorry, I'm with the guy you seem to be calling stupid on this. If you're spending 5 hrs/day on any upper-division undergraduate science course, you're way overdoing it (or not studying efficiently). Sure, on occasion (e.g., just before a cumulative final), it might make sense to study 3-5 hrs (in 1-2 hr blocks) but I'd say I spend an average of about 1 hr/wk on upper division science courses (outside of lecture). Any more than that is really unnecessary if you go to lecture, listen, understand what was presented the first time, and skim the textbook or any supplementary material.

I never said I spend 5 hours a day for any of my classes, I'm just trying to emphasize how little time 5 hours actually is. And since when are lectures more helpful than self-study? IMO it isn't the prof's job to regurgitate what was already explicitly stated in the book, but rather to add to it. The lecture supplements the text, not the other way around.

 

[da8s0859q]

I never said I spend 5 hours a day for any of my classes, I'm just trying to emphasize how little time 5 hours actually is. And since when are lectures more helpful than self-study? IMO it isn't the prof's job to regurgitate what was already explicitly stated in the book, but rather to add to it. The lecture supplements the text, not the other way around.

Possibly a little OT, but do you ever feel like the purpose of lecture is to help you differentiate between what's important and what's fluff?

When I was in undergrad, I barely ever touched textbooks because I relied on lecture to provide material for my own handwritten notes -- and for some emphasis on what actually mattered. Then again, I've never found textbook reading a particularly efficient use of time unless it's an absolutely stunning text. Even now in med school as an M2, I can count the times I've resorted to an actual textbook on one hand; it's all class notes/handouts and review books, like Rapid Review / BRS / First Aid.

 

[Sesom]

Im taking chem, writing, spanish and history. I do my work, study adequately for the tests and never miss anything.

Keep in mind your classes may get more difficult as you go. At some point you may be taking physics, chem and math at the same time or some other higher level classes. You also may have all sorts of after school activities. Make sure your study skills are up to par for that point. But also have fun I guess....

 

[ronaldo23]

or is it gonna bite me in the ass?

Im in my 4th week of freshman year, im aiming on applying to med school. However, i feel as if im completely different than 90% of the pre-med freshman population here. Im taking chem, writing, spanish and history. I do my work, study adequately for the tests and never miss anything. However when i have conversations with these other pre-med kids, they talk about how they studied 8-9 hours, did all the problems in the back of the book, and well. It sends shivers down my spine. Is this really what med schools are looking for?? i mean i study aswell, but enough so i have a good grasp of the chapters

I mean ive been trying to land a job at the EMT department for the rest of my college career, and i plan to do some research but i also do like to have fun, especially on the weekend.

Like fridays, saturday nights my friends and i go out and party, but then i talk to some pre-meds and they tell me they spent their friday studying.

I get this feeling that this would drive them insane eventually, or im just slacking behind? Im not sure, but should pre-med really consume life like this..? i mean isnt it necessary to have fun after a long week of homework/tests??

I think one thing that makes it easier to get out of the pre-med bubble is to major in a non-science, if you have an interest in that. I say that since you are still a freshman and probably haven't picked a major yet. That way most of your classes will be with people exploring different career paths, b/c when you are in an environment where everyone is really stressed and talking about med school, it can be a little overwhemling. And FYI, anyone who is studying 8-9 hours a day in undergrad is terribly inefficient. There is no reason that an undergraduate student of any major, and with any aspirations, cannot party at least 2 nights a week (with some exceptions) and still do very well if they wanted too. It's all a matter of being efficient.

 

[apumic]

Possibly a little OT, but do you ever feel like the purpose of lecture is to help you differentiate between what's important and what's fluff?

When I was in undergrad, I barely ever touched textbooks because I relied on lecture to provide material for my own handwritten notes -- and for some emphasis on what actually mattered. Then again, I've never found textbook reading a particularly efficient use of time unless it's an absolutely stunning text. Even now in med school as an M2, I can count the times I've resorted to an actual textbook on one hand; it's all class notes/handouts and review books, like Rapid Review / BRS / First Aid.

This is exactly what I do. I think the key to an A is to figure out what the instructor actually wants you to know. There are studies showing that some students naturally empathize with an instructor and are, therefore, able to focus only on what the prof is most likely to test on (i.e., those concepts which the instructor considers most valuable/important/worthwhile). Most textbooks contain FAR more information than one class could ever attempt to cover. When I went back and studied for the Psych GRE, I found that a good intro text covered just about everything I'd learned my entire 4 yrs (and I got a near perfect score on the Psych GRE, which tests everything someone with a BA/BS in Psych may have covered up to a 400-level). The key in a course is really to understand what the instructor wants you to understand. So while I agree that a prof's job is to extend what was in the text and often lectures will assume you have a general background from the text, there are much more efficient ways of getting the necessary background than to spend hours reading through the 2-3 chapters assigned every class period.

 

[Narmerguy]

I think a lot of people are overdoing the idea that someone who studies a lot can't also be social. Some of the people that study 8-9 hours can be very pleasant to be around. Granted, there's probably more people that study that much that are also really socially awkward or downright irritating but still there are enough exceptions that they should be mentioned.

 

[NickNaylor]

Being "chill" is the worst thing you can possibly be as a pre-med. Everyone knows that people who spend time with others and aren't hyper type A personalities can't be good physicians.

 

[ucsfstudents]

You cannot succeed in medicine if you are "too chill." There a certain amount of dedication that is required to build your fund of knowledge and to keep patients safe. Expectations to work hard and pay close attention to detail only increase from premedical school, to medical school, to residency and beyond. It is ok to be chill, but when it comes to practicing medicine, you cannot afford to be too chill.

In response to the OP's question, you are right in maintaining a balance between work and play. As long as you keep your grades up and work on the requirements expected for premeds, you can do what you want with your free time. Also keep in mind that your learning needs are different from the next student's. Some people need that 8 hours a day, multiple problem sets, etc., while others can pick up most of the material from the lecture, 1-2 hours of reading, and a few questions. It also depends on how many units your friends are taking. Someone taking 20 units is going to be studying more often than someone taking 12 units.