staying motivated to study for the MCAT...

[sweetydnic51]

Hi all. I am feeling discouraged and need some advice.

I don't enjoy chemistry. I don't enjoy organic chemistry. I don't enjoy physics. I find it hard to stay motivated to study for the mcat with such dry, difficult material. anyone else feel this way? how do you stay motivated? is this indicative of what med school will be like?

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[Cornfed101]

Try to mix up your source of material to keep things interesting. Maybe try watching KA or Crash Course videos. My content review came entirely from videos and that helped me stay pretty motivated.

You will encounter some subjects that you don’t like very much and you have to learn to appreciate them, but you will also encounter subjects that you didn’t know much about that you find you really enjoy.

 

[deleted1006988]

I think there's enough of a mix of material in med school that you won't dislike everything. Even when there are topics that you dislike, it feels like time passes quickly and before you realize it you're already done and ready to move on to the next block.

 

[GlowCloud]

Try breaking up your boring/difficult subjects with topics you like. I liked biology and psychology, so I studied those topics in between things like chemistry and physics. It also helps if you can find a way to apply the material to real life examples that are meaningful to you. Just my two cents. Good luck and hang in there!

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Unfortunately, there certainly is some topics in that school that are incredibly dry and uninteresting. Most of histology for me was pretty dull.

The best way to try and you get through these frustrations is to:

1) Remember your primary motivator. Why are you willing to work so hard and sacrifice so much to become a doctor. Is it family, helping people, solving complex problems, etc? When times are rough remember why you are doing this and you will find that you are stronger than you think.

2) Try and find the applicability in the material. Some are easier than others, of course. Pretty easy to understand why you have to know the physics of fluids to understand blood. However, even some of the more mundane material can give you important insights into medical and clinical application.

there are many other ideas, but these are two of my favorite than two of the more successful strategies for getting through the duller side of pre-med and Medicine.

Hope this helps!

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

Even in the dullest of material there is something interesting. What I found while studying for the MCAT was that I enjoyed how everything fit together. If you are looking at material with a goal of memorizing, then it may feel arduous and mundane. However, if you look at the material as it connects to material you enjoy, then it will come easier and you'll enjoy it. Personally, I loved doing passages where they mixed physics with neuro or skeletal. It made physics doable and fun. I loved when o chem was applied to cell biology. I vividly recall having my mind blown when they showed how determining the melting point of a hydrocarbon was the exact same thing as determining cell membrane fluidity.

 

[sweetydnic51]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!! The different perspectives definitely help! Gotta put my head down and keep grinding

 

[MedStudent2301]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!! The different perspectives definitely help! Gotta put my head down and keep grinding

You got this! There are definitely topics that are just plain hard to get motivated to study. Keep in mind why you are doing this — to be the best doctor ever after! The hard work now WILL pay off because you will kill this test 🙂

 

[NontradICUdoc]

First things first. You need to stop with the negativity. With a negative attitude you will have negative results. Change how you think about the MCAT. Not that it is a beast you have to defeat, or a crap test that you are forced to take. Because then, you have no motivation. Rather, if you change your thought process that this is the KEY to unlocking the door to medical school, then you will tend to set your psyche up for success. You will look forward to reviewing the material because in your mind, you know that you are positioning yourself for success.

 

[Lawpy]

First things first. You need to stop with the negativity. With a negative attitude you will have negative results. Change how you think about the MCAT. Not that it is a beast you have to defeat, or a crap test that you are forced to take. Because then, you have no motivation. Rather, if you change your thought process that this is the KEY to unlocking the door to medical school, then you will tend to set your psyche up for success. You will look forward to reviewing the material because in your mind, you know that you are positioning yourself for success.

This is great advice and critical to follow, whether it's for MCAT or any exam or any stressful event. A good attitude goes a long way.

 

[DOgdad23]

So, I really want to focus on the sentence “is this what medical school will be like?” The short answer is yes and no. You will/should approach studying in medical school differently.

To touch on the other part, I will sympathize with where you are. I hated the C/P portion of the MCAT. That motivated me and ultimately catapulted me to a 129 on C/P. I think nontradICUdoc hit the nail on the head about your mindset. I know you may not see it right now, but many of these foundational concepts help you understand why things do what they do in the body and especially with pharmacology. Think about why you want to be a physician. What truly motivates you to go into medicine? Also, think about how many people start college saying they’re pre-med and never even get to taking the MCAT. Be proud of getting to this point! It is a huge accomplishment!

Now, when I said you should change your studying in medical school, I don’t mean you’ll completely throw all your study habits out. I mean, you may if you just crammed the day or two before a test, and brain dumped on the exam. Medical school is longitudinal studying. I really like this analogy - studying in medical school is like having to eat 10 pancakes every day. That’s pretty manageable if you do your job every day. However, If you skip a day or two then you have to eat 20-30 pancakes. It may be possible to catch up, but it is extremely difficult. Moral of the story, everything will snowball.

I study pretty much every single day, unless it is right after an exam and I don’t have another exam on the horizon. At this point, I haven’t taken a day off studying for almost 7 weeks. Some of the material is dry. Just as dry as some MCAT material. But I have a different mindset about my studying in medical school. On the days I don’t want to study, the material seems dry, or if it’s not “high yield” for the exam or step 1 I tell myself that someday a patient’s life may depend on me knowing this information. I think that really helps me push through some 80 hour study weeks before exams (on top of ~25 hours of lecture).

So yes, medical school can be extremely dry, it is certainly very difficult, and you’ll never study so many hours in your life and still feel like you know nothing like you will in medical school. BUT, if you are entering medicine for the right reasons you’ll never be happier to be as miserable as you will be in medical school. Lol

Dig deep, find your why, and secure your place in medical school. At the end of the day it’s an amazing journey, and I wouldn’t trade my life with anyone else. Good luck!

 

[MedStudent2301]

First things first. You need to stop with the negativity. With a negative attitude you will have negative results. Change how you think about the MCAT. Not that it is a beast you have to defeat, or a crap test that you are forced to take. Because then, you have no motivation. Rather, if you change your thought process that this is the KEY to unlocking the door to medical school, then you will tend to set your psyche up for success. You will look forward to reviewing the material because in your mind, you know that you are positioning yourself for success.

This is actually so true, because it is just the first of many tests. Medical School exams, boards, etc... This isnt the end of what gets you into med school, but a step of being the best doctor for your patients.

 

[sweetydnic51]

First things first. You need to stop with the negativity. With a negative attitude you will have negative results. Change how you think about the MCAT. Not that it is a beast you have to defeat, or a crap test that you are forced to take. Because then, you have no motivation. Rather, if you change your thought process that this is the KEY to unlocking the door to medical school, then you will tend to set your psyche up for success. You will look forward to reviewing the material because in your mind, you know that you are positioning yourself for success.

thanks for all the support and feedback. it's definitely helpful!! I'm a non-trad so also learning to get back into studying. baby steps towards the ultimate goal, I suppose 🙂

 

[frosted2]

This!

Whenever I am feeling particularly disinterested in school, an interesting case always seems to come up at work and I get excited because I actually know something about the physiology behind the case and how much cooler it will be to get to be the primary provider and decision maker for that patient one day in the future. It makes it much easier to keep going when the going gets rough.