Staying sharp while not in school

[AMac1983]

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Hi
Sorry if this has already been discussed, I'm not by any means a regular to SDN, but I was wondering what kind of preparing accepted students are doing before school starts next Fall? Particularly I'm am curious about those of you who are not currently in school. I graduated Dec. '06, and have not taken any classes since Spring '07. I'm worried about falling out of that school mentality. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Medic2Doctor08]

I haven't taken classes, except for MCAT prep courses, since July 06. I think you should be okay as long as you aren't doing anything to seriously jeopardize your mental capacity (hard drugs (in excess) or severe head trauma😛). Enjoy your free time before the mental onslaught begins in August!

 

[nascardoc]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Med school basically forces you into that school mode very quickly, so I don't think that will be an issue. The harder problem is learning how to study a lot of info and find your groove, and no class can really help with that. It is something that all students go thru, regardless of how recent your last class was. Just relax and enjoy the summer and the time off.

Good luck next year!

 

[Bug1982]

I graduated from Penn State in 2005. I was also concerned about starting med school next fall after being out of the sciences for a few years so I bought the Barron's anatomy flashcards from Barnes and Nobles. They were developed by a physician for both doctors and nurses and cost about $25. The cards include detailed, colorful pictures of the structures and also explanations of different systems. I try to do just one or two cards a night and I feel I will be more prepared for anatomy in med school; a class I hear is pretty challenging for 1st years.

This may make me a nerd but I am so anxious for med school, I was ready to go 5 minutes ago🙂

 

[ashbrant]

There have been a few threads on this topic in the pre-allo section. The general consensus seems to be that you should enjoy yourself before med school starts. You will probably have to make some sacrifices (time with family/SO, hobbies, etc.) once school starts, so have fun now.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I read the dictionary.

 

[JonnyG]

if you have a good work ethic there is no need to stay sharp it all comes back quickly and the material is always focused. The only preparing you should do is figuring out how to maximize your free time now while you have it. I took three years off before hand and got back into things fairly quickly