Stressed out first year

[pmpharmtech]

I'm currently in my first year and I'm a little stressed out about my learning. Although I have not failed any classes yet, I've done far from spectacular. I'm disappointed that I haven't done better when I know I could. I have some things going on outside of school that have been creating the stress which I feel has not allowed me to fully concentrate. I'm to the point that I've considered asking for a leave of absense and restarting with the next year students. However, I'm concerned how this might look in the future with residency. I want to feel that I've learned what I've needed to as well as feel prepared for Step 1 which I don't feel I'm progressing in that direction. I'm considering counseling but want some perspective on the academics of the decision. Any advice or suggestions?

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[Law2Doc]

I'm currently in my first year and I'm a little stressed out about my learning. Although I have not failed any classes yet, I've done far from spectacular. I'm disappointed that I haven't done better when I know I could. I have some things going on outside of school that have been creating the stress which I feel has not allowed me to fully concentrate. I'm to the point that I've considered asking for a leave of absense and restarting with the next year students. However, I'm concerned how this might look in the future with residency. I want to feel that I've learned what I've needed to as well as feel prepared for Step 1 which I don't feel I'm progressing in that direction. I'm considering counseling but want some perspective on the academics of the decision. Any advice or suggestions?

Definitely go talk to whoever your school offers for academic advising/guidance/counseling. It's a resource you are paying for -- might as well take advantage of it. If your outside stressor is something you can put to rest with a little time, then it may pay to finish up the year and spend some time dealing with it. If it will be ongoing in any event, you have to learn to work around it. Remember that you probably have 10+ weeks over the summer to deal with non school things, if it can wait until then. I wouldn't sweat Step 1 prep in first year. Second year is much higher yield, and a better indicator, for that test.

 

[flash]

Hey man (or lady),

Definitely talk to someone at academic development, and I encourage you to hang in there, year will be over soon. Wish you well. I know it is easy for me to chyme in without knowing exactly what you are going through but what has helped me in dealing with it is to look at things this way:

Is there any action I can take now or in the future to relieve or not have this stress?
Is there a different way I can look at this event where it is not a stressor?
If I can can't change it, accept it.

Good luck. Cards/Resp exam tomorrow.

 

[silas2642]

I'm currently in my first year and I'm a little stressed out about my learning. Although I have not failed any classes yet, I've done far from spectacular. I'm disappointed that I haven't done better when I know I could. I have some things going on outside of school that have been creating the stress which I feel has not allowed me to fully concentrate. I'm to the point that I've considered asking for a leave of absense and restarting with the next year students. However, I'm concerned how this might look in the future with residency. I want to feel that I've learned what I've needed to as well as feel prepared for Step 1 which I don't feel I'm progressing in that direction. I'm considering counseling but want some perspective on the academics of the decision. Any advice or suggestions?

I definitely think that it would be a mistake for you not to talk to your school about this issue, as others have already suggested. Med school is hard enough on its own and when you add personal problems to the mix it seems like it's impossible. No one in this forum can tell you what you should do-- only you and the administration of your school should decide what's best for your future. Good luck with the rest of this year.

 

[psipsina]

I definitely suggest going and seeking some advice from your student affairs dean (or whatever you school calls the graduate school guidance counselor). Sometimes it really is worth it to push throu some outside stress and sometimes it isn't, and these people have seen it all and can give you a better idea of what would be best for you. I know that people can overcome an awful lot of adversity, many in the class before mine at my school continued with their first year despite having lost their homes etc to Katrina, so it is possible to succeed despite outside stress. I also know people who have decided to take a year off and it was definitely the right decision for them. Only you know how much of an effect this outside stressor is having on you, and whether you can really resolve whatever it is and be free of it when you would start up again, talking more candidly with someone with alot of experience sounds like the wisest idea to me. Much luck!

 

[Trepp]

It would be a lot better for you to gracefully step back and wait out the year and jump back in next year then for you to fail a class or more and have to repeat the year anyway. It would be more difficult to explain the failed classes then a leave of absence. Also, don't sweat Step 1... it will come with time.

 

[turkleton]

I'm sorry to hear about school, but understand that most med students find the first semester extremely stressful- no matter how mentally prepared you think you are, it's as rough of a transition you'll ever make in your career. Sprinkle in some out of school issues and it can unbearable. Like everyone said, talk to your advisors, and if you need to take a break, no shame in it- you'll be a better student if you're an emotionally refreshed student. However, if the issues that were distracting you are tucked away and you can fully concentrate on your schoolwork, you'll be able to handle it seeing as how you passed all your classes in the midst of some trying circumstances. Talk to the advisors and best of luck.

 

[vtucci]

You should definitely talk to your dean of student affairs about this. I don't know how great it would be to take a year off-- you would have to explain that come residency time.

also, you are not failing. I hated first year and had a horrible experience with it. Second year, fortunately, is much, much better for me. It might be the same way for you. I have not taken Step I yet but by all account, pharm, path and physio are the most tested subjects (mostly year 2). I;ll let you know.

 

[DrZeke]

Hey man (or lady),

Definitely talk to someone at academic development, and I encourage you to hang in there, year will be over soon. Wish you well. I know it is easy for me to chyme in without knowing exactly what you are going through but what has helped me in dealing with it is to look at things this way:

Is there any action I can take now or in the future to relieve or not have this stress?
Is there a different way I can look at this event where it is not a stressor?
If I can can't change it, accept it.

Good luck. Cards/Resp exam tomorrow.

chime...not chyme...

Sorry, but I had to point it out, it was funny

 

[worc2433]

Hey mate, I really understand you. I found myself in a similar situation myself. personally I thought that the workload was just incredible and I ended up working 11 - 12 hour days, which is really not a very good idea, as there is a very high chance of an early burn out. you should really talk to your uni counselling facility, or even start by talking to your tutor.
personally i had to rearrange my whole life style to accomodate the workload.
if you feel that it is getting too much for you and that you are not coping with it at all, then take a year out and go back in next year.
best of luck!

 

[Green Pirate]

chime...not chyme...

Sorry, but I had to point it out, it was funny

only a med student would make that mistake

 

[MystikBliss]

man whatever you do, DO NOT START OVER. You're not the only who feels this way. Many of the people I've talked to, first and second year fear they should know more or remember more than they do. And it's all do to the fact that being an intelligent person, you expect to grasp and master every idea thrown at you. There's no room for that in med school.

The only thing you're going to accomplish by repeating this year is spending the money for another year! If you repeat the classes, of course you'll do better, but that's not because you're "learning" more, it's just becuase you'll be relying more on memory. Keep going, because from what I read, the only reason you're having doubt is because you're not achieving super high grades. A grade really isn't everything and the does't reflect everything that you've managed to grasp since you started med school.

As a future physician, you need to learn to try to take in all you can while you can. Have you ever heard a resident say...mmmm let me repeat my internship, I didn't memorize everything that was said this year...

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

Keep going, don't start over! I thought about taking a leave of absence last year and starting over again with this year's freshmen and I am so glad that I didn't! At the time things were really rough, but I kept going and gradually they got better! Since you are passing you obviously know enough to move on--the passing mark is set where it is for a reason. Second year is much better than first, at least at my school! Hang in there!

 

[bubbleyum]

dear OP,

just to sympathize, i know exactly how you feel. first semester had been OK for me, had some good exams, and had some really really bad exams. it doesn't make you feel good to do below class average sometimes, even if you know "you are in med school and hey at least you're not failing."

i finished the first semester thinking, ok i learned some stuff from first semester in terms of how to study, so even if i didn't finish in the top part of the class i'll do much better second semester...

and so we just had the first real exam of second semester yesterday, and even after studying for hours on end, i did not do well at all. much worse than first semester! and then today i was talking to some people in my class and it made me upset when they were all saying how most of the material (biochem) was basically review from undergrad. sometimes i feel like before i even started med school i was so behind my class that there's almost nothing i can do to help it. might not matter for things like anatomy and some physio, but biochem is a nightmare. and the way they taught it at my school it's like they assume you already know most of it. which may be true for others, but not for me since i was an art major. (all you non-science majors who only took the minimum to get you through the mcat beware! when they say med school is new material for everyone and you're all on the same page they're LYING!!!) i can't help finding myself thinking i wish i could just take a break and start over.

 

[Law2Doc]

all you non-science majors who only took the minimum to get you through the mcat beware! when they say med school is new material for everyone and you're all on the same page they're LYING!!!

Disagree with the lying part -- most of the nonsci folks I know did fine with the prereqs, and I saw quite a few science majors struggling in biochem. But every school is likely a bit different, and certainly every individual med student is going to be different.

Hang in there -- the playing field will get more level the further you go.

 

[bubbleyum]

i know every school is different, it might just be my particular school, who knows. our last lecture was friday, and that material was on monday's test. the lecture topic was "molecular biology techniques and applications" and she actually skipped big parts in her powerpoint lecture saying things like "i know you guys have had this before a dozen times, so i'll just let you read over it on your own." and of course her notes had all these words and shortened terms with no explanation in there! it was awful... the most discouraging experience i've had in med school so far, anyway.

 

[pmpharmtech]

Thanks all of you for the awesome advice and encouragement! I've been reading all of them and I'm trying to stay optomisitic. I'm going to go talk to a counselor, maybe I just need to vent or get it out of my head with someone in person. Anyway, thanks again and good luck to all of you with your studies or wherever you are in the process.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

i know every school is different, it might just be my particular school, who knows. our last lecture was friday, and that material was on monday's test. the lecture topic was "molecular biology techniques and applications" and she actually skipped big parts in her powerpoint lecture saying things like "i know you guys have had this before a dozen times, so i'll just let you read over it on your own." and of course her notes had all these words and shortened terms with no explanation in there! it was awful... the most discouraging experience i've had in med school so far, anyway.

Wow, I'd actually bring that up with the lecturer if she's going to teach you guys again. Sure, expecting you to have the required prereqs is understandable, but not teaching stuff just because all the bio majors had seen it before isn't acceptable, especially if the syllabus doesn't teach it either. However, I expect that her material was hard for most people because of the poor presentation -- even if you've seen it before doesn't mean you remember it at all.

As for the non-science people not being a big disadvantage, that has been my experience. The people who majored in biology or physiology or were anatomy TAs in ugrad may get to slack a little more the first year, but I haven't encountered anything like you described above.

 

[vtucci]

Disagree with the lying part -- most of the nonsci folks I know did fine with the prereqs, and I saw quite a few science majors struggling in biochem. But every school is likely a bit different, and certainly every individual med student is going to be different.

Hang in there -- the playing field will get more level the further you go.

At my school, a science background was a definite advantage in first year. Particularly, if you had taken anatomy and physio (which a number of people had and had taken with the professors who taught our class. another student had taught anatomy at the graduate level). Anyone who tells you that a science background is not helpful, is dead wrong.

Now here is the good news, being a non-science major helps you think critically. That is a skill that comes in handy in second year and the wards. Everything works out.

This year may not be your year. Maybe the coursework does not play to your strengths. Maybe next year;s will.

 

[psipsina]

Disagree with the lying part -- most of the nonsci folks I know did fine with the prereqs, and I saw quite a few science majors struggling in biochem. But every school is likely a bit different, and certainly every individual med student is going to be different.

Hang in there -- the playing field will get more level the further you go.

I'm not saying that nonsci folks can't do great, but there is some advantage to being familiar with the information that you are learning, if only that you have to work less to achieve the same success, which at least is a whole lot less frustrating. Case in point, I'm a neuro major from undergrad and the class that is currently stomping some of my classmates is much much easier for me, sure I review the lectures but the terms are all familiar and I've learned alot of it before. My understanding of currents has also helped in physiology. I had an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course with a cadaver dissection, which gave me a great leg up in anatomy (if nothing else I knew what was expected of me, how to study for a lab practical, the terminology was familiar) and now is helping in phys (i.e. I had learned to read ECGs before, which we spent a week doing in labs etc). Now I haven't had biochem, and I can see that I am working much harder than the chem majors in my class who think that what we are doing is easy. Anyway, it certainly doesn't make medschool a cakewalk or anything but to say that it isn't an advantage is BS. I'm sure the advantage will be gone by next year, but for now it definitely makes life a bit easier.

 

[DocYuki]

I had an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course with a cadaver dissection, which gave me a great leg up in anatomy (if nothing else I knew what was expected of me, how to study for a lab practical, the terminology was familiar) and now is helping in phys (i.e. I had learned to read ECGs before, which we spent a week doing in labs etc).

First of all, I don't know if you intended it to be a pun or not, but having a "leg up" in anatomy is an awesome joke!

I'm impressed that you got to take such a high-caliber class as an undergraduate. I go to a small (pop: 1,000) Liberal Arts college and while our science program is solid, we sure do not have the resources for that sort of thing! You'll find a solid, fundamental grounding in science here but nothing too fancy. That must have truly helped in that tough first semester!

I'm going to be doing Gross Anatomy this coming fall. I've had anatomy only in High School - any advice for how to tackle this feared 1st-year class?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'm not saying that nonsci folks can't do great, but there is some advantage to being familiar with the information that you are learning, if only that you have to work less to achieve the same success, which at least is a whole lot less frustrating. Case in point, I'm a neuro major from undergrad and the class that is currently stomping some of my classmates is much much easier for me, sure I review the lectures but the terms are all familiar and I've learned alot of it before. My understanding of currents has also helped in physiology. I had an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course with a cadaver dissection, which gave me a great leg up in anatomy (if nothing else I knew what was expected of me, how to study for a lab practical, the terminology was familiar) and now is helping in phys (i.e. I had learned to read ECGs before, which we spent a week doing in labs etc). Now I haven't had biochem, and I can see that I am working much harder than the chem majors in my class who think that what we are doing is easy. Anyway, it certainly doesn't make medschool a cakewalk or anything but to say that it isn't an advantage is BS. I'm sure the advantage will be gone by next year, but for now it definitely makes life a bit easier.

I don't think anybody's saying that it's not an advantage, but imo it's not that huge of an advantage. It probably is also really school dependent. For example, a lot of the biochem majors I knew did worse than me in biochem because they blew it off and because it differed from what they did in ugrad. I think the people who did the very best in my anatomy class had significant previous anatomy experience (something very few people get from being a science major, btw), but lots of other students did extremely well, too, without that exposure. Anecdotally, I'm not doing too shabby (probably won't make AOA but whatever), and I majored in history.

So, yeah, it might give one a little leg up in the first year, but from what I've heard it does very little to help in the second year. Personally, I'm glad that I majored in what I majored in and that I didn't spend my time before medical school taking more science classes.

 

[psipsina]

First of all, I don't know if you intended it to be a pun or not, but having a "leg up" in anatomy is an awesome joke!

I'm impressed that you got to take such a high-caliber class as an undergraduate. I go to a small (pop: 1,000) Liberal Arts college and while our science program is solid, we sure do not have the resources for that sort of thing! You'll find a solid, fundamental grounding in science here but nothing too fancy. That must have truly helped in that tough first semester!

I'm going to be doing Gross Anatomy this coming fall. I've had anatomy only in High School - any advice for how to tackle this feared 1st-year class?

Hey DocYuki, silly anatomy puns seem to pass effortlessly outa me, lol. My UG was definitely someplace special in the opportunities it offered me, and I'm crazy about science so I definitely pursued it more out of passion and interest than being a crazy premed. As far as advice I definitley suggest using the search function as there is tons of great advice already posted on this board but I will try to sum up what I think is most essential:

I wouldn't bother reading ahead, except the intro chapter of your anat text (probably Moore's Clinical Anatomy) which teaches you some basic terminology, . . if you start knowing that it will help alot. Second is "relationships, relationships, relationships!" you need to know all the stuff that will be around everything you will be asked to identify so you can use them as clues. Every subject mentioned in your dissector, ask yourself what around it could be used to identify it. Whats next to it, under it, where is it coming from, where is it going, what is unique about it. Then on your practical when you see something you orient yourself by figuring out what you are looking at (sounds easier than it is sometimes) and then using the clues around the structure that you've already studied to identify it. Spend a day on the weekends going over everything you saw that week in dissection at your own pace, making sure you can find everything on your own. Finally try to really understand concepts instead of doing rote memorization, play with the bones to understand the movements that muscles create etc. I also reccomend aclands video atlas for at home review and to see what your dissection should have looked like.

 

[Mr. McDuck]

I don't have any advice, since I'm still applying, but that chyme/chime thing really made me laugh.