Hey everyone. I wanted post on here to see if I can get some advice or study tips on how to succeed in Medical school. Some background info, I am a first year medical student, into my second week of classes. I am extremely overwhelmed with the information and can't seem to catch up with the material. I have watched so many videos about studying in medical school but actually putting it all into practice is difficult. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to study effectively?
Study Help
- Thread starter Cramos135
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This is tough since everyone studies differently. I didn't use anki for preclinical years but I sort of wish I did since its helped me become an above average student in my clinical years.
I used to watch lectures, make a typed outline, and then review said outline before the exam during my preclinical years. It worked, I was average and I made it by but I wish I used anki to reinforce material although I know it probably would be a time-suck, probably worth it for the way I learn. Also, if you are a systems based curriculum start using pathoma early. I was also a fan of Boards and Beyond.
I'm sure this post isn't that helpful but just know that we all felt that way in the beginning and I am confident that you will find your groove, like we all did. You got this!
I used to watch lectures, make a typed outline, and then review said outline before the exam during my preclinical years. It worked, I was average and I made it by but I wish I used anki to reinforce material although I know it probably would be a time-suck, probably worth it for the way I learn. Also, if you are a systems based curriculum start using pathoma early. I was also a fan of Boards and Beyond.
I'm sure this post isn't that helpful but just know that we all felt that way in the beginning and I am confident that you will find your groove, like we all did. You got this!
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First off, just a friendly reminder that it's normal to feel overwhelmed at this point in your medical education, and even into the later stages as well! Medicine is like constantly drinking out of a fire hose, there's always more to learn and always someone smarter than you, just focus on looking forward and focusing on your own self-improvement. In terms of study strategies, I think everyone should try spaced repetition/Anki to start. It is not for everyone, but for many people it just works so damn well that I think everyone should give it a shot for a few months before they make that call. Otherwise focus on learning the fundamental concepts underlying normal and abnormal physiology (whether through school lectures or supplementary resources like BnB and Pathoma), this will help you greatly in retaining information in the long term as well.
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This is how I study. I go to a P/F school and am middle of the road average.
I watch the lectures at 1.5-2x depending on how comfortable I am with the material and annotate lightly on my iPad. Something I changed from undergrad/SMP to med school was that I take very few notes on my iPad now during lecture but instead just listen and try to absorb the material.
Once I finish the lecture, I go through each slide and condense them down to one page front/back of the most relevant material from the lecture. I use those to study for finals as well.
It mightnot be perfect and I sure don't get straight A's, but my average is a B and that is perfectly fine by me.
I watch the lectures at 1.5-2x depending on how comfortable I am with the material and annotate lightly on my iPad. Something I changed from undergrad/SMP to med school was that I take very few notes on my iPad now during lecture but instead just listen and try to absorb the material.
Once I finish the lecture, I go through each slide and condense them down to one page front/back of the most relevant material from the lecture. I use those to study for finals as well.
It mightnot be perfect and I sure don't get straight A's, but my average is a B and that is perfectly fine by me.
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It's normal to feel overwhelmed; it's akin to trying to drink from a firehose. If you're falling behind, you have to catch up. Your school probably has resources available to help you catch up, you just have to ask an advisor at your school. Don't worry about putting things together for clinical practice now. Your job early on is to just learn the things they're teaching you. The integration will happen over the course of your entire medical school career and continue on into residency. There's no way an M1 would be expected to actually manage a patient clinically. That comes over time.
