Study Skills in Med School

[Dr OCD]

a nice variety that i feel would be good prep for med school (micro, immuno, biochem etc) but i've been hearing alot from other kids going to big science oriented and research schools that they are more "prepared" for med school because they are used to rigorous studying of science and preparing for science exams...but i figure, if i take alot of biology elective and work hard in them, ill carry away study skills that will be useful in med school

basically im wondering
1. will i be prepared taking science classes im actually interested in and hope will prepare me at least in terms of study skills for med school?
2. what to do if im not??

im not one of the kids thats asking which classes to take to "get ahead" in med school...i just want to know that my brain is prepared for the intense crunching ahead

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[thackl]

It sucks in the begining, then you adjust. Everyone does....

 

[DrMom]

It sucks in the begining, then you adjust. Everyone does....

exactly what I was going to say.

 

[erin682]

Med school is a huge adjustment for just about everyone. The sooner you realize that your old study habits don't always work in med school the better off you'll be. In short focus more on getting in to med school now and worry about the classes once you get there.

 

[Dr Who]

I wouldnt worry, once you are in med school you will go through a period of adjustment just like the rest of us. Thankfully more than 95% of med students make it so I wouldnt worry much.
Once you are in med school, the system (at least in most med schools) is geared to helping the student pull through med school. I start med school this summer but since I am currently finishing a masters in the same med school I am going to attend I have an advantage. I know a few med students and they all tell me that the first year is by far the worst, especially the first semester. All med students seem to go through stages of self doubt and reflexion while going through the transition process. Once you get over this "hump" you should be ok.

 

[thackl]

All med students seem to go through stages of self doubt and reflexion

This is key..... when it happens, realize it is normal and take care of it immediately (PCP, counceling, meds, etc). It happens to different people at different times. I think the lucky ones are those get hit right away the first week..... so don't snicker at them. Come first block exams, they'll likely be over it.

 

[fun8stuff]

This is key..... when it happens, realize it is normal and take care of it immediately (PCP, counceling, meds, etc). It happens to different people at different times. I think the lucky ones are those get hit right away the first week..... so don't snicker at them. Come first block exams, they'll likely be over it.

PCP, as in angledust?

 

[LoneCoyote]

As others have said, med school is an adjustment. I have a liberal arts college non-science background and a post-bac from a large research oriented university. I think that one thing I have found, and some of my classmates with liberal arts science majors have found, is that you may be more used to reading and synthesizing large volumes of material than some of your peers who did not do as much of that in their classes. I have found this a very useful skill to have when the syllabus is not well organized and it is necessary to comb through texts for the info you need to know. I have found that med school is much more like my classes at the research oriented university, ie poor teaching with much more memorization and a lot less discussion/higher level thinking about concepts. It is an adjustment but you will be fine once you figure out what works for you. Good luck.

 

[Dr OCD]

reading large volumes of information is something im definately getting a good dose of here...and im guessing critical thinking skills dont matter much when med school can be sheer memorization

 

[anamarylee]

and im guessing critical thinking skills dont matter much when med school can be sheer memorization

This may be true for the first two years. But those critical thinking skills come in handy when you start applying what you learned to the Clinical diagnosis course and the clerkships. And that's when med school gets interesting. First two years are the worse.

Concentrate on getting into med school, then worry about your study habits.

 

[MiguelSanchez]

reading large volumes of information is something im definately getting a good dose of here...and im guessing critical thinking skills dont matter much when med school can be sheer memorization

Med school CAN be sheer memorization, but for a lot of classes you could also use your critical thinking skills to deduce things and not have to worry about memorizing large volumes of information. By this I mean rather than memorizing a list of events, you could memorize the end points and deduce what must go on in between based on a few basic facts.

But of course if you are used to memorizing textbooks then that'll work too, you'll just spend probably 3-4 times the number of hours that someone who relies more on analysis (but still with some memorization) would require.

 

[Dr OCD]

thanks guys...the reason why im interested is because im in a guaranteed med program and im doing well..i just want to make sure that im mentally prepared for the academic challenges

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Do most of you stick to daily or weekly study routines? Do you have a fixed number of hours--outside of lectures & labs--that you study per day every day? I'll be starting this fall and want to formulate a study schedule beforehand.

 

[thackl]

Med school CAN be sheer memorization, but for a lot of classes you could also use your critical thinking skills to deduce things and not have to worry about memorizing large volumes of information. By this I mean rather than memorizing a list of events, you could memorize the end points and deduce what must go on in between based on a few basic facts.

But of course if you are used to memorizing textbooks then that'll work too, you'll just spend probably 3-4 times the number of hours that someone who relies more on analysis (but still with some memorization) would require.

This is what the minority in med school do. We have it good

 

[thackl]

PCP, as in angledust?

You wish Primary care physician.

 

[anamarylee]

Do most of you stick to daily or weekly study routines? Do you have a fixed number of hours--outside of lectures & labs--that you study per day every day? I'll be starting this fall and want to formulate a study schedule beforehand.

I study as much as I can, as long as it's productive time and not a waste of it. As the exam nears, the number of hours increases. It varies from person to person. Some people do well with a fixed written-in-stone schedule. Other people improvise, like me. I'll dedicate less time to something I understand well in class and focus on the concepts I didn't grasp well during the lecture. If I'm very tired one day, I'll skip studying that day and rest. Othewise I'm just wasting my time and getting more tired.

I have a system: I bought a cupon organizer at an office supply store. At the begining of each block I refill it with 100 index cards. Every tab in the organizer is for a different topic. I write the name of the disease/condition/drug name on the blank side and on the ruled side I write the important stuff (for path: incidence, age, macro and micro characteristics, treatment; for pharm: uses, side effects, mechanism of action). I also use a color system. This helps me organize the material so that I can review it easily the weekend before the exam.

Every person has a different system or method that works for them, you just have to find what works for you and stick to it.

 

[Mike59]

Do most of you stick to daily or weekly study routines? Do you have a fixed number of hours--outside of lectures & labs--that you study per day every day? I'll be starting this fall and want to formulate a study schedule beforehand.

Can't say that I do...I'm all about complete randomness. During my basic science years, I would study harder if an evaluation/exam was coming up, but I would only ready on my own if I felt like it. In rotations now, I'll gradually start cramming a week or two before the shelf approaches. When things are going smoothly and there is nothing hanging over my head, I try to get as much reading/learning done on the wards when there's down time.

For someone in University, here's my best advice: take classes that teach you to think conceptually. Be able to learn and understand elaborate flowcharts, visualize things, store lots of data in nice "compartments" in your head. If you can do that you'll do fine in med school and rotations (the insane cramming required of anatomy etc. can't be taught, you just put your mouth up to the fire hydrant prepare for the flow).

Time management is HUGE. Make sure you set aside time for the activities you enjoy above all else. I'm not a gunner as you can tell, live by P=MD and things will be fine.

 

[AStudent]

I'll give you the first 90 degrees for free.....c'mon, everyone's doing it.

PCP, as in angledust?

 

[ursulamajor]

I'm in a situation that's somewhat akin to yours. I majored in the humanities at a rigorous liberal arts school that (nonetheless) had very loose distribution requirements. Basically, I AP'ed out of the math and science requirements. Now it's years later, and I find myself starting pre-reqs. I've been anxious about my science study skills or lack thereof.

I found a book that has been of some help and reassurance: Study Without Stress: Mastering Medical Sciences by Eugenia G. Kelman and Kathleen C. Straker. Kelman and Straker cover time management, pre-reading, note-taking and other topics that will help you study more efficiently. Nothing too earthshattering, but enough insights and strategies to make the book worth reading.

 

[dynx]

I have a system: I bought a cupon organizer at an office supply store. At the begining of each block I refill it with 100 index cards. Every tab in the organizer is for a different topic. I write the name of the disease/condition/drug name on the blank side and on the ruled side I write the important stuff (for path: incidence, age, macro and micro characteristics, treatment; for pharm: uses, side effects, mechanism of action). I also use a color system. This helps me organize the material so that I can review it easily the weekend before the exam.

I bet you take notes with like 80 different pen colors and ask a ton of questions in class to...dont you?

 

[anamarylee]

I bet you take notes with like 80 different pen colors and ask a ton of questions in class to...dont you?

Nope, if I have a question I wait until the end of the lecture and ask the professor in private. I only use 6 colors for my index cards: pink & red, dark & light blue, green and purple. For my class notes in the power point presentations I take notes with the cheapest paper mate blue ink pen I can find on sale.

 

[Dr OCD]

what kind of conceptual-thinking classes are best to take?