Studying and med school - am i doing something wrong?

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There is so much material that I feel like I need to be studying 8-9 hours a day to keep up, learn the information and do well on exams. Like every day with lectures come a new powerpoint with 40 slides and/or 15 page document full of information. Every day has been the same for me including Saturday and Sunday, I get up at ~6, go running and exercise for an hour, and study for about 8 hours (excluding breaks for lunch and dinner), I've been going to class too, and I sleep between 10-11.

A lot of it might be due to me trying to figure out my study strategies and trying different things. I think I'm finding my study groove and things that are working, but I still feel like I need to constantly be learning and reviewing previous material too. My only ambition right now is to do well on Step 1. I'll have maybe a few hours in the evening each day to unwind, hang out with friends, and read, watch tv, movies, whatever. I can't tell how much my classmates and friends are working because I prefer studying independently but it seems like most people aren't putting in nearly this much work.

I've been doing very well on short assessment quizzes but I noticed some questions literally come from minute details like on 1-2 slides or 'recommended' readings that I just happened to read and remember. So I also have this feeling I literally need to study, internalize and understand everything.

Basically, I'm wondering if my routine is typical for you guys and most students you know with sleep, amount of studying, and time for relaxation/other stuff. Mentally I think I'm fine but I'm concerned this isn't healthy

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There is so much material that I feel like I need to be studying 8-9 hours a day to keep up, learn the information and do well on exams. Like every day with lectures come a new powerpoint with 40 slides and/or 15 page document full of information. Every day has been the same for me including Saturday and Sunday, I get up at ~6, go running and exercise for an hour, and study for about 8 hours (excluding breaks for lunch and dinner), I've been going to class too, and I sleep between 10-11.

A lot of it might be due to me trying to figure out my study strategies and trying different things. I think I'm finding my study groove and things that are working, but I still feel like I need to constantly be learning and reviewing previous material too. My only ambition right now is to do well on Step 1. I'll have maybe a few hours in the evening each day to unwind, hang out with friends, and read, watch tv, movies, whatever. I can't tell how much my classmates and friends are working because I prefer studying independently but it seems like most people aren't putting in nearly this much work.

I've been doing very well on short assessment quizzes but I noticed some questions literally come from minute details like on 1-2 slides or 'recommended' readings that I just happened to read and remember. So I also have this feeling I literally need to study, internalize and understand everything.

Basically, I'm wondering if my routine is typical for you guys and most students you know with sleep, amount of studying, and time for relaxation/other stuff. Mentally I think I'm fine but I'm concerned this isn't healthy
Are you M1? If so this is normal.

If possible I'd personally skip lectures. Listen or watch lectures if your school has a service that provides these if you really feel like you're missing out. Focus on high yield material.
 
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I'm a new M1, and I'm going through the exact same stuff you are. Just buckle down in the beginning to find a system that works for you. Definitely skip lecture if they are recorded, it's soooo much more efficient. Just doing that has left my days open. Plus you make your own schedule.

Honestly, I think this is kind of what our lives are now. We'll find balance as we become more efficient, but we are ultimately accountable to our own goals. Don't worry. =)
 
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There is so much material that I feel like I need to be studying 8-9 hours a day to keep up, learn the information and do well on exams. Like every day with lectures come a new powerpoint with 40 slides and/or 15 page document full of information. Every day has been the same for me including Saturday and Sunday, I get up at ~6, go running and exercise for an hour, and study for about 8 hours (excluding breaks for lunch and dinner), I've been going to class too, and I sleep between 10-11.

A lot of it might be due to me trying to figure out my study strategies and trying different things. I think I'm finding my study groove and things that are working, but I still feel like I need to constantly be learning and reviewing previous material too. My only ambition right now is to do well on Step 1. I'll have maybe a few hours in the evening each day to unwind, hang out with friends, and read, watch tv, movies, whatever. I can't tell how much my classmates and friends are working because I prefer studying independently but it seems like most people aren't putting in nearly this much work.

I've been doing very well on short assessment quizzes but I noticed some questions literally come from minute details like on 1-2 slides or 'recommended' readings that I just happened to read and remember. So I also have this feeling I literally need to study, internalize and understand everything.

Basically, I'm wondering if my routine is typical for you guys and most students you know with sleep, amount of studying, and time for relaxation/other stuff. Mentally I think I'm fine but I'm concerned this isn't healthy
Read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)
 
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If your pre-clinical is pass/fail, don't let missing questions on minute details bother you.


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Yep, welcome to your new life!
Studying 8-9 hours a day is completely reasonable (assuming those numbers include time spent attending lecture).
 
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Yep, welcome to your new life!
Studying 8-9 hours a day is completely reasonable (assuming those numbers include time spent attending lecture).

For the first few weeks/months of med school I think studying 12-14 hours a day is normal (total time, including lecture if they go) until one gets their study strategy down.

There is so much material that I feel like I need to be studying 8-9 hours a day to keep up, learn the information and do well on exams. Like every day with lectures come a new powerpoint with 40 slides and/or 15 page document full of information. Every day has been the same for me including Saturday and Sunday, I get up at ~6, go running and exercise for an hour, and study for about 8 hours (excluding breaks for lunch and dinner), I've been going to class too, and I sleep between 10-11.

A lot of it might be due to me trying to figure out my study strategies and trying different things. I think I'm finding my study groove and things that are working, but I still feel like I need to constantly be learning and reviewing previous material too. My only ambition right now is to do well on Step 1. I'll have maybe a few hours in the evening each day to unwind, hang out with friends, and read, watch tv, movies, whatever. I can't tell how much my classmates and friends are working because I prefer studying independently but it seems like most people aren't putting in nearly this much work.

I've been doing very well on short assessment quizzes but I noticed some questions literally come from minute details like on 1-2 slides or 'recommended' readings that I just happened to read and remember. So I also have this feeling I literally need to study, internalize and understand everything.

Basically, I'm wondering if my routine is typical for you guys and most students you know with sleep, amount of studying, and time for relaxation/other stuff. Mentally I think I'm fine but I'm concerned this isn't healthy

If you've got a few hours to unwind and have a balanced life every night you're doing better than many med students at this point. Your schedule sounds pretty normal to me and putting in 10-12 hours a day most days of the week is pretty normal for med school. Some people only need to put in 5 or 6 really efficient hours, some people have to work 14 hours a day to stay afloat. Chances are they're either lying (possibly unintentionally) about how much/little they work or you just aren't seeing the whole picture. Either way, just do what works for you and don't worry about what your classmates are doing.
 
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Welcome to medical school. Unfortunately, this is generally the way things work. No it probably isn't healthy, but preclinical years really require all of your effort and time in order to truly excel. You will more likely than not get the hang of things soon but don't expect the amount of necessary study time to change much. First year is the harder of the preclinical years in my opinion primarily due to adjusting to the workload and the difficulty of gross anatomy and physiology.
 
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You only need to work 8 hours per day, get 7-8 hours of sleep per night and still manage to have a hour per day for exercise?






Enjoy it while it lasts.
 
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