Studying before medical school

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PotGoblinsales10 said:
Wait can I ask why not?

How do you feel about first aid books that don't just spit charts at you, but work like the MCAT books:
Like this:
Amazon product ASIN 007174388X
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Because they cover a lot of material very quickly. There's at least 3-5 hours of lectures a day, easily a couple hundred ppt slides. It's also not quantity but depth as well. So if you think you can do this on your own while NOT in medical school that's not only absurd but stupid. You can use any supplemental material aid you want DURING medical school but FA is probably still the best. So, don't prestudy.
 
Hey OP,

Here are many things you can do to make yourself a better and more successful medical student that are not prestudying and I guarantee will out-value prestuding by a factor of 10 billion percent:

  1. Make exercising a habit. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as its consistent and you enjoy it
  2. Learn 3 basic recipes that are healthy, low cost, and easy to cook
  3. Learn (or brush up on) basic spanish. Not enough to hold a conversation (especially if you've never taken spanish before), but knowing how to say your name, etc can come in handy; if you've learned spanish in the past, look up some medical terminology, questions, or phrases
  4. If you know what school you're going to, look up ENT/Ophtho faculty and create a list of people who seem like they have productive labs and then outline what projects they're doing and see which you're interested in, then contact people in that order once you start med school
  5. Spend time with family and especially friends who aren't going to be near where you're going to medical school (family you're more likely to see during holidays etc, but it's harder to see friends who live on the other side of the country)
  6. Learn how to budget your finances, what different types of loans mean, and how to give yourself enough extra to have a little fun sometimes
  7. If you really want to do something academic, pick a journal in a field you're interested in and read it once a month (if you pick an eye/ear journal, it can also help with coming up with research projects that you can pitch to the faculty on that list you made earlier)
  8. Learn statistics and how to use R, especially if you didn't get to do this in-depth as an undergrad - it will help immensely in every aspect of your medical life
  9. H A V E F U N and enjoy your free time! personal wellness is important! best to go into medical school as fresh and excited as you can!



ps pls dont prestudy
 
[QUOTE="WedgeDawg, post: 20433147, member: 459483"
Learn statistics and how to use R, especially if you didn't get to do this in-depth as an undergrad - it will help immensely in every aspect of your medical life[/QUOTE]

@WedgeDawg, can you elaborate on how often you use R in medical school? I took a biostatistics class where we used it fairly in depth, and I was hoping to never have to use it again.
 
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seaturtle98 said:
Can you elaborate on how often you use R in medical school? I took a biostatistics class where we used it fairly in depth, and I was hoping to never have to use it again.
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I've only used it for research purposes, but if you are proficient at R (or another stats software - I actually personally use python modules + excel for my stats, but same idea), you will be a huge resource for your research team and if your lab/team doesn't have a dedicated statistician, you can function in that capacity and get your name on a lot of papers that way. If you're aiming for a research-heavy career or specialty, it will behoove you to become comfortable with statistics. Even if you're not, learning and understanding the basics of medical statistics will be helpful for class, boards, evaluating new papers in your field that you'll inevitably read or at least hear about, and understanding why we do some of the things we do.
 
PapaGuava said:
@seaturtle98
Totally brain drained R haha, it was fun while it lasted. I don't think you would see it again in classes but maybe if you did specific computational research.

@toedrag
I see you! I'm just playing hockey and trying to travel as much as possible haha.
Click to expand...

then you're probably one of the only people on sdn who actually understands my username :horns:
 
WedgeDawg said:
I've only used it for research purposes, but if you are proficient at R (or another stats software - I actually personally use python modules + excel for my stats, but same idea), you will be a huge resource for your research team and if your lab/team doesn't have a dedicated statistician, you can function in that capacity and get your name on a lot of papers that way. If you're aiming for a research-heavy career or specialty, it will behoove you to become comfortable with statistics. Even if you're not, learning and understanding the basics of medical statistics will be helpful for class, boards, evaluating new papers in your field that you'll inevitably read or at least hear about, and understanding why we do some of the things we do.
Click to expand...
Ok, awesome. That’s about as much involvement as I was interested in...thanks!
 
Tbh the only thing I wish I had done prior to medschool would have been to learn how to actually use, and get comfortable using anki if its something you've never used before. Not do decks or anything like that, but just spend a day or two really learning how to use it properly, make cards efficiently, use the browser etc. because while its really easy to use once you know how to use it, it also has to be one of the most unintuitive things i've ever had to learn to use. Probably would also be a good idea to make sure you have some base level of life skills too, like how to cook cheap, quick, relatively-healthy meals.

Definitely don't pre-study.
 
Current M1, I actually regret not pre-studying.

There are some classes that are “strongly suggested.” If you don’t have any of those it would be wise to just have a very basic working knowledge. Like everyone else has said, it’s much more important that you blow off steam/establish good habits etc. but for me I do wish I had done some brushing up.
 
This thread kinda rubs me the wrong way. I remember after taking my ACT in high school I immediately cracked open Kaplan MCAT prep books and started studying. I also started taking free online courses covering pre-med content, in order to make sure I was learning things properly and not merely memorizing a set of notes.

I'd say this helped me maintain a near perfect GPA at a T20 school, while pursuing an extremely rigorous course of study (the kind most pre-meds shirk away from). It also taught me how to use Anki effectively and gave me tons of time to do research that led to publication in undergrad. It also gave me a good MCAT score without having to "reteach" myself concepts.

For STEP 1, I'm sure medical school will go so much more in depth, like everyone here claims. Either way, having an extremely strong intuitive understanding of physiology and other subjects will only put you at a competitive advantage compared to someone who is literally seeing the content for the first time. Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous.

So yeah OP, I think there's nothing wrong with pre-studying, especially if you don't go crazy doing it. I still manage to go to the gym and watch netflix every day. Just make sure your personal relationships don't falter (something I'm working on) and make sure to develop a life outside of medicine too.

But don't stop learning if that's what you love to do. Personally, I want to go into academic medicine, so I've been spending this last year trying to churn out some more papers. In my downtime at lab, after I've finished classwork, I throw on a Najeeb lecture. There's only 700 or so, so watching several a day at 2x speed while making notes with a prep book is doable. And no one says this doesn't have to be fun. I watch the videos on my favorite organ systems first.
 
deweystrontium said:
This thread kinda rubs me the wrong way. I remember after taking my ACT in high school I immediately cracked open Kaplan MCAT prep books and started studying. I also started taking free online courses covering pre-med content, in order to make sure I was learning things properly and not merely memorizing a set of notes.

I'd say this helped me maintain a near perfect GPA at a T20 school, while pursuing an extremely rigorous course of study (the kind most pre-meds shirk away from). It also taught me how to use Anki effectively and gave me tons of time to do research that led to publication in undergrad. It also gave me a good MCAT score without having to "reteach" myself concepts.

For STEP 1, I'm sure medical school will go so much more in depth, like everyone here claims. Either way, having an extremely strong intuitive understanding of physiology and other subjects will only put you at a competitive advantage compared to someone who is literally seeing the content for the first time. Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous.

So yeah OP, I think there's nothing wrong with pre-studying, especially if you don't go crazy doing it. I still manage to go to the gym and watch netflix every day. Just make sure your personal relationships don't falter (something I'm working on) and make sure to develop a life outside of medicine too.

But don't stop learning if that's what you love to do. Personally, I want to go into academic medicine, so I've been spending this last year trying to churn out some more papers. In my downtime at lab, after I've finished classwork, I throw on a Najeeb lecture. There's only 700 or so, so watching several a day at 2x speed while making notes with a prep book is doable. And no one says this doesn't have to be fun. I watch the videos on my favorite organ systems first.
Click to expand...

Lol. Ok lets break this down. Your post reeks of self-importance, like the fact that you went to a T20 UG and did well is something we should be impressed over. It isn't. Lots of people here fit that mold and they are further in the process than you. They all say the same thing, don't pre-study. You know why? Because it literally doesn't help and can actually be seriously detrimental by invoking burnout. To the first bolded, no it won't. If you think that you are in for a very rude awakening. As to the second bolded, you will regret spending time doing that once school starts and you realize exactly how worthless it was. You are still a pre-med. Until you matriculate you are a pre-med. It's laughable that you think you know better than all of the medical students, residents, and attendings in this thread who are saying not to pre-study.
 
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deweystrontium said:
This thread kinda rubs me the wrong way. I remember after taking my ACT in high school I immediately cracked open Kaplan MCAT prep books and started studying. I also started taking free online courses covering pre-med content, in order to make sure I was learning things properly and not merely memorizing a set of notes.

I'd say this helped me maintain a near perfect GPA at a T20 school, while pursuing an extremely rigorous course of study (the kind most pre-meds shirk away from). It also taught me how to use Anki effectively and gave me tons of time to do research that led to publication in undergrad. It also gave me a good MCAT score without having to "reteach" myself concepts.

For STEP 1, I'm sure medical school will go so much more in depth, like everyone here claims. Either way, having an extremely strong intuitive understanding of physiology and other subjects will only put you at a competitive advantage compared to someone who is literally seeing the content for the first time. Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous.

So yeah OP, I think there's nothing wrong with pre-studying, especially if you don't go crazy doing it. I still manage to go to the gym and watch netflix every day. Just make sure your personal relationships don't falter (something I'm working on) and make sure to develop a life outside of medicine too.

But don't stop learning if that's what you love to do. Personally, I want to go into academic medicine, so I've been spending this last year trying to churn out some more papers. In my downtime at lab, after I've finished classwork, I throw on a Najeeb lecture. There's only 700 or so, so watching several a day at 2x speed while making notes with a prep book is doable. And no one says this doesn't have to be fun. I watch the videos on my favorite organ systems first.
Click to expand...
You really think you’re all that huh? Nothing in your post is overly impressive. We all do well or we wouldn’t be here. You’re gonna burn out before you even get to medical school.

Secondly, You know literally nothing about what medical school is or what it entails so please let the people who actually have gotten to medical school give the advice on a subject like this. Stay in your lane
 
deweystrontium said:
This thread kinda rubs me the wrong way. I remember after taking my ACT in high school I immediately cracked open Kaplan MCAT prep books and started studying. I also started taking free online courses covering pre-med content, in order to make sure I was learning things properly and not merely memorizing a set of notes.

I'd say this helped me maintain a near perfect GPA at a T20 school, while pursuing an extremely rigorous course of study (the kind most pre-meds shirk away from). It also taught me how to use Anki effectively and gave me tons of time to do research that led to publication in undergrad. It also gave me a good MCAT score without having to "reteach" myself concepts.

For STEP 1, I'm sure medical school will go so much more in depth, like everyone here claims. Either way, having an extremely strong intuitive understanding of physiology and other subjects will only put you at a competitive advantage compared to someone who is literally seeing the content for the first time. Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous.

So yeah OP, I think there's nothing wrong with pre-studying, especially if you don't go crazy doing it. I still manage to go to the gym and watch netflix every day. Just make sure your personal relationships don't falter (something I'm working on) and make sure to develop a life outside of medicine too.

But don't stop learning if that's what you love to do. Personally, I want to go into academic medicine, so I've been spending this last year trying to churn out some more papers. In my downtime at lab, after I've finished classwork, I throw on a Najeeb lecture. There's only 700 or so, so watching several a day at 2x speed while making notes with a prep book is doable. And no one says this doesn't have to be fun. I watch the videos on my favorite organ systems first.
Click to expand...

lol. Your 0 days in medical school really gives you a lot of perspective and credibility. Also, you're the guy who started the "how to stop being a gunner" thread. Remember, there's a difference being enthusiastic and a try-hard. One gets you a good eval, the other makes people think you're a tool. I'll let you figure out which is which.

A word of caution. I've met my fair share of people who's lives revolve around medicine. I can say they tend to be the saddest most miserable people at work. They have no outside life or hobbies and generally not that interesting to talk to. All they want to do is medicine and talk about research/papers etc. Guess what? No one wants to hang out or talk to them. They're also at the highest risk of being disillusioned with medicine once they see the true workings and politics of medicine. From what you say you do, you're heading in that same exact direction.
 
RNthenDoc said:
Current M1, I actually regret not pre-studying.

There are some classes that are “strongly suggested.” If you don’t have any of those it would be wise to just have a very basic working knowledge. Like everyone else has said, it’s much more important that you blow off steam/establish good habits etc. but for me I do wish I had done some brushing up.
Click to expand...

That's because you're an M1. Prestudying is dumb
 
I really love how people with more experience are telling me not to watch videos regarding a subject that I find fascinating and interesting to study. I also really love the "stay in your lane" mentality, too. If this thread was supposed to be a demonstration of the true workings and politics of medicine, congratulations, y'all did it.

EDIT: I understand where everyone is coming from and their intentions behind their advice. I guess I'll wait until I'm through the process before I comment on the validity of this. I just wish y'all wouldn't be so harsh.
 
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deweystrontium said:
I really love how people with more experience are telling me not to watch videos regarding a subject that I find fascinating and interesting to study.
Click to expand...

Because there is plenty of time to study it later, and doing so now will likely lead to burnout. It is also a worthless endeavor. Also pro-tip, Najeeb's lectures are a great way to waste your time. I can't imagine a more inefficient thing to do, right up there with reading big Robbins cover to cover.

deweystrontium said:
I also really love the "stay in your lane" mentality, too. If this thread was supposed to be a demonstration of the true workings and politics of medicine, congratulations, y'all did it.
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Sometimes you really do need to stay in your lane. You either learn that yourself now or some surgery attending will force you to later, and I warn you... that option isn't very pleasant...
 
deweystrontium said:
I really love how people with more experience are telling me not to watch videos regarding a subject that I find fascinating and interesting to study. I also really love the "stay in your lane" mentality, too. If this thread was supposed to be a demonstration of the true workings and politics of medicine, congratulations, y'all did it.

EDIT: I understand where everyone is coming from and their intentions behind their advice. I guess I'll wait until I'm through the process before I comment on the validity of this. I just wish y'all wouldn't be so harsh.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Here's another pro tip. When you finally reach the wards and any of your superiors (which would be everyone as an MS3) gives you advice on anything your response is to smile, nod and say "yes, thank you" even if you disagree with it. You're at the bottom of the totem pole. Your opinions don't matter and your feelings surely don't matter. I don't know where you're going for med school but if it's anywhere in the East Coast you're going to experience a very strong hierarchy.
 
getdown said:
You're welcome. Here's another pro tip. When you finally reach the wards and any of your superiors (which would be everyone as an MS3) gives you advice on anything your response is to smile, nod and say "yes, thank you" even if you disagree with it. You're at the bottom of the totem pole. Your opinions don't matter and your feelings surely don't matter. I don't know where you're going for med school but if it's anywhere in the East Coast you're going to experience a very strong hierarchy.
Click to expand...

This is very good advice. I cannot tell you how many medical students and junior residents struggle with the overwhelming need to explain. An excuse, if needed, will be solicited. I am almost certainly aware of why you are doing something the way you are because I've been there and at some point tried it but have determines that my way, for me, is better. If asked I will gladly explain why I do it my way. If I am the most senior physician present then the responsibility for the patient's outcome is mine. So if I am going to take the time to sit and watch an intern place a ventricular drain, it needs to be done my way because if the intern passes that EVD into the brainstem then I am going to be the one who has to defend it. Fortunately that rarely hapens because I know how to avoid rhat when things are done my way. Similarly, when an attending tells me to do something in the OR that maybe I think I know a better way that works better for me I do it the way they instruct. Why? Because it is their responsibility, their license, and their future lawsuit or now a days potentially criminal trial.
 
If Steve, Bill, and Mark stayed in there lanes it is certainly a possibility we wouldn’t have Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
F4532 said:
If Steve, Bill, and Mark stayed in there lanes it is certainly a possibility we wouldn’t have Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

Medicine is not tech. People don't die when someone doesn't conform, tries to create new tech and fails. People die when trainees buck the trend and go rogue. You wanna be Bill, Mark and Steve? Do it after you're done training and have the actual knowledge to create something new.
 
I would only study this stuff when it counts and trust that nobody else is studying ahead of time for the sake of enjoying life outside of work while they still can.
 
getdown said:
Medicine is not tech. People don't die when someone doesn't conform, tries to create new tech and fails. People die when trainees buck the trend and go rogue. You wanna be Bill, Mark and Steve? Do it after you're done training and have the actual knowledge to create something new.
Click to expand...

I think you could just do that without going to med school


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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