The Curse of using too many sources (I've been warned)

[Blondnuttyboy]

Hey all,

So far, I've heard great things about goljan, a few high yields, brs, step-up, usmle secrets, ucv's, DIT, kaplan at home, and obviously FA.

I spent two weeks trying to devise a crazy plan to incorporate all my many resources. Then a few upperclassmen sat me down and gave it to me straight..pick three+q bank and dump the rest and don't look back.

With that being said, I think I'm going straight FA, goljan, brs psio and qbanks. I'll cross-ref things I dont understand but I'm sick of trying to filter through so much crap.

Quality not quantity right?

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[1nycdoc8]

I've always thought that quantity with quality is the best way to go, but in our scenario I guess it depends on how much time you have to go over stuff. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Hey all,

So far, I've heard great things about goljan, a few high yields, brs, step-up, usmle secrets, ucv's, DIT, kaplan at home, and obviously FA.

I spent two weeks trying to devise a crazy plan to incorporate all my many resources. Then a few upperclassmen sat me down and gave it to me straight..pick three+q bank and dump the rest and don't look back.

With that being said, I think I'm going straight FA, goljan, brs psio and qbanks. I'll cross-ref things I dont understand but I'm sick of trying to filter through so much crap.

Quality not quantity right?

 

[HopefulDoc1984]

Hey all,

So far, I've heard great things about goljan, a few high yields, brs, step-up, usmle secrets, ucv's, DIT, kaplan at home, and obviously FA.

I spent two weeks trying to devise a crazy plan to incorporate all my many resources. Then a few upperclassmen sat me down and gave it to me straight..pick three+q bank and dump the rest and don't look back.

With that being said, I think I'm going straight FA, goljan, brs psio and qbanks. I'll cross-ref things I dont understand but I'm sick of trying to filter through so much crap.

Quality not quantity right?

adding in HY neuro and HY behavioral isnt a bad idea since they are so short. that should pretty much cover everything.

 

[vicinihil]

I say go with HY Neuro because First Aid is WEAK on that and leave off Behavioral Science. People say HY Mol and Cell 1st ed, but having read it twice, it's not essential though helpful to revisit.

 

[badasshairday]

I say go with HY Neuro because First Aid is WEAK on that and leave off Behavioral Science. People say HY Mol and Cell 1st ed, but having read it twice, it's not essential though helpful to revisit.

I hear people talk about HY Behavioral Science or HY Biostats as being important. Mid-yield material that people tend to gloss over. So knowing those well would help you score a coupla points. But doesn't HY Behavioral Science also have some biostats in it?

I'm still trying to get my plan together. So far it is going to be:
FA
RR path
HY Cell and Molec
USMLE World
HY Behaviorial or Biostats
and read/referance certain sections of BRS PHYSIO, HY Neuro, Kaplan Biochem

I really don't want to add more than that. I'm a slow reader and I much rather do all of UWORLD than sit around reading biochem.

 

[Rabbit Hole]

Hey all,

So far, I've heard great things about goljan, a few high yields, brs, step-up, usmle secrets, ucv's, DIT, kaplan at home, and obviously FA.

I spent two weeks trying to devise a crazy plan to incorporate all my many resources. Then a few upperclassmen sat me down and gave it to me straight..pick three+q bank and dump the rest and don't look back.

With that being said, I think I'm going straight FA, goljan, brs psio and qbanks. I'll cross-ref things I dont understand but I'm sick of trying to filter through so much crap.

Quality not quantity right?

What you just experienced is an intervention. Much like a crack addict, the urge to "use" (multiple resources that you don't have time for) will always be in the back of your mind. Resist the temptation and avoid relapsing.

Your seniors gave you excellent advice. Goodluck

 

[DrBowtie]

HY Behavioral and HY Cell Molec 1st Ed. both take 1 day each to read. I wouldn't worry about counting these as too many sources. I too have heard this advice but I think it mainly pertains to using multiple books for a single subject or a lengthy book for a low yield subject like anatomy or embryo. You don't want to tie up a lot of days in a low yield books.

Haven't taken so take my advice with a grain of salt. Just passing along what I have heard.

 

[illixir]

I think the point is you were spending 2 weeks just trying to plan out how to use the resources rather than just getting started. Using several resources can be good but only if you can do it quickly and efficiently without getting bogged down as it seems you may have been, things that are covered in all will be the most high-yield which will only help plus there's the variety of detail. I think the number of sources a person should use should mainly depend on their individual study skills and how much time they have. I'm spending a couple days a topic doing an all out massacre of each subject and detailed sources can help, but I'm also 7-8 weeks out.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I've got a ton of sources, but they are mostly just for reference. I've got a couple go-to sources that I use, and the rest are just if I need to look something specific up in more detail.

 

[Blondnuttyboy]

thanks for all the replies. I'm just having massive anxiety - it helps that my first pass through first aid is showing me weak areas. i.e. HY neuro. I just really wanted to hear about condensing ideas

In the 5 week binge, I think it would be phenomenal if I had an annotated First Aid and a goljans/robbins as a reference. those two + usmle world for 5 weeks. maybe flashcards for breaks, before bed, etc.

I feel like I could be unstoppable.

 

[starkcrazy]

I think it's easy to get caught up with the search for the best sources. So frustrating!!!! I have found it critical to integrate some topics into FA and make flashcards of everything else. Otherwise i get a panic attack looking at 15 texts sitting on my desk

my sources:
HY neuro
RR goljan
BRS physio
FA
Pharm Recall
miscellaneous texts from classes (but only if i dont understand FA and need the review)