Things to keep in mind for incoming M1s?

[magician7772222]

When starting college as a pre-med I knew little to nothing about what I should be doing and figured the process out very haphazardly, feeling pretty unprepared for each step of the way so I'd like to avoid that during medical school. What are things that should be kept in mind for incoming M1s, things that need to be focused on or changed from undergrad, extracurriculars that are a must do, general advice, ect.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[FalconSlice]

When starting college as a pre-med I knew little to nothing about what I should be doing and figured the process out very haphazardly, feeling pretty unprepared for each step of the way so I'd like to avoid that during medical school. What are things that should be kept in mind for incoming M1s, things that need to be focused on or changed from undergrad, extracurriculars that are a must do, general advice, ect.

- Study/review things every day so you’re not fallen behind
- get involved in interest groups depending on if you’re interested in any specialties
- get involved in research/outreach in whatever fields interest you
- ensure you’re taking care of yourself. Eat well, get good quality sleep, and exercise regularly

 

[Dragonite7]

Don't worry, pre-med advisors in undergrad are largely clueless and have no idea what's going on. In med school, things are usually better as with a smaller class size the school is much more invested in you and there's also less extracurricular boxes you need to check. General advice would be to be prepared to study a lot more than in undergrad so you don't fall behind.

 

[Hollow Knight]

1. If you aren't getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep every night you're doing it wrong, I promise. You will be more efficient over the long haul if you take care of yourself. Unless you're on a mandatory 36 hour shift or something (hopefully your med school doesn't have those). Likewise, studying on an exercise bike for 30 minutes every other day, or lifting in the gym 30 minutes three times a week will be AMAZING for your mood and productivity.

following, in no particular order:

-Figure out what works for you and keep doing that. Lots of people above you will probably give you terrible advice. They're well-meaning, but ignore them.

-Your curriculum will probably not prepare you to pass board exams. Ignore pathoma, sketchy, UWorld, etc at your own peril.

-If you want to match a competitive specialty, what matters is your step 2 score and research. Everything else (including class grades) is secondary. I don't think focusing on boards and useless research will make you a better doctor, but it's how the game is played, and your med school administration probably does not know this (at least mine doesn't)

-If you don't want to match something competitive: study until you are safely passing (As and Bs, or maybe Bs and Cs), and make sure you're prepping for boards (UFAPS/etc), and then go enjoy your life. Don't get divorced because you want to make As instead of Bs, especially if you're going for FM/IM/peds/EM/gen surg.

 

[magician7772222]

1. If you aren't getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep every night you're doing it wrong, I promise. You will be more efficient over the long haul if you take care of yourself. Unless you're on a mandatory 36 hour shift or something (hopefully your med school doesn't have those). Likewise, studying on an exercise bike for 30 minutes every other day, or lifting in the gym 30 minutes three times a week will be AMAZING for your mood and productivity.

following, in no particular order:

-Figure out what works for you and keep doing that. Lots of people above you will probably give you terrible advice. They're well-meaning, but ignore them.

-Your curriculum will probably not prepare you to pass board exams. Ignore pathoma, sketchy, UWorld, etc at your own peril.

-If you want to match a competitive specialty, what matters is your step 2 score and research. Everything else (including class grades) is secondary. I don't think focusing on boards and useless research will make you a better doctor, but it's how the game is played, and your med school administration probably does not know this (at least mine doesn't)

-If you don't want to match something competitive: study until you are safely passing (As and Bs, or maybe Bs and Cs), and make sure you're prepping for boards (UFAPS/etc), and then go enjoy your life. Don't get divorced because you want to make As instead of Bs, especially if you're going for FM/IM/peds/EM/gen surg.

How competitive is psych? Should I be leaning more towards the competitive or the non competitive scenario?

 

[AJS59]

How competitive is psych? Should I be leaning more towards the competitive or the non competitive scenario?

Psych leans middle of the road in competitiveness, as far as I know, definitely less than Gen Surg, but probably more than FM/IM/Peds/Em. My understanding is it would place on the same level-i as neuro, path, and PM&R.

I think HollowKnight's point about competitiveness would apply most to the following: Ortho, Neurosurg, Plastics, Ophtho, Derm, ENT (as well as the rare integrated CT surg). Lesser competitive, but still relatively more competitive, I think, would be the land of IR/DR, Gen/Vasc Surg, Uro and Anesthesia

 

[Hollow Knight]

How competitive is psych? Should I be leaning more towards the competitive or the non competitive scenario?

What AJ said.

Psych isn't braindead easy to match like FM is (I say that as someone applying FM), but it's not horrible like derm. I would focus on prepping for boards and enjoying your life. Do some research once you get your sea legs under you, but you don't need like 15 pubs or anything. just a few will probably suffice. And if you're pretty dang sure you're interested in psych, reach out to the department at your school early on (like maybe M2?) and see what they suggest.

ALWAYS be on your best behavior, and never complain, even if you just got off a 24 and didn't get a post-call day. A shocking number of gen Z/millenial med students get in trouble for professionalism issues (not saying whether they're bad people or not, you just don't want to be labelled as a problem med student)

Also, if you're looking at number of pubs- you can always go find the most recent "Charting Outcomes in the Match" report from the NRMP and look to see the average number of pubs for psych (or whatever specialty you intend), their average step 2 score, % AOA, etc

 

[magician7772222]

Also, if you're looking at number of pubs- you can always go find the most recent "Charting Outcomes in the Match" report from the NRMP and look to see the average number of pubs for psych (or whatever specialty you intend), their average step 2 score, % AOA, etc

Thanks for this, I just took a look and saw the volunteer experiences category. What does that actually refer to?

 

[harmonious_gazelle]

Psych leans middle of the road in competitiveness, as far as I know, definitely less than Gen Surg, but probably more than FM/IM/Peds/Em. My understanding is it would place on the same level-i as neuro, path, and PM&R.

I think HollowKnight's point about competitiveness would apply most to the following: Ortho, Neurosurg, Plastics, Ophtho, Derm, ENT (as well as the rare integrated CT surg). Lesser competitive, but still relatively more competitive, I think, would be the land of IR/DR, Gen/Vasc Surg, Uro and Anesthesia

how competitive would you all say that OBGYN is right now?

 

[AJS59]

how competitive would you all say that OBGYN is right now?

OB-GYN, afaik, is probably same level as psych

 

[Hollow Knight]

Thanks for this, I just took a look and saw the volunteer experiences category. What does that actually refer to?

I assume people going to soup kitchens and stuff. Don’t read too much into that. If you like volunteering and have time, do it. I personally was one of those people who had enough on my plate just doing med school even though I love volunteering. It’s not gonna move the needle all that much, this isn’t premed

 

[operaman]

Lots of good advice already. Some other thoughts:

1) in the beginning, focus heavily on academics alone. Try and go overboard on the study and prep for your class exams, stay caught up, aim for the top score in the class. See where your max effort can get you and then titrate accordingly. If your max effort lands you near perfect scores, then dial back a bit and use your spare time for other things. If your max effort leads to barely passing, then strap in for a bumpy ride. I’ve seen too many of the latter bomb the first exams and spend the year catching up and/or having to remediate. Start strong, then dial it back if you can.

2) aside from research, only get involved in things you actually like. Nobody will care how many ECs you do, so just do whatever actually seems interesting and meaningful to you. My ECs in med school looked almost exactly like my ECs now as an attending.

3) don’t buy any textbooks.

4) don’t buy physical diagnosis equipment if you can help it. My school made us by including it in tuition and fees. It sat in my closet unused for over a decade until I recently gave it and my old stethoscope away to a new MS1 who needed it. So drag your feet on that one unless you absolutely have to.

 

[Goro]

If you haven't done so already, invest in an InstaPot and an air fryer.
And read this:

• Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2024 edition)

 

[@#Frogthejam#@]

Focus on getting the best grades that you can, at least at first. Research can ECs should come second to getting the best grades possible on each exam you take. Do your best on Preclinicals and set yourself up to score very well on your shelf exams and then STEP 2. Theres always time to do more ECs or Reserach (Research year, finding low hanging fruit research). But, quality study time is limited. You have one shot to take each Shelf exam and Step 2.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

We have written

Starting Strong: Tips For Your First Year of Medical School - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Surviving Your First Year as a Doctor - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Surviving Your First Year of Medical School - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Three Tips to be an All Star First Year Medical Student - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

The New Medical Student: Tips and Tricks from First-Years - SDN

Steph Rodriguez, Zain Mehdi, Martin Goree, and Carl Skoog are approaching the end of that ... Read more

www.studentdoctor.net

4 Reasons First-Year Medical Students Should Reflect on Their Initial Clinical Experiences - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

We welcome anyone willing to write a new perspective on this topic. We might even pay you.

Writing for SDN - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net