tips for better 2nd year

[mouseybrown]

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i struggled last year and i dont want that to happen again. any tips for a better 2nd year?



some things im not going to do again:

not go to class
passively reading before class, not actively
spending days obsessing about a test when its over=wasted time
talking to friends about grades
making a schedule that is too ambitious
letting fights with my SO get to me
study for huge stetches at a time w/o breaks



any other tips? especially for path or pharm?


man im afraid for this upcomming year=looking at my schedule fills me with dread :{

 

[Pinkertinkle]

not go to class

I see nothing wrong with that

passively reading before class, not actively

Sounds good

spending days obsessing about a test when its over=wasted time

Agreed

talking to friends about grades

mhm

making a schedule that is too ambitious

I didn't know MS2's made their own schedules.

 

[njbmd]

First of all, congratulations on getting through first year. Second, this year will be much more intersting than last year and essentially a good review of last year's material too. This makes the studying a bit easier. Third, second year is a good time to get away from the house, school and library to study your materials (don't have to go to gross lab etc). Finally, you are used to studying and thus the material becomes easier to digest.

Go to a Starbucks (or Panera Bread), get a large latte, spread out your materials and study there. I even studied sitting at the end of the runway at DCs National Airport in Gravelly Park. There was something about being next to the river with the public going by that helped me hone in on my study materials. Even now, the smell of jet fuel makes me want to study something 😉.

Also remember that most people have a 50-minute attention span. Study for 50-minutes and then break for 10 minutes out of each hour. If something keeps entering your head, write it down on an index card so that you can think about it on your break. Once you write it down, that little mental interruption tends to leave your brain.

When you break, get up and walk around. Get a drink of water or a breath of fresh air. When your glutes are tired, your mind tends to wander so give those muscles something to do besides prop you in front of materials. Also pacing and reciting turned out to be good techniques for me too.

 

[stringjim]

Make sure you get enough sleep and exercise. You might get stressed from thinking that you're doing something other than studying but it actually makes you way more productive. And like njbmd said, break up your study time in to small chunks - you'll be amazed at how much faster you can study.

 

[HPSPpayissues]

go to the classes that would help you and skip the ones that wouldn't