I had a 4.0 for 4 semesters taking nothing but 300+-level chemistry, biology, and math courses.
My main motivation was
I had to do the best-possible work I could do or else I wouldn't get in. Period. I was in a place where I had a mediocre GPA and no wiggle room left to make huge mistakes to give me a B instead of an A. It was time to grind. I'm going to split this into two different parts: in the classroom and out. Sorry for a wall of text; I have a bit more time on my hands during my elective rotation.
1. Classroom
- What you need to learn is how you learn the best. People tell me "a lot of people are visual learners." Well, I was one of them. I learned best by putting it in a picture. In science courses, that's easy to do. So I would create ways to make it a visual conception. How do light waves/particles become an electrical signal for your O1 to interpret in a meaningful visual concept? I drew it out. How does Angiotensin II bind to receptors in the BBB to make it more permeable for drugs to cross? I drew that s**t out. Yeah, I could learn by listening to someone explain it or read about it for hours in a textbook. But I knew that drawing it out made the concepts, for the most-part, click. If you know what works best for you, stick with that. Don't be focused on trying to change it up; at this point, if you have a system, keep working with it. If you don't know what is best for you, then go to learning sessions with TA's and work with them. The ones I worked with to help me out knew how to explain it in multiple ways; so if you have a good TA, then they can work with you. At the very least, work with the professor because s/he can help the most. They want to see you succeed and do well in the class.
- Learn Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. To avoid another lecture in psychology, I'll just say that the peak of learning is being able to teach someone the concept. My best friend and roommate of 3 years was a music major. As my best friend, he would sit down with me every few days and listen to me teach advanced biochemistry or biological processes in terms that he could understand. It was hard at first, but I was eventually able to put it not only in a way that any average non-bio/premed student could understand, but in terms that interested him. I taught him Type 2 Diabetes in an allegorical way to percussion. Not everyone can have this luxury, I understand that. However, if you can imagine yourself teaching a lecture on these topics and explain, in detail, how [insert topic] works, you have mastered the material needed to make an A in the class.
- Record your lectures and listen to them after. I know this isn't a novel concept, but you'd be surprised what you can miss in class. I found that, in my chemistry classes, I missed up to 30% of what was said. It answered a lot of questions down the line that I would have while studying. For example, in biochemistry, it allowed me to handle amino acid titrations, biotechnology, and normal human function without any issues. Generally, how I would set up my day with lectures was:
a.
8 am - noon: Class; record lectures, take notes, and ask any immediate questions during/after lecture. 4 classes in the morning only.
b.
Noon - 12:30: Eat lunch, unwind, answer emails, go to the library
c.
12:30 - 2 p.m.: Listen to the first 2 lectures and reread my notes I wrote. I would add additional notes I may have missed from writing/typing. Any add'nal questions I would have, I'd email my professor
d.
2 - 3:30 p.m.: Hit the gym. For you, it can be another hobby or some other commitment. Whatever it may be, make sure it gives you something else to focus on.
e.
3:30 - 6 p.m.: This is when I would go into lab and run experiments/help grad students. Some days I got to leave earlier, others I stayed way longer.
f.
6 - 9 p.m.: Listen to other two class lectures and take additional notes. Write questions for the professors if something is still unclear.
Any other time I would dedicate to anything I missed. Taking a lab or working on a project? I'd stay up and finish up whatever I needed.
I do know each day changes, depending on the class and/or other commitments. Which leads to my next point
- Make a schedule and stick to it. The above example was a rough outline before my semester started and had an idea as to what I needed to do each day and when. Yes, you'll have days where everything is thrown off. You'll have days you're stuck in lab for an extra hour longer than you thought. Your boy/girlfriend will want to go on a date or just ask for your attention. S**t happens. You'll need to be flexible. So what I did was give myself ~4 hours of "free/extra time." This allows you to unwind, do something you like, or be able to dedicate extra time to studies. Some classes will take more than just an hour of additional work. Some classes kick your ass, while others don't really need much attention. Get a feel for each class over the first month or so and make a schedule from there.
- Stick to your schedule. Period. Yes, I have to reiterate that. No, "you can't make up lost time tomorrow." You cannot buy time back. Once you can hammer down your schedule, then you can fill in that free time to do what you want. I think it's so important to be social and have an escape from studies. It only gets harder from here and college is truly a unique place. So get the most out of it (within reason.)
Outside the classroom
- There are two situations a person can be in.
- They have just started college. They want to make a strong start and keep it going
- You didn't perform as well as you wanted to, and you need to prove to yourself and future adcoms you have what it takes (this was me after sophomore year.)
Truly, it doesn't matter which situation you're in; what
does matter is that you can show you're ready to take on medical school, residency, and being an attending physician. Here is some tough love you need to read in order to put yourself in the best light possible.
- Most people that want a 4.0 GPA each semester simply don't put in the work for it. You put in the work for a 2.5 GPA but expect a 4.0. You may put in the work for a 3.0 GPA, but you expect a 4.0 to come outta nowhere. That's bull. If the concepts of finding out why certain electron-withdrawing groups behave the way they do thermodynamically vs. kinetically, then put in the time to understand it. If you just cannot understand the mechanism for protein trafficking via the VEGF pathway, put in the f**king work to understand it. If that means you lose some sleep, then you lose some sleep. If it means you have to be antisocial for a few weekends so you can push yourself from a B to an A in Orgo II, then so be it. If you have to hit up a library on a Saturday night to finish a paper on time, instead of getting drunk at a bar, then that's what you have to do. I know you have weak points and gaps in knowledge in certain aspects, but if you recognize you're more handicapped than Steven Hawking (RIP) in Cell Physiology, then you need to take every advantage you have outside of the classroom to make sure you get an A.
I give a few speeches each semester to a local college's premed interest group as a resident physician. Usually I talk about pitfalls and how one bad year/semester doesn't give you some scarlet F on your chest that every medical school can see. 9/10 times, kids who come to me in this situation all have one thing in common: they don't try hard enough. They don't email professors. They don't ask questions in class. They don't attend study sessions with TA's. My first question, every time, is "how do you spend your free time?" Every time, it's "I study SUPER HARD and it never clicks. I spend 7 hours a night at my desk and just read, read, read." Eventually, when I break down their time
actually spent, it's about 25% putting all focus into studying, and 75% bulls**t (FB, TV, drinking, etc.) They act as if there is a mental barrier from 6 p.m. on Friday to Noon on Sunday. They can't learn anything at those times, so they go ahead and party. Every weekend. Before a test. They put in 25% of the work, but expect to be the next shining medical student with 15 acceptances, including Harvard, JHU, and Stanford. Yet I get at least 5 emails from the same kinda people, every year in May, exclaiming they didn't get in anywhere. They have to take an unintended gap year to do something and reapply.
Disclaimer: I know every situation is different. I had MDD throughout my first-half of college. Some of you have to work to stay afloat. Others have family/children to take care of. Some situations are unavoidable. I get it. But you need to realize your priorities and make some sacrifices to make it work. Recognize that you can either let life happen to you, or you can take the reigns and let you happen to life.
- For the love of God, if you have mental health issues (like MDD, ADHD, etc.) get help with it. Unless you're gunning for an HPSP scholarship, it is okay to use adderall/vyvanse/concerta, etc. if it is prescribed to you and you have diagnosed AD(H)D. It doesn't make you weaker, less of a student, or less intelligent to need medication to help you; be-it with SSRI's, SNRI's, Amphetamines, etc. Your mental health is worth investing in.
- Listen to motivational videos first-thing in the morning, over some coffee/tea. At least 30 minutes of motivational speeches. There are so many videos on YouTube, it's easy to find a playlist and stick to it. Yes, there are some cheesy sayings and it can sound weird. It may not even apply to your specific situation. However, developing the habit to listen to positive affirmations will literally change how you approach life. Listening to the videos becomes a habit. Then, you telling yourself those messages from the videos becomes a habit as well. For me, it greatly helped my issue with depression (along with CBT.) It made my approach to learning 25 credit hours of pure medical science into a fun challenge for me. I have done this for the past 4 years, non-stop, and my outlook at my job and in life has changed. I am so much more caring, able to take my mistakes as a physician, future husband, and friend as a learning opportunity (rather than a failure.) It aided me to get a high pass/honors in every rotation in medical school.
- Have a support system. Through family, friends, roommates, classmates, or random people on SDN. You are not in this alone and you need a support net that can catch you when you eventually make a mistake. You will bomb a test. You will make a stupid mistake on a quiz. You will forget to turn in homework in on time. Recognize you're human and use that support system to help you move passed it; to help you learn from your mistake without beating yourself up.
