top 10 good pieces of advice for starting med students

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doc05 said:
advice: don't go to lecture. ever.
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Unless they give food.

Willamette
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thanks everyone. this is very helpful.

anyone want to please elaborate on the "dont date/hook up with any of your classmates."
 
Sorry to be clueless but why is going to class a waste of time?
just so much to know and you end up wasting time commuting etc?
 
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I'm going to make a guess as to why class is a waste of time.
For me, I'm a visual learner. Anything that I hear is lost 2 seconds later.
I have to sit down and read/write it. Thus for me, class would be a waste.

Oh and Pilot, Darn I love that avatar of yours!!!!
 
as far as brs goes, it may not be detailed enough for all of your classes, but it is an excellent review for step 1. i was very glad that i had been studying with brs phys and path for 2 years when i finally got ready for the boards. at that point you will know the books inside and out.

of course, i took the path of studying for boards and not necessarily for class. i mean its pass/fail right?
 
Mr Reddly said:
I'm going to make a guess as to why class is a waste of time.
For me, I'm a visual learner. Anything that I hear is lost 2 seconds later.
I have to sit down and read/write it. Thus for me, class would be a waste.

Oh and Pilot, Darn I love that avatar of yours!!!!
Click to expand...

i dont know. for me going to class helps cause i see the material for the first time and the teacher often says extra stuff not found in the book. but, i also dont learn anything from lecture...i have to go home and study.
 
Jalby said:
Best Review books, per my expierience and first aid:

BRS Path and Physio
Medicial Microbiology made rediculously simple

Then some steps below those three:
BRS Behavioral
Lippencotts Pharm/Biochem (extremely long books, but in my opinion the best for the subjects)
Click to expand...

I second on the Lippincott's Biochem review book....it really does help!

And I'd also say "napes" to dating within your class. We have way more girls than guys in my class, anyway, so not that there was any potential....date a law student! It seems to work for me....

I'd reccomend hanging out with people outside of med school. It keeps you sane....

Keep fit...I sit so much during the day with lectures or in front of a computer. Even during crazy times (like during gross anatomy, etc), find time to exercise. I think that's been my biggest saving grace...

Give yourself breaks and take time for fun. You can't study 7 days a week without getting incredibly burnt out!

Get rid of your TV or don't buy one. I don't have one in my apt. and it has really helped. But i do miss having one during the Final Four and NBA playoffs....
 
I'll elaborate on the don't hook up with your classmate suggestion (should be a requirement):

For some odd reason, the stress of med school makes med students unbelievably horny. Combine that with alcohol generally during a post-exam binge fest (aka party) and you wind up waking up next to a lab partner.

Rarely does this last. In addition, there aren't too many people in med school meaning that you see everyone often. THe result? Think of junior high school. Everyone knew who kissed who by what locker by third period. WE have nothing better to obsess over (besides class of course) than our pathetic lives. Try and spend as little time aspossible studying on campus so that you can see what REAL people look like every now and then. Try to interact with people outside of med school as much as possible. THis should help from succumbing to an inevitable mistake. Just think, there is a reason why this one point has been stressed over and over. We are all products of screwing this up. It makes things RIDICULOUSLY uncomfortable not to mention, everyone talks about things and everyone learns the details of the event(s). Not everyone in your class needs to know how you behave behind closed doors.....
 
1. Study as if you want to specialize. You may or may not honor or get A's in everything, but you'll probably do good enough to either 1) pass and/or 2) get into the residency program of your choice.

2. Don't study all of the time. This is NOT in contradiction to the 1st piece of advice. Make sure you don't lose touch with friends, families; maintain hobbies in some limited capacity.

3. Make as many connections with your classmates as you can. I'm not saying you should go around and kiss everyone's rear, but be able to mingle with just about anyone in your class.

4. No matter what you may think, people have helped get you to where you are or where you are going. Don't forget to thank them whenever you see them.

5. Stay away from cliques.

6. Stay (or get) in shape.

7. If you need help, ask for it.

8. If you are shy or not a good speaker/conversationist, start talkin'.

9. Buy books used if you have to buy books at all.

10. Someone in your class may be struggling...offer your help and let them know the offer stands if they need it.
 
Thanks for all the awesome advice. Let's keep this thread going.

bump.
 
bumping to top :)
 
Most of this has been said but I think the important points are

1. Go to the first day a given professor is teaching to see if they are good. Then decide whether to go to the rest of their lectures. Some teachers (very few) are really good at explaining concepts while others are more boring than a drill bit. You'll realize (hopefuly) that there are very few trully amazing professors out there and then you'll stop wasting your time in class. But you have to see this for yourself first, I didn't believe it when upperclassmen told me how much of a waste of time lecture was until I experienced it. You will learn at least double the amount of material in the 1 hour you would've wasted in lecture by studying on your own.

2. Do not study by a computer. Browsing SDN is going to seem like a vacation in paradise when you are studying Biochem.

3. Do not buy a TV or if you must have one do not get cable. I did first year and it wasted a lot of my time. No TV in my house since then.

4. Try studying in a group, if it works for you great, keep doing it. If not do not feel that you should be just because its waht "people" recommend. I found that I was a lot more productive studying on my own, others do better with a partner, see what works for you and stick with it.

5. Have friends outside of med school, or at least outside of YOUR med school. Med school classes are really small communites and you'll want exposure to the outsdie world once in while to break the routine.

6. Go to the gym. Sitting and studying all day long isn't healthy and you'll retain more info if you're in good shape. Remember that whole "Sound mind in a sound body" thing.

7. When studying for an exam ALWAYS try to do as many questions as you can get your hands on. Questions are by far the best way to learn the material. That includes studying for Step 1 as well.

8. Buy BRS Path and First Aid at the start of 2nd year. Do not use them to study for your class exams, as those will be much more detailed and picky, but do read the pertinent chapters as you go and jot down stuff in FA that you feel is important and that you're likely to forget. This will make you familiar with the books and come time to study for Step 1, you'll appreciate it. I didn't do this, but now that I'm studying I sure as hell wish I did.

9. When it comes time to take the Behavior shelf (if you have to) BRS is a godsend. Nothing on that exam that isn't in the book.

10. Enjoy yourself. You've made it this far, you'll be a doctor. Try to enjoy the stuff you're learning, its why you chose this field. Try to grasp concepts because if you don't remember the details now you will when you see it a second time in 2nd year or the third time while reviewing for step 1, or the fourth time on the wards when you got a patient with the disease, or in residecy, etc. you get the drift...details will come with time, get the concepts.
 
Pilot said:
Things I learned in medical school:

*Do a Radiology elective - even if you don't want to do radiology as a career

.
Click to expand...

Why is that?
 
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A lot of people have mentioned skipping class b/c it is often a waste of time. I didn't attend class much during undergrad for the same reason; I just felt that I could get a lot more done on my own. How do the professors react to people skipping class? I would guess that, med school being a pretty intimate environment (not that many students), profs would notice and disapprove of people missing a lot of class.
 
birdie said:
Why is that?
Click to expand...

Because anyone who is ordering these studies should be able to read them to some degree. It usually takes hours to get a preliminary read on a film. If you can read it on your own, you can initiate the appropriate treatment immediately.
 
shadow said:
A lot of people have mentioned skipping class b/c it is often a waste of time. I didn't attend class much during undergrad for the same reason; I just felt that I could get a lot more done on my own. How do the professors react to people skipping class? I would guess that, med school being a pretty intimate environment (not that many students), profs would notice and disapprove of people missing a lot of class.
Click to expand...

with a class of 100-150 they really don't notice. med school lecture is pretty big..its intimate b/c you're in the same lecture hall w. the same people the whole day, each day, for two years. Not because the class is small. Actually the professors didn't even care when people got up and left in the middle of the lecture.
 
ok I'm starting, but I'd say "4get about your MCAT score!!!" It means jack!!!! Noone cares if you got a 35 or a 25. A friend got a 29 on MCAT and turned out and got a 235 on Step I
 
bump

buglady said:
I second on the Lippincott's Biochem review book....it really does help!

And I'd also say "napes" to dating within your class. We have way more girls than guys in my class, anyway, so not that there was any potential....date a law student! It seems to work for me....

I'd reccomend hanging out with people outside of med school. It keeps you sane....

Keep fit...I sit so much during the day with lectures or in front of a computer. Even during crazy times (like during gross anatomy, etc), find time to exercise. I think that's been my biggest saving grace...

Give yourself breaks and take time for fun. You can't study 7 days a week without getting incredibly burnt out!

Get rid of your TV or don't buy one. I don't have one in my apt. and it has really helped. But i do miss having one during the Final Four and NBA playoffs....
Click to expand...
 
This thread is funny!! And probably a little anxiety provoking for potential med students!! Do that, watch out, no dont do that.. And almost the ultimate--Im not saying I agree- "Dont ever go to class"

But I agree and will say even though its another live can of worms, or another battle but its good advice..

Learn EKGs!
 
For the first two years, my advice is to do what works for you. Nobody has to study any certain way. For some classes I liked text books more than review books. I've never looked over material immediately before a test because I find it worthless and anxiety inducing. Why in the world do you need to sit in the front if you go to lecture? Just examples, but as you can see, some advice that worked wonderfully for some people would be a big failure for me.

My only advice is to keep up. Other than that, you have to find your own path.
 
The "don't date your classmates" thing is an interesting take and in general I'd agree. Here's an example of why: I dated one of my classmates throughout first year and we had a pretty messy breakup that involved mistakes and bad judgement on both sides. Now we have our first clinical clerkships together including a plastics elective in which there is only one other student. Currently he is not speaking to me, despite attempts on my end to extend the olive branch and try to initiate the formation of a functioning professional relationship.

On the other hand, however, there are currently 13 other pairings within my class that, at last evaluation, appear to be very healthy. One pair actually moved in with each other this year, and the rest of them appear to be very happy and stable. I'm not sure how clerkships are going to affect those relationships but so far I'm pretty impressed with the fact that only 1 out of 14 intra-class relationships went south.

So, I guess the answer is, as with all things, it depends.
 
AlexRusso said:
Most of this has been said but I think the important points are

1. Go to the first day a given professor is teaching to see if they are good. Then decide whether to go to the rest of their lectures. Some teachers (very few) are really good at explaining concepts while others are more boring than a drill bit. You'll realize (hopefuly) that there are very few trully amazing professors out there and then you'll stop wasting your time in class. But you have to see this for yourself first, I didn't believe it when upperclassmen told me how much of a waste of time lecture was until I experienced it. You will learn at least double the amount of material in the 1 hour you would've wasted in lecture by studying on your own.

2. Do not study by a computer. Browsing SDN is going to seem like a vacation in paradise when you are studying Biochem.

3. Do not buy a TV or if you must have one do not get cable. I did first year and it wasted a lot of my time. No TV in my house since then.

4. Try studying in a group, if it works for you great, keep doing it. If not do not feel that you should be just because its what "people" recommend. I found that I was a lot more productive studying on my own, others do better with a partner, see what works for you and stick with it.

5. Have friends outside of med school, or at least outside of YOUR med school. Med school classes are really small communities and you'll want exposure to the outsdie world once in while to break the routine.

6. Go to the gym. Sitting and studying all day long isn't healthy and you'll retain more info if you're in good shape. Remember that whole "Sound mind in a sound body" thing.

7. When studying for an exam ALWAYS try to do as many questions as you can get your hands on. Questions are by far the best way to learn the material. That includes studying for Step 1 as well.

8. Buy BRS Path and First Aid at the start of 2nd year. Do not use them to study for your class exams, as those will be much more detailed and picky, but do read the pertinent chapters as you go and jot down stuff in FA that you feel is important and that you're likely to forget. This will make you familiar with the books and come time to study for Step 1, you'll appreciate it. I didn't do this, but now that I'm studying I sure as hell wish I did.

9. When it comes time to take the Behavior shelf (if you have to) BRS is a godsend. Nothing on that exam that isn't in the book.

10. Enjoy yourself. You've made it this far, you'll be a doctor. Try to enjoy the stuff you're learning, its why you chose this field. Try to grasp concepts because if you don't remember the details now you will when you see it a second time in 2nd year or the third time while reviewing for step 1, or the fourth time on the wards when you got a patient with the disease, or in residecy, etc. you get the drift...details will come with time, get the concepts.
Click to expand...

I like all of these
 
- Don't buy a television set, and don't get cable, as another poster has mentioned. It will be a distraction to your studies

- Buy a year long gym membership. The sheer expense of it will guilt you into using it, which will keep you from getting fat. Getting fat is bad, and is easy to do when you're sitting non-stop staring at books all day long.

- Maintain communication with the outside world. Hanging out continuously with medical students can be hazardous to your health-- try to talk to your friends and family from home so you can remember how to maintain a normal human conversation and forget about that biochem exam for 20 minutes or so.

- Buy Lippincott's Biochemistry, Costanzo's Physiology, BRS Physiology, Netter's, Rohen's (maybe), and Moore's.

- Buy a coffemaker of some sort to save money at Starbucks

- Buy a highlighters and pens in bulk

- Don't fall behind.
 
Why does everyone always suggest BRS for Phys and Path, but Lippincott for Pharm and Biochem? What's wrong with BRS for Biochem and Pharm?

What does Moore add to anatomy that you won't have covered with Netter, Rohen, Grant and Grey? It seems as though going for more than one is really overkill, or maybe two if you want one with drawings and one with photos.

Has anyone ever used the Thieme Atlas of Anatomy by Michael Schuenke et.al.? It's divided into the following three volumes.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...UTF8&coliid=IXVM4F0NF5TZL&colid=3TDEWEW5WG7YU

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...TF8&coliid=I2ERCZGZ7YRKWA&colid=3TDEWEW5WG7YU

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...TF8&coliid=I1SW93W43NRYO6&colid=3TDEWEW5WG7YU
 
Chulito said:
Why does everyone always suggest BRS for Phys and Path, but Lippincott for Pharm and Biochem? What's wrong with BRS for Biochem and Pharm?

What does Moore add to anatomy that you won't have covered with Netter, Rohen, Grant and Grey?
Click to expand...

I don't know, but never trust book suggestions made by someone who's not a student at your school. Lippincott was completely unnecessary for my biochem class, and very few students at my school used Moore. Again, another reason why no 10 pieces of advice work for everyone. :)

As for Moore, it's a full textbook while the other books you mentioned are atlases. Atlases just have pictures, whereas Moore is mainly text with some pictures thrown in. My anatomy class was taught by the guy who wrote the BRS anatomy book, so we all used that instead of Moore. I used to Moore to supplement some stuff just because I learn well by reading (liberal arts background and all), but I didn't anybody else who regularly used Moore. At other schools, people seem to think Moore is priceless.
 
Chulito said:
Why does everyone always suggest BRS for Phys and Path, but Lippincott for Pharm and Biochem? What's wrong with BRS for Biochem and Pharm?
Click to expand...

BRS Physio and Path are very good - they're well organized and well-written, and they have a good (but not overwhelming) amount of detail. They seem to focus on the topics that truly are high-yield.

I found that BRS Biochem was not very good. Most medical school biochem is a collection of cell bio, genetics, metabolic pathways, proteins, etc. BRS biochem focuses almost exclusively on metabolism, so it is only useful for ~ 30% of biochem. (This goes for Step 1, too.) And they don't really focus on very high-yield topics, so it's not very good as a Step 1 review book.

People probably stopped using the BRS Pharm because it hadn't been updated since 1997 or something. In the world of pharm, that's ancient. (Particularly now that everything pharm-related is on the internet.) I think they updated it in 2006, but people probably stopped recommending it a while back.

Chulito said:
What does Moore add to anatomy that you won't have covered with Netter, Rohen, Grant and Grey? It seems as though going for more than one is really overkill, or maybe two if you want one with drawings and one with photos.
Click to expand...

Netter, Rohen, and Grant are exclusively atlases, and do not offer any explanation of common anomalies/variants and do not discuss muscle functions or innervations. You cannot study from atlases alone - you must have some kind of a textbook along with it. Grey is a fairly good textbook, but it lacks some of the detail in Moore.

Basically, for anatomy, many students will have a minimum of 2 books - 1 textbook, and 1 atlas. Moore is a good textbook, and always a solid bet. Not everyone ends up liking it, though.

Chulito said:
Has anyone ever used the Thieme Atlas of Anatomy by Michael Schuenke et.al.? It's divided into the following three volumes.
Click to expand...

I've seen it around various bookstores before. If it's 3 volumes, it might be a bit unwieldy. If you can afford it, and you like it, there's no reason not to use it. It might be a bit overkill, though.
 
My one piece of advice - have a devised strategy for food. Know what meals you can make and freeze some healthy options away or you'll succumb to all the junk that is out there. You're already going to be working hard so you need to take care of yourself and if you aren't knowledgeable in the kitchen it might be a good time to visit allrecipes.com before school starts.
 
AlexRusso said:
2. Do not study by a computer. Browsing SDN is going to seem like a vacation in paradise when you are studying Biochem.

4. Try studying in a group, if it works for you great, keep doing it. If not do not feel that you should be just because its waht "people" recommend. I found that I was a lot more productive studying on my own, others do better with a partner, see what works for you and stick with it.

6. Go to the gym. Sitting and studying all day long isn't healthy and you'll retain more info if you're in good shape. Remember that whole "Sound mind in a sound body" thing.
Click to expand...
These were the important ones I saw. I don't bring my laptop with me when I study. If I really need a computer briefly (to look something up or for a quick break), the library has a computer lab.

My study time is maybe 30-40% less efficient when I study with other people (I study with one guy mostly), but I can study for 2-3 times as long. So, it's a beneficial situation for me. An actual group hasn't proved to be helpful, unless those of us all studying nearby get together occasionally and pimp each other to find out what our weak spots are.


Definitely go to the gym. Practice what you'll be preaching!!
 
silas2642 said:
- Don't buy a television set, and don't get cable, as another poster has mentioned. It will be a distraction to your studies
...
Click to expand...

And I just bought a sexy new plasma TV :oops:

I can control myself... I think.

Can't wait for start of football season!!! :D
 
silas2642 said:
- Don't buy a television set, and don't get cable, as another poster has mentioned. It will be a distraction to your studies.
Click to expand...

You know, when I first read this comment by whoever first said it, I was thinking boy that's ridiculous. Who doesn't own a TV by the time they start medical school anyways? Then I read this comment including don't get cable and thought, ahh... I get it.

My biggest reasons for not getting cable for our TVs include: 1) money - it costs another $35/month or so to have cable; 2) I will be too busy studying to get to watch cable anyways! Most of the shows I watch are on NBC, ABC, CBS, or Fox; 3) If I'm not too busy that I can watch the junk on cable along with my regular TV addictions, I'm probably not studying enough.

So... I support the no getting cable. Although it will really blow when football season starts and I can't watch all my team's games because half of them are on cable stations. Sounds like a good time to "study" in a group. :thumbup:
 
Chulito said:
Has anyone ever used the Thieme Atlas of Anatomy by Michael Schuenke et.al.? It's divided into the following three volumes.
Click to expand...

In our Anatomy lecture the professor often uses slides from the Thieme Atlases. The look a whole lot better than Netter's (which I do own) and I've ordered the series and plan on using them with Moore's and possibly Netter's.

At my school most students use Netter's because they get it free when they join AMSA.

Although I think picture Atlases like Rohen are very helpful for practicals, I think drawings are very helpful too. Drawings can emphasize structures or selectively display certain layers .. which I find very helpful.
 
GreenT said:
Sorry to be clueless but why is going to class a waste of time?
just so much to know and you end up wasting time commuting etc?
Click to expand...

I'm only a first year, so don't take my advice ;)

But anyway, I've found that lecture does kind of eat up quite a bit of extra time for me, but it does vary for everyone. We have access to videos of all of our lectures, so on days that I just watch them online rather than going to class, I save 20-30 minutes of driving time, 10 minutes of walking to and from the parking lot.. plus I tend to chat too much so end up standing around for a while talking to friends before and after lecture. Also, I usually pay attention better when I'm watching it on the computer rather than in lecture, plus can speed up the playback time and watch it in 45 minutes instead of an hour, especially if the lecturer is talking really slow. But hey, different strategies work best for everyone :)
 
johnstoner said:
don't watch too much TV like me!

pick and choose programs to watch...

ie. choose apprentice...not bachelor
or choose fear factor not NBC nightly news
or choose simpsons but skip friends
Click to expand...

3 letters DVR. It's a life saver.
 
lotanna said:
ok I'm starting, but I'd say "4get about your MCAT score!!!" It means jack!!!! Noone cares if you got a 35 or a 25. A friend got a 29 on MCAT and turned out and got a 235 on Step I
Click to expand...

This doesnt sound that unreasonable to me.
If your friend got a 26 on the mcat, and then pumped out
a 245 on Step 1, then I'd be more impressed. But solid score
nonetheless :thumbup:
 
Jwax said:
You know, when I first read this comment by whoever first said it, I was thinking boy that's ridiculous. Who doesn't own a TV by the time they start medical school anyways? Then I read this comment including don't get cable and thought, ahh... I get it.

My biggest reasons for not getting cable for our TVs include: 1) money - it costs another $35/month or so to have cable; 2) I will be too busy studying to get to watch cable anyways! Most of the shows I watch are on NBC, ABC, CBS, or Fox; 3) If I'm not too busy that I can watch the junk on cable along with my regular TV addictions, I'm probably not studying enough.

So... I support the no getting cable. Although it will really blow when football season starts and I can't watch all my team's games because half of them are on cable stations. Sounds like a good time to "study" in a group. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

My roommate doesnt pay for cable, and I'm starting to love it now.
I havent turned the TV on since I have moved in, I see no point to
do it, and I have loads of extra time to study. I'm actually waiting for
friday's exams, debating on what I should do to get ahead for next
week.

Another tip (that works for me) is to try varying the places that you
study. This will keep you in touch with the outside world, as well as
bore you less. Alternate: at home, in school library, a barnes and noble,
town library, etc. I also like to see other students around from other
schools, kinda grounds me in telling me that there is plenty of interesting
study out there other than medicine.
 
gosh its a whole wide new perspective.

im ms 1 on my second semester. cuz its korea.

its amazing how advices for freshies could be the same across the world.

i never thought that never date a classmate suffices in the states as well lol

well im newb to this forum but i just simply love sdn lol
 
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