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Some people might think this is a troll response, but it’s 100% accurate.I wish I hadn't wasted time on lightyear and started immediately with zanki instead
I wish I had picked a cheaper school. I have no clue what my tuition goes toward.
For real tho. That “top” program in a high COL area is going way farther down on the list than that solid community program with ample moonlighting in a small town.I feel this...
I ended up going to the school that 'aligned best with my goals/aspirations'. But my school's goal is to acquire currency. Not saying that's not the goal at every med school, but the tuition where I go is outrageous. During preclinical, I didn't use the library, notes, or 'resources'...I just used outside materials. So I'm just paying for a piece fo paper.
For residency rankings in the future, I am not going to make the same mistake(s). Cost of living will play a huge part in my decision. In this game, given the cost, feelings are for fools. Make decisions based on money/cost....because if your money isn't right, few things are right.
Gotta reiterate for emphasis, if your school teaches well to the boards (e.g. uses NBME unit finals) then studying your curriculum is studying for Step. The people you see lamenting late board studying are usually coming from schools that don't align well with USMLE content.I wish I made more of an effort to do research in my field or related field and get published. I applied with 3 projects, one poster, and one publication. The pub was not in my field or related. I definitely would have had time to do something during MS1 or 2.
Things I DO NOT regret:
Waiting to study for Step 1. I focused on class material until after our comp exams end of second year. Dedicated study for about 7ish weeks. Scored 263 and was a lot less miserable and burnt than classmates who started earlier and forgot everything by dedicated. Although, my school is VERY GOOD at prepping us for boards through the class material.
Taking Step 2 EARLY!!!! Having my scores back summer before I applied was so clutch.
I wish I made more of an effort to do research in my field or related field and get published. I applied with 3 projects, one poster, and one publication. The pub was not in my field or related. I definitely would have had time to do something during MS1 or 2.
Things I DO NOT regret:
Waiting to study for Step 1. I focused on class material until after our comp exams end of second year. Dedicated study for about 7ish weeks. Scored 263 and was a lot less miserable and burnt than classmates who started earlier and forgot everything by dedicated. Although, my school is VERY GOOD at prepping us for boards through the class material.
Taking Step 2 EARLY!!!! Having my scores back summer before I applied was so clutch.
For the STEP 1 prep, I keep finding a lot of conflicting answers on when to prep, even outside of this thread. Start of M1? Start of M2? Middle of M2?
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what's best.
Utilizing some form of spaced repetition means that you retain 90+% of what you learned the first time. This means that while everyone else is killing themselves to review everything they've learned starting from the second half of M2, you're putting that same effort into eradicating your weaknesses and honing your test taking skills.
If you're using Anki for spaced repetition, using it as early as possible just means you won't have to do as many cards everyday to finish the deck before dedicated. Trust me, 50 new cards a day vs 100 new cards a day is a significant difference in workload.
That's why you always hear people saying "I wish I had started Zanki earlier", for example.
Doing it this way is the safe way of preparing for step if you want to maximize your score. As long as you make sure you're actually understanding the content and avoiding just memorizing cards, I don't see how you can lose. The downside of this method is that it requires serious discipline and dedication.
If you're a master test taker and/or crammer, you can take the relative "risk" of waiting to study for step. I'm neither of those, so you can find me smashing the spacebar on any given occasion, lol.
Utilizing some form of spaced repetition means that you retain 90+% of what you learned the first time. This means that while everyone else is killing themselves to review everything they've learned starting from the second half of M2, you're putting that same effort into eradicating your weaknesses and honing your test taking skills.
If you're using Anki for spaced repetition, using it as early as possible just means you won't have to do as many cards everyday to finish the deck before dedicated. Trust me, 50 new cards a day vs 100 new cards a day is a significant difference in workload.
That's why you always hear people saying "I wish I had started Zanki earlier", for example.
Doing it this way is the safe way of preparing for step if you want to maximize your score. As long as you make sure you're actually understanding the content and avoiding just memorizing cards, I don't see how you can lose. The downside of this method is that it requires serious discipline and dedication.
If you're a master test taker and/or crammer, you can take the relative "risk" of waiting to study for step. I'm neither of those, so you can find me smashing the spacebar on any given occasion, lol.
People seem to really like their Anki and I've never made really vast quantities of flashcards, so here's hoping I'll do well there! I really like understanding stuff and then teaching it to other people to cement the concepts (Some people call it the Feyman technique). Not sure how well that will work out in med school.
People seem to really like their Anki and I've never made really vast quantities of flashcards, so here's hoping I'll do well there! I really like understanding stuff and then teaching it to other people to cement the concepts (Some people call it the Feyman technique). Not sure how well that will work out in med school.
Haven’t touched Anki or made a single flash card throughout any of M1 or M2. While I haven’t taken step yet, I’m already killing Qbanks and scoring fairly high on practice NBMEs given I’m still around 6 months from the test.
Moral of the story: everyone is going to shove Anki down your throat but if you don’t learn like that, it’s perfectly okay as long as what you’re doing is working for you. I’d rather do 25 NBME style practice questions a day than 100 cards
Just curious, how do remember the small detailed stuff from past blocks?
I nailed a lot of them down so hard during the blocks that they’re really tough to forget. I also come across them pretty frequently in the questions since I do Qs like most people do Anki. I have had trouble with remembering some more nuanced micro stuff from this method though but I’m on my third pass of sketchymicro and I feel this has really solidified it.
So in summary, I work really hard during the block, doing 7-8 passes of all the lecture material and corresponding questions form a Qbank. Then shelf that organ system for a while before adding the material back into my question rotation after a couple months. I’m also a lot stronger critical thinker than straight memorizer so I believe this method plays to my innate abilities. In other words, learning facts in isolation without context is a struggle for me while learning thought patterns comes much easier and makes things stick much longer
Note: I have all the big name qbanks (Uworld, Kaplan, Rx) and some lesser known ones like lecturio, UsmleEasy, and medbullets. I use mostly Rx and Kaplan during the block and move to the “lesser” banks once I exhaust an organ system in those. I’m trying to save most of Uworld for dedicated but do a randomized block of it every now and then to make sure I’m progressing in “the gold standard” bank
*monthsHow much it would break me down and make me feel unhappy with life and myself for weeks on end. hoorah for medschool
Years** Sad state of living.*months
Sounds really good. How many hours were you putting in a day with this method as an M1 and how many are you putting in now?
How much it would break me down and make me feel unhappy with life and myself for weeks on end. hoorah for medschool
*months
Legit this.Years** Sad state of living.
You can pick whichever school you'd like, I understand you may have personal reasons to chose one over the other. The "feel" you get from the school is very important because if you don't feel like you'll fit, it can make a difficult 4 years even worse. I was fortunate enough to find that my cheap state school seemed to jive well with my personality.Definitely trying my best here. Saving up a ton during my gap year job, but that job does NOT give me a consistent sleep schedule (rotating 12 hour shifts. Can be day shift followed immediately by a night one followed by a day one. Fun!)
This gap year has me a bit worried I'll have a hard time readjusting to school, but I guess we'll see how that turns out.
I'm likely not picking my cheapest school, but going to one where the students are known for being very happy.
I know this isn't the most popular opinion, but I have my (many, very personal) reasons.
You'll be okay. It all works out in the end.My Step 1 Score wont matter.
Definitely Wellbutrin. Can't gain any more weight.Prophylactic SSRIs or bupropion or buspirone should be recommended/required. Only half joking.
Not as potent as one would think.Definitely Wellbutrin. Can't gain any more weight.
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That's my biggest nightmare.Wish I had known that there was a Whole Foods 15 minutes down the road because they have my favorite soft-ripened cheeses and prosciutto.
And also wish I had known about the dry cleaners I go to now, which I only found at the end of my third year. Awesome people. Always chat for 30-60 minutes on Saturdays when I pick up my clothes.
I feel you on that.That's my biggest nightmare.
Any comments on the anking deck vs the zanki deck? I’ve heard that anking the ultimate deck with really good tags and organization.
I remember worrying that my year off would put my intelectually behind my peers.