What is Medical School Like?

[JFaulkenberry]

Yes, I already posted this in the Allopathic forum, but it fits here too. I was wondering if the folks that are already in medical school could post what it's like for those of us that are trying to head in that direction. But for this post, I don't mean in terms of class, labs, work, etc. I mean more the feeling of the school, and the people. Please write about your experiences of medical school, what schools have only anal-retentive bastards, and which ones have professors that would hit the bong with you (by the way, I'm not trying to say one way is better than the other, I'm just trying to get a better feeling for different schools). Thanks for the info.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ryan]

I am just starting so I can't tell you anything...yet. However, did you check out the medstudent diary? The link is on the SDN homepage.

 

[that dr. jack]

it's like warm apple pie.

 

[Boomer]

it's like warm apple pie.

Yeah, only you're the pie......

 

[VJWDO]

The experiences of medical school are varied. One common thread has to be hard work and volume. The amount of material thrown at you can be overwhelming at times, but if you just fork it down piece by piece then it is totally doable. I personally found med school a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was imagining studying 24/7 and no time for fun. I have just as much time with my husband as I did in undergrad so don't worry. If you just stay up on the info as it is given to you you will be fine. Also you will find that there are some students that seem to never study and some who are fanatic about studying. It is the quality of studying not the quantity that matters. I have found that if I am starting to get bored or not focusing, I go catch a movie or take a walk and then come back and I am way more focused and get through the info twice as fast as I would have had I just sat there and stuggled through it. You will find your own way of doing things and don't let other people make you feel like you are studying too much or not enough. I would reccommend studying like mad for the first few tests and see how you do. On my first test I was fanatical and got close to 100%. I eased way off for the next one and just barely got a B. I went a little harder after that and found the level I needed to study at to get the grade I wanted. Just get a routine and stick with it; but modify as classes get tougher or easier. Med school is about stamina so stick with it and you will do fine!

UHS class of 2007

 

[Heeed!]

Imagine two, sharp #2 pencils jabbed into your eyes.

 

[Hernandez]

ever see that cheesy 80's movie Gross Anatomy?

there is this classic scene where the girl can't remember what subject she is studying, it's like that, only something to do with apple pie, caffine, and sleeping disorders

molon labe (mo-lone lah-veh)!!!

 

[sddoc]

You're right. The movie "Gross Anatomy" is about the best portrayal of life as a first year medical student that you will find. I recommend watching it before you start med school and then again sometime late 2nd year, just to see how your perspective changes. I still break into a cold sweat during the scene where they are in the Anatomy practical. There is nothing worse than standing over a cadaver trying to figure out what they are trying to point out with that pin!!!

 

[cremaster2007]

Ahhh yes the sweet sweat smell of formalin mixed with sweat as you stand over a cadaver trying to figure out what the hell the broken structure with the string around it is. Actually your first year happens so fast all of a sudden its done and you are so used to getting bent over all the time for tests that you don't remember what you are supposed to do when you have time off. Just wake up and live your live by which test is next and you'll survive. Though sometimes I feel like I'm Charlie Murphy and med school was Rick James asking me "what did the five fingers say to the face??" "SMACK" "I'm Rick James.......b*tch"

 

[sophiejane]

it's like warm apple pie.

Yeah, you're the apple pie alright...as in the one in "American Pie"...getting reamed from every angle...

 

[DRGIGGLES]

a great friend of my (fellow classmate) described it this way: everything is hard. not necessarily hard in the "it's difficult" sense, but hard in the hardcore sense. (that reads funny!) anyway, i think it's true. you study hard, you play hard...

socially speaking, relationships in particular become hard. i've lost a few friends (gained many more though) and gone through some tough intimacy-related stuff along the way. maybe they weren't good friends to begin with? anyway, more seriously, judging from the number of my classmates who have broken up with long term partners, started new relationships, broken up again and so on, i think this relationship problem deal is an affliction that's wide spread. there's a reason docs have such a high divorce rate. i'm sure lots has been posted on this subject previously.

the other thing i've noticed is that, for me, somewhere along the way, time really became precious. spending 30 minutes on some little project now means a lot more than it used to. i find myself stopping to think about whether i'd be better off studying or doing something fun for those 30 minutes and also what effect that will have on the rest of the stuff i have to do today. sounds anal retentive but there ya' go...

to end this droll speech, i guess i'd say looking back on it, i'm surprised at how in general, medicine has pervaded so much of my life (like basically all of it). i used to have a life, now i have the washington manual. maybe others don't share the same experience, but that's mine.

-drgiggles

 

[Boomer]

Yeah, you're the apple pie alright...as in the one in "American Pie"...getting reamed from every angle...

Kind of what I was getting at with the whole.."you're the pie" comment.

 

[Yosh]

Yeah, only you're the pie......

That is CLASSIC!

 

[sia_simba]

You notice how when you graduate from college... you wish you were back at college ??? (subjective and dependent on personal college experience)

I didn't graduate med school yet, but its tons of fun. Like previous posters, I too thought med school was hard, but its not as hard as i anticipated.

Once you're in med school, enjoy every last second of it because time does fly by.

 

[arlsoonDO]

I just started so I don't have a lot to say. In terms of professors, I found that in my med school they are much more personal with you (some of them) than in my undergrad. But it varies, people are different everywhere. At the same time I find that people (students/addmissions/faculty/etc.) are nicer and try to help more. There is more collaborative work; students study together, relax together, have fun, and of course suffer together . I like it it's challanging and very stimulating, and, hey, w/ every semester you are getting closer of becoming a DOCTOR