What on earth am i doing wrong?

[Future MD DDubs]

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It seems like I am studying nonstop, like literally nonstop every day of the week from the time i get out of my first class till the time i go to sleep and at some point I feel I have the content mastered. Then i take the exams and get slaughtered. Every. Single. Time... Ive been diagnosed with a learning disability and "ADHD" by a psychiatrist (not really looking into your personal beliefs or insight on the validity of ADHD as a disorder) and I now have extended test time in small group settings but it still isn't helping. The only reason I am in college is to become a doctor, my backup plan is to just move to the Himalayas and sit in meditation in a cave for the rest of my life. I know i can get into medical school and achieve my dream of being a doctor but idk how it can happen with this ridiculous nonsense i'm facing. I'm studying to the point where I feel like its impacting my relationship even though she say's it's alright and produce terrible results where as some of these kids seem to study the night or two before an exam and get 100's.


sorry for the long misanthropic post. Just kinda frustrated. Any constructive pointers will be appreciated. Any haters.... go play in traffic.

 

[MrChance2]

I don't know you well enough to make a great call on this but it sounds like:

You're slightly unstable and that is likely getting in the way of your studying. My guess is you are not optimizing your study time well. Are your notes organized? Have you tried different study techniques or spent time studying with people who are getting the 100's? (Also I want to add here that many of the kids bragging about grades are not doing as well as one may think.) It helped me a lot to break down what I'm learning to each individual concept and make sure I mastered the concepts, this helped with organization as well because on tests I could just recall 5% of what I know for a problem instead of searching my entire database if that makes sense. The big picture came pretty naturally to me from there. I feel like every single premed student thinks they study really well/work really hard but not everyone actually does.

I'd really look into ways to get better organized before writing it off as ADHD and using meds as if you are dependent on these meds now even if you get into medical school you will likely need them through medical school and residency.

Also, I can't understand how someone could want to be a doctor or nothing. How different is becoming a PA or nurse practitioner from a physician in terms of day to day life? I've taught premeds and the ones that say "I'm going to be a doctor or OMG I don't know what I'll do with my life" generally weird me out. The ones that say "I'm going to be a dermatologist or I don't even want to go to medical school" are invariably crazy.

 

[Future MD DDubs]

The whole "I only want to be a doctor" thing kinda came out not as i intended. What i was trying to convey is that the only thing I have ever been interested in is becoming a doctor, some type of surgical specialty particularly cause the idea of helping a patient by say removing a lobe of the liver for example has always fascinated me. The only reason i even decided to come to college was to pursue this goal. While I respect both the PA's and NP's I would never want to become one because I know I would always have that "why didn't I just try to strive for an MD/DO" thought in the back of my head.

As for Notes it's hard to say if they are organized or not, I never learned how to take proper notes in highschool, come to think of it I didn't learn much of anything that has been useful in high school. Probably why i ended up dropping out. I dunno I guess i'm looking for pointers on how to master these concepts which again is what I though I was doing but am learning otherwise come test time. For example in my genchem 2 course i am in now I learned the electrochemistry like the back of my hand, I could work all the problems in my book and on the practice tests easily or at least semi-easily and then come exam time all the conceptual problems just killed me.

Any tips on note formatting would be greatly appreciated as well and thank you for your time as well as your constructive response.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Do practice problems. If you are already doing practice problems, do more practice problems.

 

[Future MD DDubs]

Do practice problems. If you are already doing practice problems, do more practice problems.

Any good websites for practice problems say for Genchem2? i pretty much exhaust every one in my book at one point or another

 

[RomanTaylor]

Do you have test anxiety?

 

[deleted393595]

It seems like I am studying nonstop, like literally nonstop every day of the week from the time i get out of my first class till the time i go to sleep and at some point I feel I have the content mastered. Then i take the exams and get slaughtered. Every. Single. Time... Ive been diagnosed with a learning disability and "ADHD" by a psychiatrist (not really looking into your personal beliefs or insight on the validity of ADHD as a disorder) and I now have extended test time in small group settings but it still isn't helping. The only reason I am in college is to become a doctor, my backup plan is to just move to the Himalayas and sit in meditation in a cave for the rest of my life. I know i can get into medical school and achieve my dream of being a doctor but idk how it can happen with this ridiculous nonsense i'm facing. I'm studying to the point where I feel like its impacting my relationship even though she say's it's alright and produce terrible results where as some of these kids seem to study the night or two before an exam and get 100's.


sorry for the long misanthropic post. Just kinda frustrated. Any constructive pointers will be appreciated. Any haters.... go play in traffic.

As it is with overtraining when working out, in which one fails to progress and even regresses regardless of the amount of training that they put it, the same may be happening to you. Get some rest for a few days since you might be possibly burned out and severely exhausted. It'll do wonders for you.

 

[Geebeejay]

There is such thing as overstudying....sometimes less is more.

 

[Irish Football]

Either one of three things (or a mixture of them):
1) You are not studying right. Like the poster above said, try hanging around some people who do well in class and see how they study.
2) You are not a good test taker - nothing to do here but take practice tests I guess? Try and relax on the test maybe?
3) You are just not cut out to become a doctor. (this is kind of a last resort thing, but I don't know you at all so I can't rule this out, I hope you understand)

 

[sliceofbread136]

hmmmmm

Well if you are doing that many practice questions it's likely that isnt the problem (usually most people have this problem). You have to sit down with a pen and a paper and really ask yourself factors that could be messing you up. Next to each of these factors write down a new study strategy to address that problem.

The way I study for science tests is to make "cheat sheets" of the material I have to know organized by sections. I'll read these sheets every morning and every night and start to hard core study them a couple days before the test. I'll also do a ton of practice problems, including practice tests (ideally done under the same conditions that the actual test will be, like time limit or something).

Keep trying to iteratively improve your study skills and test taking skills by identifying problems, and eventually you will get to where u want to be.

Also maybe think of hiring a tutor. A GOOD tutor. A bad tutor will hurt more than help. Make sure they take a vested interest in you and know what they are talking about.

 

[Bangersandmash]

How'd you do in high school? Did you have similar problems? If so, it might just be you. If you're finding college material to be a new struggle, it's how you're approaching the material.

One thing I'll say: I don't think asking other people doing well will help YOU. Everyone is different. I'm one of those study the night before for a few hours and I'll ace the test kind of people. Very few people I'm friends with, no matter if they are a good student or bad student, study like I do and many of my friends know the way I study won't work for them. All I can say is that I think note cards, outlines, highlighting, different colors, note rewriting (if a professor posts slides, listen and follow) are all a waste of time. Read the book, study professor's notes and you'll narrow your focus.

Otherwise, I'd say focus on actually understanding the material, rather than memorizing. Many professors don't want rote memorization - they want understanding and their exams test critical thinking. You can do as many physics problems as you want with a certain formula, but if you don't understand the principles of what you're solving and the exam throws you a curveball, you won't have a good time.

Focus on a professor's practice exams/questions if they post them and when you study, make a conscious effort to understand things in a real world context and a critical thought context. Of course, once you have a good understanding, certain classes require doing practice problems (although I'd say you don't need hundreds).

 

[coyotelime]

Test anxiety is mentioned, and from what you said about knowing all the material like the back of your hand, I feel like this may be the case.

Exams are stressful. I've never had a panic attack or anything during an exam, but I have done poorly on my share on tests and looking back, the common denominator is I got bogged down on a few questions and didn't do the ones I knew well first. I know this sounds intuitive and you've been taught the strategy a million times, but confidence building through doing the problems you know you've done correctly can help your work not only faster, but smarter, through the remainder of the exam.

Good luck man, you can do it!

 

[Future MD DDubs]

Thanks for all the replies it is all very helpful. Definitely gonna be learning a new study method that i can gel with as it seems mine is not working for me. Here's to hoping it can be done within the remainder of the semester and before spring semester.... But again Thanks all for the helpful comments it means a lot😀

 

[JustMeditate]

It seems like I am studying nonstop, like literally nonstop every day of the week from the time i get out of my first class till the time i go to sleep and at some point I feel I have the content mastered. Then i take the exams and get slaughtered. Every. Single. Time...

This problem goes beyond bad grades. If you are spending ALL of your time studying, even if you were getting straight A's, you won't be able to accumulate the clinical volunteering, shadowing, nonclinical volunteer work, research, leadership, TAing/tutoring, and unique extracurriculars needed to be a competitive applicant. And even if, by some miracle, you got into medical school without any EC's, the amount of material you need to learn in medical school, per unit time, is much greater than that in undergrad. Even if you could swing straight A's in undergrad, if you must spend all day studying in order to achieve this, you won't last long as a medical student.

So, really, your goal shouldn't just be better study habits, but much more efficient study habits. You shouldn't need to study more than, say, 3-5 hours a day, worst case scenario.

But let's narrow in on the problem, and see if we can identify it. Honestly, why are you doing so poorly on exams?

Is it test anxiety? As in, do you have a hard time focusing on an exam? Do you have an increased heart rate, an inability to focus, feelings of panic? Do the solutions to questions inexplicably fall from your mind, even if you can find the solutions before and after exams under less stressful conditions?

Is the issue a true lack of understanding? Do you feel good during and after an exam, thinking you did well, only to find out that, inexplicably, you did poorly? Do slight changes to the wording of a question and minor details easily throw you off? Do you find yourself saying, "Oh, this makes sense," when the prof explains a concept, but can't seem to "get it" later, while reviewing your notes?

Is the issue memorization? Can you do well on practice problems when the equations and lecture notes are right in front of you, but flop on tests when you just can't seem to recall the details of the ETC or magnetism? Do the concepts from various "sections" of a course get mixed up i your head?

It'll be easier to give advice if we know, specifically, what the problem is.

 

[Redpancreas]

It seems like I am studying nonstop, like literally nonstop every day of the week from the time i get out of my first class till the time i go to sleep and at some point I feel I have the content mastered. Then i take the exams and get slaughtered. Every. Single. Time... Ive been diagnosed with a learning disability and "ADHD" by a psychiatrist (not really looking into your personal beliefs or insight on the validity of ADHD as a disorder) and I now have extended test time in small group settings but it still isn't helping. The only reason I am in college is to become a doctor, my backup plan is to just move to the Himalayas and sit in meditation in a cave for the rest of my life. I know i can get into medical school and achieve my dream of being a doctor but idk how it can happen with this ridiculous nonsense i'm facing. I'm studying to the point where I feel like its impacting my relationship even though she say's it's alright and produce terrible results where as some of these kids seem to study the night or two before an exam and get 100's.


sorry for the long misanthropic post. Just kinda frustrated. Any constructive pointers will be appreciated. Any haters.... go play in traffic.

Hey OP,

I definitely sympathize with your plight and I have had a similar experience with the ADHD diagnosis. I literally spend way too much time studying and less time doing what I want to do (hey at least you have a gf 😎).

Here are some tips you may not have heard already:

1.) Try to focus more on the big picture. Oftentimes I get focused on very small details. For subjects like anatomy for example, this are often identification and broad understanding. A common pitfall I have is wikipedia-ing things and philosophizing about them.

2.) Have you tried study cycling? I get distracted easily and need breaks but a way I get around this is buy studying a science for an hour, then reading for a humanities class, and I keep alternating. I started doing this ever since I read an MCAT passage about how you remember things at the beginning and end more than what's in the middle (so if you cycle, you'll have more beginnings and ends and thus retain more).

3.) Do practice problems a prof gives you THEN (here's the important part) modify them. I've had a lot of profs admit to me this is what they do with exam problems. They take a problem and then change something so you have to modify your process to solve the problem. For example, with genetics, maybe you have a gene mapping problem where they give you the recombination frequency. Then maybe on the test they won't give that to you but maybe you can deduce it from a table or some other way).

4.) Another thing you can do is exercise and keep active. This actually makes you manage your time better and it provides you with more energy to get tasks done at the right time.

5.) While studying, ask yourself, why is this important. Each fact you retain, how is it applicable to the big picture or what the prof is going to ask on the exam.

6.) Stay off SDN unless you have a concrete question about a MCAT concept or an admissions question (I find myself guilty of this all the time though), SDN is more addictive than facebook, personally, because rather than looking at useless photos and memes and what not, here you're exposed to very like-minded, critical-thinking, competitive people which can drain your time with discussion and can stress you out unnecessarily.


WHAT I DO NOT RECOMMEND:

Adderall/Doxipherol (advertised on SDN), Ritalin, Concerta, (or EVEN 5 Hr. Energy which I used once and it didn't end well). These throw your sleep schedule off and make things a whole lot worse.

Good Luck!

 

[DavetheMD]

5.) While studying, ask yourself, why is this important. Each fact you retain, how is it applicable to the big picture or what the prof is going to ask on the exam!

I'd rank this one at number 1. The point of studying is to understand, not to log hours. Too often people say things like, "I studied x hours for this test!" as though it were some kind of badge of honor. Seek to save time and dissect all your courses into a few concepts. Assign yourself a letter grade on each of those concepts. If you can't confidently state that you have an "A" level understanding of each one then you need to hit the books. Every time you do, have a goal of what you will accomplish that study session.

 

[deleted303591]

OP,

My doctors believe my autoimmune disease was causing my "ADHD".

I use assistive technology designed for people with learning disabilities. The technology helps me get through material in an efficient manner.

1. Kurzweil 3000 can read anything you scan, PDFs, the internet, and other types of documents. It is an awesome study tool and screen reader that highlights the sentence and the word as they are being spoken.

You can study by highlighting text in all sorts of colors, making text notes, adding sticky notes and audio notes directly on the document. The software lets you extract all of the highlighted notes in to a Microsoft Word file, which is good for memorization. You can even convert the textbook in to an MP3 file so you can listen to the book on the go on your MP3 player or phone. Also, at some universities you can get an accommodation to take an exam using Kuzweil 3000 (in test taking mode). Kurzweil 3000 is the best study software out there.

2. Bookshare is often used by people with learning disabilities. You can actually request Bookshare to get all of your school books and they will digitize the books at no cost. You can access the books on a computer, iPad, iPhone, or Android device.

3. If you have any questions about the Kurzweil 3000 or Bookshare, PM me.

 

[Future MD DDubs]

Is it test anxiety? As in, do you have a hard time focusing on an exam? Do you have an increased heart rate, an inability to focus, feelings of panic? Do the solutions to questions inexplicably fall from your mind, even if you can find the solutions before and after exams under less stressful conditions?

I feel like this is the main issue. I feel fine with the learning of the material for the most part and it's relatively easy for me to use said info when I am not in a testing situation. Then the exams come and theres been instances where all the information looked completely foreign to me.

I have thought about test anxiety before but have never had any suggestions on how to deal with it. Or the suggestions i have gotten haven't worked ie; breath work meditation ect. They help for the anxiety level but not seemingly for the material information returning.

 

[Future MD DDubs]

Like i said before too I never really learned a study technique in my short experience that was high school. I believe this is also one of the things holding me back is the ability to study in an effective manner. Thanks again for all the help everyone!!!

 

[Hau5MD]

Maybe try splitting your studying over a longer length of time? For example, start studying an hour a day two weeks before the test. Then the day before spend an extra couple hours reviewing. In addition, review flashcards every night before sleeping. This way, you won't be cramming nor will you "overstudy". Hope this helps!

 

[omare61]

It seems like you are a good student.

You blame your condition for this problem. Perhaps a doctors visit?

The general consensus in this thread is that you are studying for a long period of time with minimal focus and you should study "smarter" not "harder".

There is no need to spend 8+ hours studying but not paying attention.