Where did you physically study for your Step I exam?

[medstudent87]

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I have around 6 weeks between my last final and the day I take the Step I. I was planning on just staying in the city my school is in and studying at the school, but my dean told us today that that is a very bad idea, since other students will unintentionally give you a nervous breakdown. He then mentioned how great it was to not have to worry about cooking your own meals if you could make that possible.

It got me thinking...should I go back to my parents house to study? I would wake up early everyday, go to the local library or something to study, and only come home for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, I'm really bad at motivating myself to get out of bed everyday knowing that I have hours and hours of studying to do....so I guess I'd have someone there to yell at me? haha

Is this a bad idea? Dean also told us to not isolate ourselves, so idk...

 

[ACSurgeon]

I have around 6 weeks between my last final and the day I take the Step I. I was planning on just staying in the city my school is in and studying at the school, but my dean told us today that that is a very bad idea, since other students will unintentionally give you a nervous breakdown. He then mentioned how great it was to not have to worry about cooking your own meals if you could make that possible.

It got me thinking...should I go back to my parents house to study? I would wake up early everyday, go to the local library or something to study, and only come home for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, I'm really bad at motivating myself to get out of bed everyday knowing that I have hours and hours of studying to do....so I guess I'd have someone there to yell at me? haha

Is this a bad idea? Dean also told us to not isolate ourselves, so idk...

Your Dean makes a valid point. However, I would be warry of the distractions at home (other friends and family). My 5 weeks of step 1 review pretty much sucked, but that was largely due to the fact that it takes me 16 hrs to accomplish 8 hrs of studying (I take too many breaks). I studied mostly at home (my apartment complex has a beautiful park surronding the apartment buildings) and at school sometimes. At the end, if you can stick to your schedule, then you'll be fine. If you start falling behind, modify your strategy immediately (as in within a day or two not 2-3 weeks!)

 

[Depakote]

I have around 6 weeks between my last final and the day I take the Step I. I was planning on just staying in the city my school is in and studying at the school, but my dean told us today that that is a very bad idea, since other students will unintentionally give you a nervous breakdown. He then mentioned how great it was to not have to worry about cooking your own meals if you could make that possible.

It got me thinking...should I go back to my parents house to study? I would wake up early everyday, go to the local library or something to study, and only come home for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, I'm really bad at motivating myself to get out of bed everyday knowing that I have hours and hours of studying to do....so I guess I'd have someone there to yell at me? haha

Is this a bad idea? Dean also told us to not isolate ourselves, so idk...

I basically barricaded myself in my apartment for 6 weeks.

I made myself a dedicated study area with some good natural light, made sure I had a good internet connection, a bountiful supply of coffee and comfort food and all the books I needed, then set a study schedule so I didn't wind up putzing round on SDN all day. This worked out pretty well.

I definitely didn't want to study at home... I love my family, but they're a horrible distraction.

I know people who studied at the library. If you're the sort of person who did that for the first 2 years, you'll probably do fine. If you didn't then, you might want to stay solo.

As for the food/meals/etc... this is probably a time to keep things simple. It's ok to get yourself take out, do whatever makes your life simple. But then if you want to cook yourself something nice... take a study break and do that.

 

[Jolie South]

I have around 6 weeks between my last final and the day I take the Step I. I was planning on just staying in the city my school is in and studying at the school, but my dean told us today that that is a very bad idea, since other students will unintentionally give you a nervous breakdown. He then mentioned how great it was to not have to worry about cooking your own meals if you could make that possible.

It got me thinking...should I go back to my parents house to study? I would wake up early everyday, go to the local library or something to study, and only come home for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, I'm really bad at motivating myself to get out of bed everyday knowing that I have hours and hours of studying to do....so I guess I'd have someone there to yell at me? haha

Is this a bad idea? Dean also told us to not isolate ourselves, so idk...

I wouldn't go back to your parents' to study. I did that the first 2 weeks of my studying and it wasn't optimal. They don't understand what studying is and will keep asking you to do things and interrupting.

Studying at home, school, and various libraries is working out so far.

 

[nlax30]

While having home cooked meals is tempting, if you're one to get easily distracted or maybe some issues with self motivation then I probably wouldn't go home. I know if I did that I would be sleeping in, slacking off, etc...

I also could not study at school in a library around lots of classmates.... I hate complete silence and it can be annoying to be around everyone else who are freaking out as well.

I found just a couple really good friends that I trusted and we studied together at various places around town... Panera, Starbucks, home. It really helped to have one or two others keeping you accountable. And while most of the studying was individual, just being around someone who is studying made me study, and it was nice to have someone to bounce questions off of every now and then. And it helped to take breaks and talk about non-exam stuff to keep some level of sanity.

 

[ImBrianFellows]

I wouldn't go back to your parents' to study. I did that the first 2 weeks of my studying and it wasn't optimal. They don't understand what studying is and will keep asking you to do things and interrupting.

Studying at home, school, and various libraries is working out so far.

The bolded above is SO true and the main reason I'd stay away from studying at home. Even if they say they know what you're going through and understand blah blah blah. The fact is they most likely don't and will be bugging you. I chose to live at home to save money during the first two years of school (and actually my choice in school was made partly on this decision) and this idea was ... well, extremely *****ic. I even have family members that have previously been through med school and I still get the "you're not as busy as you say you are" statements etc. I guess people quickly forget what med school is like once they graduate. 😕

Anyway, if you have your own place just study there if that's what you do now. I think it's best just to stick with how you've been doing things during school if they're working for you. 👍

 

[searun]

Rented a house in a rural area far from med school and had 6 weeks of uninterrupted study. It worked perfectly for me.

 

[Marcus Brody]

Physically: library
Mentally: Starbucks "morning buzz" flavor 20 oz
Emotionally: floor of the bathroom crying in fetal position
Socially: facebook

 

[medstudent87]

Thing is, I'm not able to study in my apartment whatsoever. There are WAY too many distractions here...and not being surrounded by other people studying gives me no motivation to "compete" against them. For exams, I always go to school to study in the quiet lounge or the library...but now I'm at a loss since the dean told us this was a very very bad idea.

If I were to go home, I would wake up very early everyday (my parents have no problem "understanding" what it means to study. Whenever I'm on vacation and at their house, they're always annoying me about how I ought to be studying, so...), head to the local university library, and study all day only to break for lunch and dinner. I wouldn't ever have to go food shopping, cook my own meals, buy takeout, or even do my laundry...all of which seem to take a lot of time out of my day. I'm extremely tempted to go through with this plan...the only con I see is not having anyone from my med school class to talk to or bounce ideas off...but i normally study alone, so i don't think that'll be a big deal. What do you think?

 

[Jolie South]

Thing is, I'm not able to study in my apartment whatsoever. There are WAY too many distractions here...and not being surrounded by other people studying gives me no motivation to "compete" against them. For exams, I always go to school to study in the quiet lounge or the library...but now I'm at a loss since the dean told us this was a very very bad idea.

If I were to go home, I would wake up very early everyday (my parents have no problem "understanding" what it means to study. Whenever I'm on vacation and at their house, they're always annoying me about how I ought to be studying, so...), head to the local university library, and study all day only to break for lunch and dinner. I wouldn't ever have to go food shopping, cook my own meals, buy takeout, or even do my laundry...all of which seem to take a lot of time out of my day. I'm extremely tempted to go through with this plan...the only con I see is not having anyone from my med school class to talk to or bounce ideas off...but i normally study alone, so i don't think that'll be a big deal. What do you think?

I really don't see what the big problem with studying at school is. Just stay away from the neurotic toolboxes and find some calm friends to keep you accountable. If I say I have to meet someone, I'm going to do it whereas if I study according to my schedule I can always put it off or start late or goof off.

 

[medstudent87]

I really don't see what the big problem with studying at school is. Just stay away from the neurotic toolboxes and find some calm friends to keep you accountable. If I say I have to meet someone, I'm going to do it whereas if I study according to my schedule I can always put it off or start late or goof off.

I don't really have friends here that I'm close enough with to study w/ on daily basis...so I figure studying at my school's library wouldn't be any differnet than studying at the university's library near my parents...right?

 

[C5toC9]

what have you been doing the last 1.5 years?

 

[medstudent87]

what have you been doing the last 1.5 years?

I study at school, usually in the "quiet lounge". I can't focus whatsoever at my apartment and being surrounded by other people that are studying helps me focus. The biggest time wasters for me, though, are going shopping for food, little essentials, cooking dinner, etc. All of which would be taken care of at home...

 

[Danlee07]

i always thought study friends were the easiest to find, how far is home? i dont know bout you, but i've been taught to have 1 place for everything. I don't think you will always study at home so maybe try somewhere else. my desk in my room is where I study, so I gutted out my tv/ps/etc. but I know my buddy who finished step 1 this past year, and what he did was just use his and his roomie's crock pot for a boatload of food on Sunday then just pack em up. he did pot roast & some fish thing...it was pretty good...

 

[Guyton Killah]

Thing is, I'm not able to study in my apartment whatsoever. There are WAY too many distractions here...and not being surrounded by other people studying gives me no motivation to "compete" against them. For exams, I always go to school to study in the quiet lounge or the library...but now I'm at a loss since the dean told us this was a very very bad idea.

If I were to go home, I would wake up very early everyday (my parents have no problem "understanding" what it means to study. Whenever I'm on vacation and at their house, they're always annoying me about how I ought to be studying, so...), head to the local university library, and study all day only to break for lunch and dinner. I wouldn't ever have to go food shopping, cook my own meals, buy takeout, or even do my laundry...all of which seem to take a lot of time out of my day. I'm extremely tempted to go through with this plan...the only con I see is not having anyone from my med school class to talk to or bounce ideas off...but i normally study alone, so i don't think that'll be a big deal. What do you think?

Whats distracting you in your apartment? How about studying out during the day and then at home at night when its calm n quite?

 

[medstudent87]

Whats distracting you in your apartment? How about studying out during the day and then at home at night when its calm n quite?

What distracts me in my apt? Well, for starters, my roommate is going to be here all summer long. He's not in med school and has a cushy research position...so he's here most of the time watching tv, drinking, having friends over, etc. I can't just tell him to stop living for my sake. Plus, I have a really bad habit of lying down on my bed "to rest" and end up taking unintentional naps lol

I'm just wondering why everyone seems to be so against my idea to go home. I wouldn't be studying at home, I'd only be sleeping and eating there. Studying would take place at the local university library...

 

[Wilf]

I am very worried about studying for Step 1. I have never studied hard for a test and I'm not sure I even know the best way to go about it. My plan was just to read First Aid and maybe some of Goljan and use the USMLEWorld and Kaplan question banks. Any other suggestions?

 

[herky010]

What distracts me in my apt? Well, for starters, my roommate is going to be here all summer long. He's not in med school and has a cushy research position...so he's here most of the time watching tv, drinking, having friends over, etc. I can't just tell him to stop living for my sake. Plus, I have a really bad habit of lying down on my bed "to rest" and end up taking unintentional naps lol

I'm just wondering why everyone seems to be so against my idea to go home. I wouldn't be studying at home, I'd only be sleeping and eating there. Studying would take place at the local university library...

medstudent87, it sounds like you've made up your mind already to go home to study. why not? it's for you to decide ultimately. plus you're the best judge of what works for you. good luck!

 

[qmcat]

I'm planning to study at home (my parents house) rather than at my apartment. I know that it might be annoying having my family members around when I'm trying to study, but I know for sure that I can be more disciplined at home because my parents are pretty strict people. We always eat lunch/dinner at certain times and it's lights out at midnight everyday. I know that if I were studying at my apartment alone, I would probably be having longer study breaks (watching tv, etc) than I should, and that I'd be sleeping past midnight (2 or 3 am) and waking up late everyday. Well I know that everyone is different, but I just thought I'd put my 2 cents out there.

 

[medstudent87]

I'm planning to study at home (my parents house) rather than at my apartment. I know that it might be annoying having my family members around when I'm trying to study, but I know for sure that I can be more disciplined at home because my parents are pretty strict people. We always eat lunch/dinner at certain times and it's lights out at midnight everyday. I know that if I were studying at my apartment alone, I would probably be having longer study breaks (watching tv, etc) than I should, and that I'd be sleeping past midnight (2 or 3 am) and waking up late everyday. Well I know that everyone is different, but I just thought I'd put my 2 cents out there.

are you my long-lost twin?

 

[Ableton]

I went back home to study, but didn't tell any of my old friends I was back in town... it worked out well for the most part until I got bored of studying all day after the first 4 weeks and started watching 2-3 hours of HBO every night before bed.

As for the family members issue, I'm Asian so it's a lot easier to get away with telling my parents to get lost so that I can study.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

I have around 6 weeks between my last final and the day I take the Step I. I was planning on just staying in the city my school is in and studying at the school, but my dean told us today that that is a very bad idea, since other students will unintentionally give you a nervous breakdown. He then mentioned how great it was to not have to worry about cooking your own meals if you could make that possible.

It got me thinking...should I go back to my parents house to study? I would wake up early everyday, go to the local library or something to study, and only come home for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, I'm really bad at motivating myself to get out of bed everyday knowing that I have hours and hours of studying to do....so I guess I'd have someone there to yell at me? haha

Is this a bad idea? Dean also told us to not isolate ourselves, so idk...

Jeez, is it just me or is every single advisor and/or Dean sooooo worried about every medical student having a mental breakdown. Maybe I was blessed with the ability to deal with my emotions accordingly but you'd think we were all made of glass!!! Perhaps it is the Deans that are super anxious themselves and are projecting on the students?

Anyway, I chose to study at my school because it was where I did most of my studying throughout my basic science years. I could have easily gone home but my parents are HUGE nags sometimes and I need to get away from all distractions. I did not have any issues with studying around other students. In fact, EVERYONE was extremely calm and there was this unspoken rule not to be an annoying prick. We all minded our own business and maintained quiet throughout the most crowded hours of the day.

That said, plenty of other students went back home and did just fine. If your parents truly understand how important this exam is and is willing to put up with you not doing anything but studying, go home. This means, you will not be expected to cook, clean, do laundry or perhaps even maintain proper hygiene (not recommended of course). Also, if you go home, you should have a private room to study from that will not distract you and functional internet. If you plan to go home but use another building to study in, that would also be a good idea as long as the above requirements are fulfilled.

I personally recommend my tutees and mentees do not isolate themselves also because I believe in group studying. Since the 4-5 weeks of studying is truly a REVIEW, it is a good idea the do flashcards or talk through concepts with a classmate or two that you trust. Best of luck!

 

[OpalOnyx]

physically: Library
mentally: Starbucks "morning buzz" flavor 20 oz
emotionally: Floor of the bathroom crying in fetal position
socially: Facebook

lolz

 

[snowball1]

I got a membership at a local university library that I never have been to before, made a study plan, and forced myself to get there at 9:00am every day. I went to the quiet study room at that library where everyone was super studious and tried to minimize my facebook/etc breaks.
My reward for a good morning would be an hour or so for lunch and a decent walk/sometimes shopping (this was in an area condusive to this).
Two of my friends did also got a membership, though both were less OCD about it. I made sure to always be in the quiet study area so that they couldn't talk to me though.
I mostly finished by 5-7pm this way and I stayed focused because I looked forward to going home and having dinner/etc.

The other thing is that no matter what, one weekend day was totally mine and not filled with anything board related at all... I would make a few little plans for dinner/drinks with friends or I would go see a movie or something. I think this helped my focus a TON when I needed to. I wound up doing pretty well.

 

[ucsfstudents]

Use the methods and follow the habits that have worked for you in the past. If studying in the library is what you're used to, do that. If you study best in a comfortable environment with family around,etc, then do that. If you get stressed out when you are around a lot of other stressed out medical students, stay away from them. If you need to be around other people to be motivated to study, then find your small group or a study partner and go from there. It all depends on what works for you.

 

[CptCrunch]

I get bored easily, so I mixed it up between home, the undergraduate library, the medical school library, and my local public library.

 

[myhandsarecold]

i had to be near food all the time so Starbucks and B&N Cafe. I basically just sat in diff Sbux around town while watching DIT videos. There was a study from Harvard that showed studying in different places helps with memory retention ( i'll have to look for that article )

 

[lockjaw]

For Step 1, a classmate and I went to her family's ski house to study. It's about an hour away from school, so we could go back if necessary, but most of the time we were isolated away from the stresses of the library/fellow classmates/etc. For Step 2, I studied at my aunt & uncle's house, because they're away on business travel a lot, so the house was usually quiet (at least, much quieter than it would have been if I was trying to study at home with my siblings and dog distracting me). I've never been much of a library studier, so these were good alternatives for me.

 

[quirks]

I'm going to be in the state where my boyfriend is. I've staked out a corner of his room and will be getting my own desk and either bringing my monitor or buying a new one to sell after (if he hasn't already bought himself a second monitor by then). I think I'll be desperate for a change of location by then, and both him and his roommate work so I get their apartment to myself for most of the day.

Also, so far, I work a lot better when I'm visiting him than when I'm at home. For some reason I feel less compelled to procrastinate.

Prior to the final 4 week push, I'll be studying in my room, where I always study.

 

[ZagDoc]

Starbucks. The woman sitting next to me who would talk on her imaginary telephone for hours made it worth it.

 

[deuist]

I wrote out a daily study plan in advance, locked myself in my apartment, and studied for six straight weeks. Once each night I stepped outside to go get the mail. Once a week I would get groceries. And on a few other occasions I left to go hang out. My roommate had moved back in with her parents during that period so I was alone for most of that period.

 

[iA-MD2013]

I wrote out a daily study plan in advance, locked myself in my apartment, and studied for six straight weeks. Once each night I stepped outside to go get the mail. Once a week I would get groceries. And on a few other occasions I left to go hang out. My roommate had moved back in with her parents during that period so I was alone for most of that period.

Wasn't that a bit depressing?

 

[MilkmanAl]

I studied in my room for 6 weeks. I made sure to watch the Tour de France and every World Cup game, though. 🙂

 

[2012mdc]

I studied in my room for 6 weeks. I made sure to watch the Tour de France and every World Cup game, though. 🙂

👍

I did a similar thing. WC games (the good ones) and the NBA playoffs kept me sane. It also made it easier/less time consuming to work out and eat.

Made a nice study schedule where I would get up and work out and eat while watching WC, study all day, and catch some of the playoffs at night if the games were good or my team was playing.

 

[MossPoh]

Don't overcomplicate things. If you studied somewhere or different places consistently then just continue with it. Those neurotic people are neurotic all the time. Odds are you've already navigated around them so far.

I'm studying at school. A lot of my classmates are leaving and I also have a few areas I stake out. We have fridges, microwaves, a little Starbucks, fitness center and it is about 2 minutes drive from my apartment, panera, grocery store and everything else one would need.

I actually asked my mom to portion out some food and freeze it starting in mid-April. (they live like 30 minutes away) That is going to be my one source for healthy-ish food during that time. We have summer anatomy and I know some incoming first years so, I am forming a nice little network.

I'm actually feeling kind of excited for it now.

 

[deuist]

Wasn't that a bit depressing?

Terribly. I took comfort knowing that I would be done with STEP I soon enough.

 

[ArcGurren]

I don't know why people on this forum are saying OMG ABSOLUTELY DO GROUP STUDY or STUDYING AT HOME SUCKS AND IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE--for god's sake everyone is different and has their own style of studying/own environment. I personally am going to go live at home, drive in the early morning to the library, sit down, study till 12, go home, eat, and barricade myself in my study room (no TV, just a small room with enough desk space for my books and my laptop). medstudent87 if you really want to study at home and think it'll be a less distracting environment for you then definitely go for it.

As for family... given that my family has seen what med students have to go through and the hours they have to put in, i'm pretty sure they'll understand.

 

[2012mdc]

Don't overcomplicate things. If you studied somewhere or different places consistently then just continue with it. Those neurotic people are neurotic all the time. Odds are you've already navigated around them so far.

I'm studying at school. A lot of my classmates are leaving and I also have a few areas I stake out. We have fridges, microwaves, a little Starbucks, fitness center and it is about 2 minutes drive from my apartment, panera, grocery store and everything else one would need.

I actually asked my mom to portion out some food and freeze it starting in mid-April. (they live like 30 minutes away) That is going to be my one source for healthy-ish food during that time. We have summer anatomy and I know some incoming first years so, I am forming a nice little network.

I'm actually feeling kind of excited for it now.

I was excited for it too. No more classes or in-class exams. Had 100% control of my time. Studying for Step 1 still sucked but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be because I kept myself sane with working out, watching sports, and having the occasional beer.

 

[45408]

At school, with several of my classmates either in the room with me or in adjacent study rooms. We'd meet at 8:00 or 8:30 and do some practice questions and then split up. It was to provide accountability so we'd show up earlier than 11am, and it was a good way to get your head in the game.

 

[Jolie South]

I think studying for Step is kinda great. I treat it like an 8 to 5 and work 7 days a week. At night time, I do whatever I want. I have all kinds of time for tv and working out.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Primarily on my couch, on the far right cushion.

Oftentimes, with my best friend on the love seat.

This is how we get around the isolation issue.

 

[JayhawkGrateful]

I heard a lot of good advices from the previous people. It sounds to me like you're intentionally preventing yourself from getting serious. I mean, just look at yourself on SDN. You created a thread and responded to many people. Let me be straight forward. Just Study. You have made it through med school this far right? Step 1 is only the beginning. Just keep telling yourself, "many people have done this before , so I'll just suck it up and do it too." =D

Study Hard. Congrats you've made it farther than most people in the world =D