Worried I'm going to be in trouble with my learning style

[yanks26dmb]

So I'm going to be starting first year in just a couple of months and things are starting to seem more real.

I've been having real worries about my ability to perform in med school. I aced my prereqs and did well on the mcat...but only because I was able to take detailed notes of what I was reading/hearing/learning. This is just how I do well and pound things into my brain. With med schools massive load of info to learn, I'm afraid this study type is going to be ineffective and leave me in a whole mess of trouble.

Anyone else with his learning style find ways to make it work?

As an aside I always hear you've got to find your learning style...I don't even know what other styles are out there...which also worries me. Any potential suggestions for someone like me?

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[WhendoIstartfirstaid?]

That's standard pre-matriculation jitters.

I can tell you that majority of failures can be attributed to:
-not having ever developed learning techniques in undergrad (aka the kids that crammed) and getting caught by surprise in ms-1
Or
-plain laziness and falling behind
Or
-anxiety and depression

Since you seem to have been hard working in your undergrad and already found your learning style, as long as you don't fall into one of the above pitfalls, your learning style won't hold you back.

Ignore sdn. Recently I read a thread full of people saying writing out your notes as you read is inefficient and I was just face palming the whole time.

If you go to a school with no recorded lectures (hopefully not) prestudying and filling in the details immediately after class works.

Good luck!

 

[DrDreams]

I am the exact same way...and I am worried about the exact same thing. I know how you feel man.

Whenever i study i have to relearn everything slowly, i write it, and re-write it several times for me to understand it. but i keep feeling like i wont have time to study that way in med school. I am also worried about brain saturation, what happens when you can't fit anymore into your brain?!

(i am a crammer though)

 

[Rub A Dub GTI]

I suggest getting some resources that allow you to understand the main ideas of what you are learning. I have a friend who is barely passing her classes and came up into the mid B's by simply mastering the most important ideas and taking the additional time to fill in as much gritty detail as her mental stamina allowed.

You may consider the First Aid Basic Sciences and Organ Systems books, they are a nice compromise between a text book and something bare bones. It will allow you to have a frame work and this will make it easier to memorize and recall information in a crunch.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

It's almost the end of MS1 and students are still tweaking their studying methods.

Don't worry, you will do fine... or fail.

 

[CBSstalker]

So I'm going to be starting first year in just a couple of months and things are starting to seem more real.

I've been having real worries about my ability to perform in med school. I aced my prereqs and did well on the mcat...but only because I was able to take detailed notes of what I was reading/hearing/learning. This is just how I do well and pound things into my brain. With med schools massive load of info to learn, I'm afraid this study type is going to be ineffective and leave me in a whole mess of trouble.

Anyone else with his learning style find ways to make it work?

Go to your school's learning center. They should be able to help people at all levels of education. They should have study skill techniques to give you.

As an aside I always hear you've got to find your learning style...I don't even know what other styles are out there...which also worries me. Any potential suggestions for someone like me?

 

[SLC]

If you're worried that you won't have time for detailed notes, just know that you probably won't. But also know that med-school material gets very repetitive and you probably won't need those notes like you think you will.

Also, focus on learning big-picture concepts and strive for understanding over rote memorization. If you left lecture feeling like you had a good handle on what the professor was teaching, then go home and reinforce it a few times and you'll probably do just fine.

 

[SurgeDO]

You will figure it out and adjust. Those who don't didn't want it bad enough. Anyone can be a rock star if they put the time in.

 

[Goro]

Yanks, your school will no doubt have a learning or education center. Seek them out for help with your learning style etc.

So I'm going to be starting first year in just a couple of months and things are starting to seem more real.

I've been having real worries about my ability to perform in med school. I aced my prereqs and did well on the mcat...but only because I was able to take detailed notes of what I was reading/hearing/learning. This is just how I do well and pound things into my brain. With med schools massive load of info to learn, I'm afraid this study type is going to be ineffective and leave me in a whole mess of trouble.

Anyone else with his learning style find ways to make it work?

As an aside I always hear you've got to find your learning style...I don't even know what other styles are out there...which also worries me. Any potential suggestions for someone like me?

 

[Solving4gravity]

I ran into this today. I am the same way where throughout undergrad, I learned best by repetition. All of my notebooks have been copied over in pen, and then again with a thin highlighter. My school put out some anatomy pre-matriculation study material that they want students to be comfortable with before matriculation next month. I was trying to study some of it today by simply reading the supplied text, but realized my retention was pretty low without actually writing down the material. Hopefully, all of us repetition style learners can work out the kinks.

 

[DocVapor]

My school put out some anatomy pre-matriculation study material that they want students to be comfortable with before matriculation next month.

What school does this? And what all does it entail?

 

[Solving4gravity]

What school does this? And what all does it entail?

MSUCOM. Its basically just introductory anatomy material were expected to know.

 

[Mjolner]

MSUCOM. Its basically just introductory anatomy material were expected to know.

I want one of those!!

 

[hallowmann]

What school does this? And what all does it entail?

Yeah, my school did this as well, although to be honest I didn't look at it until school started. First couple weeks were tougher because of it, but it wasn't hard to "catch up". It was very basic, essentially what was in Ch. 1 of Gray's.

 

[kp11]

Just remember that the big picture is key for a lot of the MS-1 classes. Making sure that you understand how the big picture details interact with each other is a big deal, and the first major step in med school. Also, actually learning how to take a test strategically (sounds dumb, I know) is very beneficial. That being said, Anatomy and Neuro are very different animals. Get a netters atlas (or whatever your school recommends) and study that SOB. Sometimes a pro-section book is helpful to see what the relationships in the body SHOULD look like (not what they do after you get done digging around).

Most importantly, there isn't a lot you can do about it right now. Enjoy your summer so you are ready to start day 1.

 

[yanks26dmb]

MSUCOM. Its basically just introductory anatomy material were expected to know.

Anyway you would mind sharing that with me?

 

[yanks26dmb]

Just remember that the big picture is key for a lot of the MS-1 classes. Making sure that you understand how the big picture details interact with each other is a big deal, and the first major step in med school. Also, actually learning how to take a test strategically (sounds dumb, I know) is very beneficial. That being said, Anatomy and Neuro are very different animals. Get a netters atlas (or whatever your school recommends) and study that SOB. Sometimes a pro-section book is helpful to see what the relationships in the body SHOULD look like (not what they do after you get done digging around).

Most importantly, there isn't a lot you can do about it right now. Enjoy your summer so you are ready to start day 1.

Thanks for your advice. I know this sounds stupid..but can you expand on "big picture"? Maybe provide an example of what you're talking about.

 

[SLC]

Thanks for your advice. I know this sounds stupid..but can you expand on "big picture"? Maybe provide an example of what you're talking about.

You know, big overreaching themes that keep coming up time after time. Like in Organic Chemistry the concept of: "like dissolves like" took you far.

In anatomy, knowing that things generally come in 3's will help you infer a lot about the body. Major Nerve's, Arteries, and Veins tend to run together; there are 3 muscle layers to the abdominal and chest wall, etc.

It's easy to get lost in the details in med-school, and sometimes the details are very important. But being able to recognize recurring themes as they come at you will go a long way in minimizing your stress levels and making your study efficient.

 

[Skynnyrd]

I agree a lot with whats already been written. The cramming that so many of us embraced in undergrad will bite you in the butt in med school. Putting in a few hours each day (outside of class) pays off huge before an exam. I go to a school where class is mandatory, OSUCOM, and I spend roughly 1-3 hours outside of class each day reviewing what we have learned. Regardless if you are going to class or not, just put in the time each day. With regard to learning style, there isn't a correct way to learn. Find out what works good for you and role with it. I'm not a note taker, but I know people who do it successfully

 

[yanks26dmb]

I agree a lot with whats already been written. The cramming that so many of us embraced in undergrad will bite you in the butt in med school. Putting in a few hours each day (outside of class) pays off huge before an exam. I go to a school where class is mandatory, OSUCOM, and I spend roughly 1-3 hours outside of class each day reviewing what we have learned. Regardless if you are going to class or not, just put in the time each day. With regard to learning style, there isn't a correct way to learn. Find out what works good for you and role with it. I'm not a note taker, but I know people who do it successfully

Are you of the belief that getting solid graded is correlated to time spent studying (assuming effective time spent)?

I studied a solid 6 hours a day for about 6 months prepping the mcat last year. In addition to working a 40 or 50 hour weeks (I'm non trad) I don't have a problem with long tedious days unlike someone right out of UG may.

Will this strategy sound like it's enough for top quarter or so of class?

 

[Skynnyrd]

Are you of the belief that getting solid graded is correlated to time spent studying (assuming effective time spent)?

I studied a solid 6 hours a day for about 6 months prepping the mcat last year. In addition to working a 40 or 50 hour weeks (I'm non trad) I don't have a problem with long tedious days unlike someone right out of UG may.

Will this strategy sound like it's enough for top quarter or so of class?

The amount of time spent studying is probably the most controllable factor when it comes to academic success, but there are a lot of others. I know people who study a fair amount each day and are around the middle of the class and I know others who are near the top. I also know people who are crammers yet still pull really good grades (they are an anomaly)

 

[cbarne01]

I wish that there was a place where ppl listed their learning and study techniques so I could read through and try different ideas. I know what I do and many of my friends have similar styles so other ideas would be really helpful.

 

[ortnakas]

Anyway you would mind sharing that with me?

I'm not at MSUCOM, but if you're worried about anatomy I'd suggest reading Gray's chapter 1 before matriculation. Don't memorize it, but getting familiar with the vocabulary will help.