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- Thread starter Mosaicity
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Things are tough for you now, no doubt. You are also feeling pooped and crappy. That is okay.
You’re heart is in the right place and you are making it work. It is going to be okay. Keep at it and you can make it for sure! Your friends are probably still there for you. Typically, when YOU feel stressed, you stress your relationships. So this is a good life lesson that even when things look really bad, really you’re going to be fine and probably better for it in the end.
You’ll be a doctor as long as you keep pushing! You’ll be glad that you hit this spot in your life eventually.
You’re heart is in the right place and you are making it work. It is going to be okay. Keep at it and you can make it for sure! Your friends are probably still there for you. Typically, when YOU feel stressed, you stress your relationships. So this is a good life lesson that even when things look really bad, really you’re going to be fine and probably better for it in the end.
You’ll be a doctor as long as you keep pushing! You’ll be glad that you hit this spot in your life eventually.
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Sorry to hear you’ve had a rough year. You sound like you have a decent attitude about it and have been trying to fix the issue. Given how close you were, you have a decent chance of passing the second time around.
Usually I can read between the lines in a post and sniff out the underlying issue but I really can’t here. Significant study habit issues would have nailed you in M1 unless you just barely passed and your school has a much higher workload in year two. I don’t buy the too much minutiae argument because then your whole class would have failed. What were class averages on those exams where you got 65? I ask simply because the spread points to different underlying issues. If the avg is 71 then you just have poor faculty. If the average is 85-90, then you have a more serious issue and may struggle on boards and later on shelf exams.
The biggest mistake you can make is going into this year thinking you’ve got a leg up on studying because you’ve done it once before. Treat it like it’s your first pass and throw all your effort into acing your class exams. Forget about boards for awhile - you can use those materials to codify concepts but devote the bulk of your time to memorizing the minutiae. Once you are comfortably passing, you can devote more time to step prep, but not before then. It’ll be tempting to do because you’ll think the higher step score will make up for the failed year, but you run a high risk of failing the year again.
If I were in your shoes, I would look hard at your weakest areas and use the summer to build my own anki cards for all the class minutiae for the whole year. You already have all the course material, so use your time to make cards and prepare to beat the class stuff into your memory.
The one missing element from your described study is repetition. It sounds like you did a lot of superficial passes of different resources but that simply isn’t enough. Reading Robbins is a waste of time — reading Robbins 4-5 times is what you need to do. Watch pathoma 2-3 times until his voice is in your head. I like anki for repetition because it automates it and if used far enough in advance will ensure you devote all your time to your weakest areas.
Good luck!
Usually I can read between the lines in a post and sniff out the underlying issue but I really can’t here. Significant study habit issues would have nailed you in M1 unless you just barely passed and your school has a much higher workload in year two. I don’t buy the too much minutiae argument because then your whole class would have failed. What were class averages on those exams where you got 65? I ask simply because the spread points to different underlying issues. If the avg is 71 then you just have poor faculty. If the average is 85-90, then you have a more serious issue and may struggle on boards and later on shelf exams.
The biggest mistake you can make is going into this year thinking you’ve got a leg up on studying because you’ve done it once before. Treat it like it’s your first pass and throw all your effort into acing your class exams. Forget about boards for awhile - you can use those materials to codify concepts but devote the bulk of your time to memorizing the minutiae. Once you are comfortably passing, you can devote more time to step prep, but not before then. It’ll be tempting to do because you’ll think the higher step score will make up for the failed year, but you run a high risk of failing the year again.
If I were in your shoes, I would look hard at your weakest areas and use the summer to build my own anki cards for all the class minutiae for the whole year. You already have all the course material, so use your time to make cards and prepare to beat the class stuff into your memory.
The one missing element from your described study is repetition. It sounds like you did a lot of superficial passes of different resources but that simply isn’t enough. Reading Robbins is a waste of time — reading Robbins 4-5 times is what you need to do. Watch pathoma 2-3 times until his voice is in your head. I like anki for repetition because it automates it and if used far enough in advance will ensure you devote all your time to your weakest areas.
Good luck!
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Repeat your second year and accept your “home friends” have moved on. It’s a bummer, but that’s life. You will meet new friends in the upcoming class. You’re current med school friends will still keep in touch, but there will be a detachment between you all because they’re going to be in clinical. Just accept it and focus on your work.
And also, don’t dare act like Step 1 won’t be an issue after all this. You need to humble yourself and get to work. Pick up some community service or research over break, or maybe even just chill, and then get back to t. Family med is still very viable so long as you graduate.
And also, don’t dare act like Step 1 won’t be an issue after all this. You need to humble yourself and get to work. Pick up some community service or research over break, or maybe even just chill, and then get back to t. Family med is still very viable so long as you graduate.