For example, anki is a very popular resource a lot of medical students use for spaced repetition; however, for some people it might not be necessary or might increase the burden of studying, so staying true to how you best learn and not feeling guilty for not using the resources most people are using is important. Some people learn by doing questions first and some people can not learn by doing questions until they feel like they know the content from the videos. Another example is, that I learn much better from reading textbooks or just medical review books, often in addition to the videos or sometimes as my first resource, and that is not a common resource most people use, but it has worked for me, and gotten me the results I wanted! On the contrary, a resource such as UWorld is the gold standard for doing practice questions and EVERYONE uses it, so not saying you should not use what most people use at all times, but rather curate to find the balance between resources that are best for your learning style and using resources that are absolutely essential for exam preparation.
For me, it helped to talk to lots of upperclassmen and even classmates to get a sense of different strategies people were using to study and what worked and did not work for them. I would ask them these questions not to replicate what they did but rather to gather data on what strategies in general has been work for other people for me to try some of those and see if any of those are for me or not, rather than just blindly following what the majority utilize and hoping you will get the results you wish for just by following in their footsteps
Yes and no! Every block is different and demands different studying tactics for most people. Most medical school classes start with anatomy and some form of basic sciences such as biochemistry, histology, microbiology, immunology, and then go into organ systems classes. It is okay to feel you are having to rediscover what is going to work best for you in terms of learning the material because until you get to the systems courses, it can feel like you are starting all over again in terms of how to study for this particular course and that is an okay feeling to have. Some people would have figured out what works for them or may still be comfortably experimenting with study strategies, and some people might be struggling with that process. It is a spectrum and okay to be wherever you fall in that spectrum – self-compassion and understanding are key. Once you get to the organ systems classes, it plateaus from there as the pattern continues of learning embryology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology for that organ system. On the other end, when you have figured out what works for you, stick to it regardless of what other people are doing or studying.
So at the beginning of each block, make a list of all the potential resources out there, and watch 1-2 videos or read a few pages from those to see which one you like and you think you will learn the best from and pick a few and stick with those!!
Absolutely not, and in fact resource overload is an actual phenomenon. What ends up happening is your mind gets tricked into thinking you utilized all the possible resources available to comprehensively learn but that comes at the cost of low retention of the material and not having enough time to reinforce content learned from fewer resources. It is okay and recommended to try out what third-party as well as in-house resources work well for you for each block in the beginning (it might change from block to block) and stick to them.
Absolutely not true – if you go into medical school with that mindset, you will do everything to keep studying, even at times when it is not productive just to avoid self-guilt of not studying every minute of the day. To do well and sustain the required amount of study hours, it is vital to try your best to stay connected to loved ones and take care of your physical health by getting some exercise in, trying to eat healthy, and staying connected to your hobbies/what brings you joy. It seems like basic advice but it adds up and when your body is just burning fuel without getting rejuvenated, it impairs learning capacities, the empathy you can give others, and the overall experience of medical school. Think of it as running a marathon, and if you do not take enough breaks, you will burn out easily and early!
This is the first time everyone is around people who were all top x% in their class and everyone is around people who have identical schedules as their own so it is extremely common and easy for people to start comparing themselves and feeling a sense of inadequacy and feeling they are accomplishing less in the same time all of them have. It is vital to remember everyone is on their own path and has different goals and interests. It is extremely integral to internalize that everyone learns at their own pace and everyone who is in medical school deserves to be there. Seems like a piece of very simple advice but getting into the spiral of feeling inadequate will only make learning more challenging and elevate stress levels.
You will be around people who have never really “failed” and you could be that person yourself, but medical school will humble you in unexpected ways as you may not do as well on exams as you have been used to, or you had expected, However, the most important thing is to find a balance between self-criticism, and self-compassion to learn from the mistakes and improve. You have to remind yourself that this is the first time you are learning such a large volume of material in such a short time.
In the realm of medical school experience, diversity in study methods and resources is not only acceptable but encouraged as each student’s journey is unique, requiring flexibility and self-compassion in the pursuit of academic excellence. While it’s tempting to succumb to the pressure of using every available resource or comparing oneself to peers, it’s essential to remain grounded in personal strengths and goals. Prioritizing physical and mental health, nurturing relationships, and fostering a supportive community are integral components of navigating the challenges of their academic journey with resilience and fulfillment.
