What you wish you knew day 1

[NontradCA]

I hope you don't mind me starting this thread (I searched and closest one was 2007). I always see on SDN some sort of self realization of what med school really is. So I ask what you wish you knew going into it day 1 MS1 and please leave a tip.

I guess what I've heard rehashed so much is don't worry about preclinical grades and sitting in lecture is worthless.

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[FrkyBgStok]

I wish I would have known how humbling and eye open med school is and how much people will sacrifice for something that doesn't matter that much. I've seen too many people divorce and lose families just for a better grade. I wish I would have started from day 1 to not care about rank and grade at the expense of my family. Luckily, I learned this rather quickly but many didn't. I also learned that medicine will take every single ounce of energy that you give it. Don't give too much and lose yourself.

 

[Trogghunter]

Its all about your boards, letters of rec, and evals in m3m4. Nothing else matters. If you're going for acgme programs, don't stress 'audition' rotations, unless you don't rock your boards.

Attendings and residents care a lot less about what you do as long as you didn't slow them down. And never, ever ask your administration for time off.

People on sdn, though very informative, will make you feel inadequate and think that you'll never get through, until you match your no 1 at a 'mid tier' program by following the above.

 

[NontradCA]

I wish I would have known how humbling and eye open med school is and how much people will sacrifice for something that doesn't matter that much. I've seen too many people divorce and lose families just for a better grade. I wish I would have started from day 1 to not care about rank and grade at the expense of my family. Luckily, I learned this rather quickly but many didn't. I also learned that medicine will take every single ounce of energy that you give it. Don't give too much and lose yourself.

That's bleak. I remember you posting on pre-osteo quite a bit and you had a more positive outlook on grades and seemed to be doing extremely well in your class. I guess it would make sense you'd have to make sacrifices. What I find interesting is every Attending I've met or that posts on here says some variation of family sacrifice in medicine and time being the most valuable thing.

I'm glad you haven't become a statistic yet . I know I'm being facetious but I've been there < divorced.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Just stay level. Med school is absolutely awesome, and despite a lot of moaning and groaning I think most-all med students can admit that they love it.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

I wish I would have known how humbling and eye open med school is and how much people will sacrifice for something that doesn't matter that much. I've seen too many people divorce and lose families just for a better grade. I wish I would have started from day 1 to not care about rank and grade at the expense of my family. Luckily, I learned this rather quickly but many didn't. I also learned that medicine will take every single ounce of energy that you give it. Don't give too much and lose yourself.

The real ish right here. Good post.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

That's bleak. I remember you posting on pre-osteo quite a bit and you had a more positive outlook on grades and seemed to be doing extremely well in your class. I guess it would make sense you'd have to make sacrifices. What I find interesting is every Attending I've met or that posts on here says some variation of family sacrifice in medicine and time being the most valuable thing.

I'm glad you haven't become a statistic yet . I know I'm being facetious but I've been there < divorced.

Dont get me wrong, i am doing fine and am happy with my grades, but i am also happy i am not sacrificing more for better grades. I'm nowhere near the top of my class but it is a bummer how many people do become that statistic. I guess the point that I am making is that it is so easy for me to skip my sons basketball game, or my daughters weekend long dance competition, or even my other sons hockey practice under the excuse of "studying" that many people do so. I did more in the beginning but i gave that up. I could get an A and hole up in the library all weekend, or i could take the B or even C and do family activities. I'm going to choose the B every time.

But it is important to know that the temptation is there and it is so easy to let the important things move to the back.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

I was under the impression class rank does matter, since it's a reflection of your work ethic, which consequently translates to better board score preparation which is critical.

 

[pattr]

I was under the impression class rank does matter, since it's a reflection of your work ethic, which consequently translates to better board score preparation which is critical.

I think it does matter to some extent for uber competitive residencies.

What I wish I knew from day 1... medical school is tough but not impossible. Tens of thousands of people are going through the same experience every day around the world. You have time to spend time with your friends and family. Go out on the weekend. Do things that you enjoy doing. Don't just study all the time. Exercise. Volunteer. You'll be happier in the end and you'll have a lot more to talk about at your interviews.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

I think it does matter to some extent for uber competitive residencies.

What I wish I knew from day 1... medical school is tough but not impossible. Tens of thousands of people are going through the same experience every day around the world. You have time to spend time with your friends and family. Go out on the weekend. Do things that you enjoy doing. Don't just study all the time. Exercise. Volunteer. You'll be happier in the end and you'll have a lot more to talk about at your interviews.

People DO make it seem like you study to the point you only see family like once every 2 years or something

 

[Mr Kenobi]

I was under the impression class rank does matter, since it's a reflection of your work ethic, which consequently translates to better board score preparation which is critical.

Class rank matters dude.
lol, gunner.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

Class rank matters dude.
lol, gunner.

Hey if I made it this far, why sell myself short

 

[SurgeDO]

-you will be surrounded by some awesome clinicians during your pre-clerkship. reach out to them and develop relationships. if you admire their values and their contributions to the field, try to get them to mentor you.

-spend time in the hospital. it is easy to lose focus in medical school due to all the minutia we are required to learn. watching a couple surgeries a week really keeps my eye on the prize.

-medical school is awesome. it is a lot of work, but if you invest your time into medicine, you will truly enjoy it. i went into medical school kinda liking medicine. now i cannot picture a life without it.

-FA from day 1. pathoma as soon as you start going into systems.

-do not join clubs in medical school because you think they will boost your resume come match day. program directors do not give a ****.

 

[HooliganSnail]

Its all about your boards, letters of rec, and evals in m3m4. Nothing else matters. If you're going for acgme programs, don't stress 'audition' rotations, unless you don't rock your boards.

Attendings and residents care a lot less about what you do as long as you didn't slow them down. And never, ever ask your administration for time off.

People on sdn, though very informative, will make you feel inadequate and think that you'll never get through, until you match your no 1 at a 'mid tier' program by following the above.

Best advice ever. If you need a Friday off, just talk to your attending/resident. Never ever go through the admin.

 

[HooliganSnail]

Just stay level. Med school is absolutely awesome, and despite a lot of moaning and groaning I think most-all med students can admit that they love it.

Medicine is awesome. Medical school is a soul sucking, marathon of of bulls**** that will eat you alive if you let it. It is a grind, everyday for 4 years. You will feel completely useless 90% of time. People will constantly make you feel like you are in the way (because you are). The worst part is that no one who isn't in med school can relate. They might say they understand but they don't really.

The key is that in the end when you reflect back, you will realize that it was all worth it. That is what all the people who say "I'm just as smart/good/effective/caring blah blah blah as a doctor " don't understand. The difference isn't how intelligent you are, it's that I actually went through the gauntlet.

So yeah, in the end, I hate medical school, but I also kinda love it.....

 

[FrkyBgStok]

-you will be surrounded by some awesome clinicians during your pre-clerkship.

this reminds me of another "wish I knew" item. Yes, there are some awesome clinicians that are incredibly valuable. You will also be surrounded by giant a-holes that are excellent teachers, douches that can't teach at all, people who are incredibly likeable but aren't very good, and every other combination you can think of. Like people and value mentors for the right reasons and don't take things personally.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Medical school is a BUSINESS. They are not out to "get you" nor are there "weeder" courses
Everybody fails something along the way: a test, a course, a practical. It is not the end of the world and you will do better.
It's very hard to be in a class where everyone is used to being at the top. Not everyone can be at the top of med school. The person who graduates last is still called Doctor.
No one will EVER ask you what your board scores were or what your class rank was or what your anatomy grade was when you are an attending.

 

[hallowmann]

I was under the impression class rank does matter, since it's a reflection of your work ethic, which consequently translates to better board score preparation which is critical.

Just make sure you are aware of how much things are worth. I'm pretty sure that clinical grades are worth many more credits at my school than pre-clinical grades. That means even if you are right around average for the first 2 yrs, then work hard at clinicals, you could end up very high, rank-wise. I've heard of other schools essentially not having any clinical grades that factor into your rank. Figure out what your school does.

That said, listen to everyone else here. Your focus shouldn't be your class rank/GPA, it should be (1) really learning what you need to know for retention & (2) not losing yourself/burning out.

Personally, I love the material. I figured I would, but its different when you actually go in and start studying it. I really love it. That said, I'm tired most of the time, and sometimes I don't have the time to learn the subjects the way I want to. Its grueling, but manageable. The most important thing is staying on top of the work. Don't fall behind, make it your priority early on and stay motivated. Its easy to get lazy for a week. Try and be very good with managing your time so you have adequate studying time and adequate non-studying time in discrete batches.

 

[scummie]

Stay off SDN, especially the period right before/after board exams and matching. It will only make you feel paranoid and worse about yourself.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

 

[Trogghunter]

Stay off SDN, especially the period right before/after board exams and matching. It will only make you feel paranoid and worse about yourself.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

 

[InGen]

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

What about comparing other people to yourself?

 

[touchpause13]

I wish I would have known how humbling and eye open med school is and how much people will sacrifice for something that doesn't matter that much. I've seen too many people divorce and lose families just for a better grade. I wish I would have started from day 1 to not care about rank and grade at the expense of my family. Luckily, I learned this rather quickly but many didn't. I also learned that medicine will take every single ounce of energy that you give it. Don't give too much and lose yourself.

Thanks for this post, I will certainly remember this for when school starts.

 

[oingoboingo]

1)Strongly agree with previous poster - medical school can only take as much as you give it. Figure out what's important to you outside of academics and set aside a reasonable amount of "protected" time every week for those activities. For me, that is my family, friends, and God. I get my work done and do well in school, but I refuse to do that at the expense of the ones I love.
2)When you feel discouraged or just burned out, try to take yourself back to the moment that you received your first medical school acceptance and channel that happiness.
3)Prioritize sleep!
4)And don't ever tell other students your grades. No good can come of this.

 

[DocWinter]

And never, ever ask your administration for time off.

Best advice ever. If you need a Friday off, just talk to your attending/resident. Never ever go through the admin.

Can you guys elaborate on this? What's the need to go through the resident and not the school? Do you let the school know?

 

[Trogghunter]

And never, ever ask your administration for time off.


Can you guys elaborate on this? What's the need to go through the resident and not the school? Do you let the school know?

What? Ok. You need 2 days off because you have to fly to a wedding/Vegas/whatever for the weekend on Friday and want to stay another day so you come back late Sunday/early Monday. Well, chances are you bought your ticket in advance, so you could:

1) tell your school via email etc and they probably have a policy against missing a single day on service so they'll a)say no and put you under the radar or b) approve but give you a huge assignment or c) have you make up a full weekend or d) cite you in your dean's letter

2) tell your resident/attending: 'hey, I have to go to a wedding/etc this weekend, I will be back Tuesday. It's my xxxxx's wedding/etc so its important'. 95% will say they don't care, 4% will ask if its OK (it is) and 1% probably won't bat an eye.

 

[Trogghunter]

On that note, its really important to make a good first impression witj everyone you meet at the hospital and practice the golden rule. Treat your med ed faculty/staff with the utmost respect. Sir and m'am goes a long way, no matter how old you are or where you're from.

 

[Path hall]

I would pick a speciality early on and just gun for it with lots of research.

 

[MerickManual]

1)Strongly agree with previous poster - medical school can only take as much as you give it. Figure out what's important to you outside of academics and set aside a reasonable amount of "protected" time every week for those activities. For me, that is my family, friends, and God. I get my work done and do well in school, but I refuse to do that at the expense of the ones I love.
2)When you feel discouraged or just burned out, try to take yourself back to the moment that you received your first medical school acceptance and channel that happiness.
3)Prioritize sleep!
4)And don't ever tell other students your grades. No good can come of this.

YES to #4. Hate those people who tell you their grades...

5) Study smarter, not longer. Don't be fooled that people studying all day/night are doing a better job than someone who put in a good 5 hrs.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

YES to #4. Hate those people who tell you their grades...

5) Study smarter, not longer. Don't be fooled that people studying all day/night are doing a better job than someone who put in a good 5 hrs.

How come. Do you feel your classmates are cutthroat?

 

[MerickManual]

How come. Do you feel your classmates are cutthroat?

Just made you compare yourself to others, vice versa. No, we weren't cutthroat... but you can't help but be annoyed at someone who always pipped up that they had a better test result, etc. It then becomes this silent competition.

 

[scummie]

Just made you compare yourself to others, vice versa. No, we weren't cutthroat... but you can't help but be annoyed at someone who always pipped up that they had a better test result, etc. It then becomes this silent competition.

Because once you open that can of worms for comparison, it's never going to end well.

Friend A studied for two days, got an 81.
Friend B studied for weeks, went to every lecture, read all the recommended texts and got a 89.5
You? Studied for a week, got a 75. (Or something else.)

Now spend the next four years analyzing each other. I'm just making up numbers, but tell me how knowing how your grades stack up compared to others helps? Just makes you feel bad about yourself and leads down the road of second guessing. You just need to know that you are not remotely close to failing. Make yourself the competition to beat and you won't have to worry.

We are all special little snowflakes that are better at certain things than others.

 

[NOsaintsfan]

Because once you open that can of worms for comparison, it's never going to end well.

Friend A studied for two days, got an 81.
Friend B studied for weeks, went to every lecture, read all the recommended texts and got a 89.5
You? Studied for a week, got a 75. (Or something else.)

Now spend the next four years analyzing each other. I'm just making up numbers, but tell me how knowing how your grades stack up compared to others helps? Just makes you feel bad about yourself and leads down the road of second guessing. You just need to know that you are not remotely close to failing. Make yourself the competition to beat and you won't have to worry.

We are all special little snowflakes that are better at certain things than others.

I don't randomly just tell people my grades but if someone asks I tell them, who cares? Its true that some/many will have some kind of silent competition in their mind or whatever but that's their stress not mine, I'm over it. Study hard and don't sweat the small stuff.

What others have said is true, medical school will take 150% of your time if you let it. You have to figure out whats important and prioritize for that.

Figure out how to study early, what you did in undergrad/post-bac wont work (most likely) don't be stubborn if your methods aren't working CHANGE THEM. The sooner you figure out what works for you the more manageable it will become.

 

[Siggy]

1. Administration will lie through their teeth if it means spending less money on curriculum. This includes changing teaching styles (i.e. lecture to psuedo-PBL) in the middle of preclinical education without mentioning it when interviewing.

2. Most of the administration has no clue about the intricacies of medical school and applying to residency. They really only care about doing the least amount of work possible. If this means almost losing an audition that is supposed to be "confirmed" for over a month because they never actually contacted the site? Meh, tough. If it means locking in the one required rotation during 4th year at a time that will result in late LORs (Sept-Aug) despite an opening the month before? Sucks to be you, it's too tough to do anything.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

1. Administration will lie through their teeth if it means spending less money on curriculum. This includes changing teaching styles (i.e. lecture to psuedo-PBL) in the middle of preclinical education without mentioning it when interviewing.

2. Most of the administration has no clue about the intricacies of medical school and applying to residency. They really only care about doing the least amount of work possible. If this means almost losing an audition that is supposed to be "confirmed" for over a month because they never actually contacted the site? Meh, tough. If it means locking in the one required rotation during 4th year at a time that will result in late LORs (Sept-Aug) despite an opening the month before? Sucks to be you, it's too tough to do anything.

Sounds like you had a bad experience.

 

[Siggy]

Sounds like you had a bad experience.

I'll freely admit that I'm the proverbial disgruntled student, soon alumni from a medical school. I have no problem wearing that title, however after the shenanigans I've seen at my school, I'd never recommend it to anyone unless that was their only choice in the US.

The problem with any medical school review or "wish I'd known" thread is that it's highly individualized to the student's experience. The students who had no problems at all and everything ran perfectly smooth aren't lying, nor are the people who had various problems, some in their control, some not. The average experience, however, is somewhere between the extremes.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

I'll freely admit that I'm the proverbial disgruntled student, soon alumni from a medical school. I have no problem wearing that title, however after the shenanigans I've seen at my school, I'd never recommend it to anyone unless that was their only choice in the US.

The problem with any medical school review or "wish I'd known" thread is that it's highly individualized to the student's experience. The students who had no problems at all and everything ran perfectly smooth aren't lying, nor are the people who had various problems, some in their control, some not. The average experience, however, is somewhere between the extremes.

Would you be able to say the region your school is located?

I wonder if allopathic malignant administration has a similar % to malignancies with osteopathic administration.

 

[Siggy]

Would you be able to say the region your school is located?

I wonder if allopathic malignant administration has a similar % to malignancies with osteopathic administration.

Southwest.

It would be interesting, however there can be legitimate differences in satisfaction based on changes from year to year. Paying 50k/year to be an unwitting guinea pig is pretty off setting. The next year didn't have near the problems. Similarly, the school isn't doing a lottery this year for the mandatory EM rotation (great for C/O 2015, but the damage is already done for me), so they won't have to deal with that problem.

 

[oingoboingo]

Southwest.

the school isn't doing a lottery this year for the mandatory EM rotation (great for C/O 2015, but the damage is already done for me), so they won't have to deal with that problem.

What is this EM lottery all about?

 

[happypremed1]

-FA from day 1. pathoma as soon as you start going into systems.

-do not join clubs in medical school because you think they will boost your resume come match day. program directors do not give a ****.

Is FA from day 1 too early? What are things that boost resume for residency?

 

[@JackShephard]

Is FA from day 1 too early? What are things that boost resume for residency?

One step at a time.

Med school has lots of hurdles. Focus on learning everything in front of you really well. Step 1 will come more 6 months out from the exam.

 

[iatros]

Is FA from day 1 too early? What are things that boost resume for residency?

Personality, work ethic, and academic achievements are the big things (in no particular order) for residency. Everything else is mostly just for fun. Don't worry about FA until second year.

So I ask what you wish you knew going into it day 1 MS1

Minimize your debt as much as possible.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

Personality, work ethic, and academic achievements are the big things (in no particular order) for residency. Everything else is mostly just for fun. Don't worry about FA until second year.



Minimize your debt as much as possible.

What would fall under academic achievement if many ppl say grades n class rank mean crap.

 

[Siggy]

What is this EM lottery all about?

There are 3 required 4th year rotations at my school. EM, medicine sub-I, surgical sub-I. What they used to do was run a random lottery and have everyone sign up for EM rotations based off of where they placed in the lottery, thus giving us control over time and location. Unfortunately, when you are almost at the end, your choices are very limited. Especially if you're looking for a spot at the local hospital with a residency during audition time and don't want to burn an elective month (we're limited to 3 or 4 elective months in any one specialty. Core rotations do not count towards that limit).

What I failed to realize was three things. First off, when it's the third month of the year it's next to impossible to schedule an away rotation during the first two months because the schedule has to match perfectly. Second, I completely underestimated how late of a letter that would be for the DO match. Third, that there would still be open spots for random EM electives anyways at the hospital.

 

[dyspareunia]

I hope you don't mind me starting this thread (I searched and closest one was 2007). I always see on SDN some sort of self realization of what med school really is. So I ask what you wish you knew going into it day 1 MS1 and please leave a tip.

I guess what I've heard rehashed so much is don't worry about preclinical grades and sitting in lecture is worthless.

Do worry about preclinical grades in the sense that studying hard and learning the course material well can only benefit you when studying for Step 1. Sitting in lecture is worthless though, I agree.

I wish I had known that I wouldn't need to be on campus everyday because then I would've lived in a nicer, cheaper, and not so close to school area.

What would fall under academic achievement if many ppl say grades n class rank mean crap.

Grades matter for class rank; class rank matters for AOA (or whatever the DO equivalent is); AOA matters for residency and fellowship. Grades and class rank also matter if your school has merit scholarships and academic achievement awards. The scholarship I received coming into med school was increased recently because I am ranked highly in my class. People who say grades and class rank "mean crap" are people who have a class rank that doesn't matter (i.e. not in the top 25%).

Unless you have a family, there really is nothing better to do than study while in med school. You could go out and party and do fun stuff, but if you're paying for all this with loans then you're really shooting yourself in both feet because your grades and readiness for step 1 will be lower (leading to reduced career prospects) and your debt load will be higher.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

Do worry about preclinical grades in the sense that studying hard and learning the course material well can only benefit you when studying for Step 1. Sitting in lecture is worthless though, I agree.

I wish I had known that I wouldn't need to be on campus everyday because then I would've lived in a nicer, cheaper, and not so close to school area.



Grades matter for class rank; class rank matters for AOA (or whatever the DO equivalent is); AOA matters for residency and fellowship. Grades and class rank also matter if your school has merit scholarships and academic achievement awards. The scholarship I received coming into med school was increased recently because I am ranked highly in my class. People who say grades and class rank "mean crap" are people who have a class rank that doesn't matter (i.e. not in the top 25%).

Unless you have a family, there really is nothing better to do than study while in med school. You could go out and party and do fun stuff, but if you're paying for all this with loans then you're really shooting yourself in both feet because your grades and readiness for step 1 will be lower (leading to reduced career prospects) and your debt load will be higher.

I like the way you think. So many people kept telling me "oh stop it. Grades doesn't matter. Directors just care for board scores. If you're #1 or #155 you're still gonna be a doctor"

Had I used your advice I'd be marked as a "gunner" but it seems gunner is the way to be coming from a DO school with acgme residency competitiveness increasing each year.

 

[LABBL]

Southwest.

It would be interesting, however there can be legitimate differences in satisfaction based on changes from year to year. Paying 50k/year to be an unwitting guinea pig is pretty off setting. The next year didn't have near the problems. Similarly, the school isn't doing a lottery this year for the mandatory EM rotation (great for C/O 2015, but the damage is already done for me), so they won't have to deal with that problem.

Could you please tell us what school this is? I have a feeling it's one I am considering attending

 

[Dr. Zombie]

Could you please tell us what school this is? I have a feeling it's one I am considering attending

I bet it's AZCOM. Its rotations has been getting a bad rep lately.

 

[happypremed1]

I bet it's AZCOM. Its rotations has been getting a bad rep lately.

There's a higher chance it's one of the LECOMs.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

There's a higher chance it's one of the LECOMs.

Can't. He/she said southwest.

 

[LABBL]

I bet it's AZCOM. Its rotations has been getting a bad rep lately.

Ahh yeah I had a feeling....

i suppose it could also be SOMA or COMP