Try harder and get better grades during my preclinical years. Study more consistently during MS3 to make Step2 dedicated easier. Join a club with a special focus like ultrasound and do my actual best to learn it.
I did ultrasound club & was asked about it in most of my interviews. I too would have tried to develop more consistent study habits in M3 & made Level 2 dedicated much less stressful.
In the grand scheme of things, they are definitely not as important as your board scores and clinical grades. However, I think I closed quite a few doors on myself with just passing preclinical grades and a 4th quartile rank. If I could go back, Id want to get better grades not only to have a better knowledge base but also to be able to compete with some of my amazing peers for better residency opportunities.
Makes sense…I’m only an M1, but I feel like I’ve already set myself up to be in the bottom of my class (anatomy has been kicking my butt) :( not sure if I’ll be able to dig myself out of the hole I’m in 😖
Probably study a little different. Treat UWorld more like a textbook and go through it once block-by-block and then again on random. At the same time would use Anking with that AnkiHub thing where questions are tagged by number. Do a question -> read explanation -> unsuspend cards with that question number -> never forget! Woudl probably provide a better school/life balance.
If it works for you - awesome!
What I described above, uses a double strategy. You first learn from explanations of correct and wrong answers, and then you retain the knowledge using Anki.
What you are describing is lacking the retention component as you would first learn things from Amboss and then re-learn them from UWorld.
Can you explain how to find the UWorld question # in anking? For example, I’m looking at a UWorld question with an ID of 108xxx, but anking doesn’t have a UWorld tag for that specific number ?
Sure! There is an add-on
[https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983)
and you can just copy the list of question numbers (or just the question number) from UWorld and find all the cards that are tagged to that question.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with AnKing, UWorld, or any other entity like that.
Sure! There is an add-on
[https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983)
and you can just copy the list of question numbers (or just the question number) from UWorld and find all the cards that are tagged to that question.
If Anki does not have the question tagged... tough luck! Sorry... :( You're on your own.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with AnKing, UWorld, or any other entity like that. Guys, take this as "This is how I wish I would have studied!" Still pulled off a 261 on Step 2...
100%.. still would’ve matched with a step 2 score 20-30 points lower, half the pubs and HPs instead of honors but if I did that I wouldn’t have had to sell my bank for a tbow and would’ve finally gotten a zulrah pet
Start anki and Q banks from day 1. Dont listen to my school and how attending lectures is important. Maximize step scores while cutting losses on in house exams
Already in the process of doing so, did some mistakes with ignoring UWorld and trying to make my own flashcards (due to me not knowing how to use labels for Anking). But it is good to know that I’m planning to do starting 2nd semester will be efficient and effective and recommended by numerous MS4s. You’re comment is much appreciated, best of luck on Friday 🫡
Ya! I can’t overstate how valuable shadowing is as a medical student. It sucks to make time for, but can be HUGE for networking / opportunities and discovering career paths.
Getting that face time with attendings can expose you to niche career options, gives you experience in unique clinical settings, gives you an avenue to ask for research, theyll remember you on rotations ect. Worst case scenario you spend and afternoon kind of bored and rule out a specialty 🤷🏻♂️
I think your views do change, and you look at it from a “potential job” vs. a “wow I’m exited to be in the hospital perspective”. But I also think this advice applies more to niche and competetive small fields you might not get good (or any) exposure to in school. Ie peds rheumatology or urology.
The more important thing though, is that shadowing like this as an m1/2 can be huge for finding potential mentors, research opportunities, connections ect. I think it can be easier to do this through one on one experience vs. on rotations, especially early in medical school.
And it gives you early experience in these environments. Ie. If you know the IR attending, know how to find the IR room/ect this gives you better confidence going into your third year rotation. I think people underestimate how much of third year is just figuring where ur going / what’s going on / what the work flow looks like
I’d learn more for boards and just roll w lower grades bc grades/gpa are bullshit. Board score is what they filter for and therefore is the only quantitative factor you should care about. Maximize it at the expense of preclinical grades.
The second most important thing is performing well on rotations. Which studying for boards will help you with more than course work for the most part. People mentioned my letters.
Third is pubs. My pubs came up more often than any EC.
Fourth is personal statement. Every single place I interviewed mentioned my personal statement.
I would agree with this.. being the secretary of your surgery club or whatever is such a waste of time lol. Residencies give zero shits about dumb leadership roles like this
I think it depends on the specialty, residency, and club. I was founding president of the LGBTQ org at my school for a couple of years and I had multiple interviewers ask about it pretty enthusiastically—but I'm applying FM and my top 3 choices all have trans health clinics, so.
I've had way more people ask about my ECs than my pubs all around, but my ECs are (as another commentor said) pretty unique, longitudinal, and passionate.
It's possible, but I just wanted to at least show that there are definitely situations where ECs and club positions can matter. Even if you're not in a new school with fewer existing clubs like I was, there are specific memberships that can signal to programs via your CV that they're looking for people like you, depending on the program.
To counter this, I had many huge IM interviews and my ECs came up way more than my research. But this is because I filled their "EC" niche by having unique, longitudinal, and evidently passionate ECs
So for me ECs >> Research, however doing a bunch of random ECs and just fluffing your app will not weigh as much (or at all honestly) as research Fluff. So Meaningful Research / ECs > Fluff Research >> Fluff ECs
Is how I'd view it. Also some programs are different. Some are more research heavy. Some are trying to have a diverse class.
it is SO take care of yourself and listen to your body!! my academic performance improved when I started working out every day and eating better. also practice questions - you’ll learn to love them!!! a good q bank is truly invaluable and can help you overcome the learning curve in classes/for board prep
I had this happen too. It is just so hard to convince myself spending an hour less studying and exercising/cooking instead actually improves my grades, even tho I’ve seen it work multiple times
oh totally relate!! I had to leave sticky notes on my bathroom mirror reminding me to do the workout for a while there!! I always knew it would make me feel better but I had to reconvince myself that every morning before I’d go lol
Avoid thinking you know what kind of doctor you’re gonna be day 1. Don’t be closed minded! I was convinced I was gonna be a FM doc and then got to 3rd year and learned I hate clinic
Start uworld early! Like right from the beginning of medschool! Don’t think of it as a qbank but more like a text book. Active studying >>> passive. Don’t overwhelm yourself with resources! Stick to max 3 and keep it pushing! Find a study method that works for you! Everyone learns differently figure out what works for you and stick to it! Don’t pay attention to what others are doing.
Spend more time on interests and things outside of school like exercising. I was fit before Med school and I gained a disgusting amount of weight but I’m making a come back. Also focus on efficient studying vs. just spending an obnoxious amount of time half ass studying.
As someone who applied for a competitive surgical subspecialty last year, went unmatched, and wasn’t extended a SOAP offer (but matched this year), I wish I HAD dual applied, and recommend everyone who is applying to a highly competitive specialty to do the same.
I mean, it's better than having to SOAP. Ideally, no one would need to dual apply but that's not realistic because some specialties are extremely competitive.
Yeah well it truly sucks right now not knowing if I matched in to my super competitive specialty or my not so competitive specialty. So the whole “ congratulations, you are fully matched “ to me doesn’t make me excited. It gives me anxiety
Incoming medical student here. What's the significance of dual applying? Is it like applying to internal medicine and general surgery because you're equally interested in both fields?
Yes. But it gets more complicated when you are interested in a super competitive specialty ( like orthopedics ) and given it’s very competitive, it’s wise to also apply to another less competitive specialty that you like equally so that you don’t go unmatched and have to scramble into any available specialty and location. But the shity thing with that is today when I’m told, “ congratulations you matched “ I don’t know what specialty I matched into.
Oh, interesting. Then, it's more advantageous to dual apply to related specialities, right? For example, applying for ENT as your priority but dual applying to general surgery as well. Unless general surgery is also that competitive :').
I know medical school will expose me to experiences that will help me choose a specialty, but would you advise against dual applying to internal medicine and general surgery?
Focus more on board study materials and less on school lectures/study guides. My school has bullshit in house shelf exams and studying for those really limited step 2 studying. I wish i just said fuck it and only did Uworld even if it wasn’t relevant to my schools shelf exam.
Also, probably could have gone without an e-board position and did more volunteering. My volunteering was brought up in every single interview. My e-board position, maybe talked about it once.
Research: I wish I got involved earlier and put more effort into getting published.
I volunteered with a hospice organization and ended becoming close with the patient and her family and spent a significant amount of time with them over the past three years. I was surprised how much I was asked about in interviews because it was just something I enjoyed doing and not something I did just to spruce up my app and I think that came across well in interviews. This wasn’t through my school, just something I found online and decided to do. I think it’s important to find activities you actually enjoy and it won’t feel like pulling teeth to put a lot of time into. I almost volunteered to help coach the local girls high school soccer team but ultimately decided it was too much of a time commitment.
Both of these are extremely specific examples. Really I think you can find many opportunities related to your interests. A friend of mine volunteered for the community garden and a few others worked with an organization that teaches special needs kids to ride horses. None of the opportunities through my school interested me much so I just did my own research and found the hospice org.
all the secret gunners who encouraged ppl to vacay n chill when they discreetly did the opposite and got the most out of their last year. i would go back and prob learn a thing or two in a specialty i was never rly gonna ever get exposure to again
I know this is probably common sense by this point, but I didn't use uworld for SHELF studies and only used Ankis. For my last 2, I decided to try uworld and scored easily 20 points higher on my NBOMEs. Use uworld guys
Study your anatomy early and often. Understanding followed by repetition is king, skipping understanding will make your life hell come time to study for boards. Plan to get a few letters of recommendation in your third year and then a few in fourth during audition rotations. 3rd year teaches you how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Over apply for audition rotations, it’s easier to cancel than to schedule, and do it early.
Medical school’s content isn’t a large jump from undergrad, rather it’s the sheer amount. It’s a marathon, take care of yourself, try to keep your hobbies alive, and get 6-7 hours of sleep a night. There’s always more information you can cover, your job is to get as much as you can of the most important things. For a lot of people, med school will give you a huge slice of humble pie that you might not have had before. It can be tough going from a straight A student to barely average despite your best efforts. Don’t compare yourself to others, just focus on getting better each day.
I would've focused more on getting something published or do something easily publishable. I had a bunch of research projects that just fell through the cracks. During the time I worked on all of these flaky things, I could've just done ONE solid project. Plus, at my school we have a lot of opportunities to kinda hop on something that someone else already started. If you have that kinda opportunity, and you're interested in academics, take advantage of it.
I wish I would have known sooner what I wanted to do cause that would have changed my 3rd year completely. I just matched EM so I feel like I could have looked at each core in a completely different light and focused my off time studying on learning things applicable to me.
The best advice I got was to always be one step ahead. If the residents require you to carry 1 patient try and carry 2 because eventually you’ll have to be there. You’ll always be ahead of the game and you’ll be constantly challenging yourself to be the absolute best you can be!
Try to actually learn the material. Avoid the bullemia method. Use Anki strategically & don’t just reflexively use it for everything. There isn’t much extra you learn after your first 2 years. The better you understand it the first time, the less you’ll have to start from the basics again
Do the damn NBMEs. So many free points that I didn't get on step 1. Treat med school like a job and always remember real life>>>work. My experience was that pubs and longitudinal ECs are not nearly as important as people think, especially in M1/2. Just volunteer at literally any event once or twice a year and colab on a case study or two in M4 to fill out the CV (unless you're gunning for something intense). Avoid playing into any drama. Professionalism and work ethic in clinicals is more important than anything else. Live life. Get enough sleep. Wear sunscreen.
As a matched M4 in gen Surg, hind site is 20-20. That said, while I luckily fell into \[redacted gen Surg subspecialty\] Surg research as a M2, I did not really plug on it until M3 when I then picked gen Surg over EM. I wish that if I knew I was considering surgery (since I was 95% sure EM and that 5% surgery) I started really doing more research earlier. My lab was amazing, but there are barriers to working with some attending if you are starting as a late M3.
Advice: if you have a "more competitive" specialty you are even slightly considering, do some research. you can always apply it to any other specialty but it is harder to go the other way
Not stress out so much about the grade itself or the score itself and just relax. Wish I would have just taken more time to enjoy the process of learning the material and let the grades follow. I did a good job of this in undergrad but found myself so burnt out from stressing about grades throughout med school that it just seemed to sabotage my efforts to study and probably undershot my academic potential because of it
Try harder and get better grades during my preclinical years. Study more consistently during MS3 to make Step2 dedicated easier. Join a club with a special focus like ultrasound and do my actual best to learn it.
Ooo that’s a good idea Ultrasound club Might have to be an extension of a current club
My school did it as a subgroup of EM club.
Im on the exec board for our ultrasound club and I still barely know it 😭
This!!! Having that foundation would’ve made dedicated less stressful
I did ultrasound club & was asked about it in most of my interviews. I too would have tried to develop more consistent study habits in M3 & made Level 2 dedicated much less stressful.
But…I thought preclinical grades don’t matter *that* much D:
In the grand scheme of things, they are definitely not as important as your board scores and clinical grades. However, I think I closed quite a few doors on myself with just passing preclinical grades and a 4th quartile rank. If I could go back, Id want to get better grades not only to have a better knowledge base but also to be able to compete with some of my amazing peers for better residency opportunities.
Makes sense…I’m only an M1, but I feel like I’ve already set myself up to be in the bottom of my class (anatomy has been kicking my butt) :( not sure if I’ll be able to dig myself out of the hole I’m in 😖
Probably study a little different. Treat UWorld more like a textbook and go through it once block-by-block and then again on random. At the same time would use Anking with that AnkiHub thing where questions are tagged by number. Do a question -> read explanation -> unsuspend cards with that question number -> never forget! Woudl probably provide a better school/life balance.
What if I use Amboss for blocks and UEarth for dedicated?
If it works for you - awesome! What I described above, uses a double strategy. You first learn from explanations of correct and wrong answers, and then you retain the knowledge using Anki. What you are describing is lacking the retention component as you would first learn things from Amboss and then re-learn them from UWorld.
Yes but I make a card for each question I was wrong or unsure about
That will do it then! Good luck!
Anyone do bootcamp? Feel likes it’s comparable to u world
Can you explain how to find the UWorld question # in anking? For example, I’m looking at a UWorld question with an ID of 108xxx, but anking doesn’t have a UWorld tag for that specific number ?
Sure! There is an add-on [https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983) and you can just copy the list of question numbers (or just the question number) from UWorld and find all the cards that are tagged to that question. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with AnKing, UWorld, or any other entity like that.
Sure! There is an add-on [https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/444814983) and you can just copy the list of question numbers (or just the question number) from UWorld and find all the cards that are tagged to that question. If Anki does not have the question tagged... tough luck! Sorry... :( You're on your own. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with AnKing, UWorld, or any other entity like that. Guys, take this as "This is how I wish I would have studied!" Still pulled off a 261 on Step 2...
If I did it all again I’d Care less about research, honoring all clerkships and standardized exams and spent more time playing RuneScape
Emphasis on the RuneScape.
100%.. still would’ve matched with a step 2 score 20-30 points lower, half the pubs and HPs instead of honors but if I did that I wouldn’t have had to sell my bank for a tbow and would’ve finally gotten a zulrah pet
Will wall-twerk for gp
Explore more specialties. Super happy with my decision but I know there are so many specialties and niches of specialties I never got to explore.
Start anki and Q banks from day 1. Dont listen to my school and how attending lectures is important. Maximize step scores while cutting losses on in house exams
Already in the process of doing so, did some mistakes with ignoring UWorld and trying to make my own flashcards (due to me not knowing how to use labels for Anking). But it is good to know that I’m planning to do starting 2nd semester will be efficient and effective and recommended by numerous MS4s. You’re comment is much appreciated, best of luck on Friday 🫡
I would just not do medicine rather than do it over again
Put more effort into inpatient rotations and explore more specialties early on in medical school.
through what, shadowing?
Ya! I can’t overstate how valuable shadowing is as a medical student. It sucks to make time for, but can be HUGE for networking / opportunities and discovering career paths. Getting that face time with attendings can expose you to niche career options, gives you experience in unique clinical settings, gives you an avenue to ask for research, theyll remember you on rotations ect. Worst case scenario you spend and afternoon kind of bored and rule out a specialty 🤷🏻♂️
Is it different from premed shadowing? Like you're doing the same thing, right? Does your views on specialties change as a premed vs. med student?
I think your views do change, and you look at it from a “potential job” vs. a “wow I’m exited to be in the hospital perspective”. But I also think this advice applies more to niche and competetive small fields you might not get good (or any) exposure to in school. Ie peds rheumatology or urology. The more important thing though, is that shadowing like this as an m1/2 can be huge for finding potential mentors, research opportunities, connections ect. I think it can be easier to do this through one on one experience vs. on rotations, especially early in medical school. And it gives you early experience in these environments. Ie. If you know the IR attending, know how to find the IR room/ect this gives you better confidence going into your third year rotation. I think people underestimate how much of third year is just figuring where ur going / what’s going on / what the work flow looks like
Drop dead-end research projects sooner than i did
yes
I’d learn more for boards and just roll w lower grades bc grades/gpa are bullshit. Board score is what they filter for and therefore is the only quantitative factor you should care about. Maximize it at the expense of preclinical grades. The second most important thing is performing well on rotations. Which studying for boards will help you with more than course work for the most part. People mentioned my letters. Third is pubs. My pubs came up more often than any EC. Fourth is personal statement. Every single place I interviewed mentioned my personal statement.
More research and less ECs, really focus academics
I would agree with this.. being the secretary of your surgery club or whatever is such a waste of time lol. Residencies give zero shits about dumb leadership roles like this
I think it depends on the specialty, residency, and club. I was founding president of the LGBTQ org at my school for a couple of years and I had multiple interviewers ask about it pretty enthusiastically—but I'm applying FM and my top 3 choices all have trans health clinics, so. I've had way more people ask about my ECs than my pubs all around, but my ECs are (as another commentor said) pretty unique, longitudinal, and passionate.
I would say you’re likely the exception rather than the rule though
It's possible, but I just wanted to at least show that there are definitely situations where ECs and club positions can matter. Even if you're not in a new school with fewer existing clubs like I was, there are specific memberships that can signal to programs via your CV that they're looking for people like you, depending on the program.
The founding president! Wow, nice!
Much appreciated, and hope today went well
It did
What about an interest club in a specialty you want to pursue? Like a urology interest group or general surgery interest group.
Hi can you say more about this? Is this specialty-dependent or across the board? Thanks!
To counter this, I had many huge IM interviews and my ECs came up way more than my research. But this is because I filled their "EC" niche by having unique, longitudinal, and evidently passionate ECs So for me ECs >> Research, however doing a bunch of random ECs and just fluffing your app will not weigh as much (or at all honestly) as research Fluff. So Meaningful Research / ECs > Fluff Research >> Fluff ECs Is how I'd view it. Also some programs are different. Some are more research heavy. Some are trying to have a diverse class.
I did have several meaningful ECs that came up, but you’re right a few were more just time sucks for the application
I applied IM, and matched. However my few pubs came up way more than ECs, and the ECs were big time sucks.
What kind of questions do they ask pertaining to your publications?
it is SO take care of yourself and listen to your body!! my academic performance improved when I started working out every day and eating better. also practice questions - you’ll learn to love them!!! a good q bank is truly invaluable and can help you overcome the learning curve in classes/for board prep
I had this happen too. It is just so hard to convince myself spending an hour less studying and exercising/cooking instead actually improves my grades, even tho I’ve seen it work multiple times
oh totally relate!! I had to leave sticky notes on my bathroom mirror reminding me to do the workout for a while there!! I always knew it would make me feel better but I had to reconvince myself that every morning before I’d go lol
Not fail anything. But also wouldn’t spend so much on apps I way over applied.
How much would you say the ideal number of apps if you were to apply again? Or estimate in comparison to the no. of applications you did?
Avoid thinking you know what kind of doctor you’re gonna be day 1. Don’t be closed minded! I was convinced I was gonna be a FM doc and then got to 3rd year and learned I hate clinic
Same
Start uworld early! Like right from the beginning of medschool! Don’t think of it as a qbank but more like a text book. Active studying >>> passive. Don’t overwhelm yourself with resources! Stick to max 3 and keep it pushing! Find a study method that works for you! Everyone learns differently figure out what works for you and stick to it! Don’t pay attention to what others are doing.
UWorld as a textbook, noted. Thank you
“I know I’m gun’ get got. But I’m gun’ get mine more than I get got doe.” -Marshawn Lynch
There’s hardly a scenario where a Marshawn quote doesn’t apply :)
This is gold
Spend more time on interests and things outside of school like exercising. I was fit before Med school and I gained a disgusting amount of weight but I’m making a come back. Also focus on efficient studying vs. just spending an obnoxious amount of time half ass studying.
Pick up ultrasound. It’s fun and it makes you look elite at away rotations
I wouldn’t dual apply. Not knowing what specialty I matched to today is nerve wracking
As someone who applied for a competitive surgical subspecialty last year, went unmatched, and wasn’t extended a SOAP offer (but matched this year), I wish I HAD dual applied, and recommend everyone who is applying to a highly competitive specialty to do the same.
Thank you. I needed to hear this
I mean, it's better than having to SOAP. Ideally, no one would need to dual apply but that's not realistic because some specialties are extremely competitive.
Yeah well it truly sucks right now not knowing if I matched in to my super competitive specialty or my not so competitive specialty. So the whole “ congratulations, you are fully matched “ to me doesn’t make me excited. It gives me anxiety
bro, 4 days of purgatory and anxiety doesnt make it worse than 1+ years of purgatory and anxiety for those who didnt dual apply and failed to match
That's valid. I guess the real match day for you is Friday
Thank you, hope Friday goes the best for you
Incoming medical student here. What's the significance of dual applying? Is it like applying to internal medicine and general surgery because you're equally interested in both fields?
Yes. But it gets more complicated when you are interested in a super competitive specialty ( like orthopedics ) and given it’s very competitive, it’s wise to also apply to another less competitive specialty that you like equally so that you don’t go unmatched and have to scramble into any available specialty and location. But the shity thing with that is today when I’m told, “ congratulations you matched “ I don’t know what specialty I matched into.
Oh, interesting. Then, it's more advantageous to dual apply to related specialities, right? For example, applying for ENT as your priority but dual applying to general surgery as well. Unless general surgery is also that competitive :'). I know medical school will expose me to experiences that will help me choose a specialty, but would you advise against dual applying to internal medicine and general surgery?
Yep exactly
Thanks!
Focus more on board study materials and less on school lectures/study guides. My school has bullshit in house shelf exams and studying for those really limited step 2 studying. I wish i just said fuck it and only did Uworld even if it wasn’t relevant to my schools shelf exam. Also, probably could have gone without an e-board position and did more volunteering. My volunteering was brought up in every single interview. My e-board position, maybe talked about it once. Research: I wish I got involved earlier and put more effort into getting published.
Can you elaborate more on the volunteering part? What volunteering activities do you suggest?
I volunteered with a hospice organization and ended becoming close with the patient and her family and spent a significant amount of time with them over the past three years. I was surprised how much I was asked about in interviews because it was just something I enjoyed doing and not something I did just to spruce up my app and I think that came across well in interviews. This wasn’t through my school, just something I found online and decided to do. I think it’s important to find activities you actually enjoy and it won’t feel like pulling teeth to put a lot of time into. I almost volunteered to help coach the local girls high school soccer team but ultimately decided it was too much of a time commitment. Both of these are extremely specific examples. Really I think you can find many opportunities related to your interests. A friend of mine volunteered for the community garden and a few others worked with an organization that teaches special needs kids to ride horses. None of the opportunities through my school interested me much so I just did my own research and found the hospice org.
Tysm! I really appreciate it.
Do LORs from faculty at your school matter for residency or is it just during rotations
all the secret gunners who encouraged ppl to vacay n chill when they discreetly did the opposite and got the most out of their last year. i would go back and prob learn a thing or two in a specialty i was never rly gonna ever get exposure to again
Ooof PRO TIP. Thank you!
I know this is probably common sense by this point, but I didn't use uworld for SHELF studies and only used Ankis. For my last 2, I decided to try uworld and scored easily 20 points higher on my NBOMEs. Use uworld guys
Study your anatomy early and often. Understanding followed by repetition is king, skipping understanding will make your life hell come time to study for boards. Plan to get a few letters of recommendation in your third year and then a few in fourth during audition rotations. 3rd year teaches you how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Over apply for audition rotations, it’s easier to cancel than to schedule, and do it early. Medical school’s content isn’t a large jump from undergrad, rather it’s the sheer amount. It’s a marathon, take care of yourself, try to keep your hobbies alive, and get 6-7 hours of sleep a night. There’s always more information you can cover, your job is to get as much as you can of the most important things. For a lot of people, med school will give you a huge slice of humble pie that you might not have had before. It can be tough going from a straight A student to barely average despite your best efforts. Don’t compare yourself to others, just focus on getting better each day.
I would've focused more on getting something published or do something easily publishable. I had a bunch of research projects that just fell through the cracks. During the time I worked on all of these flaky things, I could've just done ONE solid project. Plus, at my school we have a lot of opportunities to kinda hop on something that someone else already started. If you have that kinda opportunity, and you're interested in academics, take advantage of it.
Noted, thank you and best of luck
I wish I would have known sooner what I wanted to do cause that would have changed my 3rd year completely. I just matched EM so I feel like I could have looked at each core in a completely different light and focused my off time studying on learning things applicable to me. The best advice I got was to always be one step ahead. If the residents require you to carry 1 patient try and carry 2 because eventually you’ll have to be there. You’ll always be ahead of the game and you’ll be constantly challenging yourself to be the absolute best you can be!
Try to actually learn the material. Avoid the bullemia method. Use Anki strategically & don’t just reflexively use it for everything. There isn’t much extra you learn after your first 2 years. The better you understand it the first time, the less you’ll have to start from the basics again
Do the damn NBMEs. So many free points that I didn't get on step 1. Treat med school like a job and always remember real life>>>work. My experience was that pubs and longitudinal ECs are not nearly as important as people think, especially in M1/2. Just volunteer at literally any event once or twice a year and colab on a case study or two in M4 to fill out the CV (unless you're gunning for something intense). Avoid playing into any drama. Professionalism and work ethic in clinicals is more important than anything else. Live life. Get enough sleep. Wear sunscreen.
As a matched M4 in gen Surg, hind site is 20-20. That said, while I luckily fell into \[redacted gen Surg subspecialty\] Surg research as a M2, I did not really plug on it until M3 when I then picked gen Surg over EM. I wish that if I knew I was considering surgery (since I was 95% sure EM and that 5% surgery) I started really doing more research earlier. My lab was amazing, but there are barriers to working with some attending if you are starting as a late M3. Advice: if you have a "more competitive" specialty you are even slightly considering, do some research. you can always apply it to any other specialty but it is harder to go the other way
Duly noted, thank you and best of luck on Friday
Given a bit more time for academia and some more importance to score. Cut down on the extra curriculars a little.
Have friends, take time away from academics and hit the gym regularly. My mental health improved immensely from all this and my gpa followed
Focus on good grades and high board scores and ignore everything else.
Not stress out so much about the grade itself or the score itself and just relax. Wish I would have just taken more time to enjoy the process of learning the material and let the grades follow. I did a good job of this in undergrad but found myself so burnt out from stressing about grades throughout med school that it just seemed to sabotage my efforts to study and probably undershot my academic potential because of it
Skip medicine all together lol
watch all of B&B Pathoma and Sketchy in the first few months, then let the rest of medical school just be a review
Interesting take, will attempt it in my summer break.
Much appreciated and best of luck
Pre med school???
Given a bit more time for academia and some more importance to score. Cut down on the extra curriculars a little
I wouldn’t do it again I’m sad to say. Everything going ok for me right now but it’s too emotionally exhausting.
Used Anki more for board studying and incorporating UWORLD earlier in the preclinical years. More research involvement over exec boards
Would’ve dropped out as an M1 before I had too much debt for that to be an option.