Caitlin was pretty much spot on. There's nothing at all to fear. Though tedious, medical school is not difficult per se. In fact, the hardest thing about it all is getting into a really good school. After that, the over-all experience is great...even spectacular! It's something you will do only once in your whole life. So, go at it with everything you have and savor every day.
Is that really what I said? My point was not to be dissuaded by fear of unmanageable difficulty. As to "having what it takes", as you put it: Admissions committees do their best; and, like so much in life, nothing's perfect.
Wow.. I also had thoughts like, "Oh, Med School is so freaking hard and stressful !", But this motivated me! :) I can do and go through the Med School, INSHALLAH!
I'm not smart but I really wanted get into Med school since when I was in high school and some people kept telling me how hard, difficult, unbearable it is, asking me if I can even do it and trying to discourage me cuz they know I'm not smart lol and it really did almost discouraged me but I finished college with good grades and will be starting my med school in two months :) I'm going to give my best and prove those ppl wrong that I can actually do it, it's what I always wanted to do.💪🏼 Just wanted to say that you don't have to be smart, just put effort and focus and I think anything is possible and don't let people discourage you because they're not doctors/n, they don't know what it's like in the professional's shoes so whatever they say should be irrelevant:)
I'm glad you didn't listen to those people! I think some people just don't like the idea of someone doing things that they personally can't/won't do. Most people I've met seem to think that I'm smart and yet all through high school (and even now) people are always telling me how hard/time consuming/etc. the path to being a doctor is. I'm an undergraduate right now and whenever I start to feel overwhelmed I always take a minute to calm down and remind myself that I wouldn't have been admitted if the school thought I couldn't handle it. What you said about effort and focus is 100% right, having talked to current med students they all say that the information itself isn't that hard, it's the amount and speed at which it's thrown at you that is. They all know people who were incredibly smart, and as a result they never developed good study habits so they weren't able to keep up in med school.
Jennifer Dally yess~ Thanks for the comment. All the best to you! Also, I get distracted so easily but becuz of my determination, I would turn on Do not disturb mode on my electronic devices while I study, put a timer for like 1:30 hours and study so that I don’t get a message and get the nerve to check lol. And no matter how many hours you study, if you don’t have the focus and determination, even if you understood the context, the information you studied is just gonna go away. So I just study for a short time but really focus so I never forget. I also like to listen to quiet piano background music. This helps me focus, get in the vibe and calm down as well.👍🏼just a random tip for those who get distracted easily like me😅and studying alone in a quiet place is the best.
You don't have to be smart to get to Med school! You just have to be determined and that's what you are I guess since you're holding on your dream and getting there ~~ BTY I'm a freshman student in Med school ! All the best for you!
One thing my mom always tells me is “don’t listen to other people saying it’s this or that, you have to try it for yourself for your own opinion” so when I do research about medical school and all that other jazz, I feel more confident.
Becoming a good doctor has nothing to do with grades. You can be a topper and the worst human and vice versa. Here are tips to be both a good doctor and get top grades. Google the topics mentioned. 1. a) Study. b) Sleep. c) Exercise. d) Eat healthy e) Have fun. f) Manage your time. e) Develop communication skills. Skip one item and your grades will fall or you won't be a good doctor. Study, but smartly. Find your style of studying. Some students are auditory, some visual, some like to touch and feel... Mix and match. Experiment what works for you. Each person is unique. 2. Focus on learning concepts, not rote learning. Focus on clinical applications in every topic. Build strong foundation in preclinical and esp. paraclinical subjects. Only then can skyscraper come up. Make brief, illustrated mind map/spider diagram/pointwise notes of important topics throughout medical course. Will help in final revision and PG/USMLE exams. Students ignore this and start making notes only during PG preparation with online/offline coaching, which charge a lot. Writing notes throughout med school is a better technique. Scan regularly. Revise previous years' subjects too. Spend 80% of study on current year's subjects, 20% revising earlier years' material (do it in weekends). Don't wait till last year! Reading books is passive (recognition). Instead, ask yourself questions, do exams, teach someone (active recall). In real life, you must extract stuff from your brain. Take notes of how profs do procedures and dissections. Make checklists. They save lives, time and money. Make checklists for everything, esp. procedures. Share with others (read Dr. Atul Gawande's "Checklist Manifesto"). 3. The night before class, watch TH-cam videos on the subject, such as Dr Najeeb Lectures, Ninja Nerd, Medcram, Osmosis, Lecturio. In morning, review at 2x or 3x speed. Then scan textbook’s chapter heads, subheads and bold-type points, pictures, tables, captions, questions. Then attend lecture. 4. In class, don't take notes. Instead write in mind maps (Tony Buzan's videos and books). 5. Back in your room, don’t read. First, recall & write lecture points. Then, read book, asking why, what, how, etc. With another colour pen, write points you missed. Watch more TH-cam videos, such as Sam Webster, Pathoma, to reinforce ideas. 6. Make up questions. Think like an examiner. Load onto both ANKI and Excel/Google spreadsheet. Add photos, drawings, cartoons (Picmonic/Sketchy medical), vulgar mnemonics (Google), bizarre stories to remember them, songs, audio in the answer decks. Use mind maps, memory palaces, BMJ medical, Geeky Medics, Marrow, Prepladder. Revise daily (Anki has edge here with spaced repetition as it automatically asks when retention curve dips, but disadvantage is you have to go through huge stacks of cards unlike the spreadsheet, where you can mark difficult ones in red and read only them. Best is to use both). Use Anki DAILY, even while walking to class or while waiting for professor or next patient. A minute here, a minute there add up. 7. Colour code syllabus in Google Spreadsheet or Excel. Focus on "must know". Mark each review (recalling, not reading books). Mark date after each revision and difficulty in 3-5 colours (easy green, medium orange, hard red. Focus on red). Write in one column why you found it difficult or if just guess. Find solution to problem. 8. The more you draw, the more you will remember. Use colour. 9. Read standard books, such as Guyton, Big Robbins/Medium Robbins, and Gray's Anatomy for Students rather than exam-oriented point-wise guides. These may help you pass exams but will not build concepts. Most books, including Pathoma, are available free on Library Genesis; most videos on TH-cam or BitTorrent. Look around instead of investing money. 10. Focus on what professors teach. They have read the important books. Concentrate in class, don't let your mind wander. Never skip practicals and clinics. 11. Spend maximum time in practicals and clinics. Dissect as much as possible. Volunteer to do procedures. See how to use knowledge for practical problems. Eg: videos of "Athlean-X" and "Ask Dr Jo" or quick memorisation techniques of Dr.James Preddy. Make up questions needing info from many subjects. Most people have neck ache, backache, knee problems. Can you solve them with exercises and therapeutic yoga even as a student? Incorporate alternative medicine, plant-based whole foods. Learn tips from them. Don't automatically debunk them. 12. If you want to remember something really well, write down key points and read it 15 times immediately before going to bed and 15 times within first five minutes of waking up. 13. Google the topic “medical punch words”. Questions contain these words. Load in ANKI and revise daily. 14. Use Pomodoro technique to study. Buy a small alarm clock, not phone alarm. Study in 25-min blocks, then do anything else for five minutes. Do it again. After two hours, take a 30-min break. Reward yourself. Do NOT look at phone, saying "only one minute". In final year, delete social media. Study with a friend (More than 4 people gets disruptive). In groups, tap on desk to start, tap again to indicate break, tap to resume. Study in library rather than in hostel to reduce distractions. 15. Teaching someone without using notes is the best form of recall. Else, lecture to empty bedroom. 16. Write very brief points, drawings on Post-It Notes above your desk for every topic (Anas Nuur Ali "how to memorize"). Scan 15 min daily. By the end of the year, you would have seen them hundreds of times. Unlike ANKI, it jumps at you if you stand there. 17. Don't study sequentially. Do topic 1&2, then test yourself by recalling topic 1. After studying topic 3, test on topic two. Do same with the rest. While studying several subjects, study a little here, a little there rather than sequentially. 18. Before sleeping, write out plan for tomorrow. Mentally review what did you studied today and what you want to do tomorrow. The brain will focus on these when sleeping. Sleep 7-9 hours daily. Sleep by 10 pm and wake up at 5. Immediately exercise vigorously. Then study. Most students stay awake all night, sleep for 4-5 hours, wake up 15 min before class and run there unbathed! Tests showed that they retained only 30% of what they had studied all night. Studying in the morning after a good sleep helps in better retention. 19. Studying daily for one hour over a week is better than studying the whole thing in seven hours in one day. Before exam, study and recall weak areas. Read red chapters. The night before exams, sleep rather than study all night. If you study without sleeping, you will not remember what you studied. Else, sleep, wake up early and study. During exams, every 30 minutes take three breaths of 4 sec inhalation, 7-sec hold and 8-sec exhalation. Sure, you could have answered a few questions in those 57 seconds but did you get them right? This boosts oxygen to tackle questions correctly. 20. Watch Marty Lobdell, Ali Abdaal, Kharma Medic, MDprospect, Dirty Medicine, Anuj Pachchel, Rachel Southard for tips. 21. Spend weekends, holidays and whenever possible helping people in cancer wards, old-age homes, schools for children with special needs, physically and mentally handicapped people. Be empathetic. Never be arrogant. Everyone is a teacher. Nurses have a lot of experience as they spend more time with patients unlike doctors. Be extra courteous to them. Involve them in treatment decisions. Get 2nd, 3rd,4th opinion from various doctors. (Read Dr Lisa Sanders "Diagnosis" about rare cases that doctors couldn't identify but solved by the public using common sense). Ask seniors and professors for tips, their memorable experiences. Listen to patients without interrupting them or getting impatient. If you listen long enough, you will know the problem. Rely on brains, not costly diagnostic tests. Imagine you are in a forest or desert without them. What would you do? (Cuba does this because of sanctions, and now has some of the best health indices in the world.) 22. Don't focus on money in life. Don't be greedy and seek commissions or do unethical things even if others are doing it. Prescribe cheaper drugs. Read inspirational articles about doctors who went out of the way to serve people, often getting no money. 23. Improve your handwriting. Nearly all doctors have terrible handwriting! Many drugs have similar names with only one letter different. 24. Read fiction, humanities. Will widen your horizon. See esp. Michael Sandel's Harvard lectures on Justice--What is the right thing to do. Watch Yale prof Shelly Kagan's lectures on Death. You will encounter these situations in life. 25. Be punctual. It will help you in life. See how many minutes it takes to go from room to classroom desk. Learn self defense during college. Will make you fit and will make you safe in life. Extra: Study of 1,000 world leaders, CEOs found that they all sleep well, and wake up early, often at 4 a.m. They do not look at phone on waking up. Instead they immediately exercise vigorously, do pranayama, meditate and write a daily journal (mentioning three things they are grateful for that day and why). Only then they touch their phone. They all focus intensely on the job on hand. They work like crazy during the week and party like crazy in the weekend! They all have a hobby that they actively pursue. They network a lot. By helping people, they also get help eventually. They read a variety of books lifelong. Their aim: be happy, healthy and helpful to all.
As I first year med student, I'd also add to never cram in med school! Since I just got out of high school, cramming was something I did often but now that I'm in med school, I've learnt that those habits are long gone.
Vitu N is it always possible to not cram? I've seen some vlogs of med students and it seems to me that med students don't have a choice but cram (though not on a regular basis) cuz there's just so much going on.
“Get to know your classmates to build deeper relationships. People who are drawn to others, helping others, have experienced a great deal of suffering for themselves. Get to know your classmates. You can never relate to your patients of you can’t relate to your colleagues.”- Jatin
This video was so natural and lovely. I absolutely loved the diversity! Thank you so much for this sort of representation. I can't wait for more of your videos. :) One of the suggestions I think med students would benefit from is studying techniques; what sort of techniques do you and your classmates use, how they get themselves to maintain discipline and motivation (especially when it gets overwhelming), etc.
I’m a junior in high school and it’s really annoying how people try to make me not want to become a surgeon because of its level of difficulty. I believe I’m well educated in it and that I’m ready, haha. I’ve talked to other surgeons before and they’ve explained how it all was. At the end of the day, the important thing is that I love surgery and I want to pursue it.
I want to do pediatric psychiatry and I get that a lot too. So many people fixate on how long it takes to become one that I think they forget that doctors aren't in it for the money (though that is a perk), they're in it because they love helping people.
Hahahaha I love how you opened up with that line!!!! I literally paid 200K to teach myself for 4 years as a med student and then withdrew after passing /failing by one point on a few shelf exams .... amazing to me how much I was told by my school that they were not okay with me being there, after I invested so heavily ... but since i am passed my prior “victim mentality” I can now smile and get the life lessons out of the 4 years ... I know I will do whatever I need to do next at the next institution of study, that is a mutually desirable experience 🦋🦋😁💪🏽👩🏽⚕️
maayan s She is racist by culture appropriating white women that is not her hair on top of her head that is someone else's !!! shame on you racist democrats !!!
Arneshia Jenkins Incorrect !!! stop allowing racist behavior to exist. Shame on you democrat !!! you do know democrats make up over 85% of the population in jail.
Arneshia Jenkins Ok you are a complete liar and totally living in another world mental illness is a real thing you should probably get that checked out because the overwhelming majority of democrats who are a minority become homeless after the age of 50 or break the law by living with their children who are on section 8 housing your welcome.
Full tuition to teach yourself haha that's how my undergrad university is. Flipped classes( yes organic and bio organic) which means no lecture you watch videos( khan academy) then get tested by professor. It's like why am I paying to go here????????
PhantomLink Yeah why :( I'm in a similar predicament though I'm a math major Just for the damn degree (that will hopefully be of use) we've to pay so much. I just wish attendance wasn't mandatory in most of my classes. If I'm going to learn most of the things by myself I'd prefer them not wasting my time by making me commute through the horrific traffic in my country and also waste 90mins all these classes. My class size is also pretty small so it's not possible to doze off without getting on the teacher's bad side. Mini stress-rant: I've this one teacher this semester I want to run over with a car, even I can't fully comprehend why he makes me so angry. Sleep deprivation? Stress? He's a poor teacher, doesn't care much about his students, doesn't prepare for his clss at all, wastes about 30mins on sth unrelated to our learning every week and I just find it so hard to hide how obnoxious I find him to be. And it's not like the first time I'm dealing with a teacher like this but I never felt this angry ever. I'm pretty sure he kind of picks up on it a bit. I'm getting worse and worse at being more neutral about how badly affected I get by some ppl in uni.
The best part for me was when Caitlin said " it's extremely doable if you put the right time and effort into it " which is amazing and eye opening since a lot of students tend to make it like a lord-of-the-ring-journey xDD. How old was she when she got to med school ?
biggest thing for me was to realize that i don't need to read all the huge reference books. often i got everything i needed from (the lectures (I had the good luck of having good lectures) + some youtube bideos and definitely lecturio (amazing). So I wasted lots of time on them and money and buying them (another mistake….). either way. Good video. But next time without the pingpong please.
Thank you so much for gathering all these insightful people and asking them to share their stories! I have been teaching for some time, and I really do enjoy touching people's lives. Medicine has always been a cool idea to me, healing is just wow! But I graduated with a Philosophy degree so I thought it might be too late for me. Glad to see there were a PolSci major and a BA major, there might be some hope for me!
I love this video, as a premed student myself. Shout out to Caitlin! I will definitely be watching this again as I progress in undergrad. Thank you for making this and inspiring me and others
This really helped me as I’m in my final year of college and want to pursue a career in the medical field as either a pediatric doctor or pediatric nurse. Thank you so much for this video
I saw the room and thought “Looks like the student lounge at UTMB.” I only interviewed at a few places and UTMB was one. It was cool to recognize that.
Thanks for the video. I'm 16 and it's hard wanting to be a General Surgeon when you KNOW others don't think you can do it. On top of that I try to ignore all negativity. I know I don't have crazy intelligence but I don't think that throws me out the race. Thanks.
Thanks so much. I'm an undergraduate law student but this video was so helpful and relatable. I love your setup it is so simple and calming. Keep doing what you're doing. Thanks again
I've always wanted to study medicine. I graduated this year and got accepted in pharmacy school instead of medicine and I'm planning on applying next year to med school. But people around me keeps saying that pharmacy is so much better, if you get to med school you won't be able to marry/ have kids and live a normal happy life. This got me so confused I really can't decide between med and pharmacy. Like I want medicine but at the same time I want to marry and have kids and live a normal life as anybody else does. 🤷🏻♀️💔
And also they keep telling me that I won't be able to see my family and many important occasions will pass without me around. So anyone here can advice me between PharmaD or med please 💔
Hiii! I totally understand what you mean by that. I want a family and all of that too, we all do. Medicine is changing and Work-Life balance is becoming more important to the future generation of doctors!! Depending on what specialty you choose, you have a lot of options to balance work and family. My best advice is to do what you love most, what will you be the happiest doing in 10 years without regrets? Pharmacy and Medicine are both great, but they are very different career-wise. Good luck to you and all the best!
Fatma Mk I always struggle with this.But you know what?It really depends on the specialty you choose.Just choose a specialty friendly to the type of scedule you want.:)
I did not know that your professors gave you a list of possibly 20 different texts. How exactly does one know what information is required or what information is covered on the exams?
I think its always worth while asking for previous years test papers or mock test papers from that professor. We call them past papers in Scotland. I would advise this for any discipline. Observe the core subject areas, then work backwards, planning your study around these and branching out to gain understanding. Look at the lecture slides for those classes, understand that material well. If you attend the lecture the professor may add bits in, these are often worthwhile writing down and looking into. Ask students in the year above for advice. You could also ask the professor themselves what they would like you to focus on, although they may just say everything lol. This is the strategy I would employ.
Some people say kids don't know exactly what they want to be when they grow older, I think every child, including me, knows precisely what makes them happy.
Ive seen so many of my overachieving classmates drop out because of stress and life while my classmates who are so much more relaxed are able to push through without stress.
Studying medicine is more motivating than studying medical science, it isn’t difficult as hyped. Like when you’re learning, you can immediately see how what you’re learning can be applied in real life, which’s quite terrific. It’s just due to profession protectionism that’s why they hype it to be very hard
Sosmcs See would you please be willing to explain what you mean? I’d greatly appreciate it as I myself am seriously contemplating whether i really should go to med school.
One tip I would add is don't let the first few month impostor syndrome get you down, its an exponential learning curve! (feel free to visit my channel for some tips XD). Great video and excellent tips!
Being away from your family. So College 4 years okay check you did it. Med school another 4 years okay check your doing it. Being an actual doctor will be another life time due to being or living at the hospital your spouse and children will be put on hold but it can be done you will just have to sacrifice a lot through out your career. Also you love helping humans your love saving humans this is your dream job this makes you the happiest you can DO IT cause remember you are smart enough to and also strong enough to be a DOCTOR. :D I will be watching and omg I see this was posted June 29th of this year so I'm hoping you have not dropped out .
This is like that one Saturday Night Live skit where they are doing basketball in the background in a movie set and they are doing very goofy distractions lol
Welp there goes my dream. They all said it was harder than they thought . That the profesors didn’t help or weren’t much of a guide it’s all up to you. I stress enough thinking how difficult it must be. Sigh. Guess I could always be a quiropracter :(
"I didn't know that I would be paying full tuition to teach myself"... Literally America in one sentence.
Lizzy Ratz not just America. Med school in Ghana, same struggle
What does that mean?im sorry i'm quite dont understand about that
it is true.... so true
Med school in many places unfortunately
Lol that's goes for nursing school too
“Full tuition to teach myself” YUPPPPPP!!! Agreed! It just means we didn’t get good professors teaching us.
Mursi Medical me too!! I get so mad
Professors are to be used to GUIDE your learning, not to sit down and tell you exactly what to learn.
Caitlin was pretty much spot on. There's nothing at all to fear. Though tedious, medical school is not difficult per se. In fact, the hardest thing about it all is getting into a really good school. After that, the over-all experience is great...even spectacular! It's something you will do only once in your whole life. So, go at it with everything you have and savor every day.
wholeNwon so those who weren't chosen don't have what it takes?🤷🏼♀️
Is that really what I said? My point was not to be dissuaded by fear of unmanageable difficulty. As to "having what it takes", as you put it: Admissions committees do their best; and, like so much in life, nothing's perfect.
wholeNwon thank you! I started three days ago! Needed this☺️
thank you for this comment
Wow.. I also had thoughts like, "Oh, Med School is so freaking hard and stressful !", But this motivated me! :) I can do and go through the Med School, INSHALLAH!
Impractical medicine I’m goooone😂
Ameen
Med school students are amazing
I'm not smart but I really wanted get into Med school since when I was in high school and some people kept telling me how hard, difficult, unbearable it is, asking me if I can even do it and trying to discourage me cuz they know I'm not smart lol and it really did almost discouraged me but I finished college with good grades and will be starting my med school in two months :) I'm going to give my best and prove those ppl wrong that I can actually do it, it's what I always wanted to do.💪🏼
Just wanted to say that you don't have to be smart, just put effort and focus and I think anything is possible and don't let people discourage you because they're not doctors/n, they don't know what it's like in the professional's shoes so whatever they say should be irrelevant:)
I'm glad you didn't listen to those people! I think some people just don't like the idea of someone doing things that they personally can't/won't do. Most people I've met seem to think that I'm smart and yet all through high school (and even now) people are always telling me how hard/time consuming/etc. the path to being a doctor is. I'm an undergraduate right now and whenever I start to feel overwhelmed I always take a minute to calm down and remind myself that I wouldn't have been admitted if the school thought I couldn't handle it. What you said about effort and focus is 100% right, having talked to current med students they all say that the information itself isn't that hard, it's the amount and speed at which it's thrown at you that is. They all know people who were incredibly smart, and as a result they never developed good study habits so they weren't able to keep up in med school.
Jennifer Dally yess~ Thanks for the comment. All the best to you!
Also, I get distracted so easily but becuz of my determination, I would turn on Do not disturb mode on my electronic devices while I study, put a timer for like 1:30 hours and study so that I don’t get a message and get the nerve to check lol. And no matter how many hours you study, if you don’t have the focus and determination, even if you understood the context, the information you studied is just gonna go away. So I just study for a short time but really focus so I never forget. I also like to listen to quiet piano background music. This helps me focus, get in the vibe and calm down as well.👍🏼just a random tip for those who get distracted easily like me😅and studying alone in a quiet place is the best.
Catherine Mendoza yes I do! Thank you❤️
You don't have to be smart to get to Med school! You just have to be determined and that's what you are I guess since you're holding on your dream and getting there ~~ BTY I'm a freshman student in Med school ! All the best for you!
Hey hows med school with you? :)
Best advice starts at 6:00
yes ❤
Yep! That's my favorite advice. All people here gave good advice. It's encouraging.
Needed that one, big time!
she’s so motivating :’)
One thing my mom always tells me is “don’t listen to other people saying it’s this or that, you have to try it for yourself for your own opinion” so when I do research about medical school and all that other jazz, I feel more confident.
same
Becoming a good doctor has nothing to do with grades. You can be a topper and the worst human and vice versa. Here are tips to be both a good doctor and get top grades. Google the topics mentioned.
1. a) Study. b) Sleep. c) Exercise. d) Eat healthy e) Have fun. f) Manage your time. e) Develop communication skills. Skip one item and your grades will fall or you won't be a good doctor. Study, but smartly. Find your style of studying. Some students are auditory, some visual, some like to touch and feel... Mix and match. Experiment what works for you. Each person is unique.
2. Focus on learning concepts, not rote learning. Focus on clinical applications in every topic. Build strong foundation in preclinical and esp. paraclinical subjects. Only then can skyscraper come up.
Make brief, illustrated mind map/spider diagram/pointwise notes of important topics throughout medical course. Will help in final revision and PG/USMLE exams. Students ignore this and start making notes only during PG preparation with online/offline coaching, which charge a lot. Writing notes throughout med school is a better technique. Scan regularly. Revise previous years' subjects too. Spend 80% of study on current year's subjects, 20% revising earlier years' material (do it in weekends). Don't wait till last year!
Reading books is passive (recognition). Instead, ask yourself questions, do exams, teach someone (active recall). In real life, you must extract stuff from your brain. Take notes of how profs do procedures and dissections. Make checklists. They save lives, time and money. Make checklists for everything, esp. procedures. Share with others (read Dr. Atul Gawande's "Checklist Manifesto").
3. The night before class, watch TH-cam videos on the subject, such as Dr Najeeb Lectures, Ninja Nerd, Medcram, Osmosis, Lecturio. In morning, review at 2x or 3x speed. Then scan textbook’s chapter heads, subheads and bold-type points, pictures, tables, captions, questions. Then attend lecture.
4. In class, don't take notes. Instead write in mind maps (Tony Buzan's videos and books).
5. Back in your room, don’t read. First, recall & write lecture points. Then, read book, asking why, what, how, etc. With another colour pen, write points you missed. Watch more TH-cam videos, such as Sam Webster, Pathoma, to reinforce ideas.
6. Make up questions. Think like an examiner. Load onto both ANKI and Excel/Google spreadsheet. Add photos, drawings, cartoons (Picmonic/Sketchy medical), vulgar mnemonics (Google), bizarre stories to remember them, songs, audio in the answer decks. Use mind maps, memory palaces, BMJ medical, Geeky Medics, Marrow, Prepladder.
Revise daily (Anki has edge here with spaced repetition as it automatically asks when retention curve dips, but disadvantage is you have to go through huge stacks of cards unlike the spreadsheet, where you can mark difficult ones in red and read only them. Best is to use both). Use Anki DAILY, even while walking to class or while waiting for professor or next patient. A minute here, a minute there add up.
7. Colour code syllabus in Google Spreadsheet or Excel. Focus on "must know". Mark each review (recalling, not reading books).
Mark date after each revision and difficulty in 3-5 colours (easy green, medium orange, hard red. Focus on red). Write in one column why you found it difficult or if just guess. Find solution to problem.
8. The more you draw, the more you will remember. Use colour.
9. Read standard books, such as Guyton, Big Robbins/Medium Robbins, and Gray's Anatomy for Students rather than exam-oriented point-wise guides. These may help you pass exams but will not build concepts. Most books, including Pathoma, are available free on Library Genesis; most videos on TH-cam or BitTorrent. Look around instead of investing money.
10. Focus on what professors teach. They have read the important books. Concentrate in class, don't let your mind wander. Never skip practicals and clinics.
11. Spend maximum time in practicals and clinics. Dissect as much as possible. Volunteer to do procedures. See how to use knowledge for practical problems. Eg: videos of "Athlean-X" and "Ask Dr Jo" or quick memorisation techniques of Dr.James Preddy. Make up questions needing info from many subjects. Most people have neck ache, backache, knee problems. Can you solve them with exercises and therapeutic yoga even as a student? Incorporate alternative medicine, plant-based whole foods. Learn tips from them. Don't automatically debunk them.
12. If you want to remember something really well, write down key points and read it 15 times immediately before going to bed and 15 times within first five minutes of waking up.
13. Google the topic “medical punch words”. Questions contain these words. Load in ANKI and revise daily.
14. Use Pomodoro technique to study. Buy a small alarm clock, not phone alarm. Study in 25-min blocks, then do anything else for five minutes. Do it again. After two hours, take a 30-min break. Reward yourself. Do NOT look at phone, saying "only one minute". In final year, delete social media.
Study with a friend (More than 4 people gets disruptive). In groups, tap on desk to start, tap again to indicate break, tap to resume. Study in library rather than in hostel to reduce distractions.
15. Teaching someone without using notes is the best form of recall. Else, lecture to empty bedroom.
16. Write very brief points, drawings on Post-It Notes above your desk for every topic (Anas Nuur Ali "how to memorize"). Scan 15 min daily. By the end of the year, you would have seen them hundreds of times. Unlike ANKI, it jumps at you if you stand there.
17. Don't study sequentially. Do topic 1&2, then test yourself by recalling topic 1. After studying topic 3, test on topic two. Do same with the rest. While studying several subjects, study a little here, a little there rather than sequentially.
18. Before sleeping, write out plan for tomorrow. Mentally review what did you studied today and what you want to do tomorrow. The brain will focus on these when sleeping. Sleep 7-9 hours daily. Sleep by 10 pm and wake up at 5. Immediately exercise vigorously. Then study. Most students stay awake all night, sleep for 4-5 hours, wake up 15 min before class and run there unbathed! Tests showed that they retained only 30% of what they had studied all night. Studying in the morning after a good sleep helps in better retention.
19. Studying daily for one hour over a week is better than studying the whole thing in seven hours in one day. Before exam, study and recall weak areas. Read red chapters.
The night before exams, sleep rather than study all night. If you study without sleeping, you will not remember what you studied. Else, sleep, wake up early and study.
During exams, every 30 minutes take three breaths of 4 sec inhalation, 7-sec hold and 8-sec exhalation. Sure, you could have answered a few questions in those 57 seconds but did you get them right? This boosts oxygen to tackle questions correctly.
20. Watch Marty Lobdell, Ali Abdaal, Kharma Medic, MDprospect, Dirty Medicine, Anuj Pachchel, Rachel Southard for tips.
21. Spend weekends, holidays and whenever possible helping people in cancer wards, old-age homes, schools for children with special needs, physically and mentally handicapped people. Be empathetic. Never be arrogant. Everyone is a teacher. Nurses have a lot of experience as they spend more time with patients unlike doctors. Be extra courteous to them. Involve them in treatment decisions. Get 2nd, 3rd,4th opinion from various doctors. (Read Dr Lisa Sanders "Diagnosis" about rare cases that doctors couldn't identify but solved by the public using common sense).
Ask seniors and professors for tips, their memorable experiences. Listen to patients without interrupting them or getting impatient. If you listen long enough, you will know the problem. Rely on brains, not costly diagnostic tests. Imagine you are in a forest or desert without them. What would you do? (Cuba does this because of sanctions, and now has some of the best health indices in the world.)
22. Don't focus on money in life. Don't be greedy and seek commissions or do unethical things even if others are doing it. Prescribe cheaper drugs. Read inspirational articles about doctors who went out of the way to serve people, often getting no money.
23. Improve your handwriting. Nearly all doctors have terrible handwriting! Many drugs have similar names with only one letter different.
24. Read fiction, humanities. Will widen your horizon. See esp. Michael Sandel's Harvard lectures on Justice--What is the right thing to do. Watch Yale prof Shelly Kagan's lectures on Death. You will encounter these situations in life.
25. Be punctual. It will help you in life. See how many minutes it takes to go from room to classroom desk. Learn self defense during college. Will make you fit and will make you safe in life.
Extra:
Study of 1,000 world leaders, CEOs found that they all sleep well, and wake up early, often at 4 a.m. They do not look at phone on waking up. Instead they immediately exercise vigorously, do pranayama, meditate and write a daily journal (mentioning three things they are grateful for that day and why). Only then they touch their phone. They all focus intensely on the job on hand. They work like crazy during the week and party like crazy in the weekend! They all have a hobby that they actively pursue. They network a lot. By helping people, they also get help eventually. They read a variety of books lifelong. Their aim: be happy, healthy and helpful to all.
The blonde girl motivated me tremendously
Bobby Bell same
Same. Just the words I needed to hear. I still know it'll be hard, but now I know it'll all be okay.
any other high school kid here
mohamed osman🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️meee
mohamed osman yup
mohamed osman yupppp
Here :)
Heyyy
Anyone else love the hardcore table tennis going on 😂
As I first year med student, I'd also add to never cram in med school! Since I just got out of high school, cramming was something I did often but now that I'm in med school, I've learnt that those habits are long gone.
Vitu N is it always possible to not cram? I've seen some vlogs of med students and it seems to me that med students don't have a choice but cram (though not on a regular basis) cuz there's just so much going on.
“Get to know your classmates to build deeper relationships. People who are drawn to others, helping others, have experienced a great deal of suffering for themselves. Get to know your classmates. You can never relate to your patients of you can’t relate to your colleagues.”- Jatin
This video was so natural and lovely. I absolutely loved the diversity! Thank you so much for this sort of representation. I can't wait for more of your videos. :) One of the suggestions I think med students would benefit from is studying techniques; what sort of techniques do you and your classmates use, how they get themselves to maintain discipline and motivation (especially when it gets overwhelming), etc.
I’m a junior in high school and it’s really annoying how people try to make me not want to become a surgeon because of its level of difficulty. I believe I’m well educated in it and that I’m ready, haha. I’ve talked to other surgeons before and they’ve explained how it all was. At the end of the day, the important thing is that I love surgery and I want to pursue it.
I want to do pediatric psychiatry and I get that a lot too. So many people fixate on how long it takes to become one that I think they forget that doctors aren't in it for the money (though that is a perk), they're in it because they love helping people.
6:00 is the best I ever heard I’m sorry 😭🙏🏾
miss becky took us to church
Where can I get that shirt!!!! Strong woman, white coat, black skin
Hills D here you go! instagram.com/swwcbs/
Hahahaha I love how you opened up with that line!!!! I literally paid 200K to teach myself for 4 years as a med student and then withdrew after passing /failing by one point on a few shelf exams .... amazing to me how much I was told by my school that they were not okay with me being there, after I invested so heavily ... but since i am passed my prior “victim mentality” I can now smile and get the life lessons out of the 4 years ... I know I will do whatever I need to do next at the next institution of study, that is a mutually desirable experience 🦋🦋😁💪🏽👩🏽⚕️
Kay K what a stressful experience
I truly enjoyed the diversity and advice from this video! Love the T-shirts as well! Very motivating!
Not See um.. Well.. There's a door. Get your ass out.
Not See agreed
dont even reply to that idiot
STRONG WOMAN
WHITE COAT
BLACK SKIN
geniuis
maayan s
She is racist by culture appropriating white women that is not her hair on top of her head that is someone else's !!! shame on you racist democrats !!!
really dude and I'm pretty sure thats her hair
Arneshia Jenkins
Incorrect !!! stop allowing racist behavior to exist. Shame on you democrat !!! you do know democrats make up over 85% of the population in jail.
im not a democrat... you're a horrible troll like come on dude. and the jail thing, now you're just throwing shit out your ass #blockedwithyouweakass
Arneshia Jenkins
Ok you are a complete liar and totally living in another world mental illness is a real thing you should probably get that checked out because the overwhelming majority of democrats who are a minority become homeless after the age of 50 or break the law by living with their children who are on section 8 housing your welcome.
Full tuition to teach yourself haha that's how my undergrad university is. Flipped classes( yes organic and bio organic) which means no lecture you watch videos( khan academy) then get tested by professor. It's like why am I paying to go here????????
PhantomLink Yeah why :( I'm in a similar predicament though I'm a math major
Just for the damn degree (that will hopefully be of use) we've to pay so much. I just wish attendance wasn't mandatory in most of my classes. If I'm going to learn most of the things by myself I'd prefer them not wasting my time by making me commute through the horrific traffic in my country and also waste 90mins all these classes. My class size is also pretty small so it's not possible to doze off without getting on the teacher's bad side.
Mini stress-rant: I've this one teacher this semester I want to run over with a car, even I can't fully comprehend why he makes me so angry. Sleep deprivation? Stress? He's a poor teacher, doesn't care much about his students, doesn't prepare for his clss at all, wastes about 30mins on sth unrelated to our learning every week and I just find it so hard to hide how obnoxious I find him to be. And it's not like the first time I'm dealing with a teacher like this but I never felt this angry ever. I'm pretty sure he kind of picks up on it a bit. I'm getting worse and worse at being more neutral about how badly affected I get by some ppl in uni.
The blonde girl was on point and the most realistic and positive 👏👏👏👏
The best part for me was when Caitlin said " it's extremely doable if you put the right time and effort into it " which is amazing and eye opening since a lot of students tend to make it like a lord-of-the-ring-journey xDD. How old was she when she got to med school ?
It’s so true.
School doesn’t teach us sh*t.
I’m a 2nd yr med student and everything I learned was on my own.
Very true
Being med student really is exceeding your limits over and over again
biggest thing for me was to realize that i don't need to read all the huge reference books. often i got everything i needed from (the lectures (I had the good luck of having good lectures) + some youtube bideos and definitely lecturio (amazing). So I wasted lots of time on them and money and buying them (another mistake….).
either way. Good video. But next time without the pingpong please.
Starting med school in 2.5 weeks SO GLAD I clicked on this video!!
dont do it
congrats 😁 you got this
Congrats! How has it been?
That liz girl at 3:12 is absolutely gorgeous just like wow
JATIN WAS PREACHING! YAS!
Can you do a video on best aspects of medicine to specialize in?
Girl at 4:40 has it all right. Take this advice! Really helpful . Thank you for making this ♡♡♡
Thank you so much for gathering all these insightful people and asking them to share their stories! I have been teaching for some time, and I really do enjoy touching people's lives. Medicine has always been a cool idea to me, healing is just wow! But I graduated with a Philosophy degree so I thought it might be too late for me. Glad to see there were a PolSci major and a BA major, there might be some hope for me!
I love this video, as a premed student myself. Shout out to Caitlin! I will definitely be watching this again as I progress in undergrad. Thank you for making this and inspiring me and others
4:00 damn that guys was serious about winning ping- pong😂
Caitilin made me rethink my mindset of "not being good enough" I almost wanted to change my courses but now I feel like I should keep going
This really helped me as I’m in my final year of college and want to pursue a career in the medical field as either a pediatric doctor or pediatric nurse. Thank you so much for this video
Beautiful and helpful video! Your class comes from diverse backgrounds so it was nice to hear from their different experiences. Thank you :)
I saw the room and thought “Looks like the student lounge at UTMB.” I only interviewed at a few places and UTMB was one. It was cool to recognize that.
Thanks for the video. I'm 16 and it's hard wanting to be a General Surgeon when you KNOW others don't think you can do it. On top of that I try to ignore all negativity. I know I don't have crazy intelligence but I don't think that throws me out the race. Thanks.
Im gonna start med school next month... Im kinda nervous & excited at the same time... With god in my heart Everything will be fine ❤
how is it? :)
I love this video & CAITLIN was preaching for real!!
Jatin & Caitlin's advice are something I think I can relate to the most. Thank you for sharing this video PrettyGirlPractice!
I'm starting Med School in a few months and Caitlin really helped me regain my confidence!
this was super interesting to watch, med students are awesome!
I want to become a pediatrician one day.
Thanks so much. I'm an undergraduate law student but this video was so helpful and relatable. I love your setup it is so simple and calming. Keep doing what you're doing. Thanks again
Jatin was SO RIGHT!! Esp abt those who want to heal others have been hurt themselves. 💔
The ping pong players in the back are so obnoxious
Juliette Le Corre the obnoxious one is the person who picked this place to film.
Pls everyone should pay attention to 4:48 when that guy started talking.. those are real facts..
I've always wanted to study medicine. I graduated this year and got accepted in pharmacy school instead of medicine and I'm planning on applying next year to med school. But people around me keeps saying that pharmacy is so much better, if you get to med school you won't be able to marry/ have kids and live a normal happy life. This got me so confused I really can't decide between med and pharmacy. Like I want medicine but at the same time I want to marry and have kids and live a normal life as anybody else does. 🤷🏻♀️💔
And also they keep telling me that I won't be able to see my family and many important occasions will pass without me around.
So anyone here can advice me between PharmaD or med please 💔
That was kind of harsh. :/
Hiii! I totally understand what you mean by that. I want a family and all of that too, we all do. Medicine is changing and Work-Life balance is becoming more important to the future generation of doctors!! Depending on what specialty you choose, you have a lot of options to balance work and family. My best advice is to do what you love most, what will you be the happiest doing in 10 years without regrets? Pharmacy and Medicine are both great, but they are very different career-wise. Good luck to you and all the best!
PrettyGirlPractice I'm applying to medicine school next year, currently preparing for the required exams. Wish me luck😍❤️
Fatma Mk I always struggle with this.But you know what?It really depends on the specialty you choose.Just choose a specialty friendly to the type of scedule you want.:)
Blonde girl in red shirt was so encouraging and amazing.
Great video with excellent advice.The point that stuck with me is, ‘relating better with patients by relating with colleagues’. Thanks.
Good video but ping pong noise is very irritating
I did not know that your professors gave you a list of possibly 20 different texts.
How exactly does one know what information is required or what information is covered on the exams?
I think its always worth while asking for previous years test papers or mock test papers from that professor. We call them past papers in Scotland. I would advise this for any discipline. Observe the core subject areas, then work backwards, planning your study around these and branching out to gain understanding. Look at the lecture slides for those classes, understand that material well. If you attend the lecture the professor may add bits in, these are often worthwhile writing down and looking into. Ask students in the year above for advice. You could also ask the professor themselves what they would like you to focus on, although they may just say everything lol. This is the strategy I would employ.
Thats good advice, thanks
Thank you.I just got admited into Med School, but I am so stressed out thinking that I would not be able to cope.
Andrei Popescu help me your WhatsApp contact. I too am a med stud. I wish we should work together
This video is so inspiring; all of this advice is amazing, and I appreciate the diversity. Thank you!
When you go to Community College, you teach yourself everything too.
Elvis Gutierrez Especially when the professors just flip through Power Point slides but the test is mostly the textbook.
Nursing school is the same!
Community college is so easy if you pick the right professors
Those guys playing ping pong on the background are driving me crazy
Some people say kids don't know exactly what they want to be when they grow older, I think every child, including me, knows precisely what makes them happy.
Kaitlyn was really putting me in perspective
Ive seen so many of my overachieving classmates drop out because of stress and life while my classmates who are so much more relaxed are able to push through without stress.
Preach Caitlin!!
Love the T-shirts!! Amazing video - truly insightful
Quality of their advice is so great! I wish the audio was too.
I wish you could do this video every year.
I’m gonna make sure to put my mind & effort towards med school! REALLY WANNA BE A NURSE I don’t know if I wanna lead onto becoming a doctor
3:59 OMG DID YOU SEE THE DUDE IN THE BACKROUND
😂😂😂
Studying medicine is more motivating than studying medical science, it isn’t difficult as hyped. Like when you’re learning, you can immediately see how what you’re learning can be applied in real life, which’s quite terrific. It’s just due to profession protectionism that’s why they hype it to be very hard
I loved the video! It was very informative and I love the shirts
Do you know what the drop out rate or flunk out rate is at your school?
This video really speaks from my heart 😭
omg Jatin is from UTDallas, that's where I go!!!
salsaplease sameeee!!
Same
"Take advantage of all the free lunch opportunities"- toots best advice ever.
This was so helpful!! Thank you for this diversity ! My fav video
I wish I knew that the real struggle starts after u graduate med school.
I am actually regretting it.
Sosmcs See is it that bad?
Sosmcs See would you please be willing to explain what you mean? I’d greatly appreciate it as I myself am seriously contemplating whether i really should go to med school.
People love to say negative things because they've failed but I can't let myself think that way, because then I'll have no chance.
Thank you so much for this video, I need to get on my grind.
One tip I would add is don't let the first few month impostor syndrome get you down, its an exponential learning curve! (feel free to visit my channel for some tips XD). Great video and excellent tips!
Being away from your family. So College 4 years okay check you did it. Med school another 4 years okay check your doing it. Being an actual doctor will be another life time due to being or living at the hospital your spouse and children will be put on hold but it can be done you will just have to sacrifice a lot through out your career. Also you love helping humans your love saving humans this is your dream job this makes you the happiest you can DO IT cause remember you are smart enough to and also strong enough to be a DOCTOR. :D I will be watching and omg I see this was posted June 29th of this year so I'm hoping you have not dropped out .
This is like that one Saturday Night Live skit where they are doing basketball in the background in a movie set and they are doing very goofy distractions lol
Thank you so so much for this video! One of the most informative and helpful Med School videos I have come across :)
Great advice that I never really thought of. Very helpful!
That was an intense table tennis match
loved it so much!
Can we talk about the representation in this video???? LOVE
awe they are all gonna be great doctors :)
Welp there goes my dream. They all said it was harder than they thought . That the profesors didn’t help or weren’t much of a guide it’s all up to you. I stress enough thinking how difficult it must be. Sigh. Guess I could always be a quiropracter :(
I can't really concentrate with those guys playing in the back lol I love the t-shirt tho
i really love this. especially caitlin's advice.
They were intensely ping ponging in the background😂😂😂
Thank you so much for your help❤️ This was incredibly useful lots of love 🧚♂️
This has given me some encouragement, thank you :)
Getting into Med School is hard enough. Once I'm in, I won't be complaining.
I love this, thank you..do more of these group kind of vids
Tbh the first guy is wrong, nothing is difficult if you just give it time, and understand it well.
2:34- That girl look exactly like Cheryl from Riverdale
Wow that blonde girl got such a great perspective
Awesome tips. Enjoyed the video.
Watching this I realized I'm not the only one
I knew I recognized those ping pong tables in Old Red! UTMB is a great school, nice video