Study Techniques for Success

Hello All,

As I have said before, my study habits in high school and college were weak. I have looked up advice for concrete study techniques and I have found a couple of things that I’ve been trying and that seem to work! As my last post was a reblog about this very topic, you all can just read that post and get Med. School Queen’s tips.

Ok, so my MCAT is in two weeks!! January 13th is the big day and I am starting to get down and dirty with the topics that I don’t quite have down. I am also starting to have panic attacks, but my dog helps calm me down (clearly this post is an excuse to put up a picture of my puppy).

On top of doing practice MCATs from AAMC and Gold Standard, my main study technique has been to make question and answer based study guides (pictures below) in which I go through chapters and study guides and write questions on one side of a piece of paper and answers on the other side. I started doing this after watching Andrea Tooley’s YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLdugUzYyY) and reading her blog (http://a-doctor-in-the-house.com). The paper is folded down the middle so I can easily quiz myself and have other people quiz me. I also just got a dry erase board (black with neon markers!) so I can go through these study guides and quickly write down what I do and don’t know. This really forces you to articulate an answer so you don’t simply look at an answer right away and think: “Ok, I think I know this.”

I did this mostly for biology and equations because they are memorization based. I then went through topics I got wrong on practice MCATs and made the question/answer sheets for those as well. I am really excited to have found something so simple, yet so effective and I know I will continue to do this in medical school.

For those of you about to take the MCAT, good luck and I hope this post helps! Back to studying I go….

How To Study in Medical School

I have found that my grades in college were not reflective of my intelligence and interest in my classes. This is because I did not have the proper tools to study. If you need tips and tricks, read Med. School Queen’s new post about studying in med school. Best of luck to us all to get to the point of DO or MD!

MARTESSORI

Hi guys!

So I know I’ve promised a blog, I just haven’t gotten around to it. I figured I’d have time during fall break, but here we are 🙂 A lot of you have been asking for new study methods, how life is in medical school, and how I’m managing my time, etc. so I figured this blog will be a hodgepodge of sorts hopefully covering everything. My study methods and habits have changed dramatically and by this I mean completely different from what I’ve ever done before. I took a class that teaches you specifically how to study for medical school and pharmacy school, whichever pertains to you and I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned how to schedule, take tests, study in general, organize my space and time, and balance my life so that I can spend time with my friends and family and do well in school. I’m gonna give…

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Book Review: This Won’t Hurt A Bit (and other white lies) by Michelle Au

Michelle Au, M.D. is author of a very well known blog called “The Underwear Drawer,” which is on my links page. She is an Anesthesiologist in Atlanta, Georgia and is married with two kids. Her blog has been super helpful so I decided to get her eBook: This Won’t Hurt A Bit (and other white lies). Overall, I thought it was a great introduction into the life of a medical student turned intern turned resident. She has a great sense of humor which comes through in the brief stories she tells. My biggest criticism of the book is that the vignette-type moments she described seemed too brief, it was almost like the whole book was a quick synopsis of her experiences — which was likely her intention. Her snip bits were great, but I wish she had dug a little deeper and went into more details about the various stages of medical school and beyond. I would have liked to have a better idea of what the first two years of medical school where like and more about her rotations as well as her experiences after getting her medical degree. I would still highly recommend this book because it was enjoyable and she managed to make me laugh and cry through her stories of how it felt to graduate medical school, what it was like to be scared and feel the gravity of each situation a doctor is placed in, and even where she was when the World Trade Center fell–and yet, she balanced this with a humorous tone that shows she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Fortunately, Michelle Au did not just write this book, she chronicles her experiences on her blog and is the creator of “Scutmonkey Comics,” which are comics about medical stereotypes. Her book is a great supplement to her blog, but her blog is definitely a must read!

Most Important MCAT Materials

Okay, so instead of studying for the MCAT right now like I should be doing, I am going to tell you what I’ve been using to prepare for this exam:

1. Examkrackers

First off, I am using Examkrackers as my primary study material — it is what was recommended by my pre-health advisor. I believe they are great books because they tell you exactly what you need to know and test your ability to answer relevent questions on the material throughout each chapter and at the end of each chapter. Also, they have lots of pictures and are colorful which helps with keeping my interest level up. Also, the 101 Passages in MCAT Verbal Reasoning as well as the 1,001 questions series are additional materials that can be very helpful with practice – because practice makes perfect. You can find the materials on amazon.

2. AAMC Practice Tests

The available practice tests from the AAMC are great resources to use because they are previously administered tests! Unfortunately, because the MCAT is changing after the January 2015 exam, they will not be quite as relevant to anyone taking the new exam. The new test will come with many changes, and at least one new practice test is available through AAMC with the new format. Practice tests are key to my study schedule and they keep me on my toes about how content will be tested.

3. Gold Standard Practice Tests

I learned about the GS practice tests from “The Hero Complex,” who’s link is on my links page. These tests are at a more reasonable price than the AAMC tests and I found them to be even cheaper on Amazon. I got access to 10 practice tests for $100. The practice tests are great and are in the same format as the real MCAT. The best part, they give a great diagnostics for each test taken and have explanations for every question. This makes reviewing the exams and studying much more efficient.

The link below is where I got the deal on GS practice tests:

4. MCAT-Review.org

I am so happy that I found this website, it has been super helpful because it summarizes important topics on the MCAT and is easy to pull up and reference for clarification on whatever topic one might need help with. You can buy the PDF version/App for the material to use for easier access ($15) or you can use the website, as is, for free.

5. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is simply a great resource for anyone that wants to learn through video lectures about many different topics. I wish I knew about it in high school. This website has a section devoted to the MCAT and will really be helpful in explaining topics in a lecture-type format and it’s easy to find a video that is specific to the topic of interest.

6. Flashcards

Please make flashcards!! I have been using Brainscape which I just found out about. I wish I had known about it in college, but hey, I can use it in medical school. It is great because you can make flashcards online and use them on any device. You can also add images and sounds to the flashcards which is not available for many other free flashcard apps/websites.

7. Proper Study Schedule

For the most part, I made my own study schedule, but “Get Into Medical School” has a great study schedule on her blog. Check out my links page to check out her blog – it’s been a great resource for overall advice!

GOOD LUCK!!

P.S.

I realize that I am giving advice on an exam that I have not yet taken myself. But I am just over a month away from it and feel that the above material have been really helpful!

It all starts here.

Hello, my name is Erin and I’m about to take the MCAT in January and start applying to Doctor of Osteopathy schools. It seemed reasonable to start a blog of my own because it seems all I’ve been doing for the past few months is visit blogs relating to advice on medical school, the MCAT, personal statement, and anything relating to the challenge I (and many others) are currently facing. By starting this blog I intend to help those in similar situations and hopefully pay it forward to the people that inspired me.

I only decided to apply to Doctor of Osteopathy schools my senior year of college. I had never even heard of a DO before then. I used to be pre-dental, you see, and I was intent on becoming an Orthodontist. Dental school was safe in that the career and lifestyle of an Orthodontist was very appealing due to the freedom of having a life and family, yet also having the ability to have my own practice. I thought the challenge of solving puzzles (straightening teeth) would satisfy my scientific mind.

My future seemed to be all planned out until I was sitting at the dining room table with my Dad, Grammy, and Granddaddy having one of those intense discussions about my future—I’m sure you all know what those discussions can be like. My family simply was urging me to keep an open mind about my future, and that Dental school might not have been the only possibility. I was so eager to plan out my future and feel comfortable that I was not listening carefully to the advice and wisdom of my family, mentors, and peers. In this conversation, I was acutely humbled by my Granddaddy, a very successful diplomat that was an Ambassador to two countries and used to be the President of a world-class museum in New York City; He has a longer list of diverse accomplishments than anyone else I know and can rightly humble whomever he wants.

If I’m being dramatic, I would say my granddaddy practically yelled at me with frustration that I was being close-minded because I felt that I had to have an exact plan of my future with no wiggle room (wiggle room because I was only interested in one field of dentistry, orthodontia, and was definitely not interested in becoming solely a dentist). He told me the only reason he has made all the wonderful and meaningful decisions in his life and career that he has, is because he had mentors that gave him advice and he was always willing to listen to a perspective that could help him make difficult decisions.

After this conversation, I talked to a good friend of mine who has always given me good advice. Ironically, she was pre-dental and is currently at UPenn Dental school. She agreed with my family and asked me if I knew what a DO was. Embarrassingly, I did not, so she explained the more holistic philosophy that was intertwined with the hard science of medical school. While she spoke I could feel myself burst out in smile at the career she was describing. This sounded just like the perfect mix of my dad and me. My dad is a big believer in holistic medicine and I though I shared some of those beliefs, I was interested in the hard science of medicine. Thanks to my good friend, I have now found a field that allows me to mix the two fields in quite an elegant way.