Pre-Med Study Strategies - What I Wish I Knew in College (Tips from Medical School)
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- How to Study Better and Get Better Grades: Learn how to study smarter and more efficiently, which translates to better grades and more free time for the things you enjoy. These are the study strategies and tips I wish I had known in college, as they would have made my life much easier. This video will help you improve your grades and have you spend less time studying!
In medical school you are forced to learn information at a faster pace than in undergrad. In this video I go over the various strategies that helped me study more effectively and efficiently, and what I wish I knew during undergrad as a premed student. Life would have been much easier and I would have had more time to do other things if I knew these study tricks earlier.
Pens I used: geni.us/cgBEfE
In this video, I help go over key strategies that will help premedical students excel in their courses and help gain admission to medical school. I cover:
1) Active vs Passive learning
2) Learning Environment
3) How to obtain information from lectures and textbooks
4) How to review information
5) Simple principles for test day
WEBSITE: medschoolinsiders.com
TWITTER: / medinsiders
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This video has been updated to this: czcams.com/video/V2_2UGeGL9M/video.html
Look at how far you've come! So proud
Love Loving it.
Sorry to be off topic but does any of you know a tool to get back into an instagram account??
I was stupid forgot my password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Case Joe instablaster =)
@Garrett Kairo i really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
I'm not procrastinating if I'm watching videos on how to study (:
First sharpen the axe then cut the trees. ;)
If you’re pushing the time you’re supposed to be studying backwards you’re PROCRASTINATING
(:
It's. A. Joke.
@@jm7215 You're right, but we're tired of people just saying that they're procrastinating and making jokes about it instead of actually studying.
😭😭😭😭
are you sure a future dr? because i can read your handwriting.
lol...
Paz L u know one of the main reason of messy handwriting is that ur mind thinks faster than ur muscle can write..
He is trying to just write properly like a normal student. He is a doc!💃
He is going into plastic surgery right? Got to be good with details with your hands.
Paz L he's not anymore 😂 he's an entrepreneur that's why!
Great strategy - I also do this on occasion:
1. Bring a stack of blank notecards, a pen and your podcasts to the gym
2. I like the treadmill so I would listen to podcasts and jot down key components on my flashcards every 15 min.
3. Run the same podcasts back with the note cards in front of you (you can prop them up on the console)
4. With pen in hand edit and elaborate when needed
5. Go home and review!
Which podcasts?
@@navyforeveryoungjean-phili5940 maybe the lecture or a video of the topic that was in class?
Honestly, the problem for me with writing the information or condensing it in my own words is that everything seems important!!! 😭😭😭
He uses .38 pens, he knows whats up
Dude, this was so helpful. Universities never teach you how to study. I normally re-listen to lectures, but now I see I could do a much better job just synthesizing the information. I see now that I don't do enough active learning. I waste too much time on passive learning. Thanks!
How are you doing now?
@@jamesh.2966 in terms of school or life?
@@magicianmana4 both haha
@@magicianmana4 in school
@@jamesh.2966 oh, I graduated school like 4 years ago and now I have a full-time job. Overall, I’m pretty good :)
This very well may be the ONLY helpful study video I've ever watched. Thank you so much for the suggestions. Downloading Anki as I'm typing this.
TheOneZepphyr its almost too good to be true. he actually takes his time to real teach pure useful strategies. dude deserves a donation.
eventually one will learn that active learning will be more effective. summarizing summarizing. don't type don't highlight. if highlight resummarize afterward. for memorizing stuff focus on repetition.
The beginning. Never forget where you came from. U a real one for keeping this up even though you updated. You’ve inspired me to do better in my premed classes. Thank you.
You're amazing.!!!! As a high school student I'm going to use these tips in my AP Bio class, which is sadly the first class I've ever struggled with.
Love your style. Clean white paper, neat hand writing, straight to the point, organized w/ helpful drawings. Reminds me of khan Academy. Thank you!
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 CZcams 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 CZcams 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 CZcams 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.
How I Study:
-Write Down Important Topics/Sub-Topics about Reading (I make sure to understand the reading and if I don’t I mark it)
-Type during Lectures and Ask about any Questions I have
-Write down the notes I have from lecture in my own words
-Go to Office Hours for anything left that I didn’t understand
-Review every 3 days - 2 weeks depending on how well I understand the material
This is gold... I literally took notes of this bc this is the best study video i’ve seen. Hats off 👍🏻
This is honestly the most helpful video I've seen!! I will definitely be using these helpful tips next semester, thank you so much!!!
Thank you SO much for this video! I have been struggling all week with time-management and efficiency with my studying and I am very excited to implement these new strategies into my routine. This video might just be the saving grace I needed!
Loved this video! Great tips. Just heard about this one in one recent video of yours and came here to see it. A way that helps me is “learn to teach”, when you can explain it, you know it.
Great job
Wow awesome video!! Sweet, simple, straight to the point and easy to understand! Best study advice video I've come across so far, for all studying not just pre med.
I've been looking all over CZcams for good note taking/study techniques and couldn't find any that I felt got to the point and really gave good advice. Home run on this video. You've earned a new subscriber!
I really enjoyed that. It was simple and to the point. Very easy points to use and follow. Thank you
can you make subvideos on (1) how to identify what's most important and (2) how to organize. i tend to think everything is important that's why i write down every detail
Med School Insiders x
Uhm. That’s me too. That’s why I don’t like to take notes which is bad but I always think everything is important.
Thank you for all the tips! This just got me pumped up to start my homework and improve my study habits!
Subscribed. Thanks for videos, man! And best of luck in your medical endeavors
Great video! Will definitely use these tips during my prerequisites for PA school.
Thanks for sharing! :)
thats soo good! seriously, good job. and greetings from germany
Man, the video is just right to the points! Brilliant one!
I'm in graduate school for speech language pathology but this video helped me a lot. I've always done all of the not so efficient study strategies you mentioned and I've always felt they didn't work or at least had a lot of disadvantages since it's all such passive learning. Thanks for making these vids, I'm gunna revolutionize my studying now :)
Very useful indeed.
My mistakes in my first attempt which I rectified in the second:
1. Not go to lectures - none of the smart guys did. Later I did and the discipline amplified by peer pressure helped me a lot. In those days we didn't have the luxury of podcasts.
2. "plan" - the planning is done by the organizing body. The only thing you need to do is study. Planning creates an artificial rhythm which eventually makes you study x pages a day - pointless.
3. Use someone else's notes. 1) they're unintelligible 2) the point is making notes, not using them afterwards
But the main message is clear in this video: find out what works for you. Don't let your peers, your parents, your teachers dictate that.
So awesome, look how far he's come
Brilliant video! Thank you so much!
Great video! Straight to the point.
THIS IS THE BEST STUDY TIPS EVER!!! THANK YOU 💗💗💗💗💗💗
I appreciate it! Thanks for sharing your experience. Surely, it will be useful. Keep shining.
Just found your channel and absolutely loved the video.. looks like I’m gonna be spending a lot of time watching all these videos!
I can't believe this was 2 years ago I was wishing for a video that would change the way I study for the better because I found myself applying a lot of methods at once it was tiring. I'm not a med student lm an engineering student however ur methods I can even apply them for technical courses too, thank u🙌
Will definitely be using these tips when we start reviewing for IB exams! Thank you !
Your videos help me a lot..thank you so much For all the info you provide..I’ve started to procrastinate about my studies a lot lesser than usual 💯
Even I'm not going to medical school, but your strategies help me with a lot of my other classes. Thank you!
Lots of useful tips I'm definitely going to use, even though I'm not going to med school or in pre-med. Thanks!
thank you so much for sharing these tips! 🙏🌼
Thank you so much for this video, I have watched a bunch of videos on "how to study" but it just ends up being stupid life hacks, this video actually teaches you HOW to study and retain information
This is actually helping me with undergrad - Thank you
I definitely need a new and better study strategy, thanks for this video.
Thank you so much for the video very concise and awesome tips and tricks!! When I was younger I’ve decided to be a medical student with pre led and this video taught me a lot thank you so much!!!
Although I am not Pre-Med, this method was so helpful for me. As a nursing major all these concepts applied to me as well. Definitely helped change the way I study!!
I'm a repeat Anatomy student, I have been studying since lockdown, and going back to review and stuff and I realised some work I don't remember well, so I'm trying to find new ways. Thank you
Any chance you could do a video on scheduling/creating a routine?
Excellent video by the way, I found it extremely helpful.
As a premed who has the medical exam in the next 2 month .... I can say that all these points are true, practical and important so they should be followed.
Thank you so much! You are helping so many of us poor students who are struggling to make ends meet, and need help with college. So, paying for advice is as pricely as our rents was the biggest issue for me personally till I came across your page!!Your free resources are such a life saver! Thank you so much! You’re so talented at imparting successful advice, more so than my own pre-health advisors!
Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
These tips are very helpful. Thank you
As a high school student, I found this video very useful. I liked this so I can refer back to it in the future (hopefully as a pre med student!) thanks for the tips!
5 years... how'd life go lol
Are u studying medicine or u changed ur plans? I'm at the exact same time as when u wrote this comment lol.
sorry if I made a grammar mistake, I'm still learning English .
thank you for advices.its very helpful!!
This is really helpful! thank you tons!
Finally something that is helpful,after wasting 1 hour.Thank you so much for the video!
OMG the app is so cool. Saved me a lot of time, Thanks👍
Excellent video! I really feel like it's good information that will be usefull in me quest to be more efficient. Thank you
Really helpful, thank you so much, I really need to learn how to study properly and effectively
I just came to see ur first video but ended up watching all....great work.
Great channel with awesome information. Thank you.
all I can say is thank you times a million for this! I'm in my second year of nursing school and have had trouble figuring out what works best for me study-wise. Hopefully by combining some tips from this video and your "waking up early" video, I can see some improvement
Amber the Nurse.
Thanks for the tips I start Monday!
super helpful, not even considering going into medicine but these strategies are great. thanks! btw ur writing is so nice and neat.
a big thanks , your channel is what i needed sir. as a premed.
Thanks man helping me out a lot
This was very helpful, thank you 🙂
This is so helpful! Thank you
Wow this was a great video, thank you!
Amazing tips!!!! Thank you
Thank you for filming this informative video..!!
My entire life, I never knew how to study properly. Growing up in a dysfunctional, broken family unit made me have ZERO interest and energy in school and studying, leading to very little information and knowledge being grasped and retained.. It also meant that I never had anyone to teach me how to study.. It in part lead to me dropping out of high school.. Wasting a lot of time, and potential.. I did learn a lot in other aspects of life though, so not a complete waste of time..
While high school was a LONG time ago for me (I won't go into detail about the dysfunctional crap in my life..), I'm planning to go back to get my diploma, hopefully get up to speed and be able to do pre-req's for a nursing program.. That's the plan.. No pre-med or medical school for me, but this information is still valuable, nonetheless.. I'm sure it is for others as well, no matter what they are majoring in and planning on in the future..
Thanks again for the informative video.. Going to check out some of your other videos..!
TubeDeviant You go! 🙌🏼
How's it going?
Thanks !! Very useful tips :)
I found that recording & relistening while doing other things (exercising, housework) for a couple of my classes as an undergraduate, tho the classes I did it most reliably for were not in science, was useful for me
Really high quality content...Thanks very much sir we really appreciate your effort and time with us
Thank you so much for this!!
So helpful!!! Thank you!
This is completely unrelated but you have some really nice hands lol.
pepsi taylor He also has a great speaking voice. I wish my professors spoke this way.
I thought the same thing lmao
🙌🏻👅🍆🍑💦💦😍👌🏿
Now I can't stop starring at his hands 😶
Ikr
The Feynman technique works very well too. If you can teach the topic to someone in a different field, you understand the material.
Thank u so much! This is extremely helpful. :D
I'm a freshmen in high school. And I'm about to get straight A's, thanks!
I am currently a Pre-Med student and I am so glad to have come across this video. Thank you so much for this! Very helpful. #Subscribed
In addition to Anki, another spaced repetition app (free) is Memorang. it has a website in addition to the app. Found it very helpful in grad school.
Thank you for sharing!
That was really good. Writing by hand is a really important aid in training the brain to absorb and organize info. Medical textbooks and (hopefully) your lectures are very carefully organized to facilitate the process of internalization. Later, when you're an intern/resident, etc., you may have a "Washington Manual" in one pocked and a "peripheral brain" (small notebook) the another. You will take notes frequently throughout your days and review them frequently. As you train your brain and are exposed to more data, it will be increasingly easy to place new info. in the matrix of old facts already stored. And thus it goes until retirement, infirmity or senility. You will pass from the scene and some eager young doc. will take your place. It was ever thus.
okay. i sent the previous comment halfway into the video. i finished watching the whole thing. scratch what i said earlier. this is brilliant.
Thank you! I really needed some tips to study. 😊 The only problem i have is that i think everything is important when taking notes...😬
Lol exactly but by time and with more reading the amount of high lighting phrases will shrink and get less and less...
Something about watching you write is so satisfying
Love it thank you so much!
Thanks ,It was very useful
amazing i hop i won't forget what you during the finals exam
This seems really helpful. I'll try some of these tips out & download that app! Thank u!!
Is it Anki master or AnkiApp Flashcards?
Smooth as the FPS. Liked.
Great great tips!!
Thanks Doc 💯 helpful
Thank you finally someone understands that if the teach talks too slow your mind will wonder. My friends always look at ,e like I'm crazy when I say this
Thank you so much for your study tips. I wanted to follow up on an active study tool you referenced: charts. Would you mind providing an example of what a chart format might look like?
Great work!
Thanks so much. Your study tips are brilliant.
I do have one study question for you. Sometimes I study while listening to classical or calm music, because I heard it is beneficial to performance in class. Does listening to music really improve focus and information retention, or is it more of a distraction?
Can't thank you enough!
I even speeded up the video and concentrated more :D
Nice video! Also nice handwriting…
Just wanted to say that I agree with everything you said and that you presented it very well. I just wanted to add somethings that I found essential in med school:
1. Use of technology. Use it and abuse it. Seeing video lectures for me was a godsend since it helped me understand quickly what items were important and what I should focus on. This is no easy feat and it gets harder if you go to the reference book straight away. I used lecturio which I thought was brilliant all throughout medschool. So lecture notes + video lecture ---basic study guide and after that going to the book and filling in missing details. This is what worked for me.
2. Feynman method. Another active method of studying like condensing notes that really helped me out. I have bad handwriting and generally prefer to not write when possible and this really did the trick.
3. Group study, for me it worked always in review sessions, never worked out when we actually had to study the material.
4. Being flexible. One study method may work for one class but not for another.