Time management in Medical School

[Pertinacious_123]

Hi guys,

 

I'm currently in my 1st pre-med in an (anonymous) university within Toronto. I just had one question for all the med students.

 

I'm finding it real hard to manage my time for other things. I've been working out a lot since I was a teenager in my junior years at high school until the ending years of my high school, however, since I started pre-med, a lot of things have changed. I had to step up my pace for studying since you all know how challenging it is to get into med school and because of that I barely get time to workout.

 

I know this is kind of a dumb question but honestly, did ya'll some time at home or at the gym to workout, go out, have fun etc. I'm aiming really hard for med school and most of my friends who are doing the same are telling me that you'll have to sacrifice those things just like everyone else. (i had one friend who told me if you don't get time to workout, then don't eat unhealthy....lol)

 

I have a friend in high school a long time ago who went on to go to med school and he was one of the few at in his pre-med at UofT to graduate with a perfect 4.0 CGPA receiving the silver medal general award and he used to tell me that he read his textbook EVERYDAY and make notes. However I lost contact with him so I never really had a chance to ask him how he managed his time.

 

Anyways guys since ya'll are in med school I hope you can give me some advise on whether I should try and make some time out for workout's (I'm talking about 1-2hrs of working out everyday) or whether I should sacrifice these things and focus more on my courses.

 

Thx a lot everybody. Sorry it got a bit long.

[Mei_Mei_girl]

Hi guys,

 

I'm currently in my 1st pre-med in an (anonymous) university within Toronto. I just had one question for all the med students.

 

I'm finding it real hard to manage my time for other things. I've been working out a lot since I was a teenager in my junior years at high school until the ending years of my high school, however, since I started pre-med, a lot of things have changed. I had to step up my pace for studying since you all know how challenging it is to get into med school and because of that I barely get time to workout.

 

I know this is kind of a dumb question but honestly, did ya'll some time at home or at the gym to workout, go out, have fun etc. I'm aiming really hard for med school and most of my friends who are doing the same are telling me that you'll have to sacrifice those things just like everyone else. (i had one friend who told me if you don't get time to workout, then don't eat unhealthy....lol)

 

I have a friend in high school a long time ago who went on to go to med school and he was one of the few at in his pre-med at UofT to graduate with a perfect 4.0 CGPA receiving the silver medal general award and he used to tell me that he read his textbook EVERYDAY and make notes. However I lost contact with him so I never really had a chance to ask him how he managed his time.

 

Anyways guys since ya'll are in med school I hope you can give me some advise on whether I should try and make some time out for workout's (I'm talking about 1-2hrs of working out everyday) or whether I should sacrifice these things and focus more on my courses.

 

Thx a lot everybody. Sorry it got a bit long.

 

I think time management is something we all struggle with. It is hard to find anyone in my class who can do this perfectly. For myself, I spend most of my time studying, but I try to work out as I find it helps me study. But it is always a juggling act - then there are ALWAYS ALWAYS obligations/events people want you to attend/be involved in. I have gotten good at saying NO - you just have to learn to do what you need to do, even if you want to do more - because otherwise things will get unbearable. I agree that you SHOULD put some balance into your life to give you an outlet - it will give you a better perspective on life.

 

Good luck with your plans; and remember, if you want it you can do it.

[apache]

That's one thing I learned in med school... just say NO, you'll have much more free time to do cool stuff, and eventually that desire to be involved in EVERYTHING will dissipate; besides, if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders you'll just burn out and won't be of any use to anyone anyways.

 

I think time management is something we all struggle with. It is hard to find anyone in my class who can do this perfectly. For myself, I spend most of my time studying, but I try to work out as I find it helps me study. But it is always a juggling act - then there are ALWAYS ALWAYS obligations/events people want you to attend/be involved in. I have gotten good at saying NO - you just have to learn to do what you need to do, even if you want to do more - because otherwise things will get unbearable. I agree that you SHOULD put some balance into your life to give you an outlet - it will give you a better perspective on life.

 

Good luck with your plans; and remember, if you want it you can do it.

[AnxiousBoy]

Generally speaking, you shouldn't have to sacrifice what you love to do for the sake of trying to get into med school. An unhappy person resulting from not having that outlet to release his stresses will make for one miserable premed and medical experience. Think of it this way, if you are happy, the studies won't seem as much of a burden, thus increasing study efficiency and spending less time to do the same amount of work.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to compare what others are doing for premed as something you need to follow. It's a good thing to be aware of, but ultimately you should base yourself on how you are fairing compared to the actual premed statistics. I've known people who can party like animals, never study yet still test well and easily enter med school. I've known others who had to sacrifice everything including sleeping just to make the acceptable medical standards. Where you lie, no one knows except yourself. Try to keep everything you enjoy to do, then start to eject out one at a time if you feel it's compromising your goal in getting into med school. Good luck.

[naspec]

I gave up lifting weights when I started this year, but there is a sizeable contingent in my class who go to the gym every morning before class. For me, the reason I gave it up was because I knew from previous experience that I'd need a lot of time to recover from the lifting sessions (sleeping and eating and generally being tired), and that it would significantly cut into my study/sleep time. Also I don't have a car, and the university gym is quite a hike from my house. It was a difficult decision to make, and I might take it up again sometime in the future.

[Doctor_Strangelove]

You don't need to sacrifice working out for medschool whatsoever... just make sure you don't waste time doing useless things like checking these forums too often lol. Manage your time well, cut down the amount of workout sessions you have generally (e.g. go down from 6 days a week to 4 days a week). Also, you getting the perfect GPA isn't the only thing med schools look for, make sure you get involved in something meaningful... you don't have to be like a the idiots in pre-med that sign up to 40 different organizations and end up doing meaningless work. Rather, pick one extracurricular that you enjoy and devote time to it and be consistent with it (keep doing it for as long as you can or until you feel like its time to move on to something new).

 

 

I just got into medical school, and I won't lie, I haven't worked out in a month or so, but that's not due to lack of time (i've just been really sick or really lazy ). That said, the medical student society president of my school, manages to hit the gym every day.

 

Final words of advice:

Keep hitting the iron and stop saying ya'll

[PaedsDoc]

What works for one person may not work for another person. This is something that you need to figure out by yourself by seeing what works for you.

 

I know that for me, it took me 2 years in university to get moderately organized (time-wise).

 

The reward system is a good way to start..... For example study all day, and then reward yourself with your fav TV show.

In regards to the gym:

 

I managed to go to the gym sparadically throughout my undergrad....

while managing 2 clubs at my uni, volunteering at two hospitals, and working. It's doable.

 

Instead of going to the gym 6 days - go 3 or 4 days Research shows that there isnt much difference for you body and health wise anyways.

 

At the end of the week see how much you need to cover to stay on track and STICK TO THAT SCHEDULE. If you get behind- it is harder to catch up than to stay on track.

[PaedsDoc]

Oh yeah, and gear up - second year WILL be worse than your first year. Develop good time managment strategies Early.

[apache]

Much worse (or harder, i guess) ... seriously!

 

Oh yeah, and gear up - second year WILL be worse than your first year. Develop good time managment strategies Early.

[deeman101]

I had less time in UG than in 1st year med. Too many ECs. Right now in med I'm REALLY limiting any ECs I do because I really want to keep my personal life and my professional life separate. Med school is really just more school. Theres no reason to change every facet of your life to reflect the fact that you're in med school.

 

I'm still hitting the gym semi-regularly and spending TONS of time watching TV and generally being inefficient with my time. I do it now while I can...before clerkship hits.

[repede]

he was one of the few at in his pre-med at UofT to graduate with a perfect 4.0 CGPA receiving the silver medal general award and he used to tell me that he read his textbook EVERYDAY and make notes.

 

You do nooooot need to study like that everyday that to get a 4.0. And, I don't think things like the Silver Medal General Award carry as much weight as you think. Study hard enough to do well and feel prepared. You need a good GPA, but don't overkill it - there are so many more worthwhile things you could be doing with your time. You shouldn't have to give up going to the gym.

 

And, as everyone is saying, you do not need to do some things just because most other premeds are doing it. One thing I learned fast is that there is a ton of BS and rumours that float around regarding Med - be careful with what you hear.

[naspec]

You do nooooot need to study like that everyday that to get a 4.0. And, I don't think things like the Silver Medal General Award carry as much weight as you think. Study hard enough to do well and feel prepared. You need a good GPA, but don't overkill it - there are so many more worthwhile things you could be doing with your time. You shouldn't have to give up going to the gym.

 

And, as everyone is saying, you do not need to do some things just because most other premeds are doing it. One thing I learned fast is that there is a ton of BS and rumours that float around regarding Med - be careful with what you hear.

 

Remember that you only need a 90% to get a 4.0 according to the latest OMSAS scale (assuming you're under Scale 3). After that you might as well focus on other courses or just take some time for yourself. Or you could go work on your next submission to Nature.

[superconnected]

Don't sweat it so much! Feel free to go to the gym, drink on the weekends, play videogames or just do whatever you enjoy. As long as you attend, pay attention and keep up with class it shouldn't be an issue. (Though using the text can certainly help. I've only had A+'s in classes that a good text and when I found time to read it..)

 

I know 2 different people who stressed really hard about getting A+ in every course who paid pretty dearly for it in 1st year. One dropped out and hasn't been back yet (3 years now) and one of them took 5 Ws, and a year off to get back into things.

 

Sit back and enjoy yourself a bit. University can be a blast!

[Smurfette]

Sleep more. That's my advice. The less you sleep, the less efficient you are. It's been studied. If I'm not being productive, then I go and take a nap and/or do mindless things that I have to do (pay my bills, wash my dishes, do my laundry) and keep my most productive hours for studying. I think most people spend way too much time doing a bad job of things while they are sleep deprived. Then, they lose sleep over it and are unproductive and wonder why.

 

I've been procrastinating for my carms applications for a couple months now (and on a busy rotation). I finally figured I should write these personal statements. So I spent all week this week sleeping at 8pm every night (thank goodness - no call) and wa-la, I wrote one solid essay in 1.5 hours.

[itimebomb2]

Chances are if you're on this site more than once a day, you've got poor time management!

[orange123]

Sleep more. That's my advice. The less you sleep, the less efficient you are. It's been studied. If I'm not being productive, then I go and take a nap and/or do mindless things that I have to do (pay my bills, wash my dishes, do my laundry) and keep my most productive hours for studying. I think most people spend way too much time doing a bad job of things while they are sleep deprived. Then, they lose sleep over it and are unproductive and wonder why.

 

I've been procrastinating for my carms applications for a couple months now (and on a busy rotation). I finally figured I should write these personal statements. So I spent all week this week sleeping at 8pm every night (thank goodness - no call) and wa-la, I wrote one solid essay in 1.5 hours.

 

Nice!! BTW, just curious, if you sleep at 8 what time would you usually wake up at?

[future_doc]

Chances are if you're on this site more than once a day, you've got poor time management!

 

Or, you have excellent time management skills being able to cover all the territory you need, while keep on top of studies.

[Pertinacious_123]

Chances are if you're on this site more than once a day, you've got poor time management!

 

 

Well FYI, I haven't checked this site since I posted my question. And I wouldn't be talking if I were you. I hate it when people say such ignorant things instead of answering the question. Kind of shows what kind of doctor's they'll usually be like. Thanks a lot sir. Good day.

[Mei_Mei_girl]

Well FYI, I haven't checked this site since I posted my question. And I wouldn't be talking if I were you. I hate it when people say such ignorant things instead of answering the question. Kind of shows what kind of doctor's they'll usually be like. Thanks a lot sir. Good day.

 

RELAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Exam time, maybe everyone is a little stressed out?

[Smurfette]

Nice!! BTW, just curious, if you sleep at 8 what time would you usually wake up at?

 

Don't ask...it was something like 5:30am. Two solid hours of Carms application stuff before work. So glad that is finally done!

[degoo_]

carms done... I second the feeling smurfette.

 

My studying habits in med school were the complete opposite of undergrad, in the latter I studied a fixed amount and then filled the remainder of my time with other things (workout, social, doing nothing etc)..

In meds I find that I'm doing the things I want first (workout, social, doing nothing), and then using whatever time is left over for studying. It seems to be enough. Of course adjustments are required around test time, but otherwise its worked out pretty well.