LFOHarmonics Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 Hey premed101, OK so I lurk around here and SDN ALOT. While I do have an account, I haven't really posted or anything for like a good year or so - I just lurk and read. Anyway, I was wondering if I could get some advice, or hell any stories of obstacles you guys have faced when preparing for med school. I am going into my 3rd year at UWO - Honours Spec in Bio (mostly cell bio courses) and a Minor in Music. My previous two years are straight up unacceptable - both averaged at 3.1 on the 4.0 GPA scale. NOW.... It wasn't that I found the material extremely difficult to grasp... By the end of my 2nd year I really found out what has been my problem - and that is irregularities in my studying schedule and poor time management. The best example I can give is that in my second year, all of my course inched towards the 80s (like 77-79, with a few being in the 80s themselves), but my cell bio course, which I LOVED and studied a lot, I pulled out with an 87. SO I know I can do this, I just need to properly manage me time when it comes to studying (IE study errday right after class). Even so... I am scared, worried, and panicked. If I want to have any shot what so ever at attending med school, I gotta make sure years 3 and 4 are 3.7 and up... What pulled you guys through tough (probably tougher than mine) situations? Keeping your stress level low and you head still screwed on straight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookiemonster99 Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 hey I feel you. My first and 2nd year were HORRIBLE and I go to UWO too. (In med sci) I don't know what happened but for me this year was alright. ALL of my marks were 80+ except for biostats.....(low 60s) but hey that's only 1 mark right? I guess you just have to think more maturely, and think about what kind of material the prof will come up with. For example: For cell bio( i ended up with a 85 btw but i screwed up the final(went in with a 90)). What i did was I made up questions after every lecture thinking along the lines of what kind of questions COULD the prof potentially come up with? I'm still in the works of pulling my marks to the 90s but compared to my 1st and 2nd year it's way better. The best advice that I could say to you is: keep your goal set and work towards it. For example: if after a midterm you did well do a little celebrating. Movie with friends, go out, buy yourself a little gift(positive reinforcement). I guess this moto works: work hard party hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1b1 Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 No one is going to push and motivate you into getting the grades needed for med. That has to come from within. If you're not going to put in the time and effort to get into med then some other pre-med will. Fortunately, you do recognize where you need to improve and you do understand the consequences. Personally, what always helped me was stress. People seem to think stress is a bad thing but it can actually be used in a positive manner. During undergrad I realized that this might be my one and only chance to make my goal happen so I was always stressed, consequently it motivated me into going the extra mile. You need to find the motivation from within and realize that the next 2 years of your life could potentially determine the next 50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shikimate Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 Maybe you should reconsider your music minor? Sounds like Cell bio is your kind of thing, and I guess humanities coureses are not? As for time management, hopefully by now you have figured out your study style. Some people much better in groups talking to each other, while others do much better studying on their own in a quiet place. If you have past exams or previous assigments etc to guide you it's even better. It's usually more about studying efficiently. And I was in somewhat of a similar situation, considered music major but went into life sci instead, had some bad courses in 1st year, in retrospect not because I didn't work hard, but because I studied the wrong way. I wish I had done all the past tests I could get my hands on. You'll realize science exams, including medical exams (MCAT, MCCQE, USMLE) is mostly about practicing old questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circa18 Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 We should start a club for premeds with terrible first and second years. Hard work and a focus on academics really can change things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 You've got to pat yourself on the back for figuring out what your problems are. This is very often the first step and the most difficult one. You mentioned that you have problems managing your time, which would, at the end, probably be the cause of your irregularities in studying. I don't pretend to be an expert in all of this, but personally, when I feel myself starting to run behind schedule (which cause stress that ultimately does not get me anywhere), I sit down and try to plan it out. I plan each day in advance and allot the approximate amount of time for each subject, while leaving breaks in between. I avoid procrastination at all cost by staying focused on a long term goal, and that helps me stay away from stress as well. These tips work for me! If you haven't tried it already, I hope you take it into consideration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonney Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 No one is going to push and motivate you into getting the grades needed for med. That has to come from within. If you're not going to put in the time and effort to get into med then some other pre-med will. Fortunately, you do recognize where you need to improve and you do understand the consequences. Personally, what always helped me was stress. People seem to think stress is a bad thing but it can actually be used in a positive manner. During undergrad I realized that this might be my one and only chance to make my goal happen so I was always stressed, consequently it motivated me into going the extra mile. You need to find the motivation from within and realize that the next 2 years of your life could potentially determine the next 50. Other way around for me. I was pretty laid back during UG, stressed with nothing and still managed to get mostly straight A+'s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nem90 Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Other way around for me. I was pretty laid back during UG, stressed with nothing and still managed to get mostly straight A+'s Not everyone is on the high end of the Gaussian distribution Doing something you're really interested in does help with being academically successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFOHarmonics Posted July 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Maybe you should reconsider your music minor? Sounds like Cell bio is your kind of thing, and I guess humanities coureses are not? [....] Put the ... there since I didn't wanna fill up this with your quote I actually do really well in music, I got 82 in first year theory, and around 77-78 in second year theory. I am not doing any more theory, but just some music for non music student courses to fill up the requirements (they supposed to be easy peasy) I have a worry though... I may make a separate post if I don't catch enough feedback here on it. My first and second GPA was 3.14 and 3.15. Assuming I get the minimum 3.7 both years in 3 and 4, that would leave me at cGPA of 3.45ish. I understand UWO looks at the best two years, but only if you go through their 3/5 rule, and I am having a hard time complying to that (trying to find open 3000 courses, and biology ones I am interested in) Thus if I cant do 3/5, that leaves only Queens and Dalhousie as potential options. I ****ed up, didn't I...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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