Tips for first year!

[tee87]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am starting my first year, and would like any advice that is constructive. I have been reading this forum over the summer and have learned a lot!

 

Thanks in advance!

[wpggal]

Study effectively

Don't procrastinate

Don't do everything for the sole purpose of getting into medical school

[future_doc]

See the applicable link in my signature.

[future_doc]

Study effectively

Don't procrastinate

Don't do everything for the sole purpose of getting into medical school

 

Actually, that is precisely what I did. It required focus, discipline, self-sacrifice and acting in a professional manner in dealing with undergrad studies. It worked.

[nem90]

Don't overdo extra curricular activities. Find time to rewind back and relax because you could burn out if you don't. Take well deserved breaks, your attention span is only for so long.

 

Pick up this book by Cal Newport called "How to be a straight A student". Lots of good strategies and tips on being a good student.

[fred245]

Always try to study early if you can. It'll be hard and many times you won't do it if no test is coming up...but TRY!

 

2 weeks before exam begin, this is your daily schedule:

Wake up

Study

Lunch

Study

Dinner

Study

Sleep

[Cerena]

Really good advice from other posters. If I might offer one piece: you'll go through ups and downs in your first year and beyond, so don't be too hard on yourself if things don't automatically work out! Take care of your well being This forum is an excellent resource to help guide you along your path. Best of luck!

[nem90]

Really good advice from other posters. If I might offer one piece: you'll go through ups and downs in your first year and beyond, so don't be too hard on yourself if things don't automatically work out! Take care of your well being This forum is an excellent resource to help guide you along your path. Best of luck!

 

Not to mention, the downs can keep going in a downward spiral. Keep positive and look forward.

[Cerena]

Not to mention, the downs can keep going in a downward spiral. Keep positive and look forward.

 

True Also, to add to keeping positive, this can be difficult at times so surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people can really help you through this.

PS I have read the novel you have recommended, some tips are really great!

[Birdy]

Buy an agenda with nicely sized pages. Put every test, quiz, assignment, lab report, or exam date in it as soon as you know the date. For large assignments, midterms, and exams, I've found it helpful to mark dates one and two weeks before as well, particularly since I start studying two weeks before any test worth more than 10% of my mark (1 week for less.) My study schedule is in my agenda as well. It's my life book.

 

Organize. In addition to the agenda, I have a whiteboard calendar on which I put all important dates. Because I have a family to take care of as well, being super organized absolutely saved me last year when my husband was away pretty much the whole time.

 

I even scheduled unstructured time. I'd take an evening or half an evening off sometimes and write it into my agenda. I find it easier to work towards time off than take it whenever I feel like it because then I tend to take too much time off.

 

I'm probably more rigidly organized than most students need to be, but I managed to get through all of first year without any stress freak outs, without any school-related late nights (was up with sick kids a few times though) and with grades I am happy with, so perhaps you might find the above useful.

[bighopes100]

Most important thing in my opinion is realize that uni is going to be WAY harder than high school. Don't go in like I did expecting to coast through. The step up in bio is the hardest in my opinion. You're going to go from a chapter per week in high school to 6-7/week in uni.

 

Focus on GPA first, then ECs. For the first year, I might even recommend leaving volunteering until the summer instead of burning yourself out during the school year.

 

Oh and there's going to be a lot of keener's, especially if you're in sciences. That was another thing that nerved me out. It was pretty hard for me to get used to so many kids sucking up to the profs haha.

 

If you work hard, you will be fine.

[future_doc]

^ Excellent advice!

[nem90]

Most important thing in my opinion is realize that uni is going to be WAY harder than high school. Don't go in like I did expecting to coast through. The step up in bio is the hardest in my opinion. You're going to go from a chapter per week in high school to 6-7/week in uni.

 

Focus on GPA first, then ECs. For the first year, I might even recommend leaving volunteering until the summer instead of burning yourself out during the school year.

 

Oh and there's going to be a lot of keener's, especially if you're in sciences. That was another thing that nerved me out. It was pretty hard for me to get used to so many kids sucking up to the profs haha.

 

If you work hard, you will be fine.

 

Not exactly... Work smart, not hard.

[future_doc]

Work smart and hard. I did both, was at burnout by the end of every semester year after year after year. I kept my eye on the goal, always stayed motivated no matter what, did not allow for distractions and I achieved the goal. Now, there are other goals.

[Intrepid86]

2 weeks before exam begin, this is your daily schedule:

Wake up

Study

Lunch

Study

Dinner

Study

Sleep

 

 

As you can see, personal hygiene is for suckers.

[Lactic Folly]

As you can see, personal hygiene is for suckers.

 

By that token, so is voiding... though you could probably do it while chewing.

[DoctorS]

I would say get one of those big calendars, mark all the important dates on it and it put beside your desk, or bed or some other place that you will get a chance to go to everyday.

[cookiemonster99]

I read a lot of really good advice from people on this thread so i'll throw in my two cents.

 

ENJOY your frosh week-party hard, meet new people, and go crazy during this week ONLY because it'll probably the ONLY time you'll "really" have fun in undergrad without worrying about anything else.

 

STAY AWAY FROM DRAMA-other people's drama because there will be drama.

Don't let it affect you and your studying.

 

Keep an open mind and be ready to adapt to the ways that the prof wants you to think for his/her class that was the biggest for me because HS for me wasn't really about the "university way of thinking" in terms of exams.

An example for me was 1st bio midterm I didn't really listen to the prof and just did what i did in HS. BIG MISTAKE i barely passed my midterm. I believe i got like a 53% or something. So I printed out all his slides and listened to his lectures and UNDERSTOOD the concept and not just MEMORIZED it. You have to be able to think like the professor and think up questions that he could potentially ask.

 

 

Go to the gym whenever you get a chance. If you're living on res it's relatively easy to gain weight which will affect you as a whole.

 

Don't go crazy with extra-curriculars, I would avoid premed clubs especially because it's full of keeners. <------i'm sure some people would disagree with me on this point.

 

Good luck

[future_doc]

STAY AWAY FROM DRAMA-other people's drama because there will be drama.

Don't let it affect you and your studying.

 

Don't go crazy with extra-curriculars, I would avoid premed clubs especially because it's full of keeners. <------i'm sure some people would disagree with me on this point.

 

Good luck

 

I do agree.

[cookiemonster99]

 

Don't go crazy with extra-curriculars, I would avoid premed clubs especially because it's full of keeners. <------i'm sure some people would disagree with me on this point.

 

 

I also wanted to add that I absolutely HATE people that are still in high school or just graduated high school and just started university and telling me I want to be a doctor and nothing else.

 

Some how every 1st year thinks in their own little bubble that they will be the one getting into med school. That they are the best and are the perfect candidate until they post something like "got a bad mark what do i do?" thread.

 

I understand the mentality off "if i don't get into professional school I'm screwed" and yes I also understand the money, status aspect of it too.

Being a doctor will give you respect money girls blah blah blah.

But they don't understand the cost of being one, and i don't mean the financial aspect. As a doctor you are responsible for someone's LIFE. GET IT? SOMEONE"S ****ING LIFE. You can potentially KILL someone. How are you gonna live with yourself if you actually make a mistake? How will you deal with it? Are you gonna be "okay" with it? That's someone's child, father, mother, aunt, etc etc. Even if it's not your fault, can you deal with it?

 

I really don't think 1st years understand that aspect of it which is why i'm so annoyed.

[sprinkles]

Accept that there will always be learning curves as you adjust into a new way of learning. Whatever field you study I guarantee it will be different from high school because no body is going to hold your hand through it anymore. You have to figure out what study method works best for you and perfect it over the years. You may end up wasting a lot of time at first finding the best way to be productive/learn/maximize time etc...but once you figure out what works for you the rest gets MUCH easier

 

good luck!

[wpggal]

Actually, that is precisely what I did. It required focus, discipline, self-sacrifice and acting in a professional manner in dealing with undergrad studies. It worked.

 

My advice was basically to focus on getting good grades anyway, med school or not. Obsessing over admission can drive you batty. At least, it did to me.

[Anfield]

I also wanted to add that I absolutely HATE people that are still in high school or just graduated high school and just started university and telling me I want to be a doctor and nothing else.

 

Some how every 1st year thinks in their own little bubble that they will be the one getting into med school. That they are the best and are the perfect candidate until they post something like "got a bad mark what do i do?" thread.

 

I understand the mentality off "if i don't get into professional school I'm screwed" and yes I also understand the money, status aspect of it too.

Being a doctor will give you respect money girls blah blah blah.

But they don't understand the cost of being one, and i don't mean the financial aspect. As a doctor you are responsible for someone's LIFE. GET IT? SOMEONE"S ****ING LIFE. You can potentially KILL someone. How are you gonna live with yourself if you actually make a mistake? How will you deal with it? Are you gonna be "okay" with it? That's someone's child, father, mother, aunt, etc etc. Even if it's not your fault, can you deal with it?

 

I really don't think 1st years understand that aspect of it which is why i'm so annoyed.

 

I'm going into 1st year, and I definitely understand your point. The whole idea of being surrounded by premed gunners is just bad, and this is exactly why I avoided schools known for the sciences/have a med school.

 

I barely knew what I wanted to do until I started seriously thinking about it last year, and I still have major doubts every now and then. I also find it hard to believe that people are so confident about what they want to do at such an early stage, and I find it hilarious when I hear comments like "I want to be a pediatrician/cardiologist/etc)". Just how the hell did these people figure out what they want to specialize in? They probably just googled a few specialties and picked the one that sounded the 'coolest' to them.

 

I'm planning on staying away from the Health Sci club for at least the 1st semester and all other clubs as suggested by future_doc. Even then I'm not sure if I would ever want to join a club and be surrounded by premed gunners.

[wpggal]

It's hard to really know what you want to specialize in until you have first hand experience. In my case, I'm interested in emerg and family, but I could get to my elective years and wind up totally hating them. I guess the prestige of saying "I want to be a neurosurgeon" is good for pre-inflating your own ego.

 

That's not to say that you can't be totally sure before having experience, but I'd say most people don't know for sure until later on.

[cookiemonster99]

I don't know what exactly you want to do but honestly please just explore all the options out there. Don't get tunnel vision, I went through that experience and i have to say i absolutely hated it. There are TONS of opportunities out there and things that you'll learn that you don't even think you'll ever touch upon.

 

For example: I started a business related to drinking water, and I'm a science student, did i know i was gonna do that? Of course NOT! It just interested me because the opportunity was out there. My friend who dropped out of university(he had a 3.97 GPA and 20s on his DAT) went into business and made 80k in 2 months. I think he told me he'll probably be bringing in 300k in terms of net profit this year. He gave up on dentistry to do business.

So it's not as bad as you think.

I was even thinking about doing a MBA after my science degree.

Just TONS of options. And your perspective will definitely change once you had a year or two of university

and that it's not just medicine that's out there

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going into 1st year, and I definitely understand your point. The whole idea of being surrounded by premed gunners is just bad, and this is exactly why I avoided schools known for the sciences/have a med school.

 

I barely knew what I wanted to do until I started seriously thinking about it last year, and I still have major doubts every now and then. I also find it hard to believe that people are so confident about what they want to do at such an early stage, and I find it hilarious when I hear comments like "I want to be a pediatrician/cardiologist/etc)". Just how the hell did these people figure out what they want to specialize in? They probably just googled a few specialties and picked the one that sounded the 'coolest' to them.

 

I'm planning on staying away from the Health Sci club for at least the 1st semester and all other clubs as suggested by future_doc. Even then I'm not sure if I would ever want to join a club and be surrounded by premed gunners.