Studying....

HQvhs

Hey,

Well the first month in first med is almost over and I still can't quite my head around how to approach studying all the material. I'm sure there are plenty of others like me in the same position!

Anatomy isn't too bad, but for other subjects such as biochem, physiology etc. how would one go about studying them?

Perhaps some older students or more experienced people could share a bit of advice on this and give some tips?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

PhysiologyRocks

Anything that requires a lot of understanding, read as much about it as you can, but make sure that everything you read is relevant if you want it to help. Chatting about it helps too.

If it needs learning, do what you need to do to make it go in - write it out, record yourself saying it and listen, over and over. Stare at the page, give yourself deadlines, an ultimatum...

If it takes practice, do just that. Repeat until blue in the face. Friends and family make wonderful subjects. I'm very, very grateful to mine!

Even when you think you know it, do it all over again. When it's tough, suck it up and do some more work.

And remember to take a break.:)

Best of luck.

biomed32

im not doing medicine but i do biomedical science and do similar subjects as yourselves and im currently in my final year. the main points are:

- Get organised: have your notes prepared and in order.
- elaborate on notes taken in lectures
- take your time and dont panic with the level of work to do
- take the main points of each lecture, elaborate and learn
- use flow diagrams or spider diagrams to sum up and use as quick revision
- Flash cards!!!!!

hope it helps ya

virtus

My best advice is to do what is RELEVANT to your course.

If you are aiming to score high on your exams, know your notes inside out and back to front. That does not mean cramming in the last two weeks, or rote memorisation of details. Aim to understand everything, not only will it make it easier to remember but it will also improve your recall. Then, you can use your notes as a guideline to look up more info if you want.

THINK ABOUT IT

Repitition is more important rather than duration. So, if you review something the same day that you do it, then again the following day and again at the weekend and even once more two weeks later, even if it is only for half an hour at a time, your recall will be much better than if you spend a 4 hour stint staring at a page.

GET PROPER SLEEP

Textbooks are for REFERENCE. You dont need to digest the entire book over the course of the year. If you dont understand something from the lecture, or if you are looking to elaborate on it, look it up. If you find yourself asking questions that you cant answer after going through your notes, look it up (or ask). Before you even think about tackling a textbook for extra info come exam time, make sure you know your notes inside out. There is nothing worse than knowing small irrelevant (albeit interesting) details and not knowing the important stuff.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

Finally, close the books and folders and test yourself. Whether you do this by going over it in your head or putting pen to paper and answering questions you have set yourself, it will serve to show what has truly stuck to the inside of your head. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of understanding what is on the lecture without actually being able to discuss without the notes. Again, repitition is key. Remember, your head is going to textbook/source of knowledge. The notes and books are just there to facilitate that process. It doesn't matter how neat they are and how nice the diagrams and handwriting are, if you can't remember it it might as well not be there.

DON'T STUDY

Above all, try to enjoy it and make it interesting and stimulating. It is an opportunity to learn, don't make it a chore.

Don't neglect your social life.

Look after your physical and mental health.



At least thats my 2c

Larianne

I was thinking about this today while going over the never ending Physiology notes!

I guess keep on top of things now. I was speaking to a Physio student who failed 1st year (I think a 3rd of the class failed the summer Physiology exam) and she just said keep up to speed on everything. Print off notes before lectures. Read them, try make sense of them so you'll have an understanding before class. Ask tutors questions if you don't understand things. Which all sounds like common sense but then again... Also, have a look at past exam papers for an idea of what will be asked and more importantly how the questions are asked.

With me, I've been staying in the library going over stuff we've done that day or week. If I can't find something in one book, I look for another. Some explain things better than others.

You can nearly always find quizzes to relevant areas of study on the internet and getting the answers wrong is a great way of learning. It's a good way to test if the knowledge is going in.

Not sure if all colleges have them but in the uni I go to there are self assessment tutorials (for Physiology anyway) where you can do multiple choice questions on different topics. Only discovered this, this week.

With anatomy I read over notes, look at the bones and the skeleton, figure out what goes where and then on the cadavers have a good look around. I try to feel everything and see where it goes. Last class I tested one of the other girls on the muscles and bones of the shoulder region and it worked well for both of us as she was testing herself and I was revising what I already knew and whatever I got stuck on we figured it out together. If you can teach the topic to another person you know you understand it. I try to get into the Anatomy lab once a week out of class time and look at bones or the cadavers.

And speaking to fellow students helps too. You can pick up easy ways to remember things etc.

yerayeah

OP you just have to find what works for you, it's not like the leaving cert any more just rote learning a huge amount of information; understanding is key. Find out whether you work better from a big book with loads of information or a more concise one. Test yourself with MCQs, EMQs or essay questions. Oh and don't panic, it will achieve nothing and I don't know about other med schools but here first year is the hardest to pass judging by pass rates so, by that reasoning it gets easier once you clear the first hurdle!:p

flerb22

print out lecture slides, take notes from them, take flash cards from those, read them over and over.

for anatomy, spend as much time in the DR as possible, and ask the demonstrators/lecturers to teach you - thats their job.