Many of you have begun a new, exciting adventure: medical school. One year ago, I was there. I still remember the nervous excitement and trepidation I felt when I entered the first weeks of term. I still think about the bittersweet sweetness of hard-won victories and the bitter tears of failure.
There were times of self-doubt (“Do I deserve to be here?”), panic( “What’s the right solution?”), and frustration (“Why can’t you understand this?”), as well as moments of discovery and realization. These lessons were invaluable to me in my first year of medical school.
Stay calm by the first few lectures. Give yourself enough time to adapt.
After the long and challenging application process (UCAS and personal statement, interviews), you have finally received the golden ticket to your dream university. You are surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds and listening to distinguished professors sharing their knowledge.
It’s your first lecture. You press the play button to hear a recorded speech or tune in to an online course. And suddenly, you feel out of place. It makes you wonder if there is a mistake in offering you a spot at medical school. Your brain tries to find A-Level information, but you come up empty. You feel like you are trying to remember Latin terms and words spelled strangely, and your tongue twists. Your tiny brain is dismaying.
These are all familiar terms, so feel free to ask. Medicine is an advanced subject that you have never studied before. It is meant to be difficult, especially when you encounter new vocabulary and a lot of information. Although it will take some time to become familiar with the anatomy terms and the vast data, don’t worry and stay patient. You’ll eventually master them!
Refrain from trying to remember everything. Do: Use the syllabus as a guide.
The good news is that you don’t need to know everything. In my early days of medical school, one of the most stupid mistakes I made was to try and stuff every fact into my already-busy brain. Some of it will indeed be required for exams. While I don’t recommend studying for exams to pass them, it is essential to be strategic.
Each school should have its curriculum, topics, and learning outcomes. We have two sides to Oxford: the left-hand (core material), i.e., There are two sides to Oxford: the left-hand side is core material (i.e., essential must-knows), and the right-hand side is extension material (i.e., helpful to incorporate into essays). The syllabus will help you determine what information you are required to know. Recognizing the points you can skip is essential sometimes, as some lecturers will go into too much detail that is not likely to be covered in exams.
Certain pieces of information have a higher yield than others. You don’t have to memorize all the intermediates in the urea cycle. Instead, you can spend time revising the vasculature for the upper and lower legs. Although some experts discourage highlighting notes to study, it is a great way to differentiate between the relative importance of different sections of my notes. You can also make summary notes containing only the essential points you will commit to memory.
Past-year questions are the best way to find high-yield information for exam revision. You’ll eventually get an idea of the most frequently tested topics. Refrain from wasting time reading through lecture notes word for word!
Do not: Buy or read every textbook. Do: Take relevant information from multiple books.
You may feel satisfied when you fill your bookshelf full of thick volumes. This will help to solidify your identity and status as a diligent medical student. You may need to get every book on your school’s reading list quickly. Or, you might be so scared that you question your choices. Medical school textbooks should not be read from one side to the other. It is essential to be selective and identify the appropriate books and sections to refer to.
Many textbooks focus on specific topics, such as embryology, cardiovascular physiology, and biochemistry. These topics will only make up a small portion of your medical school curriculum. You may be asked different types of questions depending on which school you attend. However, multiple-choice and essay questions will be the same, so you only need to read a few chapters from specific textbooks.
Physical textbooks are no longer required in today’s digital age and sharing economy. In my first year, I did not spend any money on books. Instead, I thoroughly used the college library, which also contains electronic copies of some textbooks.
Feel free to ask for assistance. Clarify any questions you may have.
Fear of appearing stupid in front of your instructors and classmates is a common barrier to asking questions. This was the most challenging hurdle I had to overcome. Online tutorials did not allow for interaction. It wasn’t easy to find the right moment when to speak without inadvertently interrupting another person. Many of my burning questions were also swallowed out of fear of embarrassment.
Don’t be me! The discomfort that comes with asking a dumb question (which might not be so dumb after all) is quickly overcome by clarity and explanations. Your classmates may have the same questions you do, and they will be grateful you asked them. This happened to me once during a tutorial.
If you are still determined to figure it out alone, you should quit wasting your time. It is much easier to ask your tutors (the undisputed experts) rather than spend hours poring over textbooks.
