Looking for med school study tips to help ace the medical sciences curriculum? Here, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) offers a few of the best study strategies for medical school as well as other advice to help you on your path to becoming a physician.
Starting medical school is a dream come true for many students. If you’re wondering how to succeed in medical school, and you think your study methods could use a tune-up, read these study tips for medical students to help you on your way.
1. Remember the importance of notes
Everyone knows that you should take notes during lectures, but do you take notes on the reading as well? One of medical school’s challenges is that it throws a huge amount of information at you over a short period of time. A key to mastering the material is to organize it properly, noting the most important information as you absorb it. This will help you learn the information as you record it and the notes will prove valuable for review as a study guide.
Taking notes can also help you understand complex material—and there is plenty of that in a med school curriculum. Writing things down in your own words—effectively explaining it to yourself—may help you understand a subject or idea that has been troubling you.
2. Test your knowledge
It is easy to think you understand the material, but testing yourself can help you identify areas where you’re shaky. Take advantage of any study materials and use review questions to develop flash cards to help understand the material. Flash cards provide cheap, convenient, and effective memory aids. Everyone could use an effective memory tool when there is so much to learn and remember.
3. Drill Until you make it
You may have been able to get through undergraduate courses by cramming for exams, but that is not among our medical school study tips—cramming is a recipe for failure. There is too much material to learn in a med school curriculum, and too much memorization. You need to make your learning continuous, make it a daily drilling routine, and revisit material regularly. Otherwise, when it comes time for the exam weeks later, you may well have forgotten critical information.
Our study tips for medical students include the collecting of “clinical pearls”—items and information that are significant, relatively short, and easy to remember. Doctors use such pearls in their own continuing education. Being a doctor means a commitment to lifelong learning, so building daily learning habits while still in medical school puts you on the right path for your future career.
4. Use every memory trick in the book
Another study trick doctors love is the use of so-called “mnemonic devices.” These devices include various strategies to memorize information. For example, you might use the acronym FAST to remember that the signs of a stroke are Face, Arms, Speech, and Time. Doctors have so many of these acronyms that it sometimes sounds as if they are talking in code!
Physicians also use memorization phrases to retain information. For example, WANT My Hotdog can help you remember what passes through the placenta: Waste, Antibodies, Nutrients, and Teratogen–and (with some mnemonic liberty) Microorganisms, Hormones, and Drugs.
Another common trick is setting information to music, especially catchy tunes that get stuck in your head. The catchier the song the better, because an irresistible refrain can help you remember a lot of important information.
5. Know your study sweet zone
We all have different strengths when it comes to learning. Some of us are naturally suited to learning by lecture, while others do better with the written word. By now, you probably have a good idea where your strengths lie. Adopt study methods that play to those strengths.
If you learn best by listening, ask if you can record lectures for later review over headphones. If you learn visually, look for opportunities to sketch, such as with diagrams of organ systems. The very act of drawing and labeling a diagram is a great aid to memory.
6. Defend your study palace
One of the most important medical school study tips is to have your own “study palace”—a space you control, free of distractions. It is easy to pretend you can concentrate anywhere, anytime, but that just isn’t realistic for most people. Create a designated study space that encourages concentration—your tranquil palace—and return to it daily. For some students, that place is a private room at home, for others it is a library cubicle. Wherever it is, start with eliminating or at least minimizing electronic distractions.
7. Don’t flounder
You may be accustomed to school success coming easily, but medical school challenges even the brightest students. If you find yourself struggling with one area of study in particular, do not let yourself flounder. Instead of stressing or brooding, look for help.
A fellow student may offer solutions, or you may turn to an instructor, especially if you feel confused. Don’t be too proud or shy to approach a professor with questions when the material is unclear to you. Usually, instructors are happy to explain further. You may be surprised by how many other students are also asking for help. Students often struggle with the same material, precisely because it’s difficult.
8. Buddy up
The friendships you make in medical school can last a lifetime. Medical school is intense, and only those who have been there can really understand. Your fellow students can help you study and provide camaraderie, insight, and moral support.
With the right crew, you are stronger together than apart. If one of you is struggling to understand something, another can help explain it. Later, you may return the favor. This can help all succeed, and you may make some lifelong friends along the way.
Now that you know some good medical school study tips, take a look at the AUC medical sciences curriculum and think about how you’ll prepare for classes. And when you’re ready, apply for admission to AUC and begin your journey to becoming a physician!
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