Anyone Can Get Into Medical School
I am a firm believer that almost anyone can excel as a pre-med, get into medical school, and become a excellent doctor. The limiting factor to this path is usually one’s ability to get good grades. Grades are one, if not the most important part of the medical school application. But that 4.0 GPA does not have to be out of reach. So what is the key to ensuring you are not a part of the almost 60% of applicants that do not get into medical school? It’s learning how to study!
Yes, that’s right, by spending the time to figure out how to study and effectively absorb material, you can start acing those exams. Finally, you can get the grades that represent all the hard work you put in. Every person will have a slightly different learning style that works best for them. However, here are a few tried-and-true principles that will improve your study habits no matter what field of study you are going into.
How to Study Tip #1: Actively Review Your Material
Active studying requires much more brain power and truly can become tiring to do for long periods of time. It is much easier to just passively look at information and pray it’s being absorbed by some sort of magical osmosis. Unfortunately, the reality is that for 99.9% of people this is unrealistic. You need to actively test yourself to really commit information to memory. This is a lot more burdensome, it’s more mentally taxing, but it really does work! It’s like training for a marathon. The first time you try to run a mile, it’s hard, you fatigue quickly, and you might not want to do it again. However, every time you go for a run, it gets easier and easier. The human capability to adapt after repetition is truly amazing, and studying is no different.
Try testing yourself throughout your studying. You can do this through various methods such as practice questions, flashcards, or something I personally like to do is to write/type out as much information I know about a topic without looking at any notes. By doing so, I quickly learn what information I could not recall, I study that information, and then I try typing out what I can recall a few hours later. It’s all about identifying what you don’t know and working on it.
How to Study Tip #2: Apply Spaced Repetition
While last minute studying and procrastinating may feel like it is when you are most productive, this strategy is not going to give you the best long term results. Especially, if you are trying to learn material so that you can remember it when it is time to study for major standardized exams like the MCAT or USMLE. Try learning your coursework each day as if you were to be quizzed on it tomorrow. I like to review each of my lectures the same day if not the day after so that I can start to solidify the information early. Usually I’ll try to get about three passes through the material. Not only does this make the days before big exams less stressful, but I have found it allows me to recall topics much later on by studying it right the first time.
Additionally, I recommend applying spaced repetition techniques such as through the use of ANKI to your studies. Anki is a spaced repetition flashcard platform that will show you flashcards right at the time you are most likely to forget them. For example, let’s say you get a flashcard correct today, ANKI will show that same card to you tomorrow. However, if you get it correct tomorrow, ANKI won’t show the card to you for 3 days. If you get it correct then, it’ll be a week before you see it again, 2 weeks, then a month, and so on. This style of learning will allow you to commit material to long term memory.
How to Study Tip #3: Learn Until You Can Teach
Studies show that one of the most effective ways to increase comprehension is to try to teach the material to others. By working to explain a topic, you are requiring yourself to dive deeper into the material. Teaching is also a great assessment of what you do not know yourself. This technique is a great strategy for your 3rd pass through the material. I personally prefer to work with one or two friends/classmates in which we all take turns explaining concepts.
However, if you do not have anyone to work with at the time, don’t worry! There’s nothing wrong with talking out loud to yourself, I’ve definitely been there. Another idea is to make an audio recording and teach the material with the idea that someone else is going to use your recordings to learn. No matter how you decide to go about it, teaching is one of the most powerful study tools, and I recommend trying to incorporate it into your study routine.
The art of studying is one that takes practice to improve just like anything else. Even today I am constantly trying out different techniques to better my study habits. However, if you commit to applying some of concepts we discussed, you will see improvements. I truly do believe anyone can get great grades, even a 4.0 GPA, but first they must master their own study habits.