#studysohardthatshitcray

Videos that cover foundations of renal physiology. These are appropriate for first-year medical students in a medical physiology course, medical students on clinical rotations, or any MD at any level who wants to review renal physiology.

Hello there, doctor-intraining!

Oh man, your words take me STRAIGHT back to first year. We all felt this way. I don't know how many times I felt as you did! It is universally experienced. I was really only reminded of my reasons for doing this when I started seeing patients and really amazing residents and attendings at work. Patients reminded me to step up my game for their sake. Residents and attendings reminded me that there are people still left willing to fight. 

I felt frustrated and disappointed with myself all through the first and second year of med school. Looking back, I would've told myself (and if any of these resonate with you, please go ahead and do them!):

TALK TO SOMEONE. I still regret not seeing a psychologist sooner. But the fact that I did at all is one of the better decisions I've made in med school

be less afraid that I am the only one who feels dumb.  If I had embraced my lack of knowledge, I think I would have been happier (and better informed!)

Stop using television, games, tumblr, and other pasttimes to hide from the fact that I really needed to just SIT DOWN and figure out the hard concepts. 

One thing I did do right until Step 1: EXERCISE. It really helps!

Don't ask shitty classmates out on dates because of some sense of loneliness or daddy issues. 

Utilize good reference resources and study aids: BRS Physiology, Goljan podcasts, microbiology made ridiculously simple. Hell, the best is when you make your OWN resource! 

Regarding your frustration about reading several books, writing summaries, and completing assignments, prioritize them and (this is super painful, but true) find ways to do things cleverly or sacrifice them in the name of sanity and true learning.

If assignments are worth points, get those out of the way first because you want to pass your first year of school. Perfection is not the goal here, passing is. Then, if summaries are required to prove you are reading, don't read every single word on every page. Hit the chapter objectives on the first page, and then the final summary points on the last page. Use these to organize and prioritize what you should be taking away from each selection and what your summaries should include. Use tables and charts, they are often the most succinct version of what you absolutely must take away!

Best of luck! You're going to get through this!

Hi there, friend!

You are such a badass and a hard worker already!! I am impressed.

When I had a part-time job in the last two years of undergrad, I'd study or being to think about what I had to learn whenever I got even a little spare time. Right after class? Immediately began reviewing the take-away points my mind as I walked to my next destination. When I was eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I'd study when I had dessert or found myself sipping tea. 

Studying in those brief 5-10 minute periods of spare time meant consolidating what I already knew or memorizing things that required me to train my speedy recall. So I employed my flashcards, my notes, printed out powerpoint slides, so that studying was portable and bite sized. When I didn't want to study, I'd organize my calendar, text friends, or people watch to recharge my battery. 

Once at my apartment, THEN I could read or take my time to work out complex stuff by taking notes, creating flashcards, and organizing myself for the next day. These notes and flashcards would go into my backpack and voila! I'm ready for the next day! :D

The hardest part about working and studying so hard, for me, was feeling like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. If you feel like that at all, I want you know that all your hard work right now is going to pay off, I promise!! It is only temporary, and you're going to come out a better and stronger person for it.

PS. And if you need a break, give it to yourself. Or seek help from friends and counselors who can offer a sympathetic ear or some wisdom. Check out scholarships, which student advising offices often know LOTS about!

You can do it!!

Sorry for taking so long to get to this!

If you can't imagine doing anything but medicine right now, don't give up. It's time to regroup and review. What went right this semester? What went wrong? I like to break down areas for analysis and improvement into:

-course content

-study habits

-personal stuff (extracurriculars, relationships, non-academic stressors, etc.)

Be brutally honest with yourself and see what went right and wrong in these three areas. Get help, retake courses if you need it. If medicine is your goal, you do what it takes, be it swallowing pride, making sacrifices, being patient, or kicking oneself into gear. But don't give up until you've seriously tried everything and made adjustments.

You can do it!

Sorry it took so long for me to get to this! Now that I'm free of surgery and back from a quick vacation, I'm here to go through the mailbox!

Feel free to look through my old posts (man, I really need to organize my old posts) with regards to study tips. :) But I sympathize 100% because I do something quite similar to you; when I'm overwhelmed I often freeze and find myself unable to study. 

Take it piece by piece, being gentle with yourself. Reward yourself for reading 10 pages of a textbook, or taking 1 practice test, just as examples. Then start bumping things up; 20 pages until a reward, 2 practice tests, etc. 

Doing some jumping jacks, squats, a brisk jog/walk also helps drain nervous energy and gets you ready to study! Or if you're me...DANCE BREAK!

Also, don't forget remind yourself that yes, these are exams, but there are many more exams in the future. This isn't the end or the deciding factor of the rest of your life. Exams come and go, your habits and willingness to work hard and keep going are FOREVER. I believe in you, you can do it!

Best,

Hey Anon!

I usually start with "Back In Black" by AC/DC. I put in on REALLY LOUD and kinda go from there. And then "I'll Make A Man Out of You" from Mulan.

But in all honesty, I think most of us confuse motivation with persistence. If you're not motivated to take a grueling test that decides...well, pretty much the rest of your life? Don't torture yourself; don't take the MCAT. There are many other things one can do with one's life that bring purpose and fulfillment.

But if the struggle is sticking to it through the exhaustion, self-doubt, and the psychological/emotional stuff that makes the MCAT not just an academic monster? There's a lot of strategies. 

Re-channel the stress: more often than not, stress is building up fast. Don't let it boil over. Go out and exercise. Eat a snack. Talk to a sympathetic friend, family member, SO. Read a non-medical book. Get rid of it so you can study calmly

Check in with yourself: Remind yourself why you're doing this. Why this is worth it. Do it frequently.

Fear tactics. I wish I were joking, but fear can be a powerful motivator. If you know that you're a person who is best motivated by looming deadlines, restricted study hours, etc., make yourself deadlines and restricted study hours.

Know thyself. Do you need pictures? Lectures? Friends to study with? Do what needs to be done; don't think that depriving yourself of everything and reading books constantly and making thousands of flashcards is the key. Or what Student Doctor Network says. There is no One True Key. There's only you, doing right by you.

Obviously there's lots of other things. But remember, if you can't bring yourself to give a damn about the mcat, don't do it. If your struggle is staying motivated even though you give a damn? Get creative, get in touch with your goals, blow off steam, be honest with yourself, and trust yourself.

Best,

Hi Anon!

Hmm tricky. Since I don't know what else you are doing, here are some general things that have proven to work:

start sleeping earlier so you wake up earlier

Exercise. It doesn't have to be intense. But a few jumping jacks, stretches, walk around, and whatnot can wake you up.

Eat a healthy, good breakfast. 

Try out a few healthy snacks. It doesn't have to be 5 hour energy, it can be chocolate, carrots, minty gum. Sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, minty tend to be the flavors that perk people up. And of course, coffee or tea.

Personal pep-talk. This would be the last ditch attempt. Remind yourself that this is serious business. Yes, you're tired. Yes, it's hard to stay awake. But you are about to take a test that may change everything about your life. If it's not worth staying awake for, what is?

Friends, anything else to recommend? 

Best of luck, you got this!

Hey anon!

Depends on your study style, you know? And the content. Some stuff lends itself better to flashcards.

I use flashcards for short, bite-sized pieces of info that require memorization. But everyone does it differently!

Thank you for the question!