Advice for Underclassmen

We asked 6 upperclassmen to answer the following 3 questions:

Any preparations for 2nd year that 1st years can do during summer?
Any advice to help prepare for the boards during 2nd year?
Advice for 2nd years about what to expect in 3rd year?

Cristina Carpio 2009

1. 2nd year prep? Just get a good calendar for planning out exam dates and study schedule. Find a good study buddy for all the library time you'll be spending. Buy a copy of First Aid for Step 1 to follow along with second year. That way you can compare the insane amount of detail P&S requires vs what is actually tested. Otherwise just enjoy that summer.

2. Board prep? Prepare well for P&S exams and that'll be more than half the battle. I wish I had used USMLE World instead of Kaplan. Cheaper and more targeted for the actual exam. Kaplan was demoralizing with the level of detail. I used USMLE World for Step 2 and was very pleased with my results. Plan about 4 weeks of study but hit the hardest subjects first. The highest yield time will be the first two weeks. Do NOT push back your date. You will learn nothing new in those few days and are just buying yourself more misery. Plan your post Boards vacation and pay for it. That way you have to take the Boards on time.

3. 3rd year? A good calendar for scheduling switch weekends and vacations. Also First Aid for the Wards is a nice easy read for prepping for rotations. Overall, I wish I had read Iserson's Guide to Getting Into a Residency before third year began. It gives good advice on prepping for the application process and talks about doing well on 3rd year rotations. Sure, it's scary but I think in a motivating way.

Top

Christopher Ramos 2010

3. For third year, remember this: "Work for the job you want, not the job you have." That means dressing up even when others are wearing scrubs. It means coming in earlier than others and leaving after. It means being attentive of what needs to be done even if it's not in your "job-description". Scut work does not exist. Residents and even attending do scut work. What does exist is busting your butt and not getting rewarded in terms of learning. If that's happening, then that's a problem. Don't suck up, but be enthusiastic. There's a difference and the staff know it. They do talk about students they don't like behind closed doors and it's strictly based on interpersonal issues, not academic. We've seen it happen and it's not a good thing. Make sure you read for the shelf exams. They are not easy and the wards only help you so much on them. Last, but not least, treat every rotation like you will go into that field, or at the very least, like your best friend or family member needs "x" field of expertise. Sounds corny, but you may have to give friends OB/Gyn advice or diagnose a stroke at church or figure out your kid's rash. Who knows? This philosophy will help you focus during "boring" rotations and push you get motivated.

Top

Shenecia Beecher 2010

1. The summer before 2nd year should really just be about fun, making the most of your last real summer. I don't think it's necessary to do any kind of preparation for 2nd year -- everything that is important for you to remember from 1st year will be covered once again in much more detail. You won't believe the repetition, but it's also repeated in a more clinically relevant way. So enjoy your summer off, do something fun or, if you need some money and can't afford to laze your days away, try to get a position that will allow you a good amount of free time to enjoy yourself. The best thing you can do is rest up.

2. I didn't do any boards prep until 2nd year final exams were over. I don't think it's necessary to put that much pressure on yourself studying for the boards AND studying for your regular classes. It might be useful to review some things like Anatomy or Biochem a few months before you start studying for the boards if you're nervous about getting through everything. I agree, covering all the material you need to know for the boards is daunting, but if you pay attention during second year and really study for the exams like you want to remember the information instead of just cramming, then you'll be fine. It'll make reviewing much more easier when it comes time to study for the boards. So, in sum: if you study to do well on the 2nd year exams, and not just cram to just pass, then you'll have a head up when it comes time for boards review. Studying too far in advance may not be a good idea for you -- you might just end up forgetting a lot of it anyways and have to review again.

3. I won't lie, 3rd year for me was the hardest year of medical school, and a lot of people say that. It's hard because you're being thrown into this new environment that's work and school at the same time and sometimes what the expectations others have of you and your role is not always clear. Also, for a while, the hospital owns your life and that's a little scary, but that's the nature of what we do, so you'll get used to (and 4th year will be all the more sweeter when that's all over :) . It's a confusing time, and sometimes it can be stressful, but it can also be a lot of fun if you go into it open-minded and ready to take as much out of the experience as you can. Just remember that there's always someone you can go to if things aren't going so well (e.g., the course directors, Dean Mellman, Dr. Hutcherson, etc) -- make use of those resources, no one will think negatively of you if you act as an advocate for yourself when you find yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable or isn't meeting your expectations. Also, switching from one rotation to the next doesn't necessarily get easier with time, but you get used to it and you start to figure out what makes a good 3rd year student. Don't be afraid of constructive criticism or to ask for it, it'll make you a better student. 3rd year is about learning and figuring out exactly what you want to do, so try to relax and enjoy it. Good luck!

Top

Damani Taylor 2010

1. What are you gonna do with that last summer of your life?!! Big question and important because you want to make it worthwhile and yet fun because it’s almost your last opportunity to enjoy a long break. My suggestion is that you find something that you enjoy and do it. If it means that you just want to chill for 3 months, fine. If you want to do that, I can suggest SMDEP as something to do, because you can relax and do something worthwhile giving back to the community and helping more young minorities get into medicine. You can also fulfill your international cravings and go off and do something abroad. Chances are that if you are Columbia student, you have some balling ambition to do something crazy like neurosurgery, orthopedics, or some crazy specialty. If that’s the case, then I would definitely suggest some sort of research. In those fields, it’s so necessary. Whatever you do, one thing you should definitely do is invest in Microbiology Made Simple. You need it for 2nd year for infectious diseases but buy it now and take a read. It’s an easy read and actually isn’t bad summer reading. It’s funny and you should get familiar with the content because it will be the hardest thing you take next year. Otherwise, rest and chill, cuz 2nd year is a beast.

2. Ah, the boards. The worst month of your life will definitely be that month before you take STEP 1. But there are ways to make hell a little cooler. During 2nd year, it’s crucial that you buy First Aid, the blue BRS physiology book, and the red BRS pathology book and fill out First Aid during the year as you take the corresponding course. First Aid isn’t complete and it needs some additional content if you want to do well. So filling it out while you go through 2nd year will do two things for you. One, it’ll help you review for that test. Two it’ll allow you to just use only FA when it comes to board studying. That’s good because being efficient with your time is clutch for board studying. Having to read many resources wastes time, if you have all the things you need to study in one place, it’ll help you use your time wisely.

3. 3rd year was certainly a new experience for me. I’m so used to just studying and taking a test as a way to evaluate what I knew and where I was. Things totally change up and the real world slaps you in the face. The biggest change was the subjective part of the third year. During your rotations, despite their various foci, there is a standard formula for third year. Always seem eager to work. Every specialty wants you to be excited about their specialty even if you don’t want to do it. Also, make sure you know everything about your patient especially their disease. That’s what’s expected of you as a third year medical student, to be an expert of the diseases of the patients you pick up. So go look up the latest paper on the disease on why they’re there and then google the little things they have. Also, make sure that you don’t try to outshine anyone and avoid the people who do like the plague. If you do want to do something extra because you’re a hard worker and interested (and you should), then just inform people in your group that you will be. That way you won’t be blindsiding everyone. It makes for good group dynamics. Also, a big challenge of third year was making sure that you get a little studying in everyday even if you’re exhausted and trying to do other things pertaining your patient work. Don’t save your studying for the end, just do a 10-20 questions a day from something like pre test or case files. It’ll help you prepare for the shelves and will get you knowledge in case you get pimped for something unrelated to your patient.

Top

Daniel Neghassi 2010

2. Any advice to help prepare for the boards during 2nd year? The best thing to prepare for boards is to do well in second-year courses. That means the less cramming you do during second year, the less material you'll have to "relearn" for essentially the first time when boards studying comes around. Much of medical school -- for me at least -- has been learning how I learn most effectively, so the sooner that gets figured out, the better. I mostly made flashcards and charts -- and whatever you do should probably involve some sort of active learning component.

3. Advice for the 2nd years about what to expect for third year? Get to know (and be nice to) the nurses on each rotation: they are great resources for clinical skills, especially at smaller, less busy hospitals. Take initiative. On the first day of an inpatient rotation, I find it helpful to take rather extensive notes on all the patients during rounds. That way, you'll have the pertinent information on the patients you eventually pick up, you'll have a near-complete list of the topics and illnesses you may be pimped on the next day by the attending, and you'll be -- or at least appear -- organized.

Top

Jason Gilleylen 2011

1. In retrospect, I think spending a little time (maybe a week) to research what materials people used to prepare for the boards will be a worthwhile investment. One of the more annoying aspects of boards prep was trying to recall information I had not seen in a year, so taking a little time to get some method in order to review some of the relevant topics from first year during second year may go a long way to maintain sanity.

2. Biggest tip would be to study hard for your exams during the year. All of these topics will be on the boards (maybe not in as much detail, but the concepts will still likely be there). It'll serve you well to review only during your hardcore "study" period as opposed to "learning" during this time. Also, set a decent study schedule as well. Connect with Mark Graham. He's an excellent resource to have available here.