Study Plan

[howardhoavan]

Hi Big Brother(s) Sister(s)

I will start in May 2005. Ok with all the day-dreaming and fantasy now the reality set in. I would like to have a plan for what I would do in the next 20 month(s). I want someone who has gone through acouple of semeters to tell me what your weekly plan
1. mon-fri may be lecture and lap
2. Do we have time to review USMLE from term1
3. What do we do with the previous materials, do we create a high-yield for each semeters and review every weekends
It is a huge amount of fact(s) recall and concepts in 20 months. I just want to have a solid plan and at least stick to that plan. Anyone want to share your experience. Thanks

[DSMMD]

Bear in mind, I attended Saba a while ago. However, I think that I had relatively good study habits. Many of my classmates felt that all I did was study; however, those that really knew me realized that I had a lot of downtime and the weekends before the black Mondays, I would rarely study.

With that being said, you cannot look at Black Mondays as being the only days when you need to know the material. You must realize that everyday is a "test day." If you are prepared for class on a daily basis, and read beforehand, you will find that things make sense, and overall you will do less studying. As for me, after class, I would go home and type out my notes and organize my thoughts. They say that if you do active learning with the material immediately it helps you to recall things. This truly helped me.

Actually, on Black Mondays, I would typically go out for dinner and then come back and hit the books in preparation for class the next day. As soon as you get behind it is hard to catch up. The first weekend after the exams, many people blow it off....however, I think it is important to study. Just keep up to date with everything. And, as you are studying, don't just study the material for the class you are in, try to integrate it with other things that you have already learned.

In terms of studying for Step 1...I think that if you took the time to learn the material (as opposed to memorizing it), you will find that it is not that hard of an exam to pass.

[wolfvgang22]

Did you use your laptop in class very much?

[DSMMD]

Did not have a laptop. After class would go and use a computer and type out my notes. Typically done at the library.

[ResearchingGuy]

As my illustrious PD partner said to me when I asked him what the secret was to doing well, "Study". Everybody studies differently, but I would suggest you do concentrate on taking notes in class (Powerpoint helps) and reviewing those to the point where you feel like you really "know" the material. DO NOT just cram on weekends. You may (or may not) get through okay for the first 2 or 3 semesters, but judgement will come once you hit Path, Pharm and Clin Med. Try to study every day.

Study with others if that works for you. I studied with a group in Anatomy Lab and that is still the area I feel strongest and most confident about. Try not to let yourself get emotionally and physically overwhelmed. Find positive ways to let off steam. Hiking is free. Diving is cheap.

Bring a laptop and USE IT FROM DAY ONE. I didn't really start to use my laptop until the end of second semester and I still kick myself. It is a tremendous tool when it comes to study and review.

As I step down off my soapbox, let me tell you that I was an average student at best and these suggestions come from considering my experience in hindsight. The upside is that you (obviously) don't have to be a genius to get through Basic Sciences. :P

Best of Luck! and Use a Laptop!

[scoobz1981]

There are a couple of different ways to study on SABA. My suggestions:

Way 1: Study the course material throughout the semester and learn it, and understand it, and don't just memorize (although that is usefull too). Then at the end of the semester, during the 2-3 week break, you should get out the KAPLAN book for the courses you just completed and look over the material in there. Also, this would be a good time to highlight the important points in Kaplan also. If you don't have the Kaplan books, then go out and buy em. In hindsight, I would have done this and it would have made studying for the USMLE a lot easier. Also, First Aid is a good book, but more of a quicky synopsis. It is very very good for Pharmacology.

Way 2: Study with the Kaplan book and first aid during the course of the semester. This way works well if you opt not to have a life throughtout your 2 years on SABA. I couldn't do this, but if you are devoted, then feel free to. Also note, that the Kaplan books may have high yield info for the USMLE, but your professors may not feel that that info is high yield, so DO NOT just use KAPLAN and First Aid for the tests.

Now, as for a computer. You can get away without having one in FIRST term. For anatomy I would suggest using the ANATOMY BRS, and for Histo the powerpoints are VERY VERY GOOD (so you may want a computer in that class). However, from second term onwards, I would have to agree with Researching guy that a notebook (notebook computer I mean - i.e. a laptop) is a MUST!

Val

[mdme]

When you come down to the island, bring yourself a laptop. They tell you that you don't need one, but you do. When you get here and get going with school, the study habit will fall into a natural rhythm. Trust me, when you have your first black monday, it will be a wake-up call if your study habits are rusty or just not prepared for the amount of information that you will get for that first test! The trick is to stay on top of the material and party AFTER your test. There is a "day or two" when you can neglect the studies, depending on your strengths and weaknesses.... Just be prepared for studying... this is a condensed program.