Admission #138: Motivational Powerpoint
I got inspired by this article on buzzfeed and I made my own motivational powerpoint of my favorite good-looking guys and encouragement to keep me studying.
I feel like I should add some ladies too because beautiful, strong women are crazy-inspirational as well.
Admission #136: Teaching Means Owning Your Knowledge.
J: What are you doing?
Me: I’m talking at your cat. About obstructive versus restrictive lung disease.
J: He’s asleep.
*cat rolls over and snores*
Me: He’s a tough one, isn’t he?
Anonymous asked: What do you do to stay awake in class? I mean if you went (IDK what med students do)? Because I have one class very late in the day and I had trouble staying awake last spring when I took a class this late. Coffee doesn’t do and I don’t want to be addicted to Red Bull
Hey Anon!
I’m nearly always in class, so I’ve tried a few things:
- exercise before class starts or get some fresh air
- chew gum
- doodle
- tag-team with a friend: motivating each other or at least keeping each other honest can go a long way
- promise myself a reward after class (snack, gym time, relaxation, time to read or draw)
- if I have a particularly late class, I know classmates that take quick power naps
Any suggestions from friends out there to stay awake? :)
Love,
md-admissions
I have no idea why, but this is really getting me into the zone as I study about thyroid cancer.
…I’m not going to dwell on it.
(Source: Spotify)
Addendum to Study Strategies Post
So I just remembered a few more things I do! Clearly, med students do a LOT of studying.
- study guides: First Aid, High-Yield Neuroanatomy (only one of the many study guides starting with ‘High-Yield’), other guides give you nuggets of wisdom without having to dig through giant textbooks
- Podcasts: If I’ve been staring at the computer for too long or I’m very tired but still have things to learn, I turn to podcasts. I have a collection of Goljan, recordings made by classmates, official podcasts made my tech-savvy profs, and things I find on the internet.
- Writing and diagramming all over blackboards and whiteboards. Then, erasing the diagram and doing it all over again.
- Talking to Darth Vader. I’m a comic book dork. I like to cement my learning by talking things out. There’s not always a friend around to talk at in the early morning or late night. So sometimes, I’ll talk to the Darth Vader poster in my room. It works for me ;)
Man, this question now has me curious:
What are some of your study strategies, everybody?
Out for the next 7 days
Hello everyone!
My tumblr’s probably going to be radio silent for the next week due to a storm of tests (1 down, 3 to go!). See you all on the other side! :)
Love,
md-admissions
Admission #76: Upper Limbs
J: Nice graffiti on your arms
Me: What are you--oh shit. I was writing to ID all my arm muscles and tendons.
J: Probably want to wash that off before tomorrow's test
Me: Yeah. Wait...what if I paint my finger nails? I color code them for medial or ulnar innervation!
J: I am going to give you my bag of Cheetos. Because clearly you've gone insane with hunger.
-Me, devoured all the Cheetos; J, has been watching Captain America on his laptop while 'studying'
Admission #74: Auditory Acuity
A (to J): Wow, she hasn't made a sound since we've walked into the room
A: She's studying so hard
A: It's an unnatural phenomenon
A: Oh, I think she's pre-reading the bone infection lecture, I can see the words staph aureus.
C: A, just because you're standing behind me doesn't mean I can't hear you.
A: Oh shit! How did she know it was me?
-A, why I never study with this kid; C, was indeed pre-reading
So I noticed that your class watches Youtube videos of cats when a lecture gets boring or difficult.”
— school dean, watching us watching cat videos
cranquis asked: When studying, what is your preferred environment (location, sounds, comfort level, amount of isolation from others, etc)?
Cranquis, you know the mind of a med student! ;)
I have given a lot of thought to this over the past months, and this is what has been working for me:
Location: No coffee shops. Many people love them, I just can’t do them! In my bedroom. Favorite place: I am blessed to have a school that gives us all little cubicles and workspaces. So my school-designated workspace would be my #1 choice!
Sounds: a little ambient noise; I can’t do complete silence. If I need a little music for motivation, my current soundtrack includes: Adele, mash-ups, AC/DC (always. I’m a big 80s rock fan), Mumford and Sons.
Isolation: I need isolation when I am first mastering material (the first-pass through notes, etc.). On subsequent passes, I like to be around a few people with whom I study well. We tend to have different strengths and weaknesses, making for very well-rounded, informal ‘study groups’. In fact, some of them have made some guest appearances on this blog! E, J and B, NS, D, N, A, and K to name a few. But generally, only 1 to 5 of these people at a time…otherwise, it’s a party!
Comfort level: Water, working pens, comfortable chair, high ceilings good lighting, NO SMELLS. I have a very sharp nose, and smells distract me worse than any sound or sight. I think that’s also why I can’t work in coffee shops; they smell too good! Libraries for the same reason: they literally smell of fear and stress, and I hate that.
Snacks: My brain foods are dried seaweed, apples, minty gum, japaleno/spicy chips, gummy bears.
Thank you again and much love! As always, your support and encouragement is so appreciated :)
