Typical Study Day

A "normal" study day for me usually consists of two different phases: at school (anywhere from 3-10 hours a day) and at home. Longer days at school translate into longer study days -- it's not uncommon for me to spend 12 hours studying one day, then only four hours the next day. This breaks up the monotony of deciphering hundreds and hundreds of pages of medical-ese in order to finish a page or two of notes.

Since the ISP pathway has no lecture-based learning for the main portion of the medical sciences, my daily reading becomes my "lecture," and I have to prepare for that much in the same way a professor would prepare to deliver a talk on a given topic. On average, three to four hours a day are spent reading the material, and another three to four are spent making notes, reviewing pertinent x-rays/MRIs/CT scans/angiograms/etc., and printing flash cards for rapid review of more difficult subjects. Long days at school are divided between a computer lab in Sullivant Library and the ISP library in Meiling Hall; the change in scenery provides a much-needed breath of fresh air and the chance at a 20-minute walk across campus on a daily basis.

Monday will be a medium-length day (about 6 hours on campus), though the plans are to study for 10 hours tomorrow. Actually, most days from here until the end of May will be at least 10-hour workdays, as prep time for Step 1 demands an even tougher schedule than what I already have in place.