7 Study Tips for University from a Medical Student

In medical school, you often face a huge mountain of material, most of which you're supposed to know in a short time. This is often extremely discouraging and a single question pushes ahead of all others: "How am I supposed to get all of this into my head?"

I've definitely been in this situation several times and know how overwhelmed and demotivated you can feel in such moments. That's why I'm happy to share a few tips with you here that have helped me conquer huge amounts of material while still taking care of my mental health; if you neglect it, you often quickly lose energy and stamina for studying. University is a marathon, not a sprint!

 

Tip #1 Divide the material into small parts

It's best to start by roughly skimming through all your materials to estimate how many topics you can divide the material into and approximately how much scope each topic has. This way you can divide the big picture into smaller chunks that are much easier to tackle and that you can work through piece by piece.

If you still don't know where to start: most textbooks have already thought about the order of topics, so: usually just start with the first topic, the rest almost always builds on it anyway.

 

Tip #2 Make a study plan

For me personally, nothing works without a study plan. It brings structure to everyday life and gives you the feeling that you have your success in your hands and know exactly: if I follow the plan, I will definitely be done by the deadline.

If possible: build in a few buffer days and some review days before the final deadline, this gives you extra security in case something comes up or concentration just isn't working one day. The study plan is also not a rigid structure. It can be modified at any time during execution. However, it's important that you maintain the rough framework so that you're sure to finish the material.

 

Tip #3 Quiz each other

Studying together with classmates is immediately much more fun and it doesn't feel as awful as sitting alone in front of the book. Coordinate with 2-3 friends about when you're learning what, so you can discuss topics after a study day, explain uncertainties to each other, and especially quiz each other.

This way you see where your strengths and weaknesses lie and can therefore firstly modify your study plan again and repeat the topics that didn't go so well, and secondly already catch your breath a bit when you see that studying has actually already achieved something in some places. Additionally, answering questions and discussing tremendously reinforces knowledge!

 

Tip #4 Visualize progress

You so often have the feeling that you haven't accomplished anything yet and the mountain just won't get smaller. That's why it's important to visualize your progress and keep it in front of your eyes. The study plan worked well for me, for example, because I always checked off the topics I had completed.

Every time I could check something off, it was a kind of mini-triumph and I knew that I had taken one more small step in the right direction. After a few days you then see how many topics you've already checked off and realize that all the work is actually achieving something.

 

Tip #5 Set study-free times

Extremely important! Nobody can keep up 24/7 studying in the long run. Set a time at which you stop studying at the latest, take a break in the evening and do something that's fun for you and offers balance: exhaust yourself at the gym, go out for a nice meal with friends, or throw yourself on the couch with your friends and your favorite series.

Sometimes take an afternoon off to do something pleasant. You don't need to feel guilty when you do something other than eating, sleeping, and studying. You can possibly pull through the latter for a few days, but in the long run it exhausts you extremely and study time is used much less efficiently, which then exhausts you even more, and so you get into a nasty vicious circle. After all, we're still humans and not machines, and humans can't work around the clock.

 

Tip #6 Don't lose sight of the big goal

Especially in preclinical studies, it often happens that from all the memorizing you eventually think: "Why am I doing this to myself anyway?" You rarely have the feeling that you can actually concretely use all the knowledge you're stuffing into your head in the medical profession.

Unfortunately, I can't currently judge whether you need the knowledge later. But what I can say is: no degree is easy and especially in medical school there's always a portion of ambition involved, because you feel like obstacles are constantly being placed in your way. So if you're in a phase where you think: What's the point of all this? Think about the final goal you want to achieve: becoming a doctor.

On the way there you have to bite the bullet more often, but in the end it's worth it because you can practice the profession you really want to do. The colored boxes in the textbooks that establish clinical references always help me concretely. This way you can already become more fascinated with the topic. And if that doesn't help at all, here's the favorite saying of clinicians: After the Physikum everything gets better anyway!

Tip #7 Enjoy the time

Even if it should be stressful sometimes and you have to study a lot. You should try to enjoy every single second. Have fun with classmates, go out sometimes, or just do great things you've always wanted to do.

In university you have so many freedoms as nowhere else. Enjoy the time when you're so young and energetic and don't take your studies toooo seriously.

 

How did you like the article? Were you able to take something away for yourself? Feel free to write it in the comments.

Best regards,

Your medical student

@studymedizin_