What to Expect in Medical School

What to Expect in Medical School

 

The number one reason why students do poorly or even fail out is because of overconfidence. They think that medical school will be like college. I was not a pre-med major so maybe this does not apply to pre-med students, but I know that lots of my classmates in business class certainly did not study all the time. The smart ones, especially, spent a minimal amount of time doing homework and studying.
But when you are in medical school, unless you have a photographic memory or had previous exposure to the materials as a nurse or whatnot, you will be spending a TON of time studying. There will be times when you can go out and have fun, but it will be sparse compared to the college party days.

The course load in college is light compared to medical school. Preparing for exams in college does not compare to preparing for exams in medical school. For example, some people may consider organic chemistry to be one of the harder pre-medical classes. And I admit, I had to spend a bit more time on that class too. Each week, I would spend 9 hours on organic chemistry:

 

 3 hours of class
 3 hours of lab
 2 hours to write lab report
 1 hour to do homework

 
So if I took 5 courses that require as much work as organic chemistry (which is VERY unlikely for a college student), I would spend 45 hours per week. That is already more than what most college students spend studying per week, let alone per month.
As a medical school student, expect to spend 60 hours studying per week or more. That averages out to a little more than 8.5 hours a day. And if you go to class, which can go from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, that is already over 8 hours right there. And most people study way past 5:00 PM. Hence, most people study over 8 hours a day.
Do you want to know what the sad part is? Even after 60 hours of studying, there is even more you could study to feel more prepared for the exams. No matter how much you prepare, you will always feel inadequate. This pertains even more for classes which are taught by researchers, who are overall very poor teachers. You will be bombarded with tiny details. Some of them are even testable. A lot of people say learning in medical school is akin to drinking from a fire hydrant.
See the page on a typical day in medical school for an example on what a light day in medical school is.

What to Expect in Medical School

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English | Slovakia

Slovakia officially the Slovak Republic is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The capital and largest city is Bratislava.
Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy with one of the fastest growth rates in the European Union and the OECD. The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on 1 January 2009. Slovakia is also a member of the Schengen Area, NATO, the United Nations, the OECD and the WTO.

Study Medicine in Slovakia : Comenius Medicine University , Pavol Jozef Safárik University of Medicine , Jessenius University of Medicine

Study Dentistry in Slovakia : Comenius University of Dentistry , Pavol Jozef Safárik University of Dentistry

Study Veterinary Medicine in Slovakia : University of Veterinary Medicine in Kosice

Study Pharmacy in Slovakia : Comenius University of Pharmacy

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English | Bulgaria

Bulgaria officially the Republic of Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe.
It is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council three times.Study Medicine in Bulgaria in English : University of Medicine in Varna , University of Medicine in Sofia , University of Medicine in Plovdiv , St. Kliment Ohridski Medical University in Sofia

Study Dentistry in Bulgaria in English : University of Dentistry in Sofia , University of Dentistry in Varna , Plovdiv Medical University of Dentistry

Study Veterinary Medicine in Bulgaria in English : Veterinary Medicine in Sofia , Veterinary Medicine in Stara Zagora ,

Other Fields of Study in Bulgaria in English : Nurse Studies , Midwife Studies , Naval Academy

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English | Romania

Romania is the seventh most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth largest city in the EU.
It has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. Around 90% of the population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians, and are native speakers of Romanian. With a rich cultural history, Romania has been the home of influential artists, musicians, inventors and sportsmen, and features a variety of tourist attractions.

Study Medicine in Romania : Gr. T. Popa University of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine, Iuliu Hațieganu Medicine University, Ovidius University of Medicine

Study Dentistry in Romania : Gr. T. Popa University of Dentistry, Luliu Hațieganu University of Dentistry

Study Veterinary Medicine in Romania : University of Veterinary Medicine in Cluj Napoka

Study Pharmacy in Romania : Gr. T. Popa University of Pharmacy, Luliu Hațieganu University of Pharmacy

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in German | Austria

Austria officially the Republic of Austria, is a federal republic and a landlocked country of over 8.5 million people inCentral Europe. The majority of the population speak local Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and Austrian German in its standard form is the country’s official language.
Austria is one of the richest countries in the world. The country has developed a high standard of living and in 2014 was ranked 21st in the world for its Human Development Index. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, joined the European Union in 1995, and is a founder of the OECD. Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995 and adopted the European currency, the Euro, in 1999.

Study Medicine in Austria in German :  Medical University of Vienna

Study Dentistry in Austria in German : Medical University of Dentistry

Study Pharmacy in Austria in German : University of Pharmacy

Study Veterinary Medicine in Austria in German : University of Veterinary Medicine

180 More Degree Programs: University of Vienna

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English | The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. The capital and largest city, Prague, has over 1.2 million residents.
The Czech Republic also ranks as the 11th most peaceful country, while achieving strong performance in democratic governance. It is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCEand the Council of Europe.

Study Pharmaceutical Sciences in The Czech Republic :  University of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Study Veterinary Medicine in The Czech Republic : University of Veterinary Medicine

Study Life Sciences in The Czech Republic : Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English | Hungary

Hungary formally, until 2012, the Republic of Hungary  is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country’s capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.

Study Medicine in Hungary : Semmelweis University of Medicine , University of Medicine in Szeged , University of Medicine in Pecs

Study Dentistry in Hungary : Semmelweis University of Dentistry , University of Dentistry in Szeged , University of Dentistry in Pecs

What to Expect in Medical School

Study Medicine In Europe in English| Serbia

Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia is a sovereign state situated at the crossroads between Central and Southeast Europe.
Serbia is a member of the UN, CoE, OSCE, PfP, BSEC, and CEFTA. It is also an official candidate for membership in the European Union which is negotiating its EU accession, acceding country to the WTO and is a militarily neutral state.

Study Medicine in Serbia : University of Medicine in Novi Sad

Study Dentistry in Serbia : University of Dentistry in Novi Sad

Study Pharmacy in Serbia : University of Pharmacy in Novi Sad