4 Days In, Kill Me Now
This blog will probably be pretty sparse for the next month, I’m sorry to say. Accept my sincerest apologies, faithful readers, but The Boards loom over my head. I take them on June 1.
It gives me approximately 5 weeks to review everything I’ve covered in the past two years, and even several large gaps in our knowledge that we weren’t taught. (Ahem, embryology and biochemistry.) I’ve got a calendar and everything to keep me on schedule, but the past couple days have been simply overwhelming. I’m basically fitting in 4 weeks of material into 10 hours of studying, if that.
Schedule as follows:
Wake up. Library by 8:30 at the latest.
Study until 12:30.
Lunch for an hour.
1:30 to 3:00, study.
By 3:00, I’ve lost all sense of hope, motivation, and drive, so I’ve been going to the gym then to destress.
Eat a snack, around 4:00?
Back to the library.
Eat dinner at some point.
Go home exhausted, and squeeze in an episode of Reno 911 to remind me that humor and fun still exist in the world.
Random thought collection:
- I think I diagnosed someone in high school with Cushing’s. I feel really bad, because all the people at school used to make fun of her for being fat, but now I’m really starting to think it was a hormone imbalance. She had the roundest moon facies I’ve ever seen. Can’t remember if she was hirsute or not.
- My computer is dead, for like the fifth time, but it’s probably a good thing: less time online to procrastinate and surf the web. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
- This test just seems like another stupid hazing ritual sometimes. Make us work our asses off so we get used to working hard, long hours.
- Other times it seems very valuable. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been reviewing something and think, “Oh, so that’s why that happens.”
- What I wouldn’t give for, like, a day where I could stay up late and play some stupid computer game all night. I miss undergrad.
- I probably would have already had a psychotic break, and be completely lazy and not studying when I’m tired if it weren’t for a special new significant other in my life. As my parents read this blog, they will inevitably start to pester me to find out more, but I’m really not in the mood. He is great, he is smart, he is cute, he’s a he. That’s not a typo, as someone once emailed me confusedly. Get over yourself.
Back to STDs and gynecological neoplasms. Woo.
Best of luck on the Boards. It sounds like you’ve got it under control – I fully expect to read a later post telling us how you kicked ass.
And congrats on the new relationship, how exciting!
Good luck. It’s not as bad as it seems (it’s alot easier to say that now that Step 1 is 2 years behind me). You get what you put into it. Follow your plan and make sure to leave room for some “off days” when you feel like you’re going nuts. Also, invest in Kaplan’s Q-bank if you haven’t already.
Good luck with everything.
I don’t have any hard exams to study for so yes I am staying up late to play computer games.
ubie! congrats and good luck!
Good luck!
Good luck, buddy. All will go well. The worst part of the boards is leaving. Most people are sure that they have failed, but the beauty of it is, the great majority do not. My advice: Be careful of burnout. And questions, lots of questions. I didn’t even read any text. I just did as many questions as I could get through a day. Way more high yield than texts. Good luck again!
kaplan’s quinn-bank
after seeing this post, i decided that the young generation of medical students may need some guidance on studying for the boards. to help them along, i have paired up with the ubiquitous question-makers to create quinn-bank: the ultimate guide…
My studying begins on Monday of next week. Test date is June 22nd. I feel ya man…I really do.
Good luck, darling. I’m only an M1… but I can see how the atmosphere at the school has changed with boards looming and dread when its my turn. The M2s run around at parties shaking kids still in undergraduate in true Billy Madison style “STAY HERE AS LONG AS YOU CAN.” Rite of passage, most pass, etc. I wish you well….
well thers my self made up funnel theory,its goes like this
well everything starts off eith the glitterati,its so attractive so alluring…jst like the mouth of a funnel its really broad and everything seems smooth and preety inviting and relaxed…with the advent of time the funnel gets constricted and the pressure builds up and things really push one off the scale of endurance….but if you eventually wait the so-called broad mouthed funnel gives you a greater opening gives you endless free space…..
dont worry its all gonna be fine,its all gonna be alright.