Getting through a medical college can be a phenomenal effort. Not only the intelligence, hard work and determination are required, but it also requires specific skills for the study. You must have a strategy fight your way through the piles of notes and stacks of books. Imagine – a subject requires reference material, plenty of it. There are many questions and the amount of so many reference material that should be cross-referenced. This simply defies the imagination. Now, that would be a Herculean task, even for a genius. Therefore, a smart way to properly maximize your learning is important:
- What Books that are Recommended by your Teacher?
Typically, books will be provided in the program. These are those books that should get all our attention. They should come first. Get these books. If your finances allow, get three additional books on the same subject. For people who do not have the financial resources, the library is the great alternative. We should make this a point and it is best to review all the books in the list. Start reading before you begin the college. Read a lot. This will help immensely when the subject appears during class discussion.
- Don’t Cram Too Much
Cramming isn’t worth it. This is a major cause of serious mental block. Except if we “study” an issue then we will never learn it. Try to study every day. Many medical topics are very interesting. Imagine the study of our circulatory system; about the flow of blood that goes into the left atrium and right, then pumped by the heart to every part of our body. Impressive, right? Unless you are not really interested in this subject, it should be very exciting.
- Understand the Material you Want to Memorize
Understand a specific concept before committing it to memory. Verbatim memorization never helps. Read first to understand it and then always try to condense in your own words. Then we can explain this again in your own unique terminology. Read aloud and write to help reinforce the overall material in your memory bank. You need to see, hear and then write.
- Symbols are Useful
Mnemonics are useful for storing and retrieving stored information. Especially those long lists. It is like creating a shortcut, something you can always easily remember.
- Use Physical Material
When you study about the bone anatomy, we should familiarize ourselves with real skeleton to study ot closely. Go to the laboratory to touch and feel it in your hands and you should also spell their names. If it is about heart, we need to get a model of human heart to study it and talk as if you are explaining it to a class.
- Organize Your Notes
Use markers. Highlight important points with a bright color of your favorite choice. And also use visualization. This should help us remember. Studying about medical topic can be very exciting.
