Reposted from
http://www.medstudentsonline.com/forums/Hours-of-study-topic1117.html about how many hours 2 get into med:
Another MSO user from another thread:
"What am i doing next year? not sure yet.
But can I just say.. right now I am feeling so proud of myself, because the amount of people that told me I was too overcomitted and I was not putting the effort in that was required if I was truly serious about doing medicine.. and finally I can show them that I knew what I was doing. Yes I danced 3 times a week, taught gymnastics 3 days a week and sung twice a week every single week of year 12 and yes I may not have spent every waking minute studying.. but I knew what I was doing, I knew that I understood the work, and I also knew personally that if I HAD to work 24/7 to get those kind of marks then that was probably an indicater of how hard I would always have to work in a medicine course.. and I don't want that.
So basically.. yeah.. I am proud of myself "
IMHO...
I think what you can learn from that is the best advice. How much you study will depend on you but remember its about QUALITY not QUANTITY of study.
Try lots of different types of study patterns (group, solo, role play, flash cards, summarising text books, writing skits, whatever will help you keep it in your memory).
Stay healthy- eat well and get a good 8 hours sleep a night (give or take according to your body's needs). Excercise for at least 20 minutes at least 3 times a week- its good for your brain and good for your body.
Find a non academic pursuit and pursue it. You might only commit an hour a week but its important. You don't want to turn 18 and realise you've spent 2 years doing NOTHING but study.
If you're spiritual, commit to going to church/whatever regularly. Also, make sure you spend quality time with your family. I used to take Sundays off; I wouldn't allow myself to study from midnight to midnight, and I spent some quality time with my family.
Don't get a part time job because often employers will just want to exploit you for cheap labour and don't understand how important your time is (I had a bad experience working 3 or 4 closes a week at Hungry Jacks in yr 11 until my mum stood up for me lol).
However, DO some volunteer work and some casual work, particularly in the holidays. This is VERY important. Your marks might get you a med interview (or whatever you're interested in) but your experiences will get you a med place. You will be asked lots of questions about teamwork, leadership, working under stress, finding balance in your life, etc. when you get to interviews, and its during volunteer/casual work that you will find the answers to these questions.
Remember, if you get into med, you'll just be studying for another 5-10 years anyway. You want to get your life in balance and order now, not later.
Now, once you've dealt with all of the above things, you can work out the specifics. I was a terrible procrastinator and crammer- don't be like me. Be consistent. BE ORGANISED! When I lived with my dad (pre VCE), he would make me do all of my homework before I was allowed to go out, have an afternoon nap, even check my email for goodness sake. If I was to do year 11 again, I would commit myself to about 2.5 hours a night homework, consistently, but enjoy my weekends off. In year 12, I'd make it 3-3.5 hours (weekends off until 1-2 months b4 exam period). As exams/SACs/whatever come around, you might need to spend a bit more time studying, but if you're studying well and consistently, and taking care of the non-academic side of yourself, this shouldn't be too much of a burden.
Anyway, that's everything I would do if I could do it all again. Any other advice from anyone on here?
