Hi Again! You will in this post see how things look during the final week of classes. You will notice there’s a lot less happening in my schedule other than classes/studying during this time because it is crack-down mode! And then STEP 1 Board Preparation begins! I have allotted myself 4 weeks for Board studying after classes are over.
Monday
9-10am: Pulmonary lecture- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
So yes, I still attend lectures this late in the course. I think there are only 5-7 of us that still come to class haha! But I must say, during these last 2 organ system blocks (Pulmonary & Renal), I cut down some on the lectures I attended because I started trying to switch to Boards prep. I only attended the lectures I thought were high-yield and I did not even bother watching the other lectures that I missed. I had to trust that boards studying will help prepare me for the core concepts for the class as well.
10am-12pm: Free time
You guessed it! Off to the library to start studying for the 2 finals I have at the end of the week (Pulmonary & Renal)!
12pm-12:30pm: Lunch Event- OB/GYN post-match panel
Got some free lunch while listening to the 4th years (who will be graduating on Friday!!!) who matched in OB/GYN residencies. They share their experiences and some helpful hints and tips when considering applying to OB/GYN residencies.
12:30-1pm: Doc appt at Student health
1-6pm: Free time (aka Study time!)
Off to the library to study some more.
7pm-8pm: Kickboxing
If you remember, from my last schedule entry, the highlight of my week!! Head to the 92Y for cardio kick-boxing class with friend.
8-9pm: Shower and dinner
9:30pm-11pm: Study
11pm: Bedtime
Started sleeping an hour earlier now. I am slowly trying to transition to my board studying schedule in which I will be starting my 12 hour study day at 7am! Hopefully, the day of the exam, I will be used to the very early mornings and withstand the long (8 hours) testing day.
Tuesday
7-9 am: Study time
Finished some studying that I didn’t complete last night. Drilled some step 1 questions on pulm and renal.
9 – 10 am: Acute Lung Injury Pathology
I love Dr. Beasley’s lecture! She basically says exactly what you need to know for her test (like at least 5 times!!)
10-11am: Study
Preparing for the last pulm small group session on Acute Lung Injury
11am-12pm: Pulmonary Small Group Discussion (SGD) 5- Acute Lung Injury
These small group sessions are mandatory sessions in which we are divided into groups of approx 15 students. It is basically a good time to review the topics presented in the preceding lectures in the context of clinical cases. These sessions are facilitated by a clinician in the field. For me, this is where the material comes together.
12pm-1pm Lunch with Classmates
One of my good friends in my class organized a lunch with a few of our other friends. It was so nice to catch up with people you see so rarely now <3.
1-3pm: Renal SGD 4
The last one! We worked through some clinical cases that really put all the concepts together well. Awesome!
3-6pm: Study time
Did some renal studying! My goal is to take both finals as soon as they open, which is on Thursday at 4pm. I will take pulmonary final first and then Renal the following morning.
6-8pm: Dinner with friend
Had dinner with a friend who will be starting grad school in Yale this fall. 1 hour dinner turned into 2 hours ..hehe!
8pm-midnight: Study
Midnight: Bedtime!
Decided to go to bed at my usual midnight time. For the next 2 days, will just focus on passing the 2 courses (will go into full swing for Step 1 after classes are over).
Wednesday
9am-10am: Pulmonary Patient Presentation on Lung Transplantation
As you remember from my last entry, this is usually the highlight of every course. You get to see a patient who has suffered a significant lung condition that we have studied and see how it manifests in a person. In this case, the patient underwent a lung transplant for an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
10am-12pm: Study
Did some pulm studying.
12-1pm: Lunch
Went home for lunch
1-2pm Renal Patient Presentation:
Loved this patient presentation! We got a chance to interview a patient and basically play “detective” in figuring what renal disease the patient had. Super fun and also a good review for the final.
2pm-6pm: Study time
7pm-8pm: Latin dance exercise class
Head to the 92Y for latin low impact workout class with friend. My greatest picker-upper (well, after Froyo!)
8-9pm: Shower and dinner
9:30pm-12am: Study
Midnight!: Bedtime!
Thursday
9-10am: Pulmonary Final Exam Review Session
This when I see almost half my class lol! These review sessions are usually high-yield and help us frame what to focus on when studying the plethora of information in front of us.
10-11am- Free time- Study!
Made the most of the one hour. By the end of the year you will be so efficient at making even 30 min of studying feel like and 1 hour of studying.
11am-Noon: Lunch
Went home for lunch!
Noon-2pm: Renal Final Exam Review Session
Probably the most attendance you will see in the class because Dr. Kim is AMAZING! I seriously want to go into Nephrology because of her!
2-4pm
Did some final review of the pulm material.
4pm-6pm: Pulm Final exam
Went back to my apartment to take the Pulm final exam. Woohoo! 1 down, 1 to go.
6-7:30pm: Dinner time
8pm-midnight: Study for renal final
Went to study room with a friend to study for the renal exam. One the best ways to make sure you stay on top of your study schedule is to schedule a study date with a friend (and it doesn’t have to mean you study out loud together). It is just motivating to be in someone’s company.
Midnight: Bedtime!
Friday
8am-10am: Quick last minute review
10am-12pm: Renal Final exam
Took the Renal Final! YAY Done with classes. I feel like there should be fire-works or something…Kind of anti-climatic lol!
12-2pm House chores
Did some much needed room cleaning. Wanted to have a clean, fresh room when I begin board studying on Sunday.
2-3pm Shopping
Quick stop at the store to pick up mother’s day gift.
Rest of the weekend
Went home to NJ for some relaxation before Boards studying, get hair done, do some food shopping and celebrate Mother’s Day!!
Fareedat Oluyadi is an MD Candidate, Class of 2016
