Medical School 2.0: An Unconventional Guide to Learn Faster, Ace the USMLE, and Get Into Your Top Choice Residency

by David Larson

Forget the old concept of medical school taking over your life. It is possible to do great in school while still having a rich and well-rounded life. Whether your dream is having time for international volunteer work, having time to do cutting edge research, having time to be the parent and spouse you want to be, having time to exercise relax and unwind, or just HAVING TIME to live more and work less, Medical School 2.0 is your blue print to thrive as a medical student. This step-by-step guide to medical school teaches: How Dave, a medical student with below-average SAT and MCAT scores used these techniques to go from spending 16 hours a day on medical school and getting a "C" average to spending 1-3 hours a day on medical school and getting the top academic honors, 99.7th percentile on USMLE Steps 1 and 2, induction into the AOA honor society, and getting into his top choice residency in his top choice location, all the while enjoying the process of learning and having plenty of free time to enjoy life outside of medical school. How to clarify your personal goals for your life in medicine and in medical school and use those to reverse-engineer a personalized and customized curriculum for yourself. How to sift through seemingly infinite study sources and choose the highest yield information for your own unique goals. How to apply the latest research findings in the neuroscience of learning and memory to supercharge your brain's learning potential, maximizing your per-hour learning output. How to structure and schedule your study sessions and your "work days" to maximize your learning potential. What to eat and drink to fuel your brain to form and maintain sold long term memories of what you're learning. This book is the result of hundreds of hours of research interviewing top-performing medical students across the USA to deconstruct the strategies behind their success, researching and integrating the latest science of how our brain's learn, and then distilling the final product into a group of practical, simple, and extremely high yield tools and tricks to both maximize your mind's learning output, to enjoy the process of learning, and to have the time to follow your dreams in medical school and beyond. These are the same strategies that the author used in medical school, continues to use now, and has taught to hundreds of other students who have achieved even better results."

Genres: Medicine, Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2015

Reviews

[Andrea Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I approach learning and the amount of time it took me to effectively do so. I read the book before my exams, and even though I wasn’t able to implement the method from the beginning I was able to see a huge recall improvement. I genuinely cannot wait to start this next semester so that I can use this method from the start.

[Malini · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, instructive resource on how to apply current research on learning to cultivate good study habits and support a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle. Dr. Larson's humble yet informative voice reads like the rare TA who takes time out of his own busy schedule to thoroughly support his students. This is a must-read for any entering or current medical student.

[Chase DiMarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was almost a 5-star, but it constantly references tutorial videos available on a Facebook group that I have been unable to join for weeks. I feel this hinders a readers understanding of certain processes, and it should not be hidden behind a wall.

[Rawa'A Naimat · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's truly a game-changer
medical school shouldn't be the way it is
it gave me a perfect plan and goals for my medical school journey
I am glad that I read this book in my second year before its too late
and I hope it works!

[Ky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can change my life!

[TienDat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An innovative study method!

I substracted 1 star b/c the author liked to write a lengthy book. It will be perfect if it was written with a concise, high yield and productive manner as the method itself. Btw, I am amazed with this innovative method and I will apply it immediately

[Joseph McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Practical tips, good science, incomplete

What I liked: Dr. Larson gives great advice that I have used into my two years of medical school. Several points in the book will change things I do (I.e. coffee at the end of a study session or test rather than prior to, etc.). Several points I already practice that I believe are essential to success in medical school (spaced repetition).
What I didn’t like: the advice on how to study is good, but it’s missing mechanisms in which it can be more easily carried out. The ways in which Dr. Larson lists to make flash cards are rather incomplete as well. I find myself needing a library of over 1000 flash cards for every block of medical school exams (and these are almost all “high yield points”), so the system laid out isn’t ideal for such a high volume system. These tips may work in the clinical years and beyond, but during the preclinical years, these methods are not realistic unfortunately. The book overall needs to be cleaned up grammatically and formatting wise, and could use more resources or case studies to back the claims.

[D. Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave's advice on studying really rings true with my experience as an undergrad. Very encouraging.