Why I NEVER Made Notes at Medical School | My Secret to Staying on Top of Work
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the speaker, Faye, a second-year medical student, shares her unique approach to note-taking for medical studies. She reveals that she doesn't take traditional notes, instead focusing on active learning strategies like flashcards during lectures to enhance retention. Faye emphasizes the importance of active recall and spaced repetition, inspired by Holly Abdul's study methods. She demonstrates how she creates digital flashcards on Quizlet in real-time during lectures, turning lecture content into questions to reinforce learning. Faye's method aims to make the most of lecture time, ensuring she feels engaged and retains information effectively, without letting studying consume her life.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker, Faye, a second-year medical student, does not take traditional notes for her degree.
- 🤔 Faye initially struggled with the volume of content in medical school and found her initial note-taking methods inefficient.
- 🔍 She was inspired by Holly Abdul's videos on study methods, particularly active recall and spaced repetition.
- 📈 Faye realized the effectiveness of flashcards from her GCSE days and decided to incorporate them into her medical studies.
- 🚫 Faye advises against completely discarding a study method that works for you; instead, adapt and build upon it.
- 💡 During lectures, Faye creates flashcards by turning lecture content into questions, which aids in active learning.
- 💻 Faye uses OneNote to store lecture PowerPoints and organizes them by curriculum blocks and weeks.
- 📝 She makes notes in a 'summary tab' for concepts that are not fully grasped or for concise notes found online.
- 📅 Faye uses a checklist to track her progress, coloring in lectures as she creates flashcards for them.
- 🔄 Faye emphasizes the importance of not letting medicine consume her life and seeks a balance with other achievements.
- 📱 Faye utilizes her flashcards for revision during spare moments, leveraging active recall and spaced repetition for effective learning.
Q & A
What is the main issue the speaker struggled with at the beginning of their medical degree?
-The speaker struggled with the volume of content and the process of making the information stick in their mind.
What advice does the speaker give to those starting medicine regarding note-taking and revision methods?
-The speaker advises looking into different revision methods and studying techniques, specifically mentioning active recall and spaced repetition.
Which YouTuber's videos does the speaker recommend for learning about study methods?
-The speaker recommends watching Holly Abdul's videos for insights into effective study methods.
What was the speaker's method of revision during their GCSEs?
-The speaker used flashcards for revision during their GCSEs.
Why did the speaker stop using flashcards during their A-levels?
-The speaker's mother suggested that they couldn't just rely on flashcards and needed to actually learn the material, leading the speaker to not use flashcards during A-levels.
What is the speaker's current approach to note-taking during lectures?
-The speaker does not take traditional notes but instead makes flashcards on Quizlet while the lecturer is speaking, turning the information into questions.
How does the speaker handle information that is not included in the lecture slides?
-If the lecturer says something not included in the slides, the speaker types it down as additional notes.
What tool does the speaker use to organize their lecture materials and flashcards?
-The speaker uses OneNote to store all the PowerPoints for lectures and Quizlet to create and manage flashcards.
What is the speaker's strategy for dealing with lectures that are too fast-paced to keep up with?
-The speaker will star the parts of the lecture they skipped, intending to return to them later and create flashcards.
How does the speaker feel about the efficiency of their current note-taking and revision method?
-The speaker finds their method of making flashcards during lectures very efficient and it helps them assimilate information without taking up too much of their time.
Outlines
📚 Efficient Note-Taking for Medical Studies
The speaker, Faye, a second-year medical student, shares her unconventional approach to note-taking during her medical studies. Initially, she found the volume of content overwhelming and struggled with traditional note-taking methods, which she found inefficient. She then discovered active recall and spaced repetition through Holly Abdul's videos, which resonated with her previous successful use of flashcards during her GCSEs. Faye emphasizes the importance of finding a study method that works for you and not necessarily discarding it for new methods just because they are suggested by others. She also discusses her experience with impostor syndrome and the pressure of keeping up with the vast amount of information in medical school.
🖥️ Leveraging Technology for Active Learning
Faye details her process of creating flashcards during lectures using OneNote and Quizlet. She explains that she prefers to make flashcards in real-time while the lecturer is speaking, which helps her stay engaged and process the information actively. This method also allows her to identify and record any additional points not included in the lecture slides. Faye organizes her digital notes by curriculum blocks and uses a checklist to track her progress. She admits to having days where she doesn't feel motivated to engage with the material deeply, but her system allows her to catch up later. The summary tab in her notes is for any concepts that need further clarification, and she uses Quizlet to create flashcards that facilitate active recall and spaced repetition, which are key to her revision strategy.
📈 Balancing Medical Studies with Personal Life
In the final paragraph, Faye discusses her philosophy of not letting medical studies consume her entire life. She values efficiency in her study methods to ensure she has time for other pursuits. Faye's approach to note-taking and revision during lectures is designed to maximize retention while minimizing time spent. She uses flashcards not only for immediate learning but also for quick revision sessions during downtime. She encourages viewers to subscribe for upcoming content on her revision strategies and invites them to share their own methods in the comments for mutual learning. Faye concludes on a positive note, expressing her enthusiasm for sharing her study techniques and connecting with her audience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Active Recall
💡Spaced Repetition
💡Flashcards
💡Impostor Syndrome
💡OneNote
💡Quizlet
💡Systems-based Curriculum
💡Mindless Scrolling
💡Revision Methods
💡Lecture Capture
Highlights
The speaker does not take notes for their medicine degree, highlighting the struggle with the volume of content.
Medicine is described as not hard, but the amount of content is challenging.
Initially, the speaker struggled with information retention and efficient studying methods.
Active recall and spaced repetition are introduced as effective study principles.
Flashcards were a successful revision method during GCSEs, later abandoned, and then revisited.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of sticking with a study method that works.
Developing and adapting one's study method is crucial, rather than completely changing it.
The speaker's name is Faye, and she is a second-year medical student.
Faye's approach to lectures involves active listening and creating flashcards in real-time.
Flashcards are made during lectures to process information and aid active learning.
Lectures are downloaded and notes are taken in OneNote, with additional information typed if not on slides.
The speaker uses Quizlet for flashcards, structuring them by medical systems and topics.
Flashcards are created as questions to engage with the material and facilitate active recall.
The speaker discusses the importance of not losing context when creating flashcards.
Flashcards are used for revision with active recall and spaced repetition techniques.
The speaker plans to create a video on revision strategies, focusing on flashcards.
Encouragement for viewers to share their note-taking and revision methods in the comments.
Transcripts
hello everyone today I'm gonna be
filming a video all about how I take my
notes for medicine
spoiler alert yes you heard that right
I do not take any notes for my degree
when I started in first year I really
struggled with the volume of the content
I think what I've said before about
medicine is medicine isn't actually that
hard it's the amount of content you need
to know that it's a hard bit I really
struggled with like process and all that
information and making it stick in my
mind I didn't really take out the time
in the beginning to try learn all about
different revision methods and I just
started taking notes very quickly I
realized that it was so inefficient I
was spending hours writing these notes
and then at the end of it realizing I
basically just copied things
word-for-word and that nothing had
actually gone in I always get asked by
people who are about to stop medicine if
they have any advice for things that
they can do before they start their
course to like get ahead or whatever and
I always say look at how to revise look
at how to study I watched a couple of
Holly Abdul's videos he talks about
which methods of studying like research
factor which I really really really like
so the two principles I picked up from
his videos were active recall and spaced
repetition this is something that GCSEs
I did without realizing my method of
revision at GCC was flashcards I had oh
my gosh mountains and mountains of
flashcards for everything and then I
remember I got to a levels and my mom
was like you can't just flashcard things
like you actually have to learn it
because I guess she kind of just assumed
that I was memorizing everything and
then I just never really thought about
flashcards in my a levels and then so
hearing ali abdul spoke about spaced
repetition naps recall it just made me
think back so what did work for me and
if it worked for me why did I ever try
and move on to something different I do
think it's so goods like develop your
skills and build and progress but to a
certain extent if you have a method that
really clicks with you and does work for
you ya build on it and develop it but
don't completely shove it to one side
and start all over again which is kind
of what I did
flashcards worked why is I not six
why was i listening to people telling me
that flashcards I wasn't learning it
properly and trying to revamp my entire
revision method when I could have just
adapted the revision method I already
had so that it suit my a-levels so that
is how this learning system came about
as I said I do not take notes but I will
explain what I actually do doo doo doo
doo doo in lectures and how I learn
later on in the video if you don't know
who I am my name is Faye and I'm a
second year medical student and if you
want to see a little bit more of my life
then please feel free to subscribe to my
channel or follow my Instagram which I
will put here when I started medicine
especially because I didn't do great my
a-levels I already had like impostor
syndrome I already thought that I was
gonna fail I wasn't gonna be as smart as
everyone else I didn't deserve my place
even and then get in there and then not
knowing how to work my way through all
this information that was being thrown
at me at like a million miles an hour
was just the worst feeling in the world
and I wish I'd had a video that just
gave me some inspiration gave me a
starting point that being said how this
video is gonna work is basically I'm
gonna talk you through exactly what I do
during a lecture because if I'm not
taking notes what am i doing honestly
most of the time I am mindlessly
scrolling through social media but when
I'm being good this is what I do and I
come out of the lecture feeling like
I've actually taken stuff in which was
not the case beforehand at all I feel
like I'm definitely not the only person
who Jose is are five minutes into a
lecture unless they have something to
keep them going to keep them proactive
before I get on my laptop and show you
what I do during a lecture I'm just
gonna give you a brief overview so in an
ideal situation if the lecture is going
at a really nice easy pace and I'm not
feeling tired and drained then what I
will do is I will make flashcards whilst
the lecturer is speaking the reason I do
this is because I zone out so quickly if
I'm just listening / just taking notes
our lectures are put online before we
have our lecture so what I'll do
download the lecture and put it on my
OneNote and then ask the lecturer is
speaking I will process the information
that they're saying and turn
into a question and put it on Quizlet
essentially making flashcards I can use
for active learning in the future this
does mean that I can take notes notes
but what I will do if the lecturer says
something that isn't included in the
slide then I will just type it down what
I love about this is that if you have to
make a question out of the information
you'll give it you have to process the
information you cannot just mindlessly
be typing copy and everything they're
saying you have to take a statement or a
fact and then twist it to put it into a
question and answer form this is so good
for me because as I said I doze off five
minutes into the lecture if I just have
to listen and take notes if I'm typing
away trying to keep up with them then I
have some it's folks on I have something
that's keeping me engaged and on the
ball so I'm just gonna take you through
the process whilst going through this
lecture so all my notes I use one now I
know I said I don't make notes but I use
one now to store all the powerpoints for
all the lectures that we get given so as
you can see here hopefully I'll be like
somewhere here I split up my notes into
the blocks that exists to for our
curriculum our curriculum is a systems
based curriculum which basically means
we learn medicine with respect so the
systems in the body that makes sense all
the yellow ones are fair share these
orange ones are second year obviously I
haven't got any surgery stuff yes so the
lecture that I've picked is an
ophthalmology lecture which was one of
our blocks this year so click on
ophthalmology then I split up the block
in two weeks so as you can see
ophthalmology is two weeks but say msk
msk was six weeks and I think GI was
fake for ten then for each block I have
a little summary tab this is if I make
any sorts of notes then I'll put them in
the summary tab usually these are things
that I don't quite grasp and I just want
to make the notes as a different way of
processing the information or say if I
find some really good concise notes on a
webpage I'll copy and paste them into
here as I've said I only really make
notes if something just still is a click
on all my block folders I have a
checklist this is split up into weeks
every time we have a lecture I put it in
a box when I make flashcards for the
lecture I color it in gray so as you can
see I haven't flashcard into all my
lectures for ophthalmology this is
normally because I've gotten to a
lecture and I've just honestly economy
bothered listening to a lecture and
copying out what they're saying
mindlessly is so much easier than
processing it and putting it into
question form so there are some days
that I just cannot be asked so these are
the ones that are in white ophthalmology
is actually quite bit about this if I go
so like any other one I'm normally quite
good and I normally have Gray's
basically all the way through except for
like one white ophthalmology was around
November December time I was like
getting tired there were days when I
just got in nose huh nope this is why I
picked off the maliki though at least
now I can go through it and talk you
through what I would do a lecture that
we have is keep Hillary responses what I
will do is I will go on
Quizlet my Quizlet is basically set up
in the same way that my window is set up
and I'm gonna click on ophthalmology and
then I'm gonna go down to physiology so
I've got a society and I've go down to
the bottom normally when it gets to
about a hundred I'll just make a new one
and then I've named that like
ophthalmology physiology 2 or whatever
because you don't want too many cards in
a set otherwise you lose like the
context this is something else Ali
Abdullah talks about is how if you break
things down into flashcards the
difficulty is that you lose the context
of the information so if I look at
flashcard and I go now I don't even know
where this fits in anywhere what I will
do is I will go away and I will research
that a little bit deeper and I'll look
into where it's say by watching youtube
video or read about it or something so
I'm just going to go add card and then
basically ask the lecturers speaking I
will just add things so either I'll add
things as like a question or if I really
can't be bothered and I just want to get
something
as quickly as possible I'll do like a
fill-in-the-blank so I'll type out like
the sentence and then just do da da da
that really is like the bare minimum
then you can literally just copy and
paste what's on your lectures and delete
words or the other thing that I will do
is like a sentence and then I'll do like
am one word and then another word would
like a slash in between this is what
I'll do for this bit so it says so the
pupilary constrictor slash that
sphincter is innovated by the
parasympathetic so what I will do is
I'll just type in that and this what I
do at sym paretic slash power sim with
Quizlet it has the tomb on one side in
the definition on the other side what I
do is I put the question in the
definition box and then the answer in
the turn box I use Quizlet purely
because it was the one that I was aware
of in first year and like now all my
flashcards are on there I do hear a lot
of good things about unki if you'll just
start your notes then maybe looking
sung-ki over Quizlet it's literally just
because i started on Quizlet so then I
report the answer which is
parasympathetic and basically I will
just do that for the lecture the whole
way through if I get to a point where
the lecturer speeds up and I can't keep
up with them then what I will do is I
will literally just pull it like a blue
star on the lecture side that I've
skipped out and then I just know to come
back to it and just make the flashcards
after and then once I've done that I
will go to my summary and I will color
the lecture in grey in my checklist
obviously with the blue star there are
things that I do need to catch up on
after the lectures but normally because
I've made my flashcards for the bulk of
the lecture in the lecture
I'm saving so much time I honestly find
it so efficient I like love my life I
never want medicine to take over my life
obviously it's important and I do give
it a lot over my time but there are so
many things that I want to achieve
outside of medicine this is honestly the
most efficient way of assimilating all
that information not taking up much of
that much time but also coming up the
lecture
feeling like you actually have a grasp
on things rather than feeling like you
just copy down what someone was saying
it didn't really take
if I'm in the lecture anyway it's taking
up my time so I may as well be using
that time to process the information in
a way that it sticks so I haven't really
talked about how I revise in this video
this is purely just being the equivalent
of like how I take notes I do really
want to do or how I revise video as well
because obviously my flashcards are a
huge part of how I revise and revision
is a huge reason that I love making
flashcards during lectures I have quit
on my phone anytime I'm just bored
waiting doing nothing I will do little
short bursts of revision this is where
like active recall and spaced repetition
really do come in I have like a revision
checklist II think that I swear by
I don't just revise from my quizlets but
they do make up a large proportion of my
revision if you want to see that video
the make sure you subscribe to my
channel and put your notifications on so
you know when I upload it and give this
video a like if you found it helpful and
also comment down below if you make
notes in a similar way or if you make
know some different way that you think
is better then share that in the
comments as well so that other people
can see it and that we can all learn
from each other
Wow I'm so positive today so yeah I will
see you in the next video
[Music]
浏览更多相关视频
How I Memorise Everything WITHOUT Flashcards/Revision Cards | Active Recall & Spaced Repetition
How I got an A* for A-level biology | Revision tips, resources, notes, active recall and websites
How to study for exams - Evidence-based revision tips
Learning New Content | Studying Effectively for GCSE's & A-level's
How to Stayed Organised During A-levels/uni (A*A*A*)
How to Read & Take Notes Like a PhD Student | Tips for Reading Fast & Efficiently for Slow Readers
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)