You Can Nail It
3/5
()
About this ebook
Imagine what it feels like to nail a three-point basket, just as the buzzer goes off, and win the game! A lot of preparation and practice are necessary to make that happen. You can duplicate that feeling when you open the letter accepting you into medical, dental or veterinary school. To have a successful career in medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry students must be able to compete.
This guide is for only those students who want to do everything possible to gain acceptance into a medical, dental or veterinary school. It teaches how to prepare and how to practice for academic competition. Successful students prepare themselves by improving their time management skills and learning efficiency. Improving learning efficiency results in better understanding, better mastery of the material, and better grades (the score). Efficient and effective learning also provides maximum free time for non-academic activities, a critical part of the total learning experience.
David R. Gross
David R. Gross practiced veterinary medicine for ten years before returning to school to earn MS and PhD degrees. He taught and performed research for thirty-six years, completing his academic career as professor and head of the basic science department at the Veterinary School of the University of Illinois. Gross has co-edited three multi-authored textbooks, authored more than one hundred scientific articles, and given many scientific talks at national and international meetings. Since retirement, he has written and published 3 memoirs, a historical novel and a self-help book. He currently lives in Everett, Washington.
Read more from David R. Gross
Defender of the Texas Frontier: A Historical Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hanna Legacy: Six Generations On Pass Ranch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafe Haven: A Historical Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to You Can Nail It
Related ebooks
DET Test Strategy: Winning Multiple Choice Strategies for the Diagnostic Entrance Test DET Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaby Doctor's Guide To Anatomy and Physiology: Science for Kids Series - Children's Anatomy & Physiology Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOpportunities in Physician Careers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Slim Book of Health Pearls: Hormones, Nerves, and Stress Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbstraction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Succeed in Academics, 2nd edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5College Test: A Complete Guide For Effective Preparation To Your College Test Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBEST: Implementing Career Development Activities for Biomedical Research Trainees Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Respiratory System at a Glance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSterling Test Prep MCAT Psychology & Sociology: Review of Psychological, Social & Biological Foundations of Behavior Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAGING, a healthy meaningful journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Premed Playbook Guide to the Medical School Application Process: Everything You Need to Successfully Apply Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHealth and Fitness for Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Careers in Medicine, 3rd ed. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdhd Moments: Adhd in My Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntelligence-Based Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery: Artificial Intelligence and Human Cognition in Cardiovascular Medicine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTest Taking Success: Get The Grades You Want Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhysical Therapist: Passbooks Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCellular Endocrinology in Health and Disease Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMedical School Profiles: Medical School Admissions Data and Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhysics in Biology and Medicine Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Opportunities in Biological Science Careers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGale Researcher Guide for: Organic Illness and Psychiatry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Care for Anorexia Nervosa: The MARSIPAN Guidelines in Practice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHuman Anatomy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protection: The Science of Free Radical Biology and Disease Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTranslational Sports Medicine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsARRT EXAMINATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR-INTERVENTIONAL TECHNOLOGY (CIT): Passbooks Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Personal Growth For You
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-outs, and Triggers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think and Grow Rich (Illustrated Edition): With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Third Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mastery of Self: A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for You Can Nail It
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
You Can Nail It - David R. Gross
You Can Nail It
by David R. Gross, DVM, PhD
Copyright 2011 David R. Gross
Smashwords Edition
Dedication:
To all those undergraduate students who did not get accepted into a professional program because they did not know how to manage their time, study and learn effectively and efficiently or how best to prepare for and take an exam. To all those first year veterinary and medical students who were smart enough to gain acceptance into a program but found they were making Cs and Ds, or worse, instead of the expected As and Bs because the competition was so fierce. I wish I could have helped all of you more when you needed my help.
Acknowledgments:
To my wife Rosalie who for fifty-one plus years has always been supportive.
Preface
Imagine what it feels like to nail a three-point basket, just as the buzzer goes off, and win the game! A lot of preparation and practice are necessary to make that happen. You can duplicate that feeling when you open the letter accepting you into medical, dental or veterinary school.
To have a successful career in medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry students must be able to compete academically. Students must compete to get into a good undergraduate program in a top-rated college or university. Pre-professional undergraduates must compete successfully to gain admission to a professional school. Students in a professional program must continue to compete successfully to gain acceptance into the best internship and residency programs. To have a successful career doctors must continue to improve their knowledge and skills and strive to be the very best they can be, the essence of competition.
If you accept and practice the concepts described in this guide you will prepare yourself for success by improving your time management skills and learning efficiency. When you improve learning efficiency, the result is better understanding, better mastery of the material, and better grades. Efficient and effective learning also provides maximum free time for non-academic activities, experiences that are a critical to forming the whole professional.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Building the Foundation
1.1. Learn to study and learn effectively
1.2, How to set the stage for future success
1.3. The importance of academic success
Chapter 2: Undergraduate, pre-professional
2.1. Learning to compete fairly and effectively
2.2. Get organized
2.3. Set priorities
2.4. Make certain you have all the requirements
2.5. Choosing electives wisely
2.6. Time management
2.7. Where to go for information on requirements and
the application process
2.8. How to nail
your interview
Chapter 3: Some things to do before classes start
3.1. How a professional curriculum differs from your
previous experience
3.2. Get organized
3.3. Build an effective study and learning environment
3.4. Develop a realistic learning schedule
3,5, Learn efficiently
3.6. Trial schedules
3.7. Specific things to do prior to the first day of class
Chapter 4: The real secret for success
4.1. Preparation before class
4.2. Making the most of in-class time
4.3. Review as soon as possible after class
4.4. Use your study time wisely
4.5. Levels of learning
4.6. Revising your schedule
Chapter 5: Preparing for the first round of exams
5.1. A list of lame excuses I have already heard
5.2. Remember, the goal is constant improvement
5.3. Group study
5.4. Use your study group to help you improve your
Study schedule
5.5. Speed, the key to free time
5.6. Things you need to do for personal satisfaction
5.7. Let’s recap
Chapter 6: How to take exams successfully
6.1. "Tricks" to get ready for exams
6.2. Objective questions
6.3. Subjective questions
6.4. Essay questions
6.5. Flash cards
6.6. Using old exams
6.7. Mimic the exam environment
6.8. Tricks
during the exam
6.9. Cheating
Chapter 7: What to do for your next round of exams
7.1. If you did well continue with what you have been
doing, it is working
7.2. If you did poorly on the first round of exams now
is the time to diagnose problems
7.3. Improve your guessing game
7.4. If you still need help
Chapter 8: Do not take life-long decisions lightly
Chapter 9: Preparing yourself for final exams
Chapter 10: Postgraduate, internships, residency, and
Fellowship programs
10.1. Compete successfully
10.2. Stay organized
10.3. Setting priorities with even more stringent time
constraints
10.4. Time management when you do not have complete
control
Chapter 11: Life-long learninglearning
Chapter 1: Building the Foundation
Learn to study and learn effectively
As long as you can remember, you have always wanted to be a veterinarian (or a pediatrician, or a surgeon, or a cardiologist, or an orthodontist). If you learn to study effectively and efficiently, you will be able to learn and retain a lot of useful information, make very good grades, and have many good choices on what to do with your life. Even if you decide against being a doctor, you will have more free time for fun.
The techniques described in this guide promote effective studying, learning, test taking, and time management. Any student, at any level, can adapt and adopt these techniques. It is all about making efficient use of your time, using tried and true methods of studying, and being good at taking exams.
Here is a little philosophy. If you feel up to it, read on. If not, what the heck! We do not appreciate most philosophers during their lifetime anyhow.
Think seriously about the kind of person you would really like to be for the rest of your life. Do you want to be a unique professional or just an assembly-line
product? Start now to identify the academic areas in which you are most interested. If you are interested, you will do the best work while exploiting your strengths. As you progress through your formal education select electives and learning options in areas you are the most excited about. Do extra work in those areas. Formulate a plan to deal with any academic weaknesses without sacrificing time to improve on your strengths. Consciously and systematically, make the effort to think about how you can deal with others more effectively.
For example, do not spend hours with classmates and study groups without learning how to improve and maximize relationships. Take the time to treat, react, interact, and deal with every person with whom you come in contact the same way you want that person to relate to you. It takes time, effort, commitment, and thought to do this, especially when you are tired, out of sorts, irritated, short tempered or not feeling well. Ask yourself; how would I want this person, or this group of people, to interact with me under these circumstances? If you treat others accordingly, you will find life is more enjoyable and infinitely more rewarding. That is the real key to success, professionally and personally.
1.2. How to set the stage for future success
Effective, efficient learning requires four specific