Study Tips and Tricks For Pre-Meds

[@ArinnMackenzie]

I have to take anatomy and physiology, pathology, myology and neurology along with a business class, CPR and first aide and all of my massage classes to become a licensed massage therapist. THANK YOU! I love your idea of the paper hot-dog bun folding thing. I'm not sure if "waiting till the end" is a good idea because this programs is so intense.. It's 6 months 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday. Lol

[@PiandBooks]

Andrea, I love your videos. They are so motivating. Would you mid making a video on you study routine? When you sit down to study how do you structure it to get the most out of the study session and your time? This would be something helpful for me and I'm sure others as well!

[@crystaljalapen2969]

I would like to know this as well! Can you also go into a little more detail on how you are able to condense each lecture into one page? How do you pick out the most high yield stuff? I'm starting med school in a few months and would love some advice on how to approach studying! thanks!!

[@tomiaharmon]

I appreciate you and your videos so much. You're a wife, in residency and still upload videos to help others achieve their goals. You truly inspired me to never doubt myself and I absolutely love you for that. PLEASE try to keep uploading videos because they truly do help. Thank you so much Dr.tooley!!! 😘😘😘😘💞💞💞💖💖💖💖❤❤❤💙💙💙💙💓💓💓💗💗💗💖💖💖

[@DogMom1220]

Great tips! One thing I always do is I read the question first without looking at the answers and see if I can answer the question before looking at the options. It really helped me start thinking about the disease process, etc and connecting the dots. This was especially helpful when I had more than one question about that particular topic.

[@Ray24393]

Hey Andrea for future videos can you also make a video of the best textbooks or resources you used for individual classes in med school? Like for physio, anatomy, Pharm, and path. It would be great to know which textbooks you found to be the best and how you studied for them. That would be awesome! And as always thank you for a great video!

[@rebeccadabbraccio2166]

Hey Andrea! Just commenting really quick to tell you that I have watched your videos for while and get ridiculously excited when you upload a new one. I take 12 hours of college after high school now, but I will not go off to college until next year. Just wanted to tell you that you are super sweet and became one of the reasons I want to be a doctor. Thank you, and I will see you in your next video. :)

[@MackenzieCleveland12]

Hi Andrea! I'm a dental student and I always look forward to all your videos because they spread so much positivity and you look so joyful doing everything in your life and its so inspiring! I'm hoping you would make more and more videos because I'd love to see them, about anything! :D

[@aDashofMonique]

I am definitely going to implement studying for the not-so-high yield material the morning of the exam. Thank you for this helpful advice! :)

[@ludovicaisabellaricci8173]

Hi Andrea :) I am a first year med student in italy and currently struggling with anatomy and embriology.. Just before studying I watch a video of yours because I dont know why but you cheer me up! You are the kind of person who shines on her own and the way you speak is always positive and very friendly. I bet you are great with patients. Thank you so much and greetings from Italy!

[@martaortega7997]

Really like your videos, they always help me in some way !! My one tip is Write cards taking the main ideas and information with a colour code for each thing (names, dates, formulas...) so you can get the things in a really visual way. It's easier to memorise 😊

[@desbas125]

Most helpful and jam-packed video yet! Thanks!

[@infinitemoment3055]

This couldn't have come at a better time Andrea! Exams are right around the corner - thank you.

[@Kiseki0328]

Wow! Your tips were super helpful! thanks so much! it's always reassuring to have someone portray their tips with such passion and enthusiasm! This is so weird, but when I was in high school, I use to be a really smart test taker and always think like the teacher who would prepare the tests; and it'd get me really good marks. Then, when I graduated, I studied biology for a year in a local university before enrolling in a Pre-med program. Btw, I'm starting my last semester of pre med now and I go to the Caribbean Medical University. I'll be enrolling in their med program, and moving to the island in September of this year. But going back to my studying habits, now I feel that its just that much harder and i'm always losing focus now. I still try my hardest and I'm not failing or anything, but I feel I need to put in that much more effort now to just understand even the simplest things. I dont know what you'd call this haha but your video has helped to kinda get me in the zone now. But, would you recommend I do anything else to ummm "dominate" lol all the concepts? Also, this is not related but I'm turning 20 now and it'll be my first time moving out and into a dorm life. If you've had a similar experience, what could you say about that? About how you felt, what was hard or fun ..or just anything would be nice to hear. Once again thanks for helping!! your super inspirational and I didn't know you were married so congratulations on that!! :))

[@Korey72590]

You are amazing at providing in depth explanations concerning what works for you and what doesn't. I have found that we are actually rather similar in terms of what works and what doesn't. Thank you so much for helping me get through those high anxiety nights of worrying about the mcat. Whenever I feel like giving up, I watch one of your videos!

[@TheEnte008]

Thank you Andrea for making this video! :) I would love to see a video about food preping. How and what you did while being in college/med school. :) PLEASE :))

[@melaniehernandez4388]

amazing Andrea Tooley love the study tips! thank you so much!!!

[@butterscotchangel13]

Love that you are posting more often!!

[@dooham1383]

Thank you sooo much for sharing your study tips! It definitely helped me have more success in all my courses :)

[@stephanienavarro1319]

i love your videos!! I honestly look up to you, you're like my role model!! I mean, if you got through college and through medical school, then I can too!!! Thank you so so much for your tips!!!

[@infinitemoment3055]

By the way, completely unrelated to the video content, but your earrings are gorgeous - where did you get them? In terms of my study tips: do lots and lots and heaps and heap of practice questions! They really highlight your weak areas and when you get something wrong, you always remember it better - well, in my case this is true. Also, take regular breaks, create a daily timetable for what you're going to cover and by what time (be generous with this so you feel more motivated once you reach your targets), and use lots of pictures and diagrams and acronyms to hang your knowledge off of. Happy studying everyone!

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Thank you! The earrings are from Anthropologie :-) Love your study tips- practice questions are my favorite!

[@joanagonilho151]

I just loved this video!! You're amazing 😊

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

xoxoxo :-)

[@vanessav8360]

Thank you for another great video Andrea. You are a really big role model to me.

[@mariasa2571]

I love your videos ! because of you I've started the one page strategy where i summarize up all my notes in one page. I'm currently in second year of medical school...can you make more videos on time management ??

[@BJPr12]

Best of luck Andrea! I know you will be a great physician!

[@ClairesBeauty01]

i take tests the exact same way!!!! This has seriously saved me so much. after you finish the majority you feel so much better and can relax and really think.

[@Pathologymadesimple]

I always slept during embryology lectures😂 that’s a very difficult topic

[@kristinasue5083]

Once again great video Andrea! :)

[@ReptarSwagify]

Dr. Andrea! Thanks so much super helpful and super encouraging

[@leonardofajardo6967]

Awesome videos, very educational

[@rithe07]

Anytime I take a test, I make a tally of marks on my desk of questions that I'm not 100% sure about. Sometimes I'm pretty sure (like 98%) but I still mark it down just in case. Then when I finish the test I erase the tallies and calculate my lowest possible score. So that I won't have too much anxiety waiting for my score, which is usually higher than what I calculated because of some lucky guesses.

[@Natalixify]

Thanks very much, Andrea! So helpful!

[@saraibr850]

YOU are awesome, i love how helpful whatever you say is, i guess partly because i might have similar habits and study routines. Thank you

[@TropicsFever]

I am starting college in Aug, majoring in Biomedical Science. I want to be an Orthopedic Surgeon and your videos are so helpful especially the MCAT tips and just everything about med school Thanks sooo soo much -Bria

[@BotelerJ]

You are so sweet! I wish you lived closer, I would love to have you mentor me! I need the motivation, for sure... I am just beginning my. Pre-med sophomore year. You seem so confident. I guess my main question is, how did you find your confidence? I always feel like people are judging me, even though I am maintaining a 4.0 (I know, still a long way to go). Did you ever doubt yourself? I also wanted to thank you for making these amazing videos... You really are an inspiration! :)

[@mohdadeeb4475]

you are my idol, your advice help me a lot. you are just like us you learn things by hardwork and thats the best part and i respect you very much. Thank you for uploading vedio.

[@karenc.8622]

TY so much. You are one of the cutest & sweetest person on YT!!!

[@ComeGetMe1D]

Thank you Andrea this was really helpful as usual x

[@dReamingFishE314]

you're really cute when you try to talk/explain things out :) haha thank you very much.

[@ranukapie3774]

Thank you so much Andrea 💚 you're such a sweetheart 😚

[@ندىالحياة-ق9ن]

Thanks for these golden advices:)

[@Reem-co9ho]

Awesome advice :) thank you!

[@wolfman1331]

Please bring on a surgeon. I plan on being a cardio thoracic surgeon and would like to see what it takes to become one. Any surgeon would do!! I love your videos!!!

[@SuperStoryteller101]

Thank you so much!!! your tips are really helpful!

[@osezimenuhomoibhi7285]

u are awesome.. God bless u... everything u say is so relatable :)

[@freshprogressbeauty]

Did you see my comment on the PA video? Great video! I wanted to do a study and d.o video with you;)

[@enochbrown8178]

Wonderful video!

[@shawnarences6687]

You make great videos! Thank you!

[@ronza9675]

you are awesome, thank you doctor

[@suziec.7381]

thanks for your sharing! you are a like a friend talking to me in your videos, haha you have so many notes to study, i wonder when would you memorize them... sometimes i just think that I spend so much time on digesting (understanding) the knowledge and can hardly spend time on revising the notes that I have digested until days before exam... i still cannot come up with a good solution... hope to see your reply~ love you Andrea! =D

[@Johnra08]

This was awesome, thank you!

[@nazafrin7525]

Thanks for the help Andrea. I have a couple of questions. Did you do any type of resesrch before applying into med school, if so what? The other question is, if I decide to do research does medical schools like to see more lab-based research or it can be other areas, for instance I'm interested in public health. thanks!

[@fleursdesel]

Hey Andrea :) in my exams, professors always design the tests with lots of answer combination : A and B , A AND c , ABC, none (etc). And when the whole exam is like this, its pretty hard to get a good grade.. Sometimes one lf the answer makes sense so ABC might be right but Im just not sure if its just AB. I try to narrow it down but still.. The ILLUSION of a right answer really tricks me! Help!

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Those are the WORST!!!! I'm so sorry. When they give you so many choices you really have to know every detail. I would just try as hard as you can to rule out some answer choices, and then go with your gut!

[@fleursdesel]

thanks andrea !

[@braininflightmode6432]

Wow thank you these tipps are great 💟

[@carolinaardenghi3874]

Hi! Thank you for all your tips, I found them so helpful! I want to try using a whiteboard, can you tell us the measures of yours? I want a big one because I'm studying chemistry and I need to practice problems. Kisses from Argentina! ^^

[@sosodsoso8594]

I love your videos! Can you maybe do an interview with a pediatrician?

[@newilxoxo5261]

Thanks andrea!you look stunning

[@bethanieberends5331]

Hey Andrea! I've been reading the archives of your blog and I found that I can totally relate to you. I'm also in a long distance relationship all during undergrad and in a sorortiy. You've been so helpful in giving advice about the future. I just had a question about when/ if you decided to take your husband's last name and why?

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Bethanie Giang I have always planned on taking my husband's last name when I got married. I want to have the same last name as my kids and I am young, so I don't have an established career with my maiden name, so taking a new last name wasn't a big deal :-)

[@lyssbeth]

I think you mentioned once that in medical school you usually aren't allowed to work. How then does someone pay their living expenses and etc if they don't have a job? Or parents to rely on?

[@nataliexoxoforeva20]

thank u so much for your helpful videos!

[@apichayarueangchai]

Thank you for your video, wondering I didn't find your chanel sooner. :)

[@abdelazizseliem1657]

Thanks alot for these tips....but there is always sumthing i wondered about when we are in the test court getting ready for the exam i see some ppl who are revising for the next exam which is 2 weeks later and not revising for the mean exam which is happening :D and here i am my heart is beating so hard that i feel its gonna come outta my chest and feel like everything i learnt is being evaporized, and when i actually take the test and i see the questions "Long Notes" not "MCQs" am certain that i know the answer but during writing down i forget alot of things and i feel like i dunno the answer, I dunno whats the treatment!

[@EsaCrisbel]

Love you!

[@shrishtityagi22]

Hey Andrea , I wanted to ask you about choosing the speciality subject like neurology cardiology opthalmology etc which one is better or which one is easier please I need your help!

[@Shanecelove]

How did you manage your time to study for multiple courses? And What are some things you did to stay focused while studying? Thanks in advance. :)

[@naviibbyy07]

omg your first tip! wish i did that when i took micro lol

[@naviibbyy07]

I already do every study tip you mentioned besides the first one! i've done very well so far in college :)

[@aliattaran6563]

Hi, I just discovered your channel. thank you for all your dedication. I had a question I thought you could help, I have a master of electronic engineering but I am contemplating to change career to dentistry. what are your thoughts of that. bests

[@bethebeauty1650]

Can you please do a video on how to deal with mental challenges of a doctor?

[@oluwatimilehinsoyoola484]

Hi! Andrea, how and what do you use to record your lecture.

[@mechelletran7462]

Hey Andrea! Any tips on how to take a Gross Anatomy lab practical? We use cadavers and our exams are all fill in the blank.

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Mechelle Tran Hi! I used the color atlas of anatomy (this one: www.amazon.com/Color-Atlas-Anatomy-Photographic-Study/dp/1582558566) and I had it in PDF form. I would control F and search whatever structure I needed to know for my practical. Then I would go through every picture in the book that had that structure and practice finding it. I would cover up the labels and try to label every structure on my own. It really helped me!

[@poppylisse]

Thank you so much!

[@ericly4217]

Hey Andrea, you mentioned that you wouldn't study that ONE lecture that you hated or thought was excessive. How would you study in those early hours before the test, meaning what methods did you use?

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Hey Eric! I would just review the powerpoint and write down things I needed to know, or review the powerpoint up at the white board. Hope that helps!

[@ericly4217]

Great! Thanks! When you say "review", are you just reading over the powerpoint? Is the studying a little bit more passive when you study the day of the test? Thanks

[@ericly4217]

Also, I realize sometimes you may not have time to make condensed notes. What do you do instead? Thanks

[@areejkhan6609]

Hi! I'm in high school and I've been searching for a research internship in my area and I can't find any, most requiring you to be 16 by June 1 and I won't be 16 until June 25. Do you have any idea of someplace else I could look? I live near DC.

[@chaines93]

Hi i just discovered you and love your vids :) i just need an opinion from someone who is obviously in med school and know what it takes to get in. LEt me explain where i stand so far. Im in community college have been here for almost four years due to both financial problems and failed classes ( only three all of which have been retaken with A's and B's ). I currently stand at a 3.2 hopefully to be bumped up to a 3.4- 3.6 with this current semester and my final semesters results. I just want to know if im wasting ,y time because honestly after watching a few of your vids im kind of feeling discouraged now even more so with the new MCAT format which seems its 10x harder than the old format since from what igather after looking at the new formats break down its heavily Ochem based which i suck at (barely scrapped by Ochem1 and im scarred to death about Ochem 2 ). After CC i plan to transfer into a pre-med program to finish off my required materials and to receive my bachelors. I do apologize for the length of this lol. But with that said i need your full honest opinion am i wasting my time and money and should seek another career or is there still a beacon of hope left. I hope you reply to this because i just need some guidance :) Thanks in advance

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

chaines93 So sorry you are going through this difficult time! I think anything is possible, but if you are struggling with science classes and you already have a lower GPA it might be more difficult for you to get into medical school. I think you should focus on transferring to a pre-med program, studying as hard as you can, and see what happens. If you feel ready for the MCAT after you finish organic, go for it! There are lots of people who go into masters programs and other things after college to further prepare for med school- so that's always an option. Also, you could look into other medical fields like physician's assistant which might be better since you don't have to take the MCAT! But don't lose hope! If it's your dream then you can do it!!

[@amandaweaver183]

Do you have any advice in studying for labeling tests? I have an upcoming one over about 50 of the major veins and arteries that's seriously stressing me out! Thanks!

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

what do you mean labeling tests?

[@amandaweaver183]

We basically have 2 diagrams of where all the veins and arteries are (one for veins and one for arteries), and have a word bank, and we have to label what each vein/artery is.

[@askasquad3642]

where can i gt the power points pls??? i finding it difficult.... i hope somebody hepls....

[@Hopeswilldie]

That example of anatomy class questions really killed me, lol, as it's completely true - I am a med school freshman and no matter how long I study anatomy, I can't simply grasp the feeling of really knowing all

[@nurulyakob5357]

Wow! You woke up at 3am to study? just wondering how you would schedule in sleep around your study time? There's so much to do, but sleep is apparently important.

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Nurul Yakob Sleep is super important to me! Sometimes if I had been studying all day, by 7 pm I would be so over it and my brain couldn't absorb any more. So, I would go to bed really early (like 7 or 7:30) and then get back up at 3 and keep studying- I was always much more fresh in the morning!

[@brianjohnson7243]

what is your view on DO schools or MD schools in the Caribbean?

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Brian Johnson I think you have to be careful with schools in the Caribbean. Some are really reputable and are just fine options, but others have extremely low match rates. The problem is that you can go to medical school there, but it will be very hard for you to find a residency position after you graduate. Look at the schools average Step 1 score and their match rate into residencies in the states before you commit!

[@kuttuji4684]

Hello mam,I have a doubt,actually I am a 2nd med student in India,we had this subject Forensic medicine and toxicology in our last year along with pathology pharmacology n microbiology,I did well in all the last three subjects with near distinctions(75%)expect Forensic,it was because I didnt really get anxious to study it,it was too boring..but because of that subject my overall grades fell,how could I cope with subjects like that not very intresting,to get good marks overall

[@gabie312]

does the tendon run over or under the artery

[@Zminhal953]

Hi Andrea, I am currently a junior in high school and I plan on majoring in microbiology with a minor in public health. I have been interested in ophthalmology for a while and I was researching about it. A few days ago, I found that there are ophthalmic assistant, technicians and technologists. What do you think of me becoming an opthalmic assistant on the side, as I finish my undergrad? I also wanted to ask what kind of residency you are currently doing. Thank you!

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

Hi! I think becoming an ophthalmic assistant during college is a great idea! I had a friend in med school who worked at an optometry office all through high school and college and she knew so much about ophtho. I am doing an ophthalmology residency :-)

[@TheZeZeMe]

Are most med schools based on lectures? Because I cannot stand readings! They take forever and I absorb less information. Which med school did you go to? Please answer my questions!! I know it's a lot, but I really need help!!

[@bushidobrownbaby662]

so helpful!

[@iUhMazexD]

I don't even read the other choices if I see "All of the above" lol

[@mackenzie3083]

Andrea! I've heard in a lot of your videos that you get up very early, but out of curiosity, how many hours do you typically sleep per night?

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

I sleep 7-8 hours a night and then catch up with nights of 9-11 hours of sleep on weekends or days off when I start to feel run down :-)

[@iannacorneliamaza]

Can you please do a video how to study anatomy, i'm dying with it :( you are amazing!

[@Vietnamchi]

+iannacornelia maza active studying, for example, get a buddy and quiz each other, or flash card to test oneself!

[@krissy4265]

Watch Crash Course Anatomy on youtube!!!!

[@askasquad3642]

i

[@burmesebibilo9199]

Hi Andrea.Your videos had helped me a lot.But now Im feeling depressed or annoyed just because I didn't get what I expected with the results.Can you please share your idea on how you overcomed these depressions .I'm a medical student in my pre clinical years.Thanks Andrea.I love your videos.

[@burmesebibilo9199]

Thanks for your kind and motivating advice. Yeah. All I have to do is to keep on going no matter what happens. Thanks a lot. You made a great motivation for me.

[@OverTheTopTech]

I finished my freshman year of highschool with a 90 unweighted overall average. Do you think im still ok for a good college?

[@koreyp3022]

OverTheTopTech Depends on what kind of school you are looking to get into. For the vast majority of schools, that is excellent as long as you continue doing that well the coming years. Colleges look at more than just your grades though. They look at your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and the type of classes that you took. What I mean by that is that most school would chose someone taking higher level, more difficult classes with a lower grade than someone taking easier classes with a higher grade.

[@bryannacraun1854]

just curious, how in the world did you not have to take A&P as a pre req for med school?

[@joshuamcgraw6293]

+Bryanna Craun I can't think of any med schools where A&P is required, its just one of those subjects that is 'recommended'.

[@JO-ej3nh]

How do you pay for med school?

[@3M13s]

I get pre-med quiz anxiety..

[@peacendpola23]

Guess who wants to skip the cardioembriology class for her text next week? :3 Pleaaase would you give specific tips for Biochemistry... It's just that I hateee that topic!

[@mosesmedical6016]

can someone is 50 yo something medical school I am on heart transplant list will help me out .

[@vivirodrigues5135]

hiiiii I'm from Brazil and I want to do medicine, and I do not speak English even then you could put English subtitles on your videos, because that is easier to follow xoxo

[@davedick9932]

You should improve your English,bro.

[@CircaOG7]

Did you study the morning of the mcat?

[@AndreaTooleyMD]

CircaOG7 No I didn't.

[@rainer_uncrowned]

is med school really difficult even with studying everyday?

[@sunn129]

Yeah. !! unless ..maybe if you study 12 hrs a day.

[@takashindow5388]

Well if you gave up your social life, free will, and humanity. You will plow right through it with ease.

[@rainer_uncrowned]

+taka shindow planning on doing that anyway, thanks! :)

[@karenc.8622]

Pretty earrings 😍

[@karenc.8622]

Pretty earrings!

[@unclezizo]

love the earrings