Preclinical years (F1)

What I Wish I Knew: Preclinical Years

Last updated: July 2024

  1. Remember it’s “pass now, pass later”. If you fail an exam (or feel like you’re going to fail an exam), remember that many people fail an exam during preclinical years. It doesn’t mean you’re cut out to be a doctor. You are! No one will know/remember if you fail an exam. Don’t let this cause an existential crisis. Learn from what went wrong for next time.

  2. Find out what study methods work for you and be willing to adapt

    -For some it’s going to lecture, reviewing small groups, PTP, practice OEQs

    -For others, it’s skipping lectures and only relying on the reader

    -For others, it’s watching supplemental lectures like Boards and Beyond

  3. Some graduating MS4s recommend starting light STEP 1 studying during preclinicals, while others strongly discourage it. Make of that what you will. UCSF curriculum is not tailored to boards exams, especially STEP 1. STEP 1 is a challenging 8-hr exam that is very heavy on biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, and pathology. Even though it’s now Pass/Fail, it is still a challenging exam and studying for STEP 1 is often considered “the worst part of medical school” by graduating UCSF medical students. While this is not necessary for success in F1, a portion of graduating MS4s wish they would have done light STEP 1 review concurrently while going through the corresponding blocks during F1. The idea is not that you will completely retain everything when you take STEP 1 a year and a half later, but rather that you won’t be seeing things for the first time, when the time does come. Again, this is 100% not necessary, most UCSF SOM students don’t do this and do fine on boards exam, but some wish they would have done so! If you did want to try tackling some STEP 1 studying during preclincials, here area few recommendations:

    -Watching Sketchy Pharmacology videos for the drugs while you are learning them in F1 will not only make your life easier come STEP 1 time, but will also help you consolidate and better understand that material for your OEQ exam

    -Highly recommended to watch Sketchy Microbiology videos during PHD2 block (Pathogens, Host, and Defense 2 which is usually the last block of first year)

    -Consider watching Boards and Beyonds videos while you learn the content for the block. (Don’t necessarily need to watch all of them, but you can give some of them a try!)

    -Watching relevant parts of Pathoma videos while you learn pathology.

    -NOTE: STEP 1 study material will be far more detailed than your block exams, so don’t feel that you need to retain all the minutia for F1

  4. Pursue extracurriculars: F1 is where you will have the most amount of time to pursue extracurriculars. This is a great time to explore different specialties, especially ones where you won’t have rotations in (ophthalmology, radiology, urology, etc.). Set up phone calls with residents/attendings or even upperclassman medical students to explore specialties/extracurriculars you may be interested in. If you are interested in a competitive specialty that values research, F1 is a great time to start on this. While it is possible to do research in your later years in medical school, it becomes a lot more challenging to manage. Many students end up taking a research year if they felt they were not productive enough (again depends on the specialty you’ll be applying into). If you end up pursuing Summer Explore, it is highly recommended to try and wrap up as much of your project as possible before starting F2 rotations. Unless research is your passion or something that is very important for the field you are thinking of applying into, most students find it very challenging to continue Summer Explore projects once clerkships start.

  5. Enjoy F1! Even though it feels busy and overwhelming, you actually have some of the most free time and control of your schedule during F1. Use this to pursue extracurriculars you are interested in, spend time with friends, go on trips, and do things outside of medicine that give you joy. Remember, medicine is a long marathon, not a sprint. Don’t wait to start living your life!