Question:
How do you suggest studying for anatomy? My mark for the midterm was really awful and I have to be prepared for the final.
Response 1:
I remember finding anatomy a difficult course. When I started pharmacy school, I found studying for anatomy challenging because I was unsure of what I should focus on. I found that going through the material by myself first and then talking it through in a group study session helped me solidify my understanding. In undergrad, I would usually study alone so this was more out of my comfort zone. However, once I discussed the material with classmates, I was also able to clarify some misconceptions and reinforce the important points to improve my understanding. Sometimes we would also find certain memory tricks or acronyms as memory aids too. Lastly, try to take some time to relax and de-stress. Sometimes taking a small break can help refocus your energy while you are studying helps too. Pharmacy school can get pretty busy and it’s important to take some time for yourself and self-care. All the best with exams!
Response 2:
Most students will agree that anatomy is one of the tougher courses in pharmacy school, especially because most of the content seems to not directly relate to what we’ll be doing on a day-to-day basis. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get the mark on the midterm that you might have wanted but try not to be too hard on yourself. One of the best things you can do for studying effectively is trying your best to stay calm and accept that all you can do is try your best (and breaks are so important!). Different study methods work for different people. Personally, what made me feel most comfortable with the anatomy material was going through the slides (I never read the textbook unless there were concepts in the lectures that I wanted more clarification on) and then taking turns asking/answering questions with a friend. The nice thing about going through the content like this is that it doesn’t have to take a lot of time, yet it quickly lets you know what areas you are comfortable with and what areas you can focus on more. Forcing yourself to recall the information is also a great way to solidify what you already know. If you prefer studying alone, you could also come up with questions yourself as you go through the material, then go back later and try to answer them.
Response 3:
The anatomy bell-ringer exam was a stressful exam for a lot of my classmates (and myself included). The best thing that I was able to do to prepare for that exam was being prepared for the “review session”. You should have a time slot assigned to you to go into the anatomy lab and look over all the different systems you have covered this semester. Tag-team with one or two classmates (smaller groups means you get more chances to practice) and go around to the different cadavers and models. Make sure you are all able to identify structures in your anatomy worksheets so let each person have a turn at each “station” - if it takes you 5 tries before you are able to name them all without looking at your sheet - still do it - because that is exactly what you will be doing in the exam. This helped me immensely for preparing for the exam so hopefully it will help you too! :)