Blog
How To Study Efficiently In PA School

How To Study Efficiently In PA School

People will tell you from the day you get accepted into PA school that it will be different from your undergraduate courses and that you’re going to have to learn a whole new way to study. While that may be true for some people, I believe the message people are truly trying to send is that you are going to have to learn to study more efficiently because you will be taking in larger amounts of information each day. One way to lighten this information load is to attend a program that is longer in length, which you can look up on MYPABOX! Despite the length of the program you choose, I’m going to tell you what did and did not work for me in my 12 months of didactics! 

I initially fell into the trap of thinking that I had to re-learn how to study. I tried a variety of study methods such as making flashcards on excel sheets, using study resources from classes above me, relistening to lectures, listening to podcasts, watching Youtube videos, the list goes on. You name it, I tried it. But at the end of the day, I was constantly exhausted and never felt like I really learned anything. Finally, I had that AH-HA moment that any of these methods could make me successful in PA school, but I had to pick one and stick to it.

I ultimately ended up downloading Notability which is a note taking application that can be used seamlessly across several devices, however many of my classmates used Onenote that had similar features. The benefit of this application was that I was able to upload the course powerpoints and take notes directly on them. I had the option of making text boxes and typing directly on the powerpoint, or using my ipad and writing directly on the powerpoints. This was useful because I did not have to spend the time writing down what was already on the powerpoint, instead I could dictate anything that was said in class that I found important, or easily highlight/underline statements that we were told were important!

In addition to this note taking style, a small group of my classmates and I made study guides together on Google Docs. Google Docs was great for this because we were all able to collaborate and edit the study guide together through our g-mails! This was crucial because we were able to do a fraction of the work, yet reap the benefits of an incredible outline. We each would add in little tidbits that we found important, or even mnemonics that made the information easier to remember. This was not easy for me to jump into, because I was confident that I could trust my own notes to be accurate, but was not positive I could trust my classmates. But after completing one study guide together, I knew I could never go back to doing it on my own! Their notes were equally as accurate and saved me hours on top of hours of study guide making that could be used to actually study and relax!

Use code “PATIPS20” to save 20% on your subscription to myPAbox

Occasionally I would also use my classmates’ Anki decks or Quizlet flashcards to test my active recall. However, I would never make these flashcards myself because I felt like my time was better spent making the outlines and charts with my small study group.

Everyone has their own preferred study method – but do not feel like you have to start over with how to learn material for PA school. This was a large mental block and obstacle for me that I wish people would not spread to incoming students. You may have to adjust what you’re doing, but remember that you had to study hard to get where you are today, and you know how to study!! 

To learn about PA school tips and tricks. Check out “5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting PA School”

Follow my instagram account @MIK_MAKINGMOVES 

Follow myPAbox on instagram  @mypabox

Follow myPAbox on YouTube  @mypabox

Follow myPAbox on TikTok @my_pa_box

Other Blog Post

This Post Has 0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top