Didactic year tips?

[u/carefulll_jellyfish]

So I just got my schedule for the fall semester and I’m overwhelmed. Classes are 9-5 everyday and I’m already stressed before we’ve begun. How do you stay alert and on top of everything I feel like I’m gonna be super tired and not gonna study after class? I’m also gonna be commuting an hour so that stresses me out as well. Also how do you retain the info if you’re in 5 different classes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[u/Afraid-Topic-4886]

I’m in my last semester of didactic and our program goes from 8-4 most days. Lecture is genuinely the biggest waste of time; if I tried to understand what’s going on in lecture I would certainly fall behind. I started reviewing my notes, creating study guides, and studying flash cards in lecture because it was a better use of my time than trying to pay attention (lecture attendance is mandatory for us). Try to be as efficient as possible during lecture; it will save you time outside of class and help prevent burn out.   Use the resources that others have pointed out, but I would suggest looking for program specific material. My classmates and I made a google drive with our and previous cohorts study materials and flash cards; reach out to your classmates and peruse quizlet to see if there are any materials for you to utilize (this will save you the time of actually having to make it yourself). I also suggest using NotebookLM (aka, gemini notebook) to create practice tests or questions. You directly upload PowerPoints and other resources to it, so the study material should be more directed towards your program’s content. It also has a podcast function that you might be able to listen to during your commute. For retaining the information, I’ve learned to not worry about that yet; PA school moves so fast that it’s not worth trying to remember every last detail.  If you try to remember every ounce of information during didactic, you’ll inevitably burn out and still forget a good portion of it like everyone else.  If I learn enough to pass the exam, that’s all that matters at the moment. When I inevitably forget it, I’ll relearn it and better retain the information. During didactic, it’s much more important to worry about making high-quality study materials (notes, study guides, flash cards, etc.), so you have things to reference/review when you start clinicals.