Customer Reviews

The Med School Survival Guide : How to Make the Challenges of Med School Seem Like Small Stuff

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This is a small, easily readable book (especially amongst piles of anatomy and physiology texts) containing lessons a medical student should learn vicariously rather than through the exhausting process of trail and error. This book reminds a student to keep the proper perspective on their journey and not become overwhelmed. It is organized into 101 "tips," each a page or two in length, and easily slips into a backback. It's like the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff," but applied to medical school. This book would make a wonderful present for anyone in medical school, especially first year students.

On first glance, it's just a small book with some commonplace advice. You might even read the whole thing in an hour. But don't underestimate the book's power. There are times in med school when you'll stray from the path, this book will save you during those times by keeping you in perspective.

Every time I did poorly on a test (never!), every time I was overwhelmed by the amount of reading, every time I was just frustrated about medical school in general, wondering if it was the right path for me, I turned to this book. Not only does Dr. Danek give you strength, inspiration, and the feeling that you're not alone, but she gives you practical advice and a little *spark* of common sense also, something that you desperate need when you feel like you're drowning in medical school.

The book is divided into chapters such as "Excel in your studies," or "Live a balanced life," and then subdivided into topics. These include such comical topics as "Imagine your attending placing his or her first IV" as well as several very practical, easily forgotten ones, such as "Sleep," "Exercise," "Accept that you are not in control," and my favorite, "Repeat the manta: P=MD!"

This book is a must have for every medical student, and a perfect gift for the medical student in your life. I have given one to every one of my friends who has gone on to medical school, and luckily my school (New York Medical College) included one in our orientation packet (freebie!) This truly is a book that you will never regret spending the $$ on...

This book is a very quick read, but the information it has to offer spans everything from learning how to succeed on the wards to taking care of oneself, physically, spiritually and emotionally. It contains 101 survival tips, backed up with vivid and entertaining personal examples. Jennifer Danek helps assuage the fears that medical students may have upon entering their chosen careers. Her carpe diem attitidue and incredible humanism permeate the book and help future and current physicians learn how to approach their careers and lives with optimism in the face of death, empathy in the face of despair, and courage in the face of challenge.

I received this book before starting my first year of med school, and I have turned to it again and again. It has helped me to maintain a positive outlook and to face new challenges. I highly recommend "The Med School Survival Guide" for all medical students!

This book provides wonderful ideas and motivational words for surviving med school. It provides the pre-med student with a neccesary foundation to be successful, and the med student with an important guide to help them focus and capture the most important lessons from their experiences.

I am currently a first-year medical student in Texas. Before I started my medical school this August, I was searching for some "survival books." The reason I did that was before I went to college, I got a bunch of books with similar titles such as "The Survival Book for College", "College Freshman Pocket Guide." They proved to be very helpful, so I just wanted to find such a book for medical school.

It turned out that there aren't many options. That's why I bought this one, sadly. My first reaction after I started reading it was: Disappointed. It wasn't what I was looking for. I was looking for something like "this is how you take notes," "this is how you ace the anatomy class," or "this is how to make yourself not afraid of cadavers." This book is COMPLETELY not about this.

But, surprisingly enough, I LIKE this book. Make that "I LOVE it." What's "weirder" is that the more I read the book, the more I love it. I'm not exaggerating. The author didn't pay me so I don't need to lie. This is truly a book of wisdom. I really appreicate the author's wisdom, not in medicine, but in being a decent person and a decent doctor.

This book doesn't give you any specific instructions or tips to shine in medical school. It gives you the "directions." It shows you "how to think" instead of "what to think." You must read it to find out.

At last, I highly highly recommend this book for pre-med students. Why? Because I think it will help a lot for writing your personal statement! I must tell you that I was sick of the personal statement, and by the end of my AMCAS process I virtually depleted all my mental resources. This book would have filled my brain up, but I didn't know it existed at that time.

Book gave me a guideline as to how I was going to live my life throughout medical school. It is very enlightening and down to earth. Kept me human as I went through the de-humanizing experience of medical school.

Bought this for my sister as a gift upon starting Med school. She found it enjoyable and said it helped to have a little different perspective along the way.

This was given as a gift to every student in my incoming class at P&S (from Dean LL, now retired). It's a quick breath of fresh air at any point in medical school or subsequent training -- nothing earth-shattering, just some pearls and observations from an experienced perspective. I still find it meaningful 10 years later. Too bad that it remains out of print! I'd never sell mine.