Measuring the Pulse of MCV Campus

Medical School Studying: How Much is Too Much?

It’s generally acknowledged that medical school students’ academic workload is greater than that of students pursuing degrees in nonscientific fields. Because doctors often make decisions that seriously affect others’ lives, some say such extensive testing, fieldwork and examinations are necessary. Opinions vary, according to several medical students recently interviewed.

Carol Tran, a third-year undergraduate at the MCV campus, says she rarely has time for herself.

"I haven’t seen anyone (of my friends), I rarely see my roommate," she said. "I basically spend my free time at the gym out of necessity and when I’m not there I’m trying to catch up on sleep, which rarely happens."

Tran, who is completing her required mentorship at the VCU medical campus hospital, believes that too much studying can be unhealthy.

"I have to spend six hours at my mentorship a week and they don’t always fit our (medical students’) schedules," Tran said.

In addition to mentorships, undergrads must attend three seminars a semester, often held during class time, and spend about 20 hours a year shadowing doctors. Some students believe such prerequisites are a waste of time.

"It defeats the purpose of us being honor students when they make us do all these requirements that require us to skip the things we’re here for, like actually going to class," Tran said.

The lives of students pursuing non-scientific degrees contrast significantly from Tran and other medical students.

"If I put 100 percent into my classes, I would probably spend an hour to two hours outside of class working on it, but usually I just do my homework during class," said Ganesh Sarma, a third-year English major.

"Some of my classes just have midterms and finals, and nothing else as far as grades are concerned," Sarma said. "I would say the work load has been a little more intense than it was in high school, and the reading material is a lot more dense, but overall it’s nothing that is unmanageable."

Other non-medical students voice similar thoughts.

"Every now and then I’ll pull an all-nighter to finish up some projects, but normally I spend one to two hours outside of class doing homework and studying," said Austin Hannah, a third-year kinetic imaging major. "Most of my studying goes into my non-major classes and then the work I do on projects is usually for classes relevant to my major."

Although, Sarma and Hannah may have more relaxed college experiences, it is important to note that Tran’s intensive training and workload is preparing her to deal with situations that they will not encounter in their professions.

Med students experiencing academic difficulties may contact the Office of Student Affairs, (http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/studentaffairs/counseling/) for help and counseling.

The following articles - written by VCU Journalism Students - examine the medical school's legacy, student life, programs, buildings and future. All students are from Professor Bonnie Newman Davis' MASC 303 Newswriting Course. Loren Pritchett assisted in editing the articles.