Reflecting on Past Success

Like most medical students, you have probably done very well at previous levels of education, and yet the grades of any medical school class normally spread across a broad range. Why do you think this is?

Throughout the world, medical students find it challenging to adapt to the demands of medical school. The fast pace and sheer volume of the course material often requires the development of new study skills. Methods that served you well in the past may need to be adjusted to achieve success in this new environment.

The purpose of this pre-matriculation course is to help you begin to adapt before you arrive in Dominica. The first step is to reflect on previous academic successes and failures. The following questions are provided to guide your careful reflection of your own approach to study. There are no right answers, but the more detailed and specific you can be the more likely you are to benefit from this exercise. We recommend that you take the time to write down your answers so you can refer back to them later, as you continue to reflect on the best way for you to study.

• What does the word “study” mean to you? What exactly do you do when you study?
   - Do you study differently for different courses? How so?
   - Do different teachers affect your study methods?
   - Does your approach depend on your goal? Does it depend on your      mood?


• What does the word “learn” mean to you? How do you know when you have learned something? How can you tell when you have learned a subject thoroughly enough?
• Think of a course in which you have done very well. Why did you do so well? Was it something about the course? Was it something about you? Consider in detail what you did to make it such a success.
• Think of a course in which you have not done well. Why did you perform so poorly? Was it something about the course? Was it something about you? Consider in detail what you did. What could you have done differently that might have helped you to attain a better outcome?
• Have you ever found something difficult to learn? Think back to your situation at the time. What was it that made the course/skill/concept so difficult?
• Are there certain types of things you find harder to learn than others?
• Are there certain kinds of situations/environments that you find it difficult to learn in?
• What different methods have you used to tackle difficult academic content or situations?
• Are there any lifestyle factors that have affected your academic performance in the past? Are you good at managing your time? Have commitments to family or friends ever prevented you from completing an assignment or attending a class?
• Can you think of anything that might prevent you from performing at your peak when you arrive in Dominica? Is it possible to deal with those things before you leave home, so that they don’t trouble you when you are supposed to be studying?