Understanding Learning Styles

Chapter 05

Medical school is demanding, and many students, including myself, find themselves spending countless hours reading, watching videos, and doing practice questions, only to feel like they're barely scraping by. I often found myself comparing my effort to other students who seemed to spend less time but achieved better results. This chapter is about what I discovered during my struggle to figure out why the traditional methods weren't working for me, and how finding the right learning style helped turn things around.

The Struggle: When Traditional Methods Don't Work

The Inefficiency of Traditional Study Methods
Like many students, I spent countless hours reading First Aid, doing UWorld questions, and watching Boards and Beyond videos. Despite this, I wasn’t seeing the improvement I expected.

Recognizing the Inefficiency
No matter how hard I worked, my results suggested otherwise. It was as if the sacrifices I made and the long hours I spent studying weren't reflected in my exam scores. This led to emotional strain, burnout, and affected my physical and mental health.

The Role of Learning Styles in Academic Performance

• Personal Background and Its Impact on Learning
  I come from a Black American family and grew up as a second-generation college student. I am also the first person in my family to pursue medicine. Most of my achievements came from excelling in football, not academics.
  • My resilience and determination came from my experiences as an athlete, but those traits didn’t directly translate into academic success in the traditional sense.
  • As someone used to thriving on physical performance and teamwork, the isolation of studying felt foreign and counterproductive.
• Cultural Expectations and External Pressures
  Being a medical student also meant becoming a point of contact for family members who saw me as their access point to healthcare. Balancing these cultural responsibilities with medical school was an unexpected challenge that I had to learn to navigate.

Learning Styles: What they Are and Why They Matter

• Types of Learning Styles
  • Visual Learners: Benefit from diagrams, flowcharts, and visual cues.
  • Auditory Learners: Learn best by listening to lectures, reading aloud, or engaging in discussions.
  • Reading/Writing Learners: Prefer learning through reading and writing notes, such as flashcards or study guides.
  • Kinesthetic Learners: Excel when they can interact with materials physically—through hands-on practice or engaging with models.
• Finding Your Learning Style
  I eventually sought help from learning specialists and underwent evaluations to understand my learning style. This was the first step in figuring out what worked and what didn’t for me.

What Worked for Me: A Kinesthetic and Auditory Approach

• Football and Kinesthetic Learning
  I played football for over 12 years, and my ability to learn plays, run drills, and visualize strategies translated into my medical studies.
  • I learned that my brain worked best when I engaged with information physically. This realization helped me switch my approach to medical education.

• Reps and Standardized Testing Practice
  I found that I needed repetitions to truly understand and retain material:
  • Practice Questions: I did as many as possible to get in the "reps."
  • Handwriting Notes: Writing down what I needed to know helped reinforce concepts.
  • Reading Aloud: Reading my notes aloud every morning and night activated my auditory learning strengths.

Combining Methods for Maximum Efficiency

• Active Engagement Through Multiple Senses
  To improve my efficiency, I combined visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning techniques:
  • Creating Anki cards: I made cards with clinical vignettes and key concepts, focusing on mechanisms of action, enzyme deficiencies, and anatomy.
  • Morning and Night Review: I read my crib sheets aloud twice a day to reinforce memory through active participation.
  • Kinesthetic Engagement: By physically writing down the notes and then reading them, I was using multiple forms of engagement to boost retention.
• Intentional Rest and Avoiding Burnout
  I learned to rest intentionally, making sure I took breaks just as seriously as studying. The "no sleep, grind mentality" from football wasn’t sustainable.
  • I realized that quality study time followed by quality rest led to better results.

Alright, future doc, let’s talk about making your study routine work for you, not against you. Here’s the playbook:

Identify Your Learning Style:

Are you a visual learner (love diagrams and charts), an auditory learner (lectures and discussions are your jam), a reading/writing learner (pen and paper, please), or a kinesthetic learner (hands-on all the way)?

Figuring this out is your first step to optimizing your study game.

Diversify Your Learning Techniques:

Don’t be a one-trick pony. Mix it up!

Use a blend of methods: tackle practice questions, scribble notes by hand, draw flowcharts, read aloud, or even teach concepts to your cat (Nimbus approves).

This keeps your brain engaged and ensures you’re covering all angles.

Prioritize Rest and Avoid Burnout:

Hustle culture has no place here. Rest hard to work smarter.

Schedule breaks, get your 7–8 hours of sleep, and step away when you’re spinning your wheels. Sustainability wins the race.

Accept That Struggles Are Part of the Process:

Newsflash: struggling doesn’t mean you don’t belong.

You’re here because you’re capable. Struggles are normal—it’s about finding your rhythm, adjusting, and grinding through.

Your success in med school isn’t just about logging hours; it’s about how you use those hours. Learn your way. Whether it’s sketching out pathways, watching videos, or drilling practice questions, lean into what works for you. And don’t forget—it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Take care of yourself along the way.

Now that you’ve explored how to leverage your learning style, it’s time to take things up a notch. In chapter 06, we’ll dive into building a sustainable, high-impact study plan tailored to your needs. From structuring your day to prioritizing question practice and review, I’ll walk you through the steps to craft a schedule that balances learning, rest, and life outside of medicine. Let’s make your plan work as hard as you do!

Bottom Line: Medical school is brutal, but you’ve got the tools to make it manageable. Find your style, play to your strengths, and own your journey.

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