Many people have said that the second year of medical school is better than the first. However, I think that it all comes down to whether you have more trouble with adapting to the curriculum and medical school in general or more trouble with understanding content.
1st year is hard because you have to fix your studying style. Usually, the stuff you used in college won't translate well into medical school because college is a lot more relaxed than medical school. Furthermore, the foundational classes are basically all 4 years of college put into the span of 4 months so its intense. You also start organ systems after these foundational units so you're also in a good flow (and the organ systems after the foundational classes during first year are easier than 2nd year). You also have a lot more mandatory classes and less freedom during this year. You're also meeting new people and making your friend groups which can tire some people out.
2nd year is hard because of the content. Organ systems in this year are tougher and usually, you will have no previous background on any of the things you will learn. I believe they purposely do this so those units are more fresh in your head for Step 1. You also get out of the studying groove during the summer so its hard to get back and motivated. However, everything fits better together during this year and is a lot more organized compared to Year 1. Additionally, drama might arise in friend groups this year as friendships are strained from stress and everyone is more on edge. Step 1 is also constantly above your head and other worries about rotations come into play so this is why year 2 is hard.
I think it all comes down to what your strengths are. For me, personally, I found year 1 easier because one of my strengths is adaption and I liked the foundational classes. Year 2 has been harder for me due to the difficulty of the content and how many more hours I have to spend to understand the pathologies (because I like understanding better than memorization). I also can feel the stress for Step 1 already. The next post will be about Step 1 studying so wish me luck.
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