10 Signs You’ve Been Studying Too Much


Taken from my most recent experience of studying for my first medical licensing exam, these things may indicate that you have been studying WAY TOO MUCH…and not enough all at the same time.

1. In a normal home, the parents say things like “Have fun at school!” and “I need to study.” Not in your house. No. In fact, your two-year-old says “Have fun at school!” when you go to move your backpack across the room. Common phrases you hear from her is “Abby study!” and “Phalanges!” and “Sphingomyelinase!”

2. You are so frustrated at how long it takes to pee that you’ve seriously considered a self-cath. (But really…)

3. You have to be very intentional about using “normal” words…(like “pee” instead of void.)

4. Your closest friends and family start mentioning your lack of social capabilities. (This may or may not be a conversation my husband and I have had before.)

Me: “I think I’ve lost some of my social skills.”
Husband: “Yea. I’ve noticed.”
Me: “…”

5. Someone posts a picture of, say, a beaver.
Normal people think “Oh, cool! A beaver!”
You, however, go all cray-cray and start screaming strange words.
Giardia! Blastomycoses!”
Oh look a snail.
Schistosoma mansoni!”
…Not cool.

Home Improvement Wilson

6. You find yourself doing strange things—anything—for human contact. It’s better than chatting it up with the 10th cup of coffee/pop/energy drink/choose your poison that you’re on.

7. Speaking of your coffee/pop/energy drink/poison of choice…you can pretty much count your productivity by how many cups you’re surrounded by.

8. You actually have to replace your pens and highlighters…not because you lose them…but because they run out of ink!

9. The nightmares. Oh the nightmares. I once heard of one where “she” showed up 2 hours late and had to pay “her” penance by joining the marching band for the day…

10. You have to start searching the internet for inspirational quotes because you need more.  One of my recent favorites?

“The only thing worse than being in medical school is not being in medical school.”

But I think that applies to everything, really…

So what is your indication that you’ve been studying too much???


6 responses to “10 Signs You’ve Been Studying Too Much”

  1. I keep a mental note of how often my husband uses the word “abandon(ed)(ing)(ment)(er).” The higher its ratio to other words, the more I’ve been studying. It peaks in April and November each year I’m in school. Pretty sure Tamer is more excited about my graduation next spring than I am. 🙂

  2. Haha! Loved reading this. I tend to use the word “void” more than “go to the bathroom” and in a room full of non-medical people, it gets pretty awkward…