Sketchy Spotlight: A Pre-Med Memory Champion

Shivi is a rising Junior at Barnard College who uses Sketchy MCAT to not only prepare for her exam in 2023, but her other undergrad classes as well. She talks about not feeling the pressure of studying, advice for any pre-med, and how Sketchy has made her learning fun.

Year: Pre-med

School: Barnard College

I love Sketchy because… it makes my learning enjoyable and fun; it’s like finding a treasure box.

I am passionate about… learning about the body and biology and I want to continue studying throughout my life and help people.

Favorite Sketchy lessons… The Sympathetic Nervous System, The Parasympathetic Nervous System, The Cardiac Cycle, and The Baroreceptor Reflex

*interview has been lightly edited for clarity*

Q: How did you find Sketchy?

I have an elder sibling who's currently going through med school! I learned from him that Sketchy really is the bread and butter for med school, which has really motivated me to delve into it. Once I found out that the MCAT package was released, I immediately subscribed. There was no doubt in my mind. I just picked a random video out of the hat on the Sketchy platform and it was the first one about the cerebrum, which were the four parts of the brain. And I felt it was just instant magic.

Q: What is it like studying for the MCAT?

Shivi: Being on a pre-med track, there definitely is a lot of pressure and burden, but I personally  haven't really felt it because I'm really enjoying my classes. I am learning what I love, and that for me is more than enough. I don't feel the pressure because I don't feel that I'm cramming information all the time. I have developed good study strategies.

Q: How did you incorporate Sketchy into your learning?

Shivi: I found watching and syncing my lectures to Sketchy lessons alongside my class was super beneficial because not only did I retain the pictures way more efficiently, but I was able to recall those pictures on the actual tests.

Q: Where are you hoping to see yourself in medicine in the future? 

Shivi: I'm really drawn to oncology. And specifically I do have an overarching interest in physiology and anatomy. So I definitely see myself going down the path of perhaps surgery or oncology.

Q: Any words of wisdom for other people going down this path?

Shivi: Medicine really isn’t a sprint, it's a marathon. So you have to consistently work hard and work smart, but also have patience. And it's so key to find that spark or that driving force within medicine to keep you motivated throughout the medical school and pre-med  journey.

Watch the full interview.