How to Study Pathways (Biochem)

Back in my second or third year of college, I began to change my study habits. I knew something was wrong with the way I was studying because I kept thinking that I was fine for my midterm exams, but when test results came out, the grade proved otherwise.

I googled 'study methods medical student', and I came across what I would soon become familiar with as the best flashcard program I've ever used.

The heart of this program lies in the usage of the forgetting curve.

Anki program uses this very concept for forgetting curve in a flashcard program that is a great tool for all students. Considering that after 10 days, you would have a 60% chance of remembering a key concept or problem, Anki will show cards to you that you are weak in (higher chance of forgetting), and present them to you until you are very strong (memorized). This way, you are very efficient with your study time. You'll never have to worry if you actually remember a concept or not, Anki will know.

For studying pathways, I love to draw things out. With a variety of colors and certain figures, it'll help the brain visualize the pathway and have an easier task in recalling the information. Sometimes I'll have to draw it several times to remember it.

We'll take the following example from Wikipedia concerning glycogen metabolism, specifically synthesis and breakdown.

Synthesis

Glycogen synthesis is, unlike its breakdown, endergonic - it requires the input of energy. Energy for glycogen synthesis comes from uridine triphosphate (UTP), which reacts with glucose-1-phosphate, forming UDP-glucose, in a reaction catalysed by UTP—glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. Glycogen is synthesized from monomers of UDP-glucose initially by the protein glycogenin, which has two tyrosine anchors for the reducing end of glycogen, since glycogenin is a homodimer. After about eight glucose molecules have been added to a tyrosine residue, the enzyme glycogen synthase progressively lengthens the glycogen chain using UDP-glucose, adding α(1→4)-bonded glucose. The glycogen branching enzyme catalyzes the transfer of a terminal fragment of six or seven glucose residues from a nonreducing end to the C-6 hydroxyl group of a glucose residue deeper into the interior of the glycogen molecule. The branching enzyme can act upon only a branch having at least 11 residues, and the enzyme may transfer to the same glucose chain or adjacent glucose chains.

Breakdown
Main article: Glycogenolysis
Glycogen is cleaved from the nonreducing ends of the chain by the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase to produce monomers of glucose-1-phosphate:

Action of Glycogen Phosphorylase on Glycogen
In vivo, phosphorolysis proceeds in the direction of glycogen breakdown because the ratio of phosphate and glucose-1-phosphate is usually greater than 100.[12] Glucose-1-phosphate is then converted to glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) by phosphoglucomutase. A special debranching enzyme is needed to remove the α(1-6) branches in branched glycogen and reshape the chain into a linear polymer. The G6P monomers produced have three possible fates:

G6P can continue on the glycolysis pathway and be used as fuel.
G6P can enter the pentose phosphate pathway via the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase to produce NADPH and 5-carbon sugars.
In the liver and kidney, G6P can be dephosphorylated back to glucose by the enzyme glucose 6-phosphatase. This is the final step in the gluconeogenesis pathway.
Clinical relevance

Now, as you can see in my picture of my drawing in Notability (iPad app), I associated the previous information in a picture that would make sense to me. A key part of this study technique is that you must have different colors. Just by having different colors, it can boost your memory of the image so much more.

When combining both Anki and drawing, you'll be unstoppable!

Writing Your Personal Statement

Ahh...the personal statement, 4500 characters in which you have to demonstrate your passion for dentistry without even mentioning the word 'passion'. In my opinion, the personal statement is most under-rated part and the most important part of your application. Why do I say this? This is because the other 1000+ people that are applying to the same school as you all have similar DAT and GPA scores.

For reference this is what a group of 3000 people roughly looks like:

So this is where your personal statement comes in. This is where you bring your digital application to life, and bring a story to the admissions committee. You'll need to catch the reader's attention during the first sentence, keep their attention for the rest of the essay, and in the end, the reader should be able to say, "Hey, I really want to meet this person". That's the goal you should be aiming for when writing this essay. However, the most important thing is that this essay is written by you, with your own voice.

Now, I definitely never focused a lot of my attention in high school and college improving my writing skills, but like your English teachers have told you before, it's one of the most important skills you can have. You will always be writing, whether it is for personal statements, homework assignments, or publications, it's crucial to be able to express yourself through writing.

That being said, it took me several months to sculpt a personal statement that I was completely happy with and ready to submit. I had about 15 drafts and 2-3 serious makeovers. I had a select group of people that I asked to read over my personal statement. I asked a mentor at a dental school, a dental student, and dental student who is a literature major. I suggest not to ask too many people because that will lead to many different opinions and may sway the personal statement away from your own intended voice.

I bought several books teaching me how to write a perfect personal statement for dental school, but after writing several drafts it seemed as if I was forcing myself into a confined style of writing. In my last makeover of my personal statement, I was very happy with what I wrote and I knew it truly embodied why I want to pursue the profession of dentistry.

I've recently been reading a book called "Mastery", by Robert Greene, who is also the author of "48 Laws of Power". This book is meant to help individuals find their own vocation and ultimately truly master their passions, whatever that may be in life. While reading this book, it reminded me of how I developed my passion for dentistry over time and how it perfectly matched my interests. Through analyzing the masters of human life such as Darwin and Da Vinci, Robert Greene helps readers find their hidden potential and become masters themselves. Although I'm 63/442 pages through this book, I highly recommend this book to read prior to writing your personal statement. It will teach you to ask yourself if this is truly the profession you want in life and why. And by that, you will be able to write your personal statement with your own unique voice and emotion.