Getting killed in microbiology/immunology class.....

[ldiot]

Had exam 1 and barely passed it, felt like I'd score around a 90 walking in and was pretty well prepared. We have 2 weeks between exam 1 and exam 2, and my plan of taking 1 day off kind of turned into 4 days off.

There will be a total of 30 lecture hours worth of material and I have 6 days left to study. So far I have spent over 12 hours just to get through 6 lecture hours of material. That leaves 48 hours of studying = 8 hours a day. The most I've ever studied in a day (quality studying, not doing homework/projects) is literally 7 hours. At my current pace I'm not even going to look at half the material.

The only good news is that the class average was literally below passing for exam 1 so maybe they will go soft on us, but otherwise I'm literally screwed and am not counting on them lightening up. Plus all my classmates kicked it into high gear and I'm eating dust it feels like

I usually outline the entire lecture which takes forever but I get the information down. Should I just print the powerpoint and highlight/rewatch lecture to save time? I don't feel like I retain the info as well but it is a lot quicker and I'm pretty much in panic mode now that I realize how little progress I'm making.

I studied half as much in year one and never got a score this low. I'm pretty much freaking out

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Uh, so are you in a microbiology class or a immunology class?

 

[67552931811]

Micro: sketchy, sketchy, sketchy,
Immuno: try to draw to make it sketchy-like and somehow figure out to make the small minute same-sounding details distinct.

 

[DocWinter]

What chitowne said. Get sketchy and know those drawings cold with repetition.

Immunology is a tough one, writing and drawing worked for me

 

[dfib slim]

Uh, so are you in a microbiology class or a immunology class?

Most likely a combination. My micro and immuno were combined into one course in M1 with each exam covering both.

 

[MedicaMagus]

Micro: Picmonic. All Day, erryday.
Immuno: Learn the general principles as well as you can. I survived the details through brute force rote memorization.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'll echo sketchy micro, it honestly got me through our accelerated microbiology system at KCU.
Immuno, I highly recommend getting down concepts, cell functions, and understanding the underlying big picture puzzle where everything plays into each other.

 

[hallowmann]

You need to get through the slides faster. Stop trying to know everything before you get through them. Skim through, then use sketchy, picmonic, whatever, to study the material with a focus on the subjects you skimmed.

The good thing about micro and immuno is that the high yield stuff are high yield everywhere. The bad thing about micro is that its more or less a lot of memorization that's at times hard to keep track of. You have to power through, and focus on pertinent topics that are usually covered in sketchy micro.

 

[AlteredScale]

You need to get through the slides faster. Stop trying to know everything before you get through them. Skim through, then use sketchy, picmonic, whatever, to study the material with a focus on the subjects you skimmed.

The good thing about micro and immuno is that the high yield stuff are high yield everywhere. The bad thing about micro is that its more or less a lot of memorization that's at times hard to keep track of. You have to power through, and focus on pertinent topics that are usually covered in sketchy micro.

This for sure. I see way too many first years sitting there on one slide for 5 minutes. You should be constructing the information in your head. The initial "Skeleton" or back bone should be big concepts which in micro should be inclusive of pathognomic findings (alkaline urine in proteus, second most common female uti is staph saph) use sketchy or picmonic to build this. Then hit the filler, read clinical micro made Ridiculously simple or read the slide and add detail. You should be using the C's rules: common (most common in males), clinical (presents as scarlet fever), contrasting (do help differentiate between other things that are similar).


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[samac]

I looked through my professors slides once.
And then turned to sketchy. It is my best friend.
I feel like Andrew is a huge part of my life now.

 

[Moose A Moose]

I guess I'm the only one that feels like Sketchy is an unbelievable waste of time when the lecture slides are already right there.

Stop rewriting all the slides.

Memorize big picture to small.

Start gettin used to 5-8 hour study days now. Everyday.

 

[samac]

I guess I'm the only one that feels like Sketchy is an unbelievable waste of time when the lecture slides are already right there.

Stop rewriting all the slides.

Memorize big picture to small.

Start gettin used to 5-8 hour study days now. Everyday.

For me it gets me to memorize the key features for the organism in a way that takes much less time than brute force memorization can do for so many organisms. 2 passes through each video on 1.25x speed and I feel comfortable. I wouldn't trade sketchy for anything.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I guess I'm the only one that feels like Sketchy is an unbelievable waste of time when the lecture slides are already right there.

Stop rewriting all the slides.

Memorize big picture to small.

Start gettin used to 5-8 hour study days now. Everyday.

Our school didn't give us slides, only told us to read Clinical Micro. But even then the fact that I can recall entire images months out from micro says a lot on how helpful it can be.

 

[Mr Roboto]

I've heard good things about How the Immune System Works. Pretty short book that gives a solid overview of immuno for your to build on.

 

[Andeve33]

that's really hard, and annoying it's the only thing i remember about this

 

[FourniersGreenGang]

Immunology made ridiculously simple

 

[niko327]

C's rules: common (most common in males), clinical (presents as scarlet fever), contrasting (do help differentiate between other things that are similar).

Sketchy Micro was a good resource for memorization, bit as another poster already mentioned, the 3 C's are your best approach.
As for Immunology, it can be very challenging because of the multitudes of players involved. Get acquainted with the big picture first and narrow down to the study of details incrementally.

One of the things we did in my study group was to probe each others understanding of the big picture material with little quiz questions we'd make up on the spot. This was amazingly effective in fleshing out the big picture. Subsequent study sessions drilled down deeper and deeper in to the details using our mini quiz question format. Every once in a while we'd check each other's understanding of the big picture using a trick question using a basic mechanism(which is very easy to do in Immuno when you are focusing on tiny details).


I don't know why this method seemed to work so well but I suspect it takes advantage of cognitive dissonance. Ie: I must know this material if I am asking someone else a question about it. Suddenly thought-blocking and anxiety evaporate and you know your ****. I guess the last thing I can tell you is a little mean, but no less true: Only study with people who are as committed as you are to learning the material very well.

 

[ldiot]

I'm feeling a little better about the class.

I'm pretty much typing out the info in sketchymicro, printing it, and handwriting in added details from lecture. Seems to me working so far

Immuno is conceptually not that bad but the memorization aspect is what kills me. Just so much info

 

[Mr Roboto]

I'm feeling a little better about the class.

I'm pretty much typing out the info in sketchymicro, printing it, and handwriting in added details from lecture. Seems to me working so far

Immuno is conceptually not that bad but the memorization aspect is what kills me. Just so much info

I've got a copy of annotated sketchy micro slides if you'd like it. Unless the typing is helping you learn.

 

[samac]

I've got a copy of annotated sketchy micro slides if you'd like it. Unless the typing is helping you learn.

Hey don't offer to share stuff like that on a public forum. It's licensed material illegal to share.

 

[ldiot]

Hey don't offer to share stuff like that on a public forum. It's licensed material illegal to share.

What are you a cop?

 

[Andeve33]

What are you a cop?

LOL

 

[shadowlightfox]

I've heard good things about How the Immune System Works. Pretty short book that gives a solid overview of immuno for your to build on.

I can vouch for that. In college, I had zero immuno background, and whatever immuno I did cover via college level phsyiology wasn't my best subject, but after reading that book, I feel like I can teach college level immuno. Even though I'm learning new stuff in class right now, nothing feels unfamiliar.

Definitely give How the Immune System a look if you have the time because if it can help me with my aforementioned background I don't see why it can't help you.

 

[Mr Roboto]

Hey don't offer to share stuff like that on a public forum. It's licensed material illegal to share.

He's already using sketchy, so I'm not offering to share anything he hasn't already gotten...

 

[surfguy84]

Micro is my best subject - here's what works for me.

I'll make an excel with every bug on it. I'll create a column for physical characteristics of the bug, diseases caused, symptoms, reservoir, virulence properties, treatment. Then, I'll turn this into quizlet cards; like 1-3 discreet facts per card, no more.

Then, you go through your quizlet cards for every bug that could be on the test. Let's say you have 12 respiratory bugs and you've made like 5-7 cards per bug. We'll call it 70 cards. Do cards in groups of five or six. Literally flip through the same 5/6 cards until you know them. Then move on to the next 5-6. Do the second group of five or six until you have those down. Now go back and do all 10-12 cards. Know them? Move on to the third group of five or six. Repeat this process until you have gotten through all cards. Don't know them? Keep doing them until you can do all 10-12 cards in a row without fail. This method will 100% get you ready to answer anything that could be asked about any bug on your exam.

 

[samac]

What are you a cop?

Nope, it's just not a smart thing to do on a public forum. Offer stuff like that in private messages, not on the public board.

 

[JustPlainBill]

You're behind the power curve right now so switching resources may not be the best thing for you -- don't panic, know what you know very well and weed out the rest. If this is Putthoff at KCUMB, you're in for a real party ----

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

You're behind the power curve right now so switching resources may not be the best thing for you -- don't panic, know what you know very well and weed out the rest. If this is Putthoff at KCUMB, you're in for a real party ----

He's brilliant, but his adoration for Robbins as opposed to using more boards specific material has its problems.

 

[JustPlainBill]

He's brilliant, but his adoration for Robbins as opposed to using more boards specific material has its problems.

Agree -- but that's Putthoff -- to his way of thinking (and recall that he's done this over 2 different centuries of time -- 1900s and 2000s) he's training you to be physicians not just good for the boards -- to him, if you're a good, solid physician with a basic fund of knowledge, boards will be a piece of cake. If you're a point sniper, having learned what's necessary only for the boards, maybe not so much. To him, boards are a "do you meet the minimum standard" type of exam but say nothing about your true ability as a physician --- again, remember his background -- He's a former SF NCO who ran a Mike Force out of Nha Trang during Vietnam who went back and earned his medical degree and then re-entered the AUS as a pathologist. Along the way, he was the Chief Pathologist for the army in the European and Southwest Asian theatre and rose to the rank of Colonel. He tend to read the chapter of Robbins that he's lecturing from/testing over the night before and again while the class is covering it so he must have read that book hundreds of times. I suffered under him but so have literally thousands of students -- if you have him, it's a rite of passage. Not saying his way is correct or not without issues -- but it is his way and he's awarding the grades.....

 

[AlteredScale]

Agree -- but that's Putthoff -- to his way of thinking (and recall that he's done this over 2 different centuries of time -- 1900s and 2000s) he's training you to be physicians not just good for the boards -- to him, if you're a good, solid physician with a basic fund of knowledge, boards will be a piece of cake. If you're a point sniper, having learned what's necessary only for the boards, maybe not so much. To him, boards are a "do you meet the minimum standard" type of exam but say nothing about your true ability as a physician --- again, remember his background -- He's a former SF NCO who ran a Mike Force out of Nha Trang during Vietnam who went back and earned his medical degree and then re-entered the AUS as a pathologist. Along the way, he was the Chief Pathologist for the army in the European and Southwest Asian theatre and rose to the rank of Colonel. He tend to read the chapter of Robbins that he's lecturing from/testing over the night before and again while the class is covering it so he must have read that book hundreds of times. I suffered under him but so have literally thousands of students -- if you have him, it's a rite of passage. Not saying his way is correct or not without issues -- but it is his way and he's awarding the grades.....

He reminds me of Ron Swanson from the show Parks and Recreation haha.


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