Congratulations to future MBS'ers and best of luck to those on the wait-list!
I have just completed the MBS classes, and thought I'd check back on SDN for the first time in more than a year to try to answer some questions you guys might have. I would never have known that these SMP's existed if not for SDN, so just by reading this, you are already on the right track to dig yourself of whatever hole you are in(for me, undergrad gpa 2.7).
I went to open house last year, and was very impressed with the Sackler building, where you will be spending most of your waking hours, so that sealed the deal for me with regards to the Tufts vs BU decision. I have heard great things about the program both coming in, and throughout with regards to people getting into med school. The inaugural class now have >90% acceptance rate, though that's like 3 or 4 years ago, and their admissions policy was more stringent for the 1st class, so people came in strong already.
I personally LOVED my experience here. This was the year that I really found myself, and was pushed to the max of my abilities. You'll hear that of most MBS'ers. The classes we took were:
1st semester: Integrated tests M1
Biochemistry (my fav class - I will be TA'ing this next semester)
Genetics
Cell Bio
Molec Bio
Immunology
Histology(called Cell tissue organ biology)
Thanksgiving Break
Pharmacology
Introduction to Clinical Medicine (this class was a real crap-shoot, but the lecturer will change for next year, so who knows?)
2nd Semester : HOLY CRAP it was a lot harder for me (I have really bad memory, but am good at more conceptually difficult things)
Pathology (I have a love/hate relationship with Dr. Kwan. I love the man, but HATE the tests he writes. If you study all the main ideas and understand them, it will only get you ~80% on the tests; to get the other 20%, you need to memorize EVERYTHING on EVERY slide. However, during volunteering, I came to realize that this is probably one of the most useful classes you will take.)
Physiology (more conceptual, like biochem)
Anatomy (TON of material, 1st test hit me like a wall of bricks and I never recovered enough to make up for it.)
Nutrition (EZ and interesting)
Elective (OMFG, please for your own good unless you have a spectacular memory, PICK GAIT ANALYSIS!!!!!)
I'm emphasizing 2nd semester b/c it is fresh in my memory, and was a lot tougher to get A's in.
The 1st semester, your grade depends on the Med students' average. Be warned though, despite their pass/fail policy, med students still average 80-85 in all the classes, so the cut-off for an A in MBS is usually about a 90. A lot of people have difficulty because they are fresh out of college and are not used to the amount of material you have to learn. The tests are all integrated. For example: you are currently taking biochem/genetics/cell bio - on the fourth monday, you will have 1 big exam that includes all of the courses you are currently taking. Some people like this, others don't, but I personally found this to work out excellently for two reasons:
1. A lot of the material from the classes overlap with each other, helping you reinforce your knowledge, and giving you a better understanding of the bigger picture.
2. By having all the tests together, you do not have to prioritize one class over another, and can learn everything as it is being taught.
Advice: Go to class, and all the reviews/tutoring sessions. Study in small groups of 2-4 people to keep each other on track. I know this sounds stupid, but PAY ATTENTION in class, you get so much more out of it when you are actively learning. After class, immediately review. Do not procrastinate; it is much easier to remember the material if you review it immediately after class. Lastly, personal tutoring is free, sometimes its helpful just to have a more experienced person to study with. Shameless self-promotion: I will be tutoring next year, so please don't hesitate to ask
(I get paid per hour).
In the 2nd semester, your grade depends on fellow MBSers, despite everything they tell you, YOU WILL BE COMPETING against yourselves. Electives vary wildly with regards to difficulty, and all I can say is pick gait analysis. Do not let your guard down the 2nd semester, I hope I got that through...
Tests will be separated for each class, meaning most people will be constantly cramming for the test of the week, and their scheduling is pretty terrible, so you will see a rapid acceleration in the frequency of tests as the semester progresses.
Advice: Don't slack off after winter break; keep up your work ethic. The semester starts off deceptively slow, with only 2 classes, and you will be tempted to procrastinate just due to the lack of pressure. These 2 classes quickly build up to all 5 classes at the same time, so if you get behind initially, it is a steep uphill battle from there. Try your best to stick with the strategy of reviewing all the classes right after class as well as going to class. The people who did this were most successful.
Tufts MBS program was very intense, very rewarding; you'll be so happy at the end for giving it your all.
For those of you thinking of applying this cycle, I say do it, but don't apply for too many schools (you really need to focus on studying). Your chances for med school will definitely be lower than after the full year, but if you do well in Med foundations 1, you still have a good chance.
If you guys have any questions, shoot me an email and I'll try to answer em for you. Once again, congratulations, and good luck!
