1st yr vs 2nd year, which is tougher?

[MD2b06]

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This came up in an unrelated thread, so I thought I'd create a new topic. Anyway, was just wondering which year you guys thought was harder and why? And please state if you were a science major or had taken many of the first year classes in undergrad, for obvious reasons..

 

[Brewster]

I was a chem major in college (but took no biochem, mostly took p-chem). I did take physiology and genetics in college.

I thought the first two years were pretty equivalent, with the tough classes being:
first year - biochem, anatomy, physiology
second year - neuroscience, pharm

However, second semester of second year (pathophys and path) was interesting and not nearly as difficult as the prior semesters.

 

[daveshnave]

I just finished second year today, and I have to say hands down, that it was much harder than first year. HOWEVER...

First of all, this really depends on your school, and what you take each year. Here at Drexel, we take path, microbio, intro to clinical med (essentially pathophys), psychopath (this does not include neuroanatomy, which is a first year class), and pharm this year as our big classes. This excludes immunology, which we also took first year. If your school is anything like ours, I think that second year was more intense because it required more of a time committment to studying. A lot of our first year classes (physio, biochem, etc) were more conceptual, and if you didn't know an answer on an exam for example, you could possibly reason it out. On the other hand, just about all of the second year classes are like gross anatomy first year, where there is absolutely no reasoning going on, but instead rote memorization. This is what takes so much time second year. I could sit and learn physio for the first time much quicker than anatomy, where I had to committ details to memory just for the sake of mindless recall. So IMHO, I think second year was more difficult because I never really felt like I did anything but study. Now that I've just finished though, it's really easy to see the inter-relationships between the basic science disciplines, and I'm finally starting to feel like it's all coming together.... essentially second year got "easier" toward the end not because of the volume (which actually increased) but instead because I knew how to approach it (not to mention I no longer have to waste all my time looking up words like "empyema" or "claudication," which actually consumed quite of bit of my studying time during the first part of this year.... 😉

Good luck in your upcoming second year, and don't worry.... although it may seem like it at times, it's not impossible. Just put your time in and think of the long term picture (ie. the wards). Everything you learn in first year is a foundation for second year, but everything you learn second year is a foundation for the rest of your career, so (try to) enjoy....

 

[Castro Viejo]

Second year of med school is by far the most difficult of all four.

 

[camjakb]

I'm only speculating here -- I'm an MS1 -- but it probably depends on how you perceive first year. For example: I was a physical education major with the BAREST of science credentials (orgo, gen chem, physics, 1/2 year of general biology). So, EVERYTHING in first year was completely new to me. Not surprisingly, I've spent the last 10 months in misery, putting forth the maximum amount of effort with mediocre results. On the other hand, a large percentage of our class matriculated through the school's feeder program -- essentially a post bac curricula, consisting of the actual med school's classes. Thus, these people had seen much of the material before and were allowed to forego the very same classes in med school, providing they had done well. Not surprisingly, most of them are taking 1/2 load that the rest of us are and are loving life.

If what I understand is correct, the volume of 2nd year material outdoes what we're expected to know for 1st year by leaps and bounds. Not a problem for me because I'm used to it sucking day in and day out and am pretty much desensitized to it. My "happy camper" classmates haven't been conditioned to the intensity/workload and will probably find 2nd year to not be the picnic that their 1st year was.

 

[MD2b06]

Originally posted by camjakb
If what I understand is correct, the volume of 2nd year material outdoes what we're expected to know for 1st year by leaps and bounds.

How is this possible? I've already given up going to class just so I can have enough time to study and maintain some outside interests that keep me sane.

Am I going to have to give up going to those next year too? How intense is it on a volume basis? I'd say first year, we cover about 40 pages in the syllabus per day, w/ exams abt every 2 weeks. So that comes out to abt 400 pages of notes per set of exams. That does not include any lab stuff we may be responsible for, which I'm sure everyone knows can be very time consuming as well.