Maybe HeadEast2014 and astern could speak to this from revisit - but I'm still a little unsure of exactly how the M1 / M2 pre-clinical is set up...i.e. are lectures still not recorded / mandatory? How much time do they spend in lecture vs. PBL vs. anatomy every day? And are students happy with this in general - especially M4s looking back on it? How about with how clerkships are assigned? I know I have info on grading and class ranking somewhere, but if you could comment on how that was done again (P/F vs. H/P/F with internal ranking...which I'm assuming given AOA availability?) and general student satisfaction with that I'd really appreciate it! Feel free to PM me if easier, too.
Hey--
So I was similarly concerned about the unrecorded classes. I basically assumed that meant that classes were, while not explicitly, mandatory. My host immediately dispelled that myth by letting me know that he frequently misses 2-3 classes a week, and that by the winter time of M1, only about half the class shows up anyway (which seemed true regardless of medical school). It seems the notes are thorough and complete enough that classes can be missed every now and again.
Zenosticks answered about the amount of time dedicated to each part of the curriculum, but I would add that very quickly in your medical school career you start on the primary care clerkship which is taught over the second half of M1 and all of M2, basically leading to M-F being fairly full days of class and/or clinic. The impression that I got was that, while it is a lot of work, it is not by any means overwhelming/untenable and the benefits are noticeable when M3 comes around.
All lecture courses are P/F the first two years, while PCC (primary care clerkship) is H/P/F I believe. I also was told that Rochester uses a pure P/F system. That is, every students' first two years are summed up in one sentence on every residency application recommendation letter: "DressageDoc passed all of her/his preclinical courses at Rochester Medical School" or something to that effect.
Rochester set itself apart from other schools in the community of its students. As opposed to schools in NYC or other cities, I felt Rochester's dynamic was very focused on getting to know each other and building relationships within a class. I got that feeling from the M4 panel and from the M1s I stayed with and from everyone else I interacted with that weekend. Maybe it is because they draw heavily from liberal arts schools or because they are kind of isolated out there or because they all go to class first semester (so know each other very well), all I know is that I really felt comfortable there.
**Disclaimer here that I may have recollected some things incorrectly. Hope it helps!
