Here is another n = 1 perspective from a student. I just completed my M2 year and am taking time off to do research. I am in (was in) the first iteration of Curriculum 2.0. I scored 20 points above the Step 1 average for the surgical sub-specialty I intend to pursue.
Yes, our preclinical curriculum is a lot of work. But, no matter where you go, medical school will be as stressful as you make it out to be. If you stay on track with your lectures and extra-preclinical responsibilities, there is no reason why you should not succeed in our curriculum. Were there people that had to repeat a block? Yes, but these were people who had a track record of not doing well (not always the case, and it is unfortunate, but no more have had to repeat than our pre-2.0 curricula). As for me, I never stayed on top of lectures until I absolutely had to (e.g., the end of the block when I had 30+ lectures to review over 2 weeks). I paid for this by being a dead average student who never scored above a standard deviation above the class average. I took full advantage of our P/F curriculum and you should too.
A digression about Step 1: you will not have the "luxury" of studying for Step 1 over an entire year like most people at 1.5/2 year curricula have. My classmates studied an average of 6 weeks (+/- 2). You do not need more than 5 weeks to study for Step 1, let alone reviewing over a full year. I took the full 6 and was ready to blow my brains out by week 4.5. You battle acquiring new information with losing old information. Everything will come back to you from first year. I promise. Taking shelf exams for your clerkships (which, by the way, are 100x more difficult than Step 1) will keep you in a boards prep mode throughout the year. I was actually demoralized by how difficult the clerkship shelf exams were and worried about how much more difficult Step 1 would be. Again, just an n = 1 opinion, I found Step 1 so much more manageable after getting used to the types of questions examiners like to ask.
Clerkship year is an inherently subjective year no matter where you go, but I will say that clerkship year is difficult without having done Step 1. You will play a lot of catch up if you struggled in preclinicals (or didn't pay attention, like me). In general, most of the attendings and residents that chose to practice at Vanderbilt did so because of it's friendly atmosphere. We have 8 (8!) M4s out of a class of 100 matching into neurosurgery this year, which speaks volumes about how approachable a traditionally malignant subspecialty can be if you come here. By and large, most of the specialties I rotated on had residents that understood the novelty of our curriculum and adjusted their expectations accordingly. If you rise above their expectations, you will do well. That's it. You play a part as a medical student by reading up on your patients, knowing how to interpret a CBC in a pediatric population, knowing the current guidelines in reversing warfarin-associated ICH, working with your fellow medical students to make sure everyone is rounded on. No preclinical curriculum on the planet teaches you how to function on the wards. This is something you do on your own 2.0 or 1.0. Of note, our clerkship year is P/F. Our class put in the effort to make sure our patients were taken care of, but the majority of us dialed it down when it came to studying for shelf exams (the other component of our clerkship grades). I wasn't worried about losing an hour (or 8) studying Pestana when I could scrub in on an add on transplant procurement. I had dinner with friends. I entertained family. Life goes on during clerkship year and 2.0's P/F made it just a bit easier to do so.
Keep in mind a 1 year preclinical curriculum puts you a full year ahead of your peers for residency networking. I had a fair idea of what I wanted to do before medical school, but seeing the lifestyle of the residents on that service and working with the patients on it solidified it for me. While everyone else is snoozing away listening to path lectures, you're rounding on some of the sickest patients in your region, putting in Raney clips, tracking down labs, pulling a baby out of human, sitting with a patient's family whom you've followed for several days right after she was declared braindead. I identified attendings early on that I would consider good role models and structured my research years so that I would stay connected to their departments come application time. Clerkship year is mentally and physically exhausting, you will often feel more like a burden than a contributor to your teams, but experiences in the hospital are exactly why you decided to come to medical school.
In my opinion, medical school doesn't begin until clerkship year. You have no idea how patients are taken care of until you are living and breathing in the hospital 14-hour-day after 14-hour-day, learning how to run the list with your residents, knowing the inefficiencies of your hospital when you as a medical student are trying to find a role to push your services forward. The learning curve on the wards is harsh but 2.0 has nothing to do with that. Having residents that take the time to teach you the ropes is what helps. I saw a lot of role models in the residents I worked with and I hope to emulate that when I am a resident one day.
Finally, I like to think that the "Wellness" our administrators buzz in your ears truly is real. For those of you that interviewed during College Cup weekend, I hope you got to see what it means when we take time off from medical school. Wellness is an institutionalized concept in our curriculum. We have retreat days. We have sponsored bar nights. You will have more people asking to be your mentor than you could ever wish for. You will have friends going through the same nonsense that you are. Our Hogwartsesque College System is not just a logistically convenient way of dividing us up into smaller groups for activities like you might find at other schools. The colleges are the life and soul of our school. Google "VUSM Flickr" and see for yourself. The rigor of our curriculum has made it more difficult than in years past to participate in *all* of these things, yes, but you will always see a familiar face when you do.
Sorry for this textbook of a post. Again, just an n = 1 perspective from the other side of the fence. Nashville is growing like no other. We just stole a chef from Alinea (any foodies?). Coming from someone who grew up and lived in big cities, I never thought it was possible to like it this much. I'll probably be staying here for residency. I'm happy to answer any PMs.
