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Aesculapius

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Hi all,
At the end of the first week of classes here. The material (cell biology and physiology) is straightforward so far, but with regards to the textbooks, it is difficult to tell (especially with cell biology) what information is relevant, and thus worth my time to memorize, and what information is not. The textbook assigned appears to be a general cell biology textbook, so there is a lot of "useless" information- too much detail about specific proteins and pathways. I've been told by MSII's that it is possible to do well just by taking notes from and reviewing the lectures. However, I'm not sure if I will have enough detail from that alone. My idea to solve this problem is to get a USMLE Step 1 book and look at the corresponding sections in that, figuring that if it is important enough for the boards, it will probably be something that the professors want us to know. Is this a good or bad idea?

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Personally, I'm not a big fan of textbooks. They are filled with highly detailed information, and its simply not possible to learn it all. I would suggest using your syllabus to determine how much information you professor wants you to know. But even that can be too much. Thats why I've found review books (i.e. First Aid, BRS, etc) to be so valuable. They present you with only the high yield facts in a relatively simple and straight forward manner. If you know everything in the review books, you will most likely pass. If you know everything in your syllabus, you will most likely honor. If you know everything in your textbook, you will most likely be able to get your PhD.
 
I want to add that the school I go to is P/F for the first couple years, anyway.
 
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keep in mind that even though the classes r just P/F, u do want to just pass. ur aim should always be to learn the best u can (i.e. aim for the 90). the pass P/F system is just to keep u from stressing about numbers so u can focus on the material.
 
Hi all,
At the end of the first week of classes here. The material (cell biology and physiology) is straightforward so far, but with regards to the textbooks, it is difficult to tell (especially with cell biology) what information is relevant, and thus worth my time to memorize, and what information is not. The textbook assigned appears to be a general cell biology textbook, so there is a lot of "useless" information- too much detail about specific proteins and pathways. I've been told by MSII's that it is possible to do well just by taking notes from and reviewing the lectures. However, I'm not sure if I will have enough detail from that alone. My idea to solve this problem is to get a USMLE Step 1 book and look at the corresponding sections in that, figuring that if it is important enough for the boards, it will probably be something that the professors want us to know. Is this a good or bad idea?

Honestly, if upperclassmen are telling you the lecture notes are plenty to get an A, just go to town on the lecture notes and learn the **** out of them, screw textbooks. Do well in classes, that'll serve you well in your Step 1 review. Most minutiae of a class like MCB will naturally be pruned away after the class ends (and based on the level of detail & somewhat different focus of Step I questions, that's fine), but study it hard using the source from which they write the test questions, most of the time this is the lecture notes. Know the lecture notes. If you need a supplemental source for a topic, check out a text from the Reserve section and read it then. But at least at my school, your bible is the lecture notes.
 
Hi all,
At the end of the first week of classes here. The material (cell biology and physiology) is straightforward so far, but with regards to the textbooks, it is difficult to tell (especially with cell biology) what information is relevant, and thus worth my time to memorize, and what information is not. The textbook assigned appears to be a general cell biology textbook, so there is a lot of "useless" information- too much detail about specific proteins and pathways. I've been told by MSII's that it is possible to do well just by taking notes from and reviewing the lectures. However, I'm not sure if I will have enough detail from that alone. My idea to solve this problem is to get a USMLE Step 1 book and look at the corresponding sections in that, figuring that if it is important enough for the boards, it will probably be something that the professors want us to know. Is this a good or bad idea?

First of all, look at the objectives in your lecture and syllabus. If the lecture is covering these, you don't need to memorize a textbook. Second, review books are not nearly detailed enough for coursework. They are designed for review. You cannot review what you have not learned in the first place. Finally, listen to your upperclassmen. If you find that you need supplemental reading, as the poster above recommended, consult one of the reserve texts in the library but listen to your upperclassmen. You can waste hours of valuable time trying to wade through textbooks and outside sources when you need to hone your knowledge of your lecture notes. If an instructor presents something in lecture that you don't understand, go to office hours but you greatly decrease your efficiency by trying to get through too many sources and especially review books.
 
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