Class of 2020... how you doin?

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Anyone have recommendations for a penlight? I need one for my clinical competency class, but everyone I keep finding either looks super cheap and not durable or some sort of tactical, will probably blind somebody lights
 
rockatiel said:
When is everyone's first anatomy test? My second one is tomorrow... 😕
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our first is on the 23rd. Also HI ROCKY I'VE MISSED YOU even though i like almost all of your posts on fb... :biglove:
 
Trying to use Anki for the first time (I always wrote my notes by hand in undergrad and basically never used the computer to study) and it only saved 20 cards out of the 400+ that I made 🙁 anyone have Anki tips? Its help section is not the most helpful so far.
 
supershorty said:
Trying to use Anki for the first time (I always wrote my notes by hand in undergrad and basically never used the computer to study) and it only saved 20 cards out of the 400+ that I made 🙁 anyone have Anki tips? Its help section is not the most helpful so far.
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Are you sure those are the only ones it saved? It might just only be showing you those if you have it set to only allow you to review 20 cards a day. If you go to "browse" it should show your full collection of cards. And if you click on a particular deck and then go to "options" you can change how many new cards you can review a day and a bunch of other things.

ETA: This thread is helpful http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-official-anki-thread.1061415/
 
supershorty said:
Trying to use Anki for the first time (I always wrote my notes by hand in undergrad and basically never used the computer to study) and it only saved 20 cards out of the 400+ that I made 🙁 anyone have Anki tips? Its help section is not the most helpful so far.
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What WZ said. Anki by default is only set up to allow you to review a relatively low number of cards/day. You can change that setting, though; there's even a cram mode that will let you go through all of your cards over and over again. If you browse the deck you should be able to see all of the cards that you made. 🙂
 
Did well on my first practical that I was so sure I failed. I still feel constantly overwhelmed, but it's a relief to know my study methods are working (at least for that class.... We'll see about the other ones... ). We can do this guys!
 
heyyimhayley said:
I think my issue on this quiz was that everything had to be identified in 2 dimensions (it was an online quiz so the questions were basically photos of dissections and answering questions about muscles which had arrows pointing to them), where as in lab, I figure out what things are based on their locations next to other muscles and things like that. So I'm not sure how to approach this issue
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As someone else pointed out, CSU has an online dissection with diagrams and quizzes that is fairly useful. I took LSU's anatomy prep-course at the beginning of August, and CSU's website confused me because it doesn't look the same as an in-lab specimen. BUT, if you are finding it challenging to orient yourself to an online picture, then it might be just what you need. Watch out though, depending on whether you are needing to know Latin names or common names, it can get confusing (CSU's site is mostly Latin terms), but once you get to used to it, that isn't so bad. Minnesota is supposed to have something on their site, too, but I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
Best of luck!
 
supershorty said:
I have 13 courses this semester, but I don't think all of them go for the entire thing, looking at my schedule (@LetItSnow @kcoughli is that accurate?). At least one of them is more an orientation study group type thing, so I'm leaving that off the list.

So the required coursework for us is the following:

Interprofessional communications
Microscopic anatomy I
Anatomy I
Physiology I
Veterinary biochemistry, nutrition, & genetics
Clinical skills I
Professional development I
Critical scientific reading
Immunology

and then I have 3 electives: large animal neonatology, intro to non-domestic animal medicine, and a study skills seminar. Going to be a busy semester!
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This feels like a test, how much do I remember from first year. The answer is not much. But congrats on finishing your first day!

I think CSR and Immuno are both short/partial semester dealios and Prof Dev is pretty sporadic.
 
For anatomy I started out with the million flashcards from hell but it just wasn't sustainable for me. Ended up group studying - going into lab with some other people, quizzing each other ad nauseam until it stuck. Coincidentally, that's how I ended up studying for the rest of my classes year 2 and 3 and my grades improved. I had never done this in undergrad but it worked pretty well for me.
 
that redhead said:
For anatomy I started out with the million flashcards from hell but it just wasn't sustainable for me. Ended up group studying - going into lab with some other people, quizzing each other ad nauseam until it stuck. Coincidentally, that's how I ended up studying for the rest of my classes year 2 and 3 and my grades improved. I had never done this in undergrad but it worked pretty well for me.
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The less studying I did and the more going to bed earlier I did ..... well, ok, my grades didn't improve, but they also didn't get worse, and I was a lot happier with life.
 
LetItSnow said:
The less studying I did and the more going to bed earlier I did ..... well, ok, my grades didn't improve, but they also didn't get worse, and I was a lot happier with life.
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and so were those around him

😉
 
Sleep is like the most important thing to me. And food. I'm tired right now because the long weekend screwed up my sleep schedule but I've mostly been ok because I try to get at least 7 hours each night. I'm trying to push it to 7.5 (need to somehow take less time getting ready in the morning).

Food is also super important. Exercise is supposed to be important too but I don't like it as much as food and sleep 😛
 
Wow, you all have so many classes already! So far we only have:
Anatomy (Gross/Developmental) w/ lab
Cell Bio/Histo w/ lab
Biochemistry and Metabolism
Clinical Radioanatomy (which does not meet very often)
and we're starting Clinical Skills (show up and pass) next week. We work off an integrated curriciulum system, so often the same/related topics are being covered in different classes around the same time. It really helps with reinforcing key concepts, but our schedules are all over the place.
 
LetItSnow said:
The less studying I did and the more going to bed earlier I did ..... well, ok, my grades didn't improve, but they also didn't get worse, and I was a lot happier with life.
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I guess I should have added that all of my studying years 2 and 3 were quite literally the night before the exams, finals and otherwise. So I did a lot of sleeping and goofing off and enjoying not studying 🙂
 
that redhead said:
I guess I should have added that all of my studying years 2 and 3 were quite literally the night before the exams, finals and otherwise. So I did a lot of sleeping and goofing off and enjoying not studying 🙂
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That's a relief to hear. I feel that the earlier in advance I try to study material for any tests, the less of it I actually retain in the long run. So I think this is the pattern I'm settling into.

I swear vet school has turned me into the sleepiest person ever. I nap almost everyday now. I see how easy it could be for some to fall behind sleep wise!
 
I was a two or three days before type person. I almost always went to class but didn't pay attention as good as I could have. I'd rewatch lectures and write out key points by hand a couple days before exams for most courses. When I took notes in class, they were typed because I can type so much faster, but I don't really retain much until I write it out. I also learned by second year that I cannot study effectively at home. I will accomplish very little and probably end up either asleep or watching netflix. So second and third year I would camp out at a table in the library for a few hours every night and actually get things accomplished. Even now, I really need to go to my office to study and get any reading done.
 
Mattress is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Air mattress, you've done your job admirably, but I'm over you. Hopefully I'll be getting a good night's sleep starting tomorrow.

On another note, does anyone else have to take developmental biology? It's my absolute least favorite. I wish we had something else in its place.
 
missdarjeeling said:
Mattress is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Air mattress, you've done your job admirably, but I'm over you. Hopefully I'll be getting a good night's sleep starting tomorrow.

On another note, does anyone else have to take developmental biology? It's my absolute least favorite. I wish we had something else in its place.
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We did some embryology in advanced anatomy. Is it that kind of thing? I like embryology but a lot of people found it super confusing.
 
I also think we have embryology at some later point
 
I am seriously so, so frustrated with school right now. I feel like I'm retaining nothing and that it is all just going in one ear and out the other. Ugh.

Maybe it'll get better after our first batch of tests next week when I'll have some sort of indication as to whether I am actually learning things or not.
 
You guys make me feel better. I have been making sleep one of my priorities and had been feeling guilty. Glad it ranks high on others lists too!

Survived (barely) anatomy and histo. Didn't get grades I wanted but at least passed. And at this point Cs equal DVM and I am staring to accept that that is okay.

Oh and Sandstorm, I too am/have been hugely frustrated with classes. I don't feel like I seem to remember much from lecture either. My only salvation is that our lectures are recorded. And I have been re-watching them. So far I have been able to keep up but I am sure there will be a tipping point sometime soon and then I am not sure what I will do?
 
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SandstormDVM said:
I am seriously so, so frustrated with school right now. I feel like I'm retaining nothing and that it is all just going in one ear and out the other. Ugh.

Maybe it'll get better after our first batch of tests next week when I'll have some sort of indication as to whether I am actually learning things or not.
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This was a common feeling for me at the start. If you're persistent it pays off and you will know what you need to know. Just don't equate A with success.
 
dyachei said:
not at all surprising.

if the same prof is doing immuno, especially.
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Dr. K, I love her.
BacT prof is nice but I just get so tired in that class. It's getting better now that we're actually getting into the organisms. The intro/general info portion was rough.
 
WildZoo said:
Dr. K, I love her.
BacT prof is nice but I just get so tired in that class. It's getting better now that we're actually getting into the organisms. The intro/general info portion was rough.
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Yeah..if that guy is the same....he's so freaking nice. But sooooooo boring.

Did Dr. K tell you about the racoon in her recliner yet?
 
Got to castrate my first victim (a goat) yesterday! Plus, got to administer an IV injection which I haven't done before and finally got it on the 5th try (poor goat, I'm sorry)! Overall, it was definitely fun and exciting to be touching a live animal!
 
WildZoo said:
@dyachei Dr. K was one of my interviewers. I kept thinking she looked familiar but it was so long ago now I couldn't place her, so I looked back for the email to see if that was where I recognized her from 😍
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"all god's chillens have pox virus"

Tell her hi for me if you get a chance. She was one of my favorites 🙂
 
SandstormDVM said:
The photos on FB are adorable. 😍

We got to do mock physical exams on dogs today, and my group got a super well-behaved puppy! 🙂
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Orange boys for days!!

I'm so miffed that I forgot to take pics of our puppy. We did dogs last week and they were all so precious.
 
missdarjeeling said:
Mattress is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Air mattress, you've done your job admirably, but I'm over you. Hopefully I'll be getting a good night's sleep starting tomorrow.

On another note, does anyone else have to take developmental biology? It's my absolute least favorite. I wish we had something else in its place.
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Everyone in our class agrees I'm pretty sure! And I heard someone say the exams are not nearly as in depth as the lectures . Just focus on the main points in the PDFs and you'll be okay.
 
I'm so jealous of all of you getting to do stuff with live animals already! I guess we used to have some live dog labs in anatomy, but they got canceled for some reason. I have signed up for a couple opportunities to play with some kitties though! :biglove:

We still don't have our grades back from our physiology test last week, but most of my class agreed it was really difficult, so I'll be ecstatic if I got a C. Our first microanatomy lab exam was today and I got an 89! :soexcited:The lecture portion is tomorrow/technically today. Then our first gross anatomy exam is next week. :hungover:
 
Guys I am hilariously bad a knots. Like I am more worried about being able to do the knots I need to for our surgery final than passing anatomy haha

I have some extra suture from the skills lab and am buying some rope for the rope knots to practice, so I'm sure it'll be fine. But my friend was laughing at me the whole restraint lab 😛
 
Caiter92 said:
Guys I am hilariously bad a knots. Like I am more worried about being able to do the knots I need to for our surgery final than passing anatomy haha

I have some extra suture from the skills lab and am buying some rope for the rope knots to practice, so I'm sure it'll be fine. But my friend was laughing at me the whole restraint lab 😛
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If you're talking about hand ties- I NEVER do these. I always do instrument ties. Don't worry about it, you'll get a hang of it eventually. Be sure you're placing even tension on both ends.
 
On my ST sx rotation the surgeon actually laughed out loud at my hand tie attempts. Still got a fantastic eval (and in my defense I had just gotten off a high volume shelter rotation and it was just so awkward compared to instrument ties...) Have never done one outside of school.
 
psilovethomas said:
If you're talking about hand ties- I NEVER do these. I always do instrument ties. Don't worry about it, you'll get a hang of it eventually. Be sure you're placing even tension on both ends.
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Ha, a two handed tie is like the one thing I can do :laugh:

I'm okay at my square knots with the instruments, suck at having even stitches with any of the continuous patterns, but I know I just need more practice.

We had a rope knots restraint lab today (mostly just stuff you'd use for Ag) and aside from a quick-release, which I knew how to do already, it was bad 😛
 
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