Why do people say we are combined-degree students like it's two degrees rolled into one. They should say dual-degree students cause there's nothing combined about what we do. We fulfill med school criteria and then we come to grad school and sit in their useless classes to fulfill their graduation criteria. Why do we need to take a cell biology course?
You in CAMB? I switched departments from Neuroscience in big part to get away from stupid requirements like this. I agree about the "combined degree" rhetoric. What we want are things removed from our cirricula that overlap. What we don't want are additional things forced on us to make us go to clinics while we're trying to get a PhD or things that don't help us get out PhD faster while we're in med school. How about a more flexible med school schedule to let us get our classes done? It seems the MD, PhD, AND MD/PhD side get more rigid every year about requirements and keep adding things that are unpopular but sound good on paper... But this whole thing about "integration" and a "touchy feely" (PBL, whatever) medical school cirriculum... It's all crap to sell to applicants. This seems true everywhere.
Why do I have to do 3 rotations when i know my thesis lab?
Sucks. Is anyone wondering why the time to graduation is shifting upwards? Hmmm....
Why do I still have to go to "doctoring" class when I will not be in the hospital for 3 (crossing my fingers) more years?
This is something that pisses off every single class. I was steering committee rep for your year and that was by far the single largest complaint. Almost everyone in every year thinks this is ridiculous. There's only one way to get these things changed... COMPLAIN! The administration doesn't hear complaints and nothing will get fixed. If it's just you, they won't take you seriously. Rally your classmates and BITCH BITCH BITCH. Do like my class and take half the class and barge into Maggie's office to complain. Send e-mails. Write your steering committee rep. In fact, write that person all this stuff that you are rightfully upset about and CC Maggie AND Skip if you don't mind not being anonymous.
Be glad I freaked out about Doctoring III being required or that would have continued another year. I went to the meeting about that and $@%@$#%@#$%@#$% and sent a number of e-mails. Now it's optional. There were some other things I've done behind the scenes. Most battles I fight are losing ones, but once and awhile I'm instrumental the winning side and it keeps me going.
I remember in Doctoring II being 6 months into my thesis lab and then being picked at the last possible second with no prior notice to interview the bitchiest standardized patient ever. Despite trying to be smily and friendly my standardized patient was on some sort of crusade and tried to tear me a new ***hole. Thanks for that. I thank my standardized patients for driving me as far from "diversity" issues or clinical medicine as possible. Continuing this hazing into grad school, when you're already being hazed on something else and attempting to adjust to a new environment, is just cruel and unusual punishment.
my experiments didn't work today and i'm bitter
Happens to us all. I don't want to get you too discouraged or I'd say things like "wait until it's happening 2 years from now" or "good luck with that 3 year thing" or tell stories about the bitterness and depression of more senior students. Oh wait...
Every year the 1st years come in. They rah rah rah I'm so happy to be here. Give it another year or two and you applicants will never see them. We have a few voices from our school on this board, but don't worry, these issues are common everywhere. RAH RAH FIGHT THE POWER... Yeah right... Free medical school = put in your dues in time and frustration.
