Life outside of Pritzker--definitely possible. Pass/fail is a major determining factor as far as that is concerned. As of Autumn quarter 2003, and into the foreseeable future, you will have time off in the middle of the day from 10:30-1:30. That same block of time, on Tuesdays and Thursdays is filled by a clinical skills class. That's where you sit for 1/5 hours, in a lecture hall, listening to the instructors, go on and on about how to interview patients. When the novelty of seeing veteran doctors awkwardly perform interviews in front of 104 students wears off, this class really begins to suck, but I digress.
Other than that, the class schedule remains the same from day to day. On the plus side, there are days when certain classes are not scheduled to meet, which is always pleasant.
All-in-all, I am very happy with the curriculum. Attendance is not mandatory, and, because of that, I feel well-rested and free to nap whenever I want
. However, as a person who is more of an independent student, I do feel constrained by having to be in histo or anatomy lab from 2:30-5pm just about everyday, but it's really not that bad.
Our more ambitious classmates represent our class on a curriculum review committee, chaired by the Dean of Med Education (I believe) to make changes in the curriculum where we ,as a class, see fit. So, there may be some minor changes in the participation of certain lecturers and the scheduling of certain lectures, but, for the most part, what we experience this year, is what you will be experienced next year.
Good luck with the whole process!
