Favorite Class and Worst Class

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Studebug

On My Way 2 the Big Dance
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Messages
64
Reaction score
0
Please share your favorite class and worst class for MSI and MSII. Please share some details why. It might give us some insight in what to expect and how better to prepare.🙄

Members don't see this ad.
 
Favorite Class - Physiology. I loved how things were very conceptual, and every professor I've had was amazing. Physio is probably one of the more difficult classes in med school(yet it somehow became my favorite 😛) DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS...and read Costanzo. Good stuff.


Worst Class - Gross Anatomy. Most time-consuming class I have ever taken in my life. 1st semester would have been a breeze if it wasn't for this class.
 
Least Fav: Anatomy - least flexible, most time consuming. I felt like a cattle amongst the herd a lot of the time. Got pretty sick 2 days before the final. One plus: more social 🙂

Fav: Neuroantomy - I'm weird.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Worst: Humanities. Absolute waste of time, excuse for med schools to say they are producing "more humane, compassionate doctors".

Best: Pathology. Heart and soul of med school. You'll spend your first year learning seamingly random stuff just to prepare you for path/pathophys. It was a tough class, second maybe to anatomy, but it is more clinically relevant and what we came to med school to learn.
 
Favorite: Sex Ed
Least Favorite: Prostate Exams 101
 
To a certain extent, this totally depends on the curriculum and course director at your university.

For example, the renal module at my school is PHENOMENAL. However, the respiratory module is terrible. When I use these adjectives I am referring to the quality of the syllabus, lectures, powerpoints, small-group activities, etc. So, even though there may be an organ system that you find particularly interesting, the quality of the module may make you dislike the course. Hopefully, all the modules and courses are well done at your school.

Now, as far as course content...
Favorite class: Cardiovascular module (incredibly high-yield for both Step 1 and 3rd year).

Least favorite class: Cell Biology/Histology. Seriously, in the 3rd year of middle school I looked at 0 slides and applied cell biology to patient care 0 times. Nada. Worthless.
 
Favourite: Microbiology and Biochem, my majors in undergrad. Of the new stuff I loved Pharmacology most.

Least Favourite: Anatomy, no redeeming qualities at all and this was back when I thought surgery might be the one.

Wanted to Love: Neuro. I wanted to love this one and the brain still interests me but dear lord I was terrible at it. Could never sort out the anatomy.
 
Last edited:
Histology is by far and away my most hated aspect of my course.

Everything just looks pink and purple!
 
It was definitely influenced by the professor, but:

Favourite: Medical Microbiology and Neuroscience

Least Favourite: Immunology and Gross Anatomy
 
At least for MS1...

Favorite: Gross Anatomy. I guess I'm the odd one out here, but I found this the easiest class of the year. It just clicked for me I guess.

Worse: Biochem. Ugh... so glad this is over.
 
Favorite: Cardiology
Least: Probably Anatomy.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Favorites: Microbiology and Pathology. Fun, gross, seemingly random stuff that makes medicine what it is (to me)

Least favorites: Neuroscience and Biochemistry. Weird complex pathways. MAP kinase kinase kinase--enough said.
 
Favorite: Gross anatomy, biochemistry

Least Favorite: Epidemiology and Statistics
 
I feel like everyone is saying they love anatomy right now but it is just to get through it. (I'm currently in it)
 
LOL but statistically somebody has to like anatomy or they'd be no one left to teach it to the rest of us who couldn't care less
 
Yea, they love memorizing crap.
 
I was a big fan of anatomy before med school. It was mainly my awful profs and the lack of any clinical direction that killed the fun in gross anatomy. The written exams were not bad, though.
 
I was a big fan of anatomy before med school. It was mainly my awful profs and the lack of any clinical direction that killed the fun in gross anatomy. The written exams were not bad, though.

Amen. They teach like we're in Anatomy school. We're not. This is med school so how about less pure anatomy and more applied anatomy.

Granted most pre-clin departments could stand to learn this too but anatomy was always the worst.
 
Well, I guess I feel better about my class now. Almost everything is a clinical aspect with us. We also have "grand rounds" where someone with a problem for the particular thing we're taking about comes in and they explain what happened, how it was fixed, etc. We had a guy with radial nerve damage, with heart issues...all sorts of stuff.
 
MSI:
Favorites: Histology, neuroanatomy, gross anatomy
Least Favorite: The second half of humanities and biochem (both had so much potential but ended up being borderline completely useless)!
 
Most favourite: neuroscience/neuroanatomy and histology (also have a soft spot for embryology - though I have yet to meet someone who doesn't dislike embryology)

Least favourite: anatomy and biochem
 
For MS1:
Fav: Tie b/w Genetics and NueroscienceHated: Physiology
 
Year 1: Worst: parasitology, biochemistry, human behavior & development
Best: neuroscience, pharmacology, radiology
Year 2: Worst: health policy
Best: tbd
 
MSI
Favorite - Anatomy - I really enjoyed doing the dissections and learning this stuff.
Worst - Genetics - How many friggen second cousins make babies and have Tay-Sachs disease anyways?

Damn you Genetics!!!
 
MSI
favorite - anatomy and physiology (neuroanatomy and histology were included in the physiology block). the lab portion of anatomy was taught by surgeons and radiologists. the head and neck was AWESOME!!! 😀 many of the lectures (anatomy and physio/histo) were taught by doctors. neuroanatomy lab was taught by a pathologist 😀
worst - biochem by far. 😡
 
I have been really, really lucky. The classes that I didn't find all that interesting (biochem) had great teachers, and the classes I loved (anatomy, physiology) I could do on my own.
 
Best: Genetics (everybody thinks I'm weird about this one, even my own classmates cause our lecturer was not that great) and Neuroscience

Worst: Histology, Biochemistry and Neuroanatomy
 
MS-I
Worst- Anatomy, particularly Histology. Considering we were learning structure without function, histo had no useful application. Biochem a close second, chiefly due to an overwhelming lack of mention of clinical relevance.
Best- Psychology. Easier than Gross or Biochem, fairly easy to self-teach.

MS-II
Worst- Immunology. Monster PITA to memorize everything, throw in hundreds of bacteria, viruses, parasites and so on to cram.
Best- probably Organ Systems/Pathology. Finally able to apply all this crap!
 
Top