Hardest Course In Year 1

[TheSeanieB]

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What was the hardest course in your year 1 cirriculum? What made it so hard?

 

[SmokD]

Anatomy

 

[Daedra22]

GI. Not because GI is that bad, but because the professor was really really really bad.

 

[Pansit]

What was the hardest course in your year 1 cirriculum? What made it so hard?

Most courses are based on 2 or 3 exams to pass. The hardest course is when you have multiple exams on your plate, your super busy, overwhelmed, and you dont study enough or have enough time to study for an exam that you bomb. I dont think there is one course that is super hard above the others...the key is TIME MANAGEMENT. We have all proven we can pass exams if given enough time (college)...but the first year tests how you can manage when not given enough time to memorize the wealth of information.

 

[EMH Mark V]

Anatomy

^^^

 

[Colbert]

Depends on if your school does systems based or not. But IMHO...

Anatomy is the HARDEST class due to the vast amount of memorization necessary.

Physiology is the MOST IMPORTANT class due to how much it is stressed on Step 1.

 

[DocEspana]

Depends on if your school does systems based or not. But IMHO...

Anatomy is the HARDEST class due to the vast amount of memorization necessary.

Physiology is the MOST IMPORTANT class due to how much it is stressed on Step 1.

👍 everything he said. 👍

 

[marke]

as of now.. neuro was definitely the toughest block

 

[TheSeanieB]

Depends on if your school does systems based or not. But IMHO...

Anatomy is the HARDEST class due to the vast amount of memorization necessary.

Physiology is the MOST IMPORTANT class due to how much it is stressed on Step 1.

What would you recommend that matriculating students memorize in advance (if anything) to ease the burden when starting? I was thinking of doing the bones, ligaments, muscles, and nerves.

 

[chup12682]

Anatomy = hardest subject
Physiology = subject I studied hardest for due to the fact that it's so important.

WOW!!! you want to start memorizing things now, before school even starts... Based on the little information we all have about you, I'm going to reach out there and label you a little gunner in the making!!! Just kidding... =)

Anyway, as for your question, my opinion is... DON'T BOTHER! enjoy your summer and start med school with a fresh mind! But if you do want to start some reading, I'd suggest any BRS book out there. Start flipping through the pages, get a feel for how the curriculum might be arranged. The brachial plexus was hard to digest, so you could look at that.

 

[Everglide]

Anatomy. It's brute memorization and a lot of it. Don't even bother studying for it early.

 

[TheSeanieB]

Anatomy. It's brute memorization and a lot of it. Don't even bother studying for it early.

I've noticed that I am getting this advice a lot. I am a little anxious because I do not have the bio background that most matriculants have. I took a little more than the basic requirements.

Did you go in with a more in depth bio background?

 

[MightyMoose]

I've noticed that I am getting this advice a lot. I am a little anxious because I do not have the bio background that most matriculants have. I took a little more than the basic requirements.

Did you go in with a more in depth bio background?

I think the idea behind these suggestions is not because it won't be helpful, because I'm sure if you study over the summer it will help... some, but not much and not nearly enough to make anatomy less of a pain.

For example, I have a buddy who was in an SMP and took anatomy with the med students, did well (honors), then the following year in med school he still had to bust his ass to learn anatomy at his new school (didn't honors it the second time). Different techniques and massive quantities of information made this class just as much of a pain in the ass that it was the first time for him. This is a smart guy, who knows his stuff, but the point is that medical school anatomy the first time didn't make his life the following year any easier (maybe a little, but not nearly enough). So, in your situation, self studying over the summer might help some, but in the end you would much rather have your summer back.

 

[Slane]

I've noticed that I am getting this advice a lot. I am a little anxious because I do not have the bio background that most matriculants have. I took a little more than the basic requirements.

Did you go in with a more in depth bio background?

I had only the basic requirements for getting in, and I made it through anatomy just fine. Seriously, don't spend your last bit of free time trying to pregame for medical school, enjoy it instead. As for the original topic, neuroanatomy has definitely been the hardest course thus far. It's made gross anatomy of the entire rest of the body seem like a walk in the park. I'd take muscles and nerves over this pathway and nuclei crap any day...

 

[TheSeanieB]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think I'll just do some casual reading in my spare time. Thanks. 🙂

 

[drctother]

What would you recommend that matriculating students memorize in advance (if anything) to ease the burden when starting? I was thinking of doing the bones, ligaments, muscles, and nerves.

I hope this is a joke. If you go into med with this kind of mentality to be a gunner, you are going to have zero fun, be stressed as hell, and not have a good experience at all

Also, no one likes a gunner 😛

you will be fine without "pre-memorizing"

 

[p1acebo]

I hope this is a joke. If you go into med with this kind of mentality to be a gunner, you are going to have zero fun, be stressed as hell, and not have a good experience at all

Also, no one likes a gunner 😛

you will be fine without "pre-memorizing"

This.

And one more vote for Anatomy for me.

 

[TheSeanieB]

There's a lot of negative energy here. I'm almost sorry I asked.

 

[MightyMoose]

There's a lot of negative energy here. I'm almost sorry I asked.

Don't sweat it, man. I read pathology, physio, and neuro texts while I'm on break... I read them, because I'm curious though, not to get a leg up in 1st year. I'm sure you just don't want to be overwhelmed and people on here automatically jump to the gunner conclusion. Some people actually chose medicine because it is fascinating subject matter. I still stand by the fact that pre-memorizing isn't really worth it in the long haul, but you shouldn't be discouraged from anything "medically related" if you're interested in it.

 

[EmmaNemma]

don't sweat it, man. I read pathology, physio, and neuro texts while i'm on break... I read them, because i'm curious though, not to get a leg up in 1st year. I'm sure you just don't want to be overwhelmed and people on here automatically jump to the gunner conclusion. Some people actually chose medicine because it is fascinating subject matter. I still stand by the fact that pre-memorizing isn't really worth it in the long haul, but you shouldn't be discouraged from anything "medically related" if you're interested in it.

+1

 

[iatros]

At my school- neuro.

Makes kittens cry... and grown ups too.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Micro due to the sheer details

 

[ShyRem]

bacteriology. Absolutely. Anatomy wasn't bad at all in comparison. BacT was the only course that made me cry and fear for failure (I passed BTW).

 

[Jrsharp70]

bacteriology. Absolutely. Anatomy wasn't bad at all in comparison. BacT was the only course that made me cry and fear for failure (I passed BTW).

+1

T1 was SPOM = structural principles of medicine: integrated A&P, path, lots of imaging
T2 was CMBM for us = bugs & drugs: micro, immuno, related pharm, related path, related imaging
It is now neuro with all the great stuff associated like before.

Since they are all 13 credit classes with every test containing the interrelated material from all the subjects, CMBM was so much so fast, it made anatomy seem like fond memories. I may never remember all of the CD markers...

Everyone says neuro is way harder... if it is I may be in trouble.

 

[st2205]

Anatomy and immunology. I only say immunology because there were two tests and I failed the first one.

 

[tehdude]

It was all about the same for me.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I thought Biochem was the hardest but that professor is no longer at LECOM-Erie so that's a mute point.

I found embryology especially stressing since there are so few questions on exams. You really can't miss any without failing the whole course.

Anatomy has lots of volume and memorization but the material itself isn't hard. Just lots of it and structures to memorize.

 

[Bacchus]

+1

T1 was SPOM = structural principles of medicine: integrated A&P, path, lots of imaging
T2 was CMBM for us = bugs & drugs: micro, immuno, related pharm, related path, related imaging
It is now neuro with all the great stuff associated like before.

Since they are all 13 credit classes with every test containing the interrelated material from all the subjects, CMBM was so much so fast, it made anatomy seem like fond memories. I may never remember all of the CD markers...

Everyone says neuro is way harder... if it is I may be in trouble.

If we did Neuro when you guys did (I'm in Philadelphia) I probably would have had to be institutionalized. Getting the few systems we did was such a break from anatomy and cmbm.

 

[drctother]

Don't sweat it, man. I read pathology, physio, and neuro texts while I'm on break... I read them, because I'm curious though, not to get a leg up in 1st year. I'm sure you just don't want to be overwhelmed and people on here automatically jump to the gunner conclusion. Some people actually chose medicine because it is fascinating subject matter. I still stand by the fact that pre-memorizing isn't really worth it in the long haul, but you shouldn't be discouraged from anything "medically related" if you're interested in it.

Before I get labelled a "bad guy" here, she meant to get a leg up

 

[MossPoh]

I think anatomy is tough because it is one of the first classes you are thrown into and it is a ton of memorization without having much to base it off of. It was just painful to flat out memorize this=this, that=that, etc.

Man, all of those classes seem so long ago now.