"I just want you to appreciate the concept"

[racerx]

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Famous last words by a basic science prof here:

"Don't worry about memorizing this, I just want you to understand the concept."

Then, on the exam, there is a question similar to, "Which of these substrates (see unlabeled pictures of possible structures) results from the step in the pentose phosphate shunt that produces NADPH?

I guess the moral of the story is to memorize everything anyhow. BTW, this is just an illustrative example. We were told to memorize the PPS.

 

[bjackrian]

I hate the phrase "I just want you to appreciate the concept." That's code for "hahahaha, I'm going to stick it to you now."

 

[evade]

I hate the phrase "I just want you to appreciate the concept." That's code for "hahahaha, I'm going to stick it to you now."

Yes, and "Don't worry about the details" specifically means, "I plan to test you on these details."

 

[78222]

I hate the phrase "I just want you to appreciate the concept." That's code for "hahahaha, I'm going to stick it to you now."

yep

 

[med_heidelberg]

Yep, our neuro prof told us not to worry about memorizing all the nuclei in the brain stem and spinal cord, and on the exam, there were nuclei Id never even seen in my textbook!

 

[MSHell]

For phys they said we only needed to know "concepts". Then on the final I got a question asking about the # mV of excitatory post synaptic potential.

Don't believe 'em. Study it all anyway!

 

[Mr. Freeze]

HAHAHA

"Don't write this down,..."

BOHICA...

 

[CaptainDave]

yeah I fell for that one too on this first set of exams. I just didn't know the code.

 

[Taurus]

If you know the concepts, the minutiae will flow forth from your noggin like magic. Uh huh.

 

[racerx]

If you know the concepts, the minutiae will flow forth from your noggin like magic. Uh huh.

It was drool flowing from my lower lip.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

yeah I fell for that one too on this first set of exams. I just didn't know the code.

Me too, asked a lecturer how I shuold study for the first test in med school. His answer, "it's all concepts! we dont want you to memorize the little stuff." I looked at it as blatant deception.

M1s - learn the minutiae.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

don't grow up too fast
and don't embrace the past
this life's too good to last
and i'm too young to care

i love blackout, it's one of my favorite songs on that album

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Me too, asked a lecturer how I shuold study for the first test in med school. His answer, "it's all concepts! we dont want you to memorize the little stuff." I looked at it as blatant deception.

M1s - learn the minutiae.

A medical school professor told you that? Wow, do you think he was actively trying to deceive you, or does he lack complete self-awareness about how he writes his test questions?

 

[FenderHM]

I just want you to appreciate the concept of my foot up your ass Dr. Liar

 

[MSHell]

A medical school professor told you that? Wow, do you think he was actively trying to deceive you, or does he lack complete self-awareness about how he writes his test questions?

It actually does border on active deceipt. I got that "concept" crap for many classes, including biochem!

Our micro prof however was more honest. He said micro was like memorizing a telephone book so we had better get started sooner rather than later.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Most of my profs have been pretty good about this, but one was exceptionally terrible. Our amino acid and nucleic acid metabolism prof claimed to be all about concepts, but her tests suggested a requirement of detailed knowledge of an endless number of metabolic pathways. Seriously, does it really matter what the third enzyme of heme synthesis does? Does she really think that's a conceptial question?
No big deal, just something to deal with, but it is pretty annoying for her to say one thing and then test another.

 

[Turkeyman]

I just want you to appreciate the concept of my foot up your ass Dr. Liar

Hahaha

 

[Pembleton]

A sad fact of medical school: even if you don't understand the concept completely, simply memorize the details behind it and you'll do well on that question for the exam. When time is tight and you don't have the time to try and understand a concept, it's just best to memorize it.

 

[McMD]

I definitely don't believe that concept crap...but when a prof. is at a slide in their powerpoint and they say "you don't need to know this"...I definitely cross it off and never ever look at it again. Luckily our profs (so far) have stuck to their word when they tell us "you don't need to know this."

 

[potato51]

I think at my school the profs are true to their word when they tell us to understand the concepts, but they always add that we'll need to know it for the USMLE Step 1. So while we're not forced to learn the minutiae in the curriculum, we'll still have to know it eventually.

 

[JohnnyOU]

Our anatomy prof said "You don't need to know origins and insertions" then on the exam it says "Which of the following inserts on the coracoid process?" (something like that) lol

Our latest biochem prof has said "You don't need to know all these structures" which makes me think "hmmm, so how many other those structures will be on the exam?"

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Our anatomy prof said "You don't need to know origins and insertions" then on the exam it says "Which of the following inserts on the coracoid process?" (something like that) lol

Our latest biochem prof has said "You don't need to know all these structures" which makes me think "hmmm, so how many other those structures will be on the exam?"

Looks like code for "memorize everything."

 

[liverotcod]

I'm still waiting for the test that consists of one question:
"Describe the normal functions of the human body and then contrast with pathological function."
There's a conceptual test for you.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

We have a biochem professor that's notorious for that. He famously gives out the "just worry about the concepts" line, and then writes tests that are quite literally designed for PhD candidates in biochemistry.

I think his problem is, he actually sees the obscure little details as being part of the general concepts. He honestly saw it as a problem in the students that they didn't see it like that, and almost never accepted a challenge to his test questions.

Moral of the story: if you are able to memorize every little detail about pathways, virulence factors and so on... but don't have a single clue about general concepts or how they are applied to the real practice of medicine... you will get straight A's in your first two years.

 

[pratik7]

I'm still waiting for the test that consists of one question:
"Describe the normal functions of the human body and then contrast with pathological function."
There's a conceptual test for you.

normal is not pathologic and pathologic is not normal .....DONE 😛

 

[vtucci]

They lie. It is good you learned early. 🙂