If you could go back and do things differently....

[Podicus]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start off by saying that I have been accepted to DMU for podiatry and I am unbelievably excited. That being said, I am very nervous, scared, and anxious for the rigorous path ahead of me (One that many of you are currently partaking in or finished!)

When I finished undergrad, my younger sibling asked me what would I do differently if I could go back to the beginning and approach undergrad with the knowledge I now have. I of course had a lot of advice in regards to handling stress, working efficiently, what books I wish I did buy, which I wish I didn't and just life advice in general.

All blabbering aside, I would like to now turn towards all of you and ask, If any of you could go back to your first year with the knowledge you have now, what would you do differently? What sort of tricks would you have wish to had at your disposal? And what sort of advice could you give yourself from the future?

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[ManUnderFire]

Halfway through first year, I think I would've saved my money and bought only 1-2 textbooks (a good anatomy atlas, for instance). The concepts that are difficult to grasp in first year are few and far between-save time and money and refer to wikipedia and youtube when stumped. Textbooks are over priced, cumbersome to search through and carry around, don't necessarily follow the prof's course plan, and are often poorly written or written in the author's style which may not suit the individual reader so you'll have to check another (or multiple) reference(s) anyway. I have a feeling that there are some clinical books worth investing in, though.

I would've been more aggressive in finding a mentor-someone successful in the field but also with more life experience (ie. the older the better). Their knowledge is power. Also when you finally find someone that roots for you, it's amazing to what lengths they will go to ensure your success.

I would've applied earlier and not looked back. Sometimes what we really need is staring us right in the friggin' face but we choose to wait in the hopes of finding something 'better' (which applies to essentially every aspect of life-career, jobs, relationships, friends, housing, cars). In the end, if we are dedicated and motivated in life, we'll end up exactly where we 'fit' best. And more often than not, the fit is not at all what we imagined it would be. Life is funny that way. So choose wisely, be happy with the choices you make, and forget the rest. If you're good at what you do and do it with passion, you will be recognized.

 

[Pod Zilla]

I'm only a first year student and I only have one semester under my belt so take this for what it's worth. What would I do differently? Nothing. There is no amount of preparing I could have done (besides taking pre-reqs) for what was entailed for me.

I go to DMU so I can give you a pretty accurate account as to what you'll be facing next year. The first year is rough. There is no sugar coating it. But for now, don't worry about it. Go enjoy life and start worrying about it when class starts in the fall. Do not waste your money on textbooks. All the professors give you detailed handouts and everything you need to know is on there. Do buy a good anatomy atlas. You'll be paired up with a big sibling some time over the summer and your big can tell you more. Or you can PM me and I will try my best to answer your questions.

 

[josebiwasabi]

There were a couple of units in courses that I hated, such as the head and neck portion of gross anatomy. I hated it so much that I avoided studying it as much as I could. I bombed those exams. I got my worst grade in podiatry school in that class. If I had put forth more effort in that class, I would have had more opportunities for scholarships and would have looked better on paper, as I am just below a 3.5.

I guess the moral of the story is, study your butt off during 1st and 2nd year, because after that your GPA is pretty much set.

 

[Podicus]

Thank you for the amazing advice everyone I am so greatful!

 

[LoneStarState]

I'd realize that the school isn't what I thought it was. The 2nd and 3rd years are nice and friendly, some are caring but some of those in influence, power and position are pretty phony, fake, insincere, and messed up. Still though I wish I was in the class of the 2nd years. I dislike my classmates as a whole, no sense of unity or togetherness, or even supporting the right people. Everyone goes their own way. Glad I'm not around them anymore.

 

[ManUnderFire]

I'd realize that the school isn't what I thought it was. The 2nd and 3rd years are nice and friendly, some are caring but some of those in influence, power and position are pretty phony, fake, insincere, and messed up. Still though I wish I was in the class of the 2nd years. I dislike my classmates as a whole, no sense of unity or togetherness, or even supporting the right people. Everyone goes their own way. Glad I'm not around them anymore.

That's too bad-I feel ya. I think that is often the case with programs that are competitive...it's very hard to get in/succeed without looking out for #1. Even so, their are always a few genuinely nice students worth holding on to. Always be nice to people (as a general rule in life)...but it's not a popularity contest. Even one confidant is better than a crowd of acquaintances.

PDF versions of Atlases: I recently stumbled upon pdf versions of two anatomy atlases...they are a god send! They are much more user friendly and best of all...easily portable!

Shadowing: I'm not sure if most schools have a required Pod shadowing course, but if you don't, do it yourself. It's a great way to make contacts and I've noticed that they are much more receptive when they know you are a pod student as opposed to a pre-pod.

Upper level science classes: Your time in pod school will be much much MUCH easier if you can take upper level science classes prior to starting (in particular gross anatomy, physiology, biochem, pharmacology). Most of my classmates did not take it previously, and even though they are still acing the classes, they are forced to cram the material for exams and forget most of it the next day. Repetition is key. But, I would probably take them in my last year if you are fearful of them negatively affecting your GPA (since only your Fall grades are used in the calculation of your application GPA)

 

[Podicus]

I'd realize that the school isn't what I thought it was. The 2nd and 3rd years are nice and friendly, some are caring but some of those in influence, power and position are pretty phony, fake, insincere, and messed up. Still though I wish I was in the class of the 2nd years. I dislike my classmates as a whole, no sense of unity or togetherness, or even supporting the right people. Everyone goes their own way. Glad I'm not around them anymore.

I was sort of wondering how one is able to make friends in pod school. The P2 students at DMU were telling me during my interview that during the first year the class rooms are nearly always empty because no one attends lectures? How do you get to know those around you if they are never on campus?

 

[Podicus]

That's too bad-I feel ya. I think that is often the case with programs that are competitive...it's very hard to get in/succeed without looking out for #1. Even so, their are always a few genuinely nice students worth holding on to. Always be nice to people (as a general rule in life)...but it's not a popularity contest. Even one confidant is better than a crowd of acquaintances.

PDF versions of Atlases: I recently stumbled upon pdf versions of two anatomy atlases...they are a god send! They are much more user friendly and best of all...easily portable!

Shadowing: I'm not sure if most schools have a required Pod shadowing course, but if you don't, do it yourself. It's a great way to make contacts and I've noticed that they are much more receptive when they know you are a pod student as opposed to a pre-pod.

Upper level science classes: Your time in pod school will be much much MUCH easier if you can take upper level science classes prior to starting (in particular gross anatomy, physiology, biochem, pharmacology). Most of my classmates did not take it previously, and even though they are still acing the classes, they are forced to cram the material for exams and forget most of it the next day. Repetition is key. But, I would probably take them in my last year if you are fearful of them negatively affecting your GPA (since only your Fall grades are used in the calculation of your application GPA)

Thank you for the advice!
In undergrad I decided to foolishly take a lot of upper decision courses. Immuno, cell bio, anatomy, path etc and so I was really hoping that would help. I felt worried though when I was told we will cover an entire undergrad semester of biochem in a week! Haha

 

[Podicus]

I'm only a first year student and I only have one semester under my belt so take this for what it's worth. What would I do differently? Nothing. There is no amount of preparing I could have done (besides taking pre-reqs) for what was entailed for me.

I go to DMU so I can give you a pretty accurate account as to what you'll be facing next year. The first year is rough. There is no sugar coating it. But for now, don't worry about it. Go enjoy life and start worrying about it when class starts in the fall. Do not waste your money on textbooks. All the professors give you detailed handouts and everything you need to know is on there. Do buy a good anatomy atlas. You'll be paired up with a big sibling some time over the summer and your big can tell you more. Or you can PM me and I will try my best to answer your questions.

I think my biggest concern is I have been out of school for two years now. So I have been trying to just read some novels and get back into the mode of reading again and kicking the cobwebs out of my thick skull haha

 

[Pod Zilla]

I think my biggest concern is I have been out of school for two years now. So I have been trying to just read some novels and get back into the mode of reading again and kicking the cobwebs out of my thick skull haha

Don't worry about that, you'll learn to adjust. And casual reading isn't going to get you ready for med school. Regarding making friends, you'll have plenty of opportunities. Your classmates will most likely have some sort of get-together right before class starts so everyone can meet before orientation. But you'll have pod med and all the labs that you have to go to. Even if you decided not to go to class, you'll still be able to make friends.

 

[heybrother]

Make friends - attend class at least for a little while (to meet people, reading = learning). Go to the class social events. Make it a point to introduce yourself to your classmates and learn their names. Make friends with the DOs (they are nice), but remember your DPMs are with you for the long haul. You'll be at the VA together wishing you could stay there forever soon enough. Bring something to read to IPMSA meetings or burn an hour eating bad tacos. There is time for the gym. Adopt a healthy normal schedule - make yourself get up in the morning and start studying - even on weekends. Actively manage your calendar and know where you are in the material in relation to the test. Plan your days off - the best time for a bit of recreation is probably after one of those awful weeks where every class had a test, but no new lectures have begun yet. Plan something fun for those days so you don't bemoan wasting your only day off (or hell do nothing and love it) Recognize that some classes test often and some test infrequently - infrequent testing often means enormous volumes of material that cannot be covered at the last minute. Unless things have drastically changed virtually all test questions will come from the readings. Library and gym jobs are probably free money if you live across the street. I'm told the 50% percentile for my class was around a 3.0 first year. It it significantly higher by the end of 2nd year - keep your game up. The best preparation for boards is a stellar performance first and second year. You'll have to do a poster project before you leave - it can be a clinical question or actual research - most people won't start early, but consider it. There's really way less information available about residencies than you would like to believe. Do attend some of the lunches, but consider visiting places for a day over your summers. I don't know how many people actually do this, but the consensus 3rd year is that everyone wishes they knew more about programs and information is in short supply. Don't go running to Dr. Smith asking about residency programs as a first year. He'll tell you to pass pharmacology first and unless we've sent a lot of students somewhere he probably doesn't know that much about it. The physical exam in a SPAL is free points - time yourself or you'll get to audible when the bell rings. You may or may not learn the knots in lunch suture sessions, but your coordination will improve. Don't fret - you'll cover this in 3rd year.

 

[Pod Zilla]

Great post, heybrother! Very informative.

Seriously tho, those tacos...