Insight from MS1's into Texas Medical Schools

[cstolky]

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I've been fortunate enough to interview at several of the Texas schools. I'm optimistically hoping that I pre-match at all of the schools where I've interviewed. 🙂

Then the difficulty will be determining which school to choose. I really liked all of the schools. So, I was hoping that MS1s from all of the Texas schools could provide some insight into a day in the life of an MS1 at their school. Since I prefer independent study, I would be interested in learning how much time is spent in class per week, and how many courses do you have to take each semester (or module?)?

Any MS1 input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GrinchMD]

Seriously? What the **** did you do during your interview day?

 

[cstolky]

I'm sorry, I either don't remember getting specifics on those two questions, or if I did, I didn't write them down in my notes.

 

[deleted393595]

seriously? What the **** did you do during your interview day?

+1

 

[minerva3121]

I've been fortunate enough to interview at several of the Texas schools. I'm optimistically hoping that I pre-match at all of the schools where I've interviewed. 🙂

Then the difficulty will be determining which school to choose. I really liked all of the schools. So, I was hoping that MS1s from all of the Texas schools could provide some insight into a day in the life of an MS1 at their school. Since I prefer independent study, I would be interested in learning how much time is spent in class per week, and how many courses do you have to take each semester (or module?)?

Any MS1 input on this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm an MS1 at Baylor, this is my daily schedule for 1st semester (I bolded the mandatory attendance activities):

Monday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
Tuesday: Lecture 8-10 (optional if you stream)
Anatomy Lab 10-12
Problem-Based Learning w/ small group 1-3 (depends on the case and the instructor. Some of my classmates go all the way to 4 PM).
Wednesday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
"Patient, Physician, Society" 1-3 (only every other week)
Thursday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
Preceptorship 1-4/5 (only every other week when you don't have "Patient, Physician, Society"; time spent in clinic depends on your preceptor)
Friday: Lecture 8-10 (optional if you stream)
Histo Lab 10-12 (they don't take attendance but obviously not available for streaming)

Other optional stuff:
"Anatomy Buddies" - 1-2 hour long sessions in which MS2's help identify the structures from that week's lab and provide helpful study hints/tips. They are offered on different days of the week at different times, so you can pick the one(s) that fit your schedule the best or the one(s) taught by the MS2's who fit your learning style best.
"Pinkie Pinnings" - practice anatomy pinnings every other Friday 4-6 PM.
Lunchtime electives - Strictly optional; typically meet during lunchtime once a week for the duration of one or two blocks. Here just a few of the many elective courses offered: women's health, literature and poetry in medicine, the art of the human body, history of medicine, genetics journal club, sports medicine. Some offer free food!

Our first semester is divided into 3 six-week blocks. At the end of each block you have a 2-day block exam. Tuesday is the multiple choice/short-answer exam (80% of your block exam score). Wednesday is the Anatomy and Histology lab practical exams (each practical is 10% of your block exam score). Each of the 3 block exams is 30% of your overall semester grade. The remaining 10% is a cumulative semester exam.

Block 1 is a conglomerate of basic sciences without an overall big picture - Genetics, Embryology, Histology, Anatomy, Cell & Molec Bio, and Biochemistry.

Block 2 is Cardiovascular/Respiratory/Renal

Block 3 is GI/metabolism/endocrine/reproductive

I really like how 1st semester is set up because during test weeks, we get Monday off to study for our block exam. Then we get Thursday and Friday off (a 4-day weekend every once in a while is nice to avoid burnout). Also, we only get one overall grade for the entire semester (pass/fail), so you could fail a block exam and still get the same "Pass" grade as everyone else if you make up for it with your other block exams.

Unfortunately, this changes second semester when you take 4 classes consecutively. You take 4 exams during test week and you have to pass each exam, or else remediate that class over the summer. Since I haven't started 2nd semester, I don't know exactly what the 4 classes are for Blocks 4-6 but it's something like Neuro, Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Pharmacology, Ethics, and Behavioral Sciences.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions, and good luck!

 

[iforget2]

I'm an MS1 at Baylor, this is my daily schedule for 1st semester (I bolded the mandatory attendance activities):

Monday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
Tuesday: Lecture 8-10 (optional if you stream)
Anatomy Lab 10-12
Problem-Based Learning w/ small group 1-3 (depends on the case and the instructor. Some of my classmates go all the way to 4 PM).
Wednesday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
"Patient, Physician, Society" 1-3 (only every other week)
Thursday: Lecture 8-12 (optional if you stream)
Preceptorship 1-4/5 (only every other week when you don't have "Patient, Physician, Society"; time spent in clinic depends on your preceptor)
Friday: Lecture 8-10 (optional if you stream)
Histo Lab 10-12 (they don't take attendance but obviously not available for streaming)

Other optional stuff:
"Anatomy Buddies" - 1-2 hour long sessions in which MS2's help identify the structures from that week's lab and provide helpful study hints/tips. They are offered on different days of the week at different times, so you can pick the one(s) that fit your schedule the best or the one(s) taught by the MS2's who fit your learning style best.
"Pinkie Pinnings" - practice anatomy pinnings every other Friday 4-6 PM.
Lunchtime electives - Strictly optional; typically meet during lunchtime once a week for the duration of one or two blocks. Here just a few of the many elective courses offered: women's health, literature and poetry in medicine, the art of the human body, history of medicine, genetics journal club, sports medicine. Some offer free food!

Our first semester is divided into 3 six-week blocks. At the end of each block you have a 2-day block exam. Tuesday is the multiple choice/short-answer exam (80% of your block exam score). Wednesday is the Anatomy and Histology lab practical exams (each practical is 10% of your block exam score). Each of the 3 block exams is 30% of your overall semester grade. The remaining 10% is a cumulative semester exam.

Block 1 is a conglomerate of basic sciences without an overall big picture - Genetics, Embryology, Histology, Anatomy, Cell & Molec Bio, and Biochemistry.

Block 2 is Cardiovascular/Respiratory/Renal

Block 3 is GI/metabolism/endocrine/reproductive

I really like how 1st semester is set up because during test weeks, we get Monday off to study for our block exam. Then we get Thursday and Friday off (a 4-day weekend every once in a while is nice to avoid burnout). Also, we only get one overall grade for the entire semester (pass/fail), so you could fail a block exam and still get the same "Pass" grade as everyone else if you make up for it with your other block exams.

Unfortunately, this changes second semester when you take 4 classes consecutively. You take 4 exams during test week and you have to pass each exam, or else remediate that class over the summer. Since I haven't started 2nd semester, I don't know exactly what the 4 classes are for Blocks 4-6 but it's something like Neuro, Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Pharmacology, Ethics, and Behavioral Sciences.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions, and good luck!

So for example, on Mondays after 12, you have the rest of the day off in terms of classes?

 

[minerva3121]

So for example, on Mondays after 12, you have the rest of the day off in terms of classes?

Yep, that's it for the day.

I should also mention that each lecture is 50 minutes long. So we get 4 lectures on M, W, Th and 2 lectures on Tu, F.

 

[iforget2]

Yep, that's it for the day.

I should also mention that each lecture is 50 minutes long. So we get 4 lectures on M, W, Th and 2 lectures on Tu, F.

So after 12 do y'all just hit the books and use the time to hang out/ work out?

 

[Dark Magician]

I heard at the interview that there was a cooking elective at baylor. or am I just making that up? I would love to try that out...

 

[cstolky]

Minerva3121 - thank you so much for all the details. That is very helpful and much appreciated!

 

[minerva3121]

So after 12 do y'all just hit the books and use the time to hang out/ work out?

Yep, you can study/socialize/work out or do whatever you want for the rest of the afternoon. Sometimes there are interest group meetings.

Btw, not everyone has the exact same schedule as me. Half of the class has problem-based learning on Mondays instead of Tuesdays. But you'll be done by noon on whichever day you don't have problem-based learning. And some people have preceptorship on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays.

I heard at the interview that there was a cooking elective at baylor. or am I just making that up? I would love to try that out...

I also heard about the cooking elective but it was not offered this semester. I'm waiting to see if it's an option next semester. If you're interested in something but there aren't any electives regarding that particular topic, you can actually design and coordinate your own elective as long as you get approval! Another MS1 just started a new "Clinical Correlations" elective for this block to study cases pertaining to what we're learning in lecture.

Minerva3121 - thank you so much for all the details. That is very helpful and much appreciated!

No problem, I'm happy to help in any way I can! I would also recommend asking questions in the school-specific thread for BCM since upper-class students there can answer questions about clinical rotations and other stuff past first year: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=895195.