- Joined
- Jul 24, 2017
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 140
Sorry for the delayed response, summertime, Florida, margaritas, and stuff. I was looking at the responses a few of my classmates posted on the facebook page and they all gave some pretty solid advice. I'm going to give my take on what I think you need to do overall. I am assuming some classes are changing but I will hit on the big ones that won't change.
A lot of the things that you asked for are subjective and dependant on you as a student so I am going to give some background about me:
I had a sub 3.0 cGPA and around a 3.0 sGPA. I took the MCAT twice, once for a 492 (day after my 21st was a horrible experience 0/10) and the second time for a 500. I worked full time to support my family and myself through undergrad. Graduated in December 2016 and worked as an MA for a year where I met a doc that really helped me get into the MMS program. Originally I was rejected but a few emails and phone calls later I ended up getting in. I came into the program thinking that I didn't deserve to be there and I was ready to work to prove to everyone that I did belong and to myself that I am more than what my undergrad GPA said I was. I fought for my grades in every class and put a lot of time into making sure I studied efficiently and not just for long hours. I finished with a 3.58 in the entire program.
My biggest and most important point I want to make is that there are 2 things that will determine how you do in this program:
1) Your ability to develop good study habits fast. Summer is hard but is the most rewarding the classes are manageable and you can dedicate copious hours to each course without falling behind in one or the other. Set yourself up here and continue to use the habits you form in the fall.
2) Your attitude. I might sound mean here and I am sorry if I piss anyone off but the fact of the matter is, none of you got into medical/dental school and you are here to prove that you deserve the spot. You cannot see this program as a quick ten months of busy work with a nice way into school, you MUST approach it like you have to prove to everyone that you can thrive and make this environment a cake walk. The people that didn't get in are the people who talked about how they could get into another school so easily and would say things like "I didn't study that part but I doubt we even have to worry about it. Do you really think they will turn us away after all this that we have had to do?" (yes, yes they will).
I'm going to break things up by semester now. Background knowledge in any of the classes is nice but not necessary. All information provided to you will be sufficient for the class and probably recommended that you only use class information.
Summer: Study habits: 3-5 hours of review on weekdays. Re-reading and typing outlines 7am-1pm on weekends.
CMB: Dr. G is super cool. I loved his lecture style and the way that he breaks down his lectures. Powerpoints are all you will need. Study for mechanisms and understanding the big picture. He likes to ask questions that will challenge how well you know the material and the purpose and function of the cell performs.
Biochem 1: Powerpoints, used the book to clarify, and flashcards. Dr. B is super nice and very approachable. His questions are straight from his powerpoints and review slides that he posts. Questions are standard memory recall with a little bit of applied reasoning.
PHPM: Group essays due every week and take home tests. If you struggle here idk what to tell you.
Fall: The class load here increases and you will find it hard to dedicate the same amount of studying every day. My S/O works full time so I tried to finish studying before they got home so I could relax with them. This is why for me, being efficient when studying helped me make the most of my shortened time spent studying.
Pharm: This was my worst class. Straight memory recall and flashcards. I tried to spend too much time looking at signs and symptoms and not enough of understanding the class of drug and why this one is important in that class. The rotating professors kinda sucks but they are all super nice and you can always email them.
Phys: This is a heavy class. Rotating professors with lots of different teaching and question styles. If you are medical, these are the people that will interview you for medical school. Don't be a jerk, show up to class, and put a face to a name politely. Most of the teachers are pretty cool with some of them having a very dry sense of humor. Study the powerpoints and clarify with the book.
Biochem 2: Dr. Brown is Dr. G's wife and she is the nicest person you will ever meet. She seems a little lost when lecturing but all of her power points are correct. I hate to say I never paid attention in lecture but I would study her lecture slides and I did well on the tests. Her material is very important and will be the subject of many PBL cases. Get used to reading the biochem book.
PBL 1: Every group has a different facilitator but we all take the same tests and learn the same cases. Tests were usually on Fridays if I remember correctly. I would spend M-W reading on my own and coming up with my own notes and then meeting up with 2-3 friends to quickly work through the cases on Wednesday night. Different facilitators will touch on different important points so it helps to see your friends perspectives. Then I would review on my own all day Thursday.
Histology: Can be hard. I enjoyed it though. Spend some extra time on weekends looking at the website and the slides that they recommend. Email your professors with questions they always helped me out. Review powerpoints are a GOD SEND.
Interview: Very lax, just be happy and pleasant. The group interview is set up like PBL. I recommend having a different opinion than your peers once or twice. They want to see if you get offended or defensive when challenged or someone thinks you're wrong.
Spring: Literally flew by. My worst semester but I was already accepted so I think I got pretty comfortable.
Micro: Tables and charts probably would work best. I tried to type out my own lectures on the material and that got to be too much and I had to stop and just review and flash card myself. Made a B by the skin on my teeth.
PBL 2: Now the class is 4 credits and they expect you to pick up the pace. Totally manageable same advice from PBL 1 applies here. Made an A.
Immunology: I relied on the book for this class. Powerpoints were nice but the book saved my life. The class is fast with a couple of quizzes and 2 exams everything is weighted really heavy. Made a B here.
Genetics: Dr. G teaches this class. Whatever you did for CMB will work here. Made an A in this class.
Anatomy: No more physiology just straight structure and function. Flashcards and memorization work here. Skip the book, for the most part, it will help sometimes but I barely used it. Maybe that's why I made a B?
All in all the program is on you to find the time to dedicate the appropriate amount of studying in your preferred style. I can't recommend one way to study over another but I can tell you that the people that made it are the ones that didn't stop when they thought they were done. Most of my time was spent studying they next test ahead. After summer I found it hard to dedicate more time to any class that wasn't being tested on that week. If you can manage to study multiple subjects every week you will do great.
Hope this helps!
