Current ISPer wish I had gone back to LDP when I had the chance. Probably going back next year after having to remediate a course which if I was in LDP I wouldn't have to.
This year our Micro/Immuno was split up but for LDP it wasn't meaning that if you you were in LDP and you did poorly in one exam but did really well on the second enough to bring that 60 to a 70 then you passed the class. But for ISP if you failed one exam with a 69% and passed the other with even a 72% you would still need to remediate that class. Same thing happened with Pharm. I and Pharm. II
Some of the professors are getting lazy and not reviewing the course packets for the classes and as such there was one exam where 16% of the questions had to be thrown out since they weren't covered in the packet for ISP but they were mentioned in LDP.
Allot of the objectives are really vague like describe the histology of the eye and they'll give you a range of pages 400-425. Where as in LDP they tell you specifically what you need to cover, so as an ISP student you'll spend 2 hours trying to pull out what is important from that lecture where as LDP will have it handed to them on a silver platter.
This semester we had one less week than LDP to cover both musculoskeletal system and neuroanatomy and on top of that we had a neuroanatomy quiz the day after our MSK system ended before anyone even opened their neuroanatomy packet.
We in ISP aren't asking for things to be easy but rather to be fair. So far this semester we have had our MSK final and OPP exam on the same day, LDP only had the OPP exam. We also have an H&P and Neuroanatomy exam on the same day, LDP does not. The student's in PCSP voted to divide their MSK system exam into 3 parts where we only had one exam to cover roughly 400+ pages but yet they have the same exact objectives as we do.
When ISP started I thought it was the best pathway ever, get up when I want, study when I want and take the exam. Now I hate it and I know of at least 7 out of 28 people who are strongly considering it because it's just too stressful. I know some people like ISP because they have their families here and that allows them to spend more time with them and a few others who like ISP just because it suits them, but ISP isn't for everyone. It sounds appealing and sexy but as of right now its more like here is a book teach yourself what you need to know and good luck on the exam.
If you can do it kudos to you but I'll advise any who want to go into ISP to STRONGLY reconsider it. Personally I think it has been my worst decision over the last two years. The incoming director of ISP says it will get better in the future but that depends on the cooperation of professors many of whom aren't willing to go out of their way to help about 10% of the class.
Don't get me wrong LECOM is a good school but the organization of the ISP pathway needs work.
