LSU Medical Schools

[cubsrule4e]

Here it is! Finally a thread for the LSU students in the allopathic forum. We cant let Tulane have all the glory, can we?

My name is Matt, ill be going to Shreveport in the fall. Any of you current students have any good advice for the Pre-MSI?

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[marr]

Just so that you wouldn't be lonely I marr will be in NO this fall and Tulane is too lame!!!

 

[Termwean]

Hey Matt..
I just got home from work(got my acceptance pack today) I'll start posting in here. Maybe we can have a combined Class of 2009 get together at a local drinking establishment( Chimes, Superior..etc) before summer.

-Mike-

 

[skidmark]

Here it is! Finally a thread for the LSU students in the allopathic forum. We cant let Tulane have all the glory, can we?

My name is Matt, ill be going to Shreveport in the fall. Any of you current students have any good advice for the Pre-MSI?

Congrats Matt you are going to love LSUHSC-S. The smaller class size makes all the difference, every one is good friends and the atmosphere is layed back/ no competition. Enjoy your summer and don't worry about school until it actually starts.

 

[skidmark]

one more thing.....don't buy any books until you have discussed it with an upperclassman.

Also, the atmosphere is layed back but you still have to study your tail off, with this being a med school there is just no way around that.

Any q's give me a holler.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Congrats Matt you are going to love LSUHSC-S. The smaller class size makes all the difference, every one is good friends and the atmosphere is layed back/ no competition. Enjoy your summer and don't worry about school until it actually starts.

I hope so. I definitely liked the atomsphere when I interviewed. When do we get "assigned a sophomore" and all that stuff? During orientation?

I have a Netter's Anatomy from an undergrad class, from what i gather from some other threads, thats one of the more useful books to have.

 

[8744]

I hope so. I definitely liked the atomsphere when I interviewed. When do we get "assigned a sophomore" and all that stuff? During orientation?

I have a Netter's Anatomy from an undergrad class, from what i gather from some other threads, thats one of the more useful books to have.

The utility of you "sophmore" will vary. I met mine once at orientation and never saw him again. I returned the favor with my freshman when I was a sophmore. I don't mean to be cynical but you are going to be on your own in medical school. Your sophmore can of course give you good advice and some ancillary help but that's about it.

Where you will really appreciate you upperclassmen is the first day of third year. I was lucky to have a fourth year student rotating with me on surgery and she 'splained everything to us in the clear, simple manner which you will be desperate for.

I returned the favor at the start of fourth year when I was doing a trauma surgery rotation with a couple of third years who were starting their surgery rotation. I tried to help 'em out and I think they appreciated this.

Let me reinforce that you should not buy any books, medical equipment, or software until you see what you really need. If you need it, it will be in the bookstore. It is OK to buy a nice stethescope (some parents might want to get you one for a gift) because while you won't use it much in first and second year, you will use it a lot in third and fourth year guaranteed or I'll buy it back from you.

Netters is good, though. Everybody gets it. Rohan's is good too and I usually eschewed extra lab time in favor of looking at his excellent pictures of masterful dissections.

I would be happy to answer any questions any of you people going to Shreveport in August might have. I'm graduating soon (May 28th Baby!) so my information might be a little out of date.

 

[Termwean]

Panda....you give some great info for new students....now all I need is someone from LSU-NO to step-up w/ the goods.
thanks-in-advance for any LSU-NO upperclass that hook us up w/ some good advice.

 

[cubsrule4e]

The utility of you "sophmore" will vary. I met mine once at orientation and never saw him again. I returned the favor with my freshman when I was a sophmore. I don't mean to be cynical but you are going to be on your own in medical school. Your sophmore can of course give you good advice and some ancillary help but that's about it.

Where you will really appreciate you upperclassmen is the first day of third year. I was lucky to have a fourth year student rotating with me on surgery and she 'splained everything to us in the clear, simple manner which you will be desperate for.

I returned the favor at the start of fourth year when I was doing a trauma surgery rotation with a couple of third years who were starting their surgery rotation. I tried to help 'em out and I think they appreciated this.

Let me reinforce that you should not buy any books, medical equipment, or software until you see what you really need. If you need it, it will be in the bookstore. It is OK to buy a nice stethescope (some parents might want to get you one for a gift) because while you won't use it much in first and second year, you will use it a lot in third and fourth year guaranteed or I'll buy it back from you.

Netters is good, though. Everybody gets it. Rohan's is good too and I usually eschewed extra lab time in favor of looking at his excellent pictures of masterful dissections.

I would be happy to answer any questions any of you people going to Shreveport in August might have. I'm graduating soon (May 28th Baby!) so my information might be a little out of date.

Yeah, Panda is awesome with all the advice. I was just wondering about the sophomore thing so i could know what books to buy and stuff, but i guess any sophomore could tell me that. Id rather be on my own anyway to figure stuff out, best way for me to learn. I also remember you saying something before about how in shreveport theyll tell you that youll fail if you dont find a study group haha. I probably would fail if i always had to study with other people, Im big on the self-study thing so hopefully that will be beneficial for me in med school.

 

[skidmark]

I hope so. I definitely liked the atomsphere when I interviewed. When do we get "assigned a sophomore" and all that stuff? During orientation?

I have a Netter's Anatomy from an undergrad class, from what i gather from some other threads, thats one of the more useful books to have.

I would definitely keep your netter's, good book. You should recieve a letter in July from the school with your assigned sophomore's name and number. Don't be scared to cantact them during the school year for help, they are usually not willing to give advice until you ask.

 

[8744]

Yeah, Panda is awesome with all the advice. I was just wondering about the sophomore thing so i could know what books to buy and stuff, but i guess any sophomore could tell me that. Id rather be on my own anyway to figure stuff out, best way for me to learn. I also remember you saying something before about how in shreveport theyll tell you that youll fail if you dont find a study group haha. I probably would fail if i always had to study with other people, Im big on the self-study thing so hopefully that will be beneficial for me in med school.

I'm not dissin' the idea of being paired with a sophmore, just saying that you might not get a "good" sophmore.

When I have some time, later tonight maybe, I'm going to give you all the secret to having a low-stress four years at LSU Shreveport.

 

[debvz]

Yeah, Panda is awesome with all the advice. I was just wondering about the sophomore thing so i could know what books to buy and stuff, but i guess any sophomore could tell me that. Id rather be on my own anyway to figure stuff out, best way for me to learn. I also remember you saying something before about how in shreveport theyll tell you that youll fail if you dont find a study group haha. I probably would fail if i always had to study with other people, Im big on the self-study thing so hopefully that will be beneficial for me in med school.

Definitely wait to buy books -- you may end up w/ a sophomore who passes all their old books down to you.

I, too, would rather study alone.... and I didn't do too shabby.

deb

 

[cubsrule4e]

I'm not dissin' the idea of being paired with a sophmore, just saying that you might not get a "good" sophmore.

When I have some time, later tonight maybe, I'm going to give you all the secret to having a low-stress four years at LSU Shreveport.

*gets out pen and paper*

Maybe I'll skip the whole sophomore bit and just stick with the Panda.

 

[8744]

*gets out pen and paper*

Maybe I'll skip the whole sophomore bit and just stick with the Panda.

Stand by to be disappointed but for what it's worth:

1. The Medical Profession is not a cult. I get flamed for saying this. You do not have to sacrifice your sanity, health, and physical fitness to its service, especially not at LSU Shreveport and most certainly not in first and second year. It is just a profession. Treat it as a demanding job to which you expect to devote sixty hours a week and you will do fine.

It is also all right to dislike certain aspects of it or to be bored by certain subjects. You are not offending some rigid order if you do.

Many people, for example, have unashamedly discovered that they despise pediatrics. I am one of them. My pediatrics rotation last year was like having a red-hot poker shoved up my rectum. I would rather go back to being an engineer than be a pediatrician. Some people, on the other hand, love it.

2. Don't get obsessed with the minutia of first semseter lectures. Of course you have to learn it, of course you will be tested on it, but around spring-break of first year you will realize that you don't remember any of the little details of biochemistry that seemed so important in the fall. This is normal. Most first semester stuff is trivia, absolutely useless to a clinician except as part of his deep background of knowledge. You will have two days of lectures, for example, on proteoglycans, the important and (more importantly) Step 1 testable portion of which could fit on a small index card even though the professor who is an expert in the subject will deliver six hours of lectures.

It's his area of expertise, after all, a subject to which he has devoted his life.

3. As you progress, you will develop a knack for knowing what is important and what is trivia. Even though you cover more material in second year, you will probably only study a third as much as you did in first year for the same grades.

4. Be aware of the honor code. It is a pesky little thing that most people don't think about but which can whip around when you least expect it and sink its fangs into your ass. I have never had any trouble but some people in my class, and I will not name names or get more specific out of respect for them, were involved in what seemed like an innocuous action which resulted in some pretty severe punishments which were just short of expulsion. If you knew how trivial the offense was you'd laugh.

I bring this up because you will have to swipe your cards in readers in the back of the class to verify attendance. Invariably some of you are going to get your friends to swipe your cards while you skip class. Invariably a professor is going to note a sparse attendance and somebody is going to check the roster with those in attendance.

Bang. Not only are you now in violation of the honor code but your friend is too. Would they kick out 20 people? Probably not. But why risk being the guy they made an example of?

Not trying to scare you. Just want to make you aware. Do I even have to say to steer clear of the obvious honor code violations like cheating?

5. Exercise. Nothing demoralizes most people like sitting around trying to study while they feel themselves turning into lardish library potatos. If you can't make an hour a day to run or lift weights, especially if you are single, then you are doing someting wrong and need to examine your study habits.

I don't know if it's scientific but I study better if I am in shape. (I am 41, however, so what I call being in shape might not be your standard of fitness.)

6. Studying: Quality over quantity although you do need to do a lot of it. Many of the people who claim to study twelve hours per day are probably in front of their books or at the library 12 hours per day but a lot of what passes for study time is not technically studying. SDN, for example, can suck vast quantities of your study time as can socializing, daydreaming, or studying material you have a good handle on because it is easy.

I got by in first year on four hours per day of good quality studying. I didn't surf the internet, I didn't socialize, and I didn't take breaks. When I was done with my four hours I quit and didn't worry about it. Of course you should study like crazy at least for the first couple of tests to see how you do. If you are happy with your grades you can start to back off a little. You will probably be amazed to discover that the amount of studying you do does not always directly correlate with your grade. Unfortunantly we no longer have access to old test questions from the "New Curriculum tests" so this avenue of low effort, high yield study is closed to you.

7. When you are done with a course, move on. As long as you passed you can put it in the "win" column. This applies to everybody but those of you planing on matching in highly cometative specialties. Unfortunantly you will have to obsess about grades. Sorry. Still, there is no point crying about a grade. Move on.

Most of us are used to getting good grades in our undergraduate years with minimal effort. You can work like a dog and still get Cs in medical school. Don't let it bother you.

8. You do not, repeat not, have to get in a study group. They will issue dire warnings about this during orientation but I can assure you that studying alone is best for most people. Your head will not explode.

9. Your milestones are the following:

Step 1:
Must pass. End of Second year. You will have seven weeks off between second and third year to study for it or for vacation or any combination. Fail it once and you will have to take your third year vacation month to study and retake it. Fail it twice and you have to sit out the rest of the year and come back with the lower class. Fail it three times and you are done.

Step 2 Clinical Knowledge
Any time in fouth year before April but realistically you want to take it early both to get it out of the way and to have scores for your residency applications.

Step 2 CLinical Skills.
Any time in fourth year before April.

ERAS:
Electronic Residency Application Service. Start getting your letters of reccomendation early in fourth year. You should have an idea of what you want to specialize in. Submit common applications as early as September.

Interviews:
Most usually in November, December, and January.

NRMP:
Submit Rank Order List by end of February. This year the deadline was the 23rd.

Match Day:
Third THursday in March of fourth year.

Graduation:
Late May.

 

[kimney]

Panda Bear, you're amazing. Thank you for the advice! It's good to have an idea of what's in store for us. Good luck on Match Day and I hope you'll still hang around sdn when we start in August.

 

[LSUwannabe]

As always thanks for the info Panda. Especially since much of it applies to medical schools in general...I suspect.

 

[Termwean]

Panda..
You Rock....thanks for spending some time with us. I will try to do the same when I am in your position.
-Mike-

 

[cubsrule4e]

Yeah. I guess I'll forego lifting weights one day to go out and buy Panda a beer. Or two or three.

 

[8744]

Aw shucks. Seriously, though, I have to warn you that one of the most important things about medical school is to take everybody's advice with a grain of salt. What worked for me might not work for you. You might look around after the first month of first year and say, "Man, that Panda Bear was more full of **** than a Chritmas goose."

I also have to confess that I get a vicarious thrill reading about you folks just starting medical school. I'm sorry to say that some people get a little cynical after a couple of years. And jaded. But really, there is no reason to be cynical. Medicine is the best and most interesting thing I have ever done. Not only is it intellectually challenging but their are few professions which are as prestigious.

I know it is fashionable to knock the prestige of medicine and to insist that it doesn't matter but one day, probably at the end of third year when you start to get a handle on things you will walk into a patients room and the family will stop talking, stand up, and listen attentively to everything you say. Call me shallow but this is incredibly cool.

On the flip side you have justify this respect by earning it.

 

[chameleonknight]

I agree with what Panda said.

At New Orleans, things are only slightly different.

1) Attendence. This is a topic of much debate. During 1st semester freshman year, lab is mandatory, and technically, lecture is too. However, they don't take attendence in lecture, because that would mean work (professors hate work). Instead, they will just make your exams a living hell.

Second is semester is definitely more lax. A light at the end of the tunnel.

Study EARLY and OFTEN. I personally think that studying alone is more productive. And holy crap, will you study. Read and re-read your notesets. They are vital. Gross anatomy is about the hardest thing on earth, especially the way they teach it here.
Also, the tests get harder as the semester goes on, so it is CRUCIAL to do well on the first exam. It is a miserable, hellish semester where you are failing from Test 1 till the final. Trust me, I know.

If people say they are not studying, they are failing or they are LYING. Neither would surprise me. In fact, both wouldn't.

The dorms are crap, but they are close. Don't underestimate the value of that, especially when you are in lab constantly. or you wake up at 7:45 and anatomy lecture is at 8:00

Also, and this is very important...your class will have a reputation. My class, interestingly, has a TERRIBLE rep. The profs think we are a bunch of lazy drunks, and the administration thinks we are stupid to boot. We had a whole hell of a bunch of people fail last semester. And in my opinion, it wasn't due to stupidity or drunkeness (the lazy part is questionable also). I'm not going to go into everything, but let's just say that the L1s have caused some stir. A lot of things are changing at school (curriculum especially) and its been tough.

Good luck! I welcome any questions. You are about to join some of the coolest med students in the entire damn country.

 

[Termwean]

Hey..I am going to come looking for you when I get there....be prepared to offer some good advice....and thanks for all the advice you have already dished out...I WILL buy you a twelve pack.....mark my words! See ya in a few months.....by the way..I want to get into the "Stan" (dorm)I think my wife/kids are staying here for at least the first year.
-Mike-

 

[chameleonknight]

Thanks.

Term, I'm PMing you.

 

[8744]

Let me just add:

10. The first two years of medical school are self-study. If you rely on lectures to learn the material you are going to fail. For most peope (I am generalizing, dammit) sitting in a lecture is a hugely inefficient way to learn the material, at least compared to sitting in the library reading the material yourself. This is why I always laugh when people start preening themselves about their "top ranked" school. Professors are not hired for their teaching ability. Some can teach and some can't. I'm sure the professors at Harvard read their Powerpoint slides out loud with the same varying quality as our professors.

I'm not busting down on attending lectures. But since you will have a syllabus for every course it is probably better to sit in lecture studying on your own then listening to the lecture.

11. Don't annoy the graduate students. LSU Shreveport has about thirty more-or-less permanent doctoral candidates floating around and they have huge chips on their shoulders in regard to thier superior intellect compared to yours. the few conversations I have had with graduate students have been almost all bad-spirited. I am an affable fellow but to talk to a doctoral candidate for more than a minute is to hear a litany of how it is not fair that Medical Students get all the prestige and all of the perks. (even though anybody who has done third year will know that medical students have absolutely no prestige)

This is just a personal observation of mine.

12. Get a cheap pair of sneakers and a couple of pairs of cheap scrubs for anatomy lab. The smell gets everywhere. I'd even consider showering and changing in the Student Exercise Room before going home. Also, you and your tank partners should invest in one Dissector (the book which describes the dissection procedure) and one Atlas to use in the anatomy lab. You do not want anything that was in the lab laying on a cadaver or splashed with juice anywhere near your locker or your home. You certainly do not want to study in the library or your kitchen with a contaminated atlas. Talk about gross.

Some people kept them in a plastic bag in the tank with their cadaver.

Oh, and get a turkey baster. Trust me. It will come in handy draining body cavities.

I can't give you any good advice about lab other than that. I hated gross lab and was something of a slacker. That was back when attendence at lab was not enforced like it is now. Let's just say that I never spent more time in lab then I had to and stopped going completely in October of second year. (Since the curriculum is organ system based, you will have a brief introductory course in first semester and then have a couple of days in the lab for every organ system for first and second year.)

13. While we're on that subject, some people have a lot of anxiety over gross lab. For most of us, this is the first time that we are not only exposed to death but are intimate with it. I think everybody worries about how they will respond, whether they will be able to control their revulsion.

Don't sweat it. I had the same feelings. After five minutes with your cadaver the novelty will wear off and it will feel perfectly normal. After about half an hour you will probably start getting hungry because, like most people on their first day of lab, you may have decided to skip breakfast.

After a few days of lab you will find yourself carrying on perfectly normal conversations while casually leaning on the dead body or absent-mindedly picking at some exposed muscle. Eventually you will dread lab, not from some fear of the dead but because it can be dreadfully boring. And unproductive.

The only thing that bothered me even a little was sawing the skull in half for the neuroscience course. That was kind of wierd. Oh and lookingat the sludge that collects under the body.

The funny thing is that after a while, your cadaver will look like old, crow-eaten road kill. I kid you not.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Let me just add:

10. The first two years of medical school are self-study. If you rely on lectures to learn the material you are going to fail. For most peope (I am generalizing, dammit) sitting in a lecture is a hugely inefficient way to learn the material, at least compared to sitting in the library reading the material yourself.

So arent we at a disadvantage then, having mandatory lectures when we could be elsewhere using the 6 hours of lecture as a hardcore study period instead?

As for being grossed out, i dont think that will be a problem with me. I can see how anatomy lab could become quite a bore, but at least right now it seems exciting just to get in there and finally get some hands on experience with something. I guess thats the most frustrating thing for me right now - working in the ER and having shadowed and ORS previously, everything is strictly observation, i dont get to do anything, at least as far as clinical relevance goes.

 

[8744]

So arent we at a disadvantage then, having mandatory lectures when we could be elsewhere using the 6 hours of lecture as a hardcore study period instead?

I think so. But this is just my opinion.

 

[Termwean]

Matt,
Panda was saying that it would benefit you to go to lecture and study instead of listening.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Matt,
Panda was saying that it would benefit you to go to lecture and study instead of listening.

Yeah. So hopefully there wont be any cute girls in the class.

 

[8744]

Matt,
Panda was saying that it would benefit you to go to lecture and study instead of listening.

Can I reiterate that this is just my opinion? By all means find out what works for you.

With that in mind, I know a couple of people who never went to lecture during second year and they did just fine.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Can I reiterate that this is just my opinion? By all means find out what works for you.

With that in mind, I know a couple of people who never went to lecture during second year and they did just fine.

So then what happens if you dont go to these mandatory lectures?

 

[skidmark]

So then what happens if you dont go to these mandatory lectures?

For shreveport,

The new policy states that it is up to the course director to determine if attendance is mandatory or not. The course director must inform the students of the policy prior to the beginning of the course. This all began last month.

Since then I have been thru 2 courses (respiratory and GI). Attendance was not required in either of these courses; however, the course director for respiratory stated that people who barely fail may benifit from a curve only if they attended class regularly.

I know the freshman got 5% bonus on there musculoskeletal final if they attended 90% of the lectures.

For neuroscience attendance is required. If you miss class you must report to the course director and summarize the lecture. However, after the first quiz if you maintain an A average this rule no longer applies.

 

[cubsrule4e]

For shreveport,

The new policy states that it is up to the course director to determine if attendance is mandatory or not. The course director must inform the students of the policy prior to the beginning of the course. This all began last month.

Since then I have been thru 2 courses (respiratory and GI). Attendance was not required in either of these courses; however, the course director for respiratory stated that people who barely fail may benifit from a curve only if they attended class regularly.

I know the freshman got 5% bonus on there musculoskeletal final if they attended 90% of the lectures.

For neuroscience attendance is required. If you miss class you must report to the course director and summarize the lecture. However, after the first quiz if you maintain an A average this rule no longer applies.

But as far as the first semester goes...there's 5 courses that run concurrently or whatever...are these all different classes/lectures with different professors or one class with 5 different aspects to it?

 

[LSUwannabe]

I know the freshman got 5% bonus on there musculoskeletal final if they attended 90% of the lectures...For neuroscience attendance is required.

That seems like it'd just promote people showing up and snoozing, playing games, or text-messaging...

It just seems silly to me to require people to attend. If you need to go then go. If you can perform w/o attending then don't go.

For me this is one of the primary detractors of LSU-S.

At what point should people make decisions for themselves?

 

[8744]

So then what happens if you dont go to these mandatory lectures?

The attendance policy was never enforced when I was a first and second year. In theory you were only allowed to miss five percent of lectures for any course but it soon became apparent that the professors didn't care.

I bow to the superior (and more recent) knowledge of Skidmark.

 

[8744]

For shreveport,

The new policy states that it is up to the course director to determine if attendance is mandatory or not. The course director must inform the students of the policy prior to the beginning of the course. This all began last month.

Since then I have been thru 2 courses (respiratory and GI). Attendance was not required in either of these courses; however, the course director for respiratory stated that people who barely fail may benifit from a curve only if they attended class regularly.

I know the freshman got 5% bonus on there musculoskeletal final if they attended 90% of the lectures.

For neuroscience attendance is required. If you miss class you must report to the course director and summarize the lecture. However, after the first quiz if you maintain an A average this rule no longer applies.

Have they done away with those card readers in the back of the lecture halls?

 

[skidmark]

Have they done away with those card readers in the back of the lecture halls?

No, the card swipers are still present.

 

[skidmark]

That seems like it'd just promote people showing up and snoozing, playing games, or text-messaging...

It just seems silly to me to require people to attend. If you need to go then go. If you can perform w/o attending then don't go.

For me this is one of the primary detractors of LSU-S.

At what point should people make decisions for themselves?

It's really not as bad as you think, most classes do not require attendance and the ones that do give you BONUS points (that is a good thing and something I like alot about LSU-S). You are never punished for not going to class except in neuro. By your reasoning ("If you need to go then go. If you can perform w/o attending then don't go") partially holds true to the neuro attendance policy, if you maintain an A, attendance is not required.

Personally all this fits well for me because I attend class regularly, but this is just my preference. Some people do well not going to class AT ALL, and that is perfectly fine with me because that is what works for them. If you are like others in my class or Panda then ,yes, it may suck the very limited amount of time that class is required.

As far as anatomy lab attendance is required , but it is only once a week first semester, 3days a week second semester, and about 2 times a month durin entire second year. I like this alot better than going Five times a week for one semester.

 

[skidmark]

But as far as the first semester goes...there's 5 courses that run concurrently or whatever...are these all different classes/lectures with different professors or one class with 5 different aspects to it?

There are five course during 1st semester.

course 1 biochem/genetics
course 2 cell bio/litlle bit pharm
course 3 anatomy Sept
course 4 immunology
Module 3- touchy feely crap

You start off taking Biochem only then in a couple weeks they add cell and anatomy. These three subjects will be covered heavily on the first 3 of 4 tests. Immunology is basically the entire 4th test, with little anatomy, biochem or cell. Mod 3 is throughout but its only like one or two lectures a week.

So the classes/tests overlap alot and it was difficult for me to manage what to study. Second year is not like this at all, only one course at a time.

Yes, different course directors, different teachers all mixed up. (i.e an average day may be you have 2 biochem lectures, followed by 2 cell biology lectures then maodule three in the afternoon. 5 grades during 1st semester.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Yes, different course directors, different teachers all mixed up. (i.e an average day may be you have 2 biochem lectures, followed by 2 cell biology lectures then maodule three in the afternoon. 5 grades during 1st semester.

So what constitutes "honors" in these classes? Getting a certain grade %? Just getting an A? Being in the top X percent of the class?

 

[skidmark]

So what constitutes "honors" in these classes? Getting a certain grade %? Just getting an A? Being in the top X percent of the class?

Grades are based on percentage. At the end of the year they add up all the questions from the 4 tests pertaining to biochem and calculate the percentage you got right. This is your grade. They do the same for the other courses. So each test is waited differently depending on the number of questions per subject (i.e a test with only 20 biochem questions isn't that important to biochem compared to a test with 80 biochem questions, you could miss all 20 q's on the first one, and get all 80 right on the next one and end up with a B 80%).
If you get 90% you are guaranteed an "A", no matter if the entire class gets above 90%. Same thing goes for "b" if you make at least an 80. LSU-S doesn't have honors, you get A, B, C or F. It's a ten point scale. You also get a grade point average and this is how they determine your class rank. Most courses are 1 credit, however some are weighted substantially more or less. Neuro is 2.5 credits and biochem is 2 credits, Micro is 1.5 credits. Mod 3 is .5 credits.

In my experience (Im a second yr.) few courses curve, it is very rare. You are guaranteed at least what this scale states.
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
F<70

 

[LSUwannabe]

It's really not as bad as you think, most classes do not require attendance and the ones that do give you BONUS points (that is a good thing and something I like alot about LSU-S). You are never punished for not going to class except in neuro. By your reasoning ("If you need to go then go. If you can perform w/o attending then don't go") partially holds true to the neuro attendance policy, if you maintain an A, attendance is not required.

Personally all this fits well for me because I attend class regularly, but this is just my preference. Some people do well not going to class AT ALL, and that is perfectly fine with me because that is what works for them. If you are like others in my class or Panda then ,yes, it may suck the very limited amount of time that class is required.

As far as anatomy lab attendance is required , but it is only once a week first semester, 3days a week second semester, and about 2 times a month durin entire second year. I like this alot better than going Five times a week for one semester.

I had every impression from here and other places one was penalized for not attending. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Daze]

Hey fellas:

I'm from BR and part of the Class of 2009 in New Orleans. Would love to get into killing a few cold ones with my future classmates at Superior or Chimes.

Time and place, anyone???

Hey Matt..
I just got home from work(got my acceptance pack today) I'll start posting in here. Maybe we can have a combined Class of 2009 get together at a local drinking establishment( Chimes, Superior..etc) before summer.

-Mike-

 

[TeleoDeum]

Hey fellas:

I'm from BR and part of the Class of 2009 in New Orleans. Would love to get into killing a few cold ones with my future classmates at Superior or Chimes.

Time and place, anyone???

Ah, those good old days. Skipping class, reading the Reveille in the Quad as the sorority girls in their jogging shorts and jerseys passed by in the Spring, around the world at the Chimes, pretending to study at Highland coffees, Retroactive at the Varsity. Enjoy it while you can.
Moving to New Orleans is great too. But different.
And now, stuck up here in Woo Pig Souee Land. The Peds residency is great, but I do miss those golden days of freedom in undergrad bliss.

 

[Daze]

I understand. Not necessarily about the sorority girls part, but about the rest. Is home calling to you? It will call home to you forever. Move home and marry a Louisiana doc.

I went to Retro on last Saturday night. Some things will never change.

Daze

Good luck up there in Arkansas.

Ah, those good old days. Skipping class, reading the Reveille in the Quad as the sorority girls in their jogging shorts and jerseys passed by in the Spring, around the world at the Chimes, pretending to study at Highland coffees, Retroactive at the Varsity. Enjoy it while you can.
Moving to New Orleans is great too. But different.
And now, stuck up here in Woo Pig Souee Land. The Peds residency is great, but I do miss those golden days of freedom in undergrad bliss.

 

[LSUwannabe]

Hey fellas:

I'm from BR and part of the Class of 2009 in New Orleans. Would love to get into killing a few cold ones with my future classmates at Superior or Chimes.

Time and place, anyone???

I'm game if someone comes up w/ a date as I just committed to NO. There's got to be some aspiring social secretary lurking who'll take charge...or not.

What's everyone doing for housing? I'm not soliciting just curious.

 

[kimney]

I applied for the old residence hall but I don't think housing will let me know if I get anything til June. I heard it's difficult to get in as a first year, so I'm also looking into places located Uptown or City Park. Hmm, I would prefer on-campus housing for the convenience though. Anyone know where most med students live off-campus? Thanks.

 

[supertigger]

hey y'all........i'm an msiv at shreveport; graduate in 82 days. everyone that isn't there yet will tell you study study study, and some people that are already there will tell you study study study (these people are usually ocd or struggling to keep up). so, how about this: if married/engaged, study study, and then spend time with your significant other. single? study study, then find a couple of single folks in your class you can relate to and relax. it's just as important that you take time for yourself and family as it is that you study. remember, c=md. i'm not suggesting that you slack off; it's just that over half my class was on and ssri (prozac, effexor, etc) by the end of the first semester, many because they stressed out, others for personal reasons. which brings me to my next piece of advice: if you aren't married or engaged, you may have to sacrifice your relationship for medical school. i know that sounds like crap, but it happened to me. and, i'm better off because of it. (i'm engaged now and couldn't be happier.) if you are married or engaged, it's worth the time to make sure your significant other feels more important than med school. and for my final piece of advice, listen to your upper classmen. even though they may sound like they're full of ****, they've been there. they know what they're talking about.

 

[skidmark]

hey y'all........i'm an msiv at shreveport; graduate in 82 days. everyone that isn't there yet will tell you study study study, and some people that are already there will tell you study study study (these people are usually ocd or struggling to keep up). so, how about this: if married/engaged, study study, and then spend time with your significant other. single? study study, then find a couple of single folks in your class you can relate to and relax. it's just as important that you take time for yourself and family as it is that you study. remember, c=md. i'm not suggesting that you slack off; it's just that over half my class was on and ssri (prozac, effexor, etc) by the end of the first semester, many because they stressed out, others for personal reasons. which brings me to my next piece of advice: if you aren't married or engaged, you may have to sacrifice your relationship for medical school. i know that sounds like crap, but it happened to me. and, i'm better off because of it. (i'm engaged now and couldn't be happier.) if you are married or engaged, it's worth the time to make sure your significant other feels more important than med school. and for my final piece of advice, listen to your upper classmen. even though they may sound like they're full of ****, they've been there. they know what they're talking about.

supertigger makes some good points. yes there is plenty of time to relax and enjoy friends and family here at LSU, that is why I love it so much. I'm a 2nd year and tonight Im going to the movies and tomorrow night I am playing soccer. These things are important to me and should be important to all med students I believe. And yes, c=md. However c does not equal a match into orthopedic, ENT, Urology, or many other competitive fields. So unless you are pretty sure you are not going into a competetive residency (which is totally cool) you MAY want to study hard to leave your options open, believe me you will still have plenty of time to relax and enjoy yourself (I do). I'm not trying to knock supertigger becase I know the main point of his post was to not kill yourself studying or stressing out, I am just trying to point out that the amount of studying you do depends on the type of person you are and what you want out of med school. Each person is different. Med school is a whole nother world, I have friends that study hours every day and barely pass!!(keep in mind that this is rare), while others can get B's studying only a few days before the test (more common). It just depends on the type of person YOU are and what YOU want. I love LSU shreveport and it is a great place for all types of people.

 

[chameleonknight]

Uh, let me say that in new orleans, NOBODY studys a few days before the test and makes B's. The kids who get A's and B's study every single day, even the smartest people in the class. If you think you're going to come in here and rock out like you did in college, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. Remember, this is the next level and everybody in that classroom did extremely well in college; you have to boost your effort level, not maintain it.

 

[skidmark]

Uh, let me say that in new orleans, NOBODY studys a few days before the test and makes B's. The kids who get A's and B's study every single day, even the smartest people in the class. If you think you're going to come in here and rock out like you did in college, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. Remember, this is the next level and everybody in that classroom did extremely well in college; you have to boost your effort level, not maintain it.

I should clarify a little. In my post I was referring to second year where we have tests every other week so the amount of material covered per test is pretty minimal compared to most schools. Also, the people I described were the 2 extremes; one the VERY FEW who study all day and barely pass, the other the handful of people who can get by studying a few days before, with the remainder of the class between these extremes. I was just trying to show that it all depends on the individual for how much you need to study. Oh, and when I say a few days I mean no less than 4 entire days of studying and that is to get a B. The people who make A's here do study everyday. Chameleon is right about first year, During 1st year we had five weeks of material per test and I guarantee most people studied every day. There was no way around it. Don't worry though most people think second year is alot easier.

 

[LTbulldogs]

If i may ask, what undergraduate university did you guys attend before going to LSU-S/NO. I’m currently a Louisiana undergrad and am interested in knowing if the LSU admission committees view graduates of lesser prestigious state university’s with some degree of pessimism. I’m curious because I’ve recently considered the idea of moving closer to home and attending McNeese State University. Although I believe McNeese is an excellent school (having spent a semester there), Im not familiar with the acceptance rate of McNeese graduates to the med schools. Would this be a bad move?

LTbulldogs