*******MCW Class of 2011*********

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I have 2 questions:

1. What is the purpose of the OASIS program?

2. How do you all study? What I did last term was go to every lecture and take notes then go back over the notes once to keep up and then once again before the exam. For the pathways in biochem I just wrote them out over and over which proved to be a good method for memorization but didn't really serve a purpose for the exam. This term, I've gone to zero lectures but I listen to each lecture and go through the notes a total of 4 times before the exam. Neither method has really worked to my satisfaction so I'm looking for a 3rd method to employ while I can still salvage a decent M1 year.
 
indo said:
I have 2 questions:

1. What is the purpose of the OASIS program?

2. How do you all study? What I did last term was go to every lecture and take notes then go back over the notes once to keep up and then once again before the exam. For the pathways in biochem I just wrote them out over and over which proved to be a good method for memorization but didn't really serve a purpose for the exam. This term, I've gone to zero lectures but I listen to each lecture and go through the notes a total of 4 times before the exam. Neither method has really worked to my satisfaction so I'm looking for a 3rd method to employ while I can still salvage a decent M1 year.
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1) No real purpose for you now other than for filling out course evaluations so they'll release your grades. Next year you'll use it to rank the track options for third year (what we've been talking about for the past few weeks) and to select electives during 3rd and 4th year.

2) Now is definitely not the time to be asking me about study methods, because my distinct lack of them is chewing on my ass right now. Sorry I can't be more help. Most people who have good methods just have something that works that they compulsively stick to. I dunno, I never found the preview/view/review and re-review on weekends to be that beneficial to me.
 
Speaking of grades, have we gotten ours back yet from first semester? I haven't been to my locked mailbox in forever.
 
indo said:
I have 2 questions:

1. What is the purpose of the OASIS program?

2. How do you all study? What I did last term was go to every lecture and take notes then go back over the notes once to keep up and then once again before the exam. For the pathways in biochem I just wrote them out over and over which proved to be a good method for memorization but didn't really serve a purpose for the exam. This term, I've gone to zero lectures but I listen to each lecture and go through the notes a total of 4 times before the exam. Neither method has really worked to my satisfaction so I'm looking for a 3rd method to employ while I can still salvage a decent M1 year.
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1). Scheduling rotations and choosing lottery picks for your 3rd and 4th year.

2). Last year I liked to preview lectures the night before by skimming the notes, then I attended or read thoroughly lectures for the day in question, then reread the notes that night. On the weekends I would read the notes for the past week again. So that was 4 times through the material in one week. Then I would usually make it all the way through the notes 3 times or so during the week leading up to the exam. To be clear, most of those passes through the material were fairly quick, and intended only to pick out new details each time (what I called the vacuum method). I certainly wasn't sitting there taking a ton of time trying to memorize every little detail each time.

This year I read the day's lectures, read a review book or two pertaining to the material, and usually skip the weekend review. So I get through the material once during the week it's presented, maybe twice if you count reading the coop. Then I try to get through the lectures 2 or 3 times before the exam, and use tables or lists to memorize useless minutiae like bugs for microbiology or drugs for pharm, and do old exams when the benevolent course directors see fit to allow it.

In the spirit of disclosure, my grades have probably dropped a whopping 2% by utilizing this new study method, but my sanity scores are way up.
 
A lot of people are big on re-writing the lecture notes in their own words. They basically make a 1 or 2 page homemade "handout" for each lecture, complete with tables and figures as necessary. The really hardcore ones don't even study from their lecture syllabus after making the handout - they just study from their re-written notes. It's really work intensive, but I think the physical act of making the handout contributes a lot to the learning. I've tried that, too, but I'm not dedicated enough to keep up with the lectures, and it sucks if you get behind doing this.

Splat, didn't you do this for a while last year?
 
Gimlet said:
A lot of people are big on re-writing the lecture notes in their own words. They basically make a 1 or 2 page homemade "handout" for each lecture, complete with tables and figures as necessary. The really hardcore ones don't even study from their lecture syllabus after making the handout - they just study from their re-written notes. It's really work intensive, but I think the physical act of making the handout contributes a lot to the learning. I've tried that, too, but I'm not dedicated enough to keep up with the lectures, and it sucks if you get behind doing this.

Splat, didn't you do this for a while last year?
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i tried it for the first biochem exam and never did it again. worked for undergrad classes, but nothing else. too time consuming is right. my style last year was rewriting things over and over and over on the whiteboards in the CMUTS.
 
I think we've already established that I have poor study habits, so I won't even attempt to jump in on this question with what actually works.

Although I did do the rewrite notes thing for biochem. But I found that it was way too much time, and I really could learn stuff almost as well simply highlighting coops. And rewriting and making your own flashcards is a recipe for disaster if you're too far behind (I suppose good if you're not behind). Might as well ask Marc for the pepper spray.
 
So basically last year I started my study method, and 1st semester this year I "perfected" it (that's also when I went just slightly apathetic; I really wanted to get out of the Midwest for Thanksgiving (everything reminded me of school), and started calling my mom to ask her why I was in medicine). However, my grades have improved for all classes that I use this method. Obviously this does not include psych or CER or busy work crap. Which is probably why I did not ace all the psych tests.

Specifically for phys, I'd retype my notes (everything in the notes plus everything the lecturers said), leave space for each graph they presented so I could redraw it when I went through those notes two days before the test (I'd compare my notes with the class notes, annotate my notes) all to make sure I understood what was going on. I'd also read and annotate Guyton throughout the block. Then by the Saturday or Sunday, I'd do a faster read through. On the day before the test, I'd do all the old exams I had (back to 1994 in some cases). I figured if I could do well on those with different lecturers, I understood the material. The only blocks this method didn't work for me in phys was block 1 when I didn't sleep before the test, so I forgot how to read, and block 4 because I still don't really understand lung phys. Oh yeah, I also stopped reading Guyton after renal phys (except for lung).

As for neuro -- I didn't "study" it. I'd retype my notes, I"d be lucky if I actually got to print them before the exam. One of my friends and I would go through the old questions and do those. The one block we actually had time and did go through stuff more thoroughly was my best block, like taking over an old anatomy room and drawing massive pathways in different colors on the white boards.

This year for path and micro, I'd retype my notes with everything the lecturer said + what's in the notes, I'd add the lecture slides into my notes so I'd have everything in color and on paper in one place, and I did the same thing where I compared my typed notes to the slides. I'd also read Robbins twice (1x through slowly and annotating, 2nd time through quickly, basically looking at what I highlighted and wrote.) Except this block I've been majorly slacking and I didn't start on neuropath until this past Monday, so I'm not typing it, just reading robbins and going through the class notes.
 
Gimlet said:
Speaking of grades, have we gotten ours back yet from first semester? I haven't been to my locked mailbox in forever.
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Yes indeedy. I think the yellow grade sheets were limited to Ethics and Microbiology and should be in your locked box. The good news is, if you failed anything they probably would have let you know by now. 😉
 
I had the best comment on my med ethics grade sheet. It basically said "Did outside research and presented in class." Ummm... to my knowledge, that's what was required in class.
 
Ashers said:
I had the best comment on my med ethics grade sheet. It basically said "Did outside research and presented in class." Ummm... to my knowledge, that's what was required in class.
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At least you got a comment. All my sheet had were my small group and exam scores.

By the way, telling your small group that you very well may inflict "accidental" harm while treating rapists in prison during your small group presentation doesn't seem to have an effect on your grade.
 
Ladies, Gentlemen, thanks for the help.


Pepperspray? Marc should step in to the 2000's and get a taser!
 
How early do you guys get clinical experience? any opportunity to scrub in on a major surgery during first year?
 
arsenewenger said:
is this thread for class of 2011 or not?
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You have much to learn, young one.

When the class of 2012 thread comes along, you too can then help us hijack that one as well. We have made it perfectly clear in the past that we are a virus or metastatic tumor that eagerly seeds the newest class threads.

We hope our madcap hijinks are enlightening and informative.
 
arsenewenger said:
How early do you guys get clinical experience? any opportunity to scrub in on a major surgery during first year?
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Let me get this straight. You think it's good manners to ask a question of current students after griping in a previous post about our posting in your class's thread?

Yeah, good luck with that.
 
arsenewenger said:
How early do you guys get clinical experience? any opportunity to scrub in on a major surgery during first year?
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You can observe but as a first year the only people less important than you are volunteers. Although someone might let you hold a retractor or something.

edit: and to further answer your question, yes you can get clinical experience. There is a free clinic on saturdays that pretty much everyone participates in. I didn't do it because it is too early in the morning for me. Then, there is the mentor program where you are set up with a doctor and they teach you how to apply the crap you learned in biochem and physiology to patients. Going to my mentor's office has been the best part of the year for me. I hate memorization but I enjoy problem solving and applying information to problems so getting to use the concepts we just learned in cardio phys to explain why someone has a bp of 200/110 is good.
 
DoctorFunk said:
Let me get this straight. You think it's good manners to ask a question of current students after griping in a previous post about our posting in your class's thread?

Yeah, good luck with that.
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There's that, then there's the word that rhymes with runner...

I didn't have any clinical experience until my CER mentor experience which was 30 Jan 2007.

Senior Mentor Program and phlebotomy at Saturday clinic = no real patient experience.

Though I did get to scrub in on surgeries by doing research last summer. If you're a med student, especially anything younger than M3, you're lucky if you get to retract. Only like 3 of the cases I was in on had any residents, so I got to do some additional stuff (basically I'm now an expert in TKA -- total knee arthoplasty for you lay-people). I'm just hanging out in med school to make everyone else feel better since I've already completed my reconstructive joint fellowship in ortho.
 
Don't get all excited about retracting in surgery. It's fun in short bursts, but there are times when it really sucks. And this is coming from a guy who likes surgery.
 
donnyfire said:
Don't get all excited about retracting in surgery. It's fun in short bursts, but there are times when it really sucks. And this is coming from a guy who likes surgery.
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It's almost worse than holding a stick... because generally you can put a stick down without getting yelled at, yeah?
 
Ashers said:
It's almost worse than holding a stick... because generally you can put a stick down without getting yelled at, yeah?
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Right. Also, it is never possible to cut sutures to the correct length, they will always be too short, or too long.
 
donnyfire said:
Right. Also, it is never possible to cut sutures to the correct length, they will always be too short, or too long.
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Haha! I've heard about that. Apparently, it's impossible for a medical student to know how long a "sontimeter" is, at least in a surgeon's mind.
 
by "hold a retractor" I meant standing there holding it until they were ready to use it.
 
indo said:
by "hold a retractor" I meant standing there holding it until they were ready to use it.
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Well, you might even get to stand there with your hand in someone's knee holding the Army Navy in one hand, one of the prongy ones in the other with a suction thing stuck between your fingers. I learned how to hold multiple retractors and scissors to cut sutures this summer... I doubt I'll remember the nifty trick by November.
 
Hey, all. I got back from Milwaukee last night, after two great days of meeting folks, seeing your school and interviewing. I had the good fortune of meeting the ever charming Prowler and the stunning, effervescent Ashers--thanks for showing me the way to 1210, Ashers--along with a host of other current students and applicants. I stayed with an MS1, Tim Bruce, and we went out to the Chancery for free-flowing beer with a bunch of other people after the social on Thursday. I had a great time and really liked MCW, its current students and my fellow applicants, and I came away with more e-mail addresses and warm feeling than I have from any other school besides U of Rochester (which was about the same). I also had the very best interviews that I've had this year, and left feeling extremely optimistic, both because of my own impressions of the interviews and because of things that my interviewers told me at the end. It felt great. All in all, it was a great experience, and I would love to go to MCW. We'll see how things play out.
 
Chulito said:
It felt great. All in all, it was a great experience, and I would love to go to MCW. We'll see how things play out.
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Congrats on the interviews (and hopefully pending acceptance) and I'm glad to hear you had such a great time here. Sorry you didn't get a chance to meet me, but I tend to be...elusive. Ashers is pretty cool though. 😉
 
Chulito said:
Hey, all. I got back from Milwaukee last night, after two great days of meeting folks, seeing your school and interviewing. I had the good fortune of meeting the ever charming Prowler and the stunning, effervescent Ashers--thanks for showing me the way to 1210, Ashers--along with a host of other current students and applicants. I stayed with an MS1, Tim Bruce, and we went out to the Chancery for free-flowing beer with a bunch of other people after the social on Thursday. I had a great time and really liked MCW, its current students and my fellow applicants, and I came away with more e-mail addresses and warm feeling than I have from any other school besides U of Rochester (which was about the same). I also had the very best interviews that I've had this year, and left feeling extremely optimistic, both because of my own impressions of the interviews and because of things that my interviewers told me at the end. It felt great. All in all, it was a great experience, and I would love to go to MCW. We'll see how things play out.
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It was a pleasure meeting you too. I hope the interviews went well, etc.

DoctorFunk said:
Congrats on the interviews (and hopefully pending acceptance) and I'm glad to hear you had such a great time here. Sorry you didn't get a chance to meet me, but I tend to be...elusive. Ashers is pretty cool though. 😉
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I'm glad we can put aside our obvious professional differences to be nice to the applicants.
 
Ashers said:
I'm glad we can put aside our obvious professional differences to be nice to the applicants.
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At least until their acceptance deposits become nonrefundable. Then they'll get a real sense of the gunnerish animosity that exists here.

Students wanting to eat other students' souls, pirates and ninjas throwing down, M1s stalking M2s in the library...it's quite a soap opera here at MCW. 😉
 
DoctorFunk said:
At least until their acceptance deposits become nonrefundable. Then they'll get a real sense of the gunnerish animosity that exists here.

Students wanting to eat other students' souls, pirates and ninjas throwing down, M1s stalking M2s in the library...it's quite a soap opera here at MCW. 😉
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Except am nice, and I make cookies for people who actually come to school.
 
Where the hell is Splat...off studying, or something? What a slacker. Here we are advancing the MCW threads to greatness and doing all the work without him.
 
Gimlet said:
Where the hell is Splat...off studying, or something? What a slacker. Here we are advancing the MCW threads to greatness and doing all the work without him.
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Splat's probably off applying to CNA school or something. You don't want him to see your glorious 2000th post anyways.

Those were great cookies indeed, Ashers. Thanks!
 
Nobody told me medical school was going to be so mind-numbingly boring. If it weren't for the interest I have for medicine as practiced in a clinical setting (at least at the free clinic) I would seriously think I hated this field. I just can't get excited over this crap.

Don't worry class of 2011! I'm sure you guys will like it muuuuuch better.
 
DoctorFunk said:
Nobody told me medical school was going to be so mind-numbingly boring. If it weren't for the interest I have for medicine as practiced in a clinical setting (at least at the free clinic) I would seriously think I hated this field. I just can't get excited over this crap.

Don't worry class of 2011! I'm sure you guys will like it muuuuuch better.
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At least we got to learn about bones in this block. 😉
 
Thinking about going out for dinner tonight. Any suggestions for Mexican, Chinese, Indian, or traditional American cuisine at a decent price?
 
DoctorFunk said:
Thinking about going out for dinner tonight. Any suggestions for Mexican, Chinese, Indian, or traditional American cuisine at a decent price?
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There's always Froederdt Cafeteria.

Apparently Hector's is good Mexican on State Street in Tosa, but I've never been there, and there's Pedro's. Noodle's has decently priced stuff -- pasta is American-ish. Oh, and McDonalds -- $1 double cheeseburger.
 
DoctorFunk said:
Nobody told me medical school was going to be so mind-numbingly boring. If it weren't for the interest I have for medicine as practiced in a clinical setting (at least at the free clinic) I would seriously think I hated this field. I just can't get excited over this crap.

Don't worry class of 2011! I'm sure you guys will like it muuuuuch better.
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What are the topics in Pathology next block? I need to know that it'll be a subject that will hold my interest better than this CNS stuff, which I didn't care about in Neuro, much less now.

DoctorFunk said:
Thinking about going out for dinner tonight. Any suggestions for Mexican, Chinese, Indian, or traditional American cuisine at a decent price?
Click to expand...

Panda Hut, just over the Harmonee Bridge, is pretty good and relatively cheap. DON'T go to "Number One Chinese Restaurant" on North Ave. That place is an ETEC stronghold.
 
I ordered from #1 and I felt like I had just drank grease. Habanero's, the new mexican joint on Mayfair by FedEx/Kinkos, makes pretty good food and they have a tequila gallery. I think it is better than Hector's. Plus, at Hector's people can smoke in the resteraunt again.
 
Chulito said:
Hey, all. I got back from Milwaukee last night, after two great days of meeting folks, seeing your school and interviewing. I had the good fortune of meeting the ever charming Prowler and the stunning, effervescent Ashers--thanks for showing me the way to 1210, Ashers--along with a host of other current students and applicants. I stayed with an MS1, Tim Bruce, and we went out to the Chancery for free-flowing beer with a bunch of other people after the social on Thursday. I had a great time and really liked MCW, its current students and my fellow applicants, and I came away with more e-mail addresses and warm feeling than I have from any other school besides U of Rochester (which was about the same). I also had the very best interviews that I've had this year, and left feeling extremely optimistic, both because of my own impressions of the interviews and because of things that my interviewers told me at the end. It felt great. All in all, it was a great experience, and I would love to go to MCW. We'll see how things play out.
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It was really nice to meet you. Good luck in making your decision about where to go (I find it pretty unlikely that none of these schools would take you 😉). Hope we helped your decision!
 
Chulito, good luck!! Glad you had a good time here. Sorry I didn't get to meet you too. Normally I eat bagels and hang out with applicants during lunch, but I didn't go yesterday. Oh well. And I usually go to the Chancery pretty regularly too, but not this week. You can tell it's test time. 🙁


Ashleigh, could I maybe get a home delivery of these special cookies? Pretty, pretty please? 🙂 Although, I did have a really good molasses cookie at Starbucks today.


And I'm eating Noodles & Co. right now, so I recommend that for supper. Penne rosa w/ shrimp. Yum yum!
 
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