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

[Agent Splat]

whats it matter what the school's rates are? if u do your best you'll pass.

you're my new best buddy. people are too hung up on stats here. personal achievement is what matters.

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[Agent Splat]

That is one of the books I choose to read slowly, highlight and annotate. I've gone through more highlighters in that book than I count.

another reason i quit reading it. i tend to highlight everything...it's basically my method of slowing myself down to pay attention to what I'm reading.

i'm getting better...honest. my last set of pharm notes were only 80% highlighted.

 

[Ashers]

you're my new best buddy. people are too hung up on stats here. personal achievement is what matters.

Ditto on all counts. =) And my personal achievement is maximizing pre-test SDN posts with test score. Considering how little I studied for path, and how much I posted, I think that was pretty dang good 2 weekends ago.

another reason i quit reading it. i tend to highlight everything...it's basically my method of slowing myself down to pay attention to what I'm reading.

i'm getting better...honest. my last set of pharm notes were only 80% highlighted.

I was worse of a highlighter in high school. The first time I read through a book I'd high light in 1 color, the 2nd time, in another, so I'd have green or orange, when I only owned 3 colors of highlighters.

You need to rely on a color coded highlighter system for pharm. I know you have your special 4 colored pen, but really, 5 colors of highlighters makes it great. Yellow = general (like for everything else).

 

[indo]

"You have to be a speed-reader in order to be really successful in medical school." Fact or Fiction?

Nah. I have to read every sentence several times because I can actually read and think about many other things at the same time. The words reach Wernicke's and the lateral geniculate nuclei but they stop there. I'll start off reading and find a word that sends my brain on a tangent. Then, I'll snap back and realize I've read a half page without comprehending a single syllable.

But, that may be why I score 2 points below the mean on everything.

 

[Ibn Sina]

agreed. more important than speed reading is knowing what's worth your time to read and what isn't. different for everybody.

What is the trick to knowing what's worth your time to read? I personally have this issue to delve into details which I find later after exams to be irrelevant.

 

[DoctorFunk]

What is the trick to knowing what's worth your time to read? I personally have this issue to delve into details which I find later after exams to be irrelevant.

For the most part the lecture notes that the courses provide us with have plenty of detail and are good enough for learning the material from (especially first year). It is usually best to focus on knowing those cold and use textbooks more as a resource for concepts that need clarification.

Don't worry too much about these things just yet. You'll find yourself adapting pretty well to the differences in med school within the first couple of months.

 

[donnyfire]

agreed. more important than speed reading is knowing what's worth your time to read and what isn't. different for everybody. personally, the 4 inch thick pathology text is just a bookshelf space filler for me. i usually stick to class notes unless i need clarification

That was actually one of my favorite books from the first two years (and the only one I read cover to cover), but that's because I really liked pathology.

"You have to be a speed-reader in order to be really successful in medical school." Fact or Fiction?

Absolutely not. When reading the above book (or any other), I was painfully slow, and it ate up more of my time than it should have. Also, not everyone reads books (I didn't crack a book for pharm). You need to study in a way that is most effective for you (there is more than one path to enlightenment, grasshopper ).

What is the trick to knowing what's worth your time to read? I personally have this issue to delve into details which I find later after exams to be irrelevant.

A good boards book to summarize and review the important points will help you to focus. I was a details guy too, and although it didn't always help on exams, it really impresses attendings when you can dredge up stuff like that. Plus the details can help you understand what is going on, and that always made it easier for me to remember things (as opposed to memorization, which there is plenty of too).

 

[Xandie]

I read the immunology text book cover-to-cover, and that was it.

I am a fast reader, but that doesn't have anything to do with my success in classes, I think.

Also, 11 people in our class failed step 1, highest number of people to have done that in a long time. Our average was around the national average, as I recall.

(clearly I was too lazy to multi-quote what needed to be quoted here... y'all know what I'm referring to, I hope).

 

[akpete]

I read the immunology text book cover-to-cover, and that was it.

I am a fast reader, but that doesn't have anything to do with my success in classes, I think.

Also, 11 people in our class failed step 1, highest number of people to have done that in a long time. Our average was around the national average, as I recall.

(clearly I was too lazy to multi-quote what needed to be quoted here... y'all know what I'm referring to, I hope).

Remember, 11 people not passing sounds really bad, but that's still like 95%, and I think the national pass rate is usually around 94-95% too.

 

[indo]

Did the 11 people who failed happen to be sub-average students?

 

[Xandie]

Did the 11 people who failed happen to be sub-average students?

Let's see... I can come up with six off the top of my head, and I don't really know any of their grades all that well. I know at least one of them was someone who had struggled. I don't know everyone else's business all that well, despite how it may seem.

 

[45408]

Let's see... I can come up with six off the top of my head, and I don't really know any of their grades all that well. I know at least one of them was someone who had struggled. I don't know everyone else's business all that well, despite how it may seem.

wow, that had to blow. did they pass it the second time around? do you think it's because of personal issues, inadequate studying, or a combination of both? I don't really think I have to worry about actually failing step 1, but I do worry about having a lackluster performance.

 

[45408]

"You have to be a speed-reader in order to be really successful in medical school." Fact or Fiction?

That's for law school. You have to be a speed-rememberer in med school. While there will always be nit-picky factual questions on the exams (which of the following TCA enzymes is bound to the mitochondrial membrane?), a lot of it will rely on conceptual stuff as well.

 

[Xandie]

wow, that had to blow. did they pass it the second time around? do you think it's because of personal issues, inadequate studying, or a combination of both? I don't really think I have to worry about actually failing step 1, but I do worry about having a lackluster performance.

Umm... Probably both. Most of them would probably say the same thing.

 

[imari]

Akpete and I were both accepted off the waitlist. I was off the OOS waitlist. Basically, I called to see where I was every day. At first I had to give my AMCAS number as ID to find out where I was on the list, but after a while, I just said my name, and they told me. They do notice if you show interest, so a letter of intent might be helpful. I had also called and asked Mike Istwan if I could start at my state school then go to MCW if I got off the waitlist, so basically he knew I didn't want to go to the 1 school at which I was accepted, and I was ready to reapply when I found out that I couldn't start at one that started in July then switch. He told me though about "noticing [my] continued interest in the school."

Thank you Ashers! I appreciate your help.

 

[donnyfire]

I read the immunology text book cover-to-cover, and that was it.

I am a fast reader, but that doesn't have anything to do with my success in classes, I think.

Also, 11 people in our class failed step 1, highest number of people to have done that in a long time. Our average was around the national average, as I recall.

(clearly I was too lazy to multi-quote what needed to be quoted here... y'all know what I'm referring to, I hope).

Clearly, Xandie and I have very different studying techniques.

 

[Xandie]

Clearly, Xandie and I have very different studying techniques.

That might be why you're a better student than I, my friend.

 

[donnyfire]

That might be why you're a better student than I, my friend.

I'm nerdier, that's for sure.

 

[Xandie]

Like I said, a better student. But I'm alright.

 

[BamBoozed]

this is a total bummer! where are all the 2011 MCW people? it's awesome that all you awesome guys are all here, but it seems like there's maybe two 2011 students so far. If you guys are out there it's time to totally sound off!!! just so we can know that ur breathing!!! cause not breathing sucks.

 

[45408]

nmarie27 and LadyLuck are coming, but they're pretty quiet on the posting front. some of us are just a bit chattier.

 

[BamBoozed]

nmarie27 and LadyLuck are coming, but they're pretty quiet on the posting front. some of us are just a bit chattier.

i hope that everyone else starts chatting it up soon! what will I do otherwise when you guys are all dead and gone?

 

[samenewme]

i hope that everyone else starts chatting it up soon! what will I do otherwise when you guys are all dead and gone?

You'll talk to the 2012's. If you look closely, you'll notice at most 4-5 posters from each class. It'll catch on, but not by very much.

 

[BamBoozed]

You'll talk to the 2012's. If you look closely, you'll notice at most 4-5 posters from each class. It'll catch on, but not by very much.

i should create a class of 2012 thread just to get that one started then, since only 2011 through 2009 will probably ever post in it.

 

[samenewme]

i should create a class of 2012 thread just to get that one started then, since only 2011 through 2009 will probably ever post in it.

Probably right. It was me and the 2009's on the 2010 thread for the LONGEST time.

 

[Ashers]

i should create a class of 2012 thread just to get that one started then, since only 2011 through 2009 will probably ever post in it.

There's a couple 08ers. They're awesome btw. Listen to them.

 

[Agent Splat]

There's a couple 08ers. They're awesome btw. Listen to them.

you should also embrace them. especially xandie.

 

[donnyfire]

you should also embrace them. especially xandie.

aw, c'mon. I'm cuddly too.

 

[pratik7]

aw, c'mon. I'm cuddly too.

<hug> I concur.. you are cuddly.

 

[Ibn Sina]

this is a total bummer! where are all the 2011 MCW people? it's awesome that all you awesome guys are all here, but it seems like there's maybe two 2011 students so far. If you guys are out there it's time to totally sound off!!! just so we can know that ur breathing!!! cause not breathing sucks.

I concur. It seems we are going to have a quiet/aloof class makeup.

 

[Chulito]

I concur. It seems we are going to have a quiet/aloof class makeup.

Nah, I met so many fun people on my interview day. I'm in regular e-contact with three of the sexiest and most fun mofos (2 guys, 1 girl) in the whole wide world who interviewed the same day that I did, but they are not on SDN. I keep trying to get them to join, but they're not into it. If they end up going to MCW, they alone will make your class fun, but not your SDN class thread.


Hey, y'all, I was given a brand new Litmann brand Cardiology III stethoscope tonight by one of my students. Is that a good brand?

 

[Ibn Sina]

By the way, did they mention anything about immunizations on the interivew day? Maybe fretting about the interviews made me zone out on some important information.

 

[Agent Splat]

Nah, I met so many fun people on my interview day. I'm in regular e-contact with three of the sexiest and most fun mofos (2 guys, 1 girl) in the whole wide world who interviewed the same day that I did, but they are not on SDN. I keep trying to get them to join, but they're not into it. If they end up going to MCW, they alone will make your class fun, but not your SDN class thread.


Hey, y'all, I was given a brand new Litmann brand Cardiology III stethoscope tonight by one of my students. Is that a good brand?

it's a good stethescope...I would say that most of us use that one. granted different folks, different strokes, different scopes, but I think it'll work fine. someday in the future you'll want to shop around for the best fit for you, but that's when you have money to blow.

you got a very generous gift there, bud. it will definitely last you through med school. it's what many would say is the "standard" for us. not necessarily true as I said before, but still very good.

 

[Agent Splat]

By the way, did they mention anything about immunizations on the interivew day? Maybe fretting about the interviews made me zone out on some important information.

you'll get some health/physical info/forms this summer, but basically you gotta get a physical and send in the required forms along with proof that you got your shots. don't worry about that until you get the forms and know exactly what they want you to do. and if you want a really easy physical, go to my personal physician. it consisted of listening to my heart and lungs, prodding my abdomen momentarily, and flexing my left hip. then i was given a clean bill of health. nothing to it!

 

[Agent Splat]

aw, c'mon. I'm cuddly too.

fine. you're cuddly. now go shower.

 

[indo]

Nah, your class will be good. The thing about medical school is that they pick interesting people. For example, I went over to a classmate's house to play beer pong (M1 tournanment) and found out that the person plays like 12 instruments. Then, another night, we all went to the blues bar to see another classmate play on open mic night. Good times.

A lot of people don't even know that SDN exists or they just don't visit it much.

 

[45408]

aw, c'mon. I'm cuddly too.

I don't even know what you look like

 

[Agent Splat]

I don't even know what you look like

you wouldn't even talk to him if you knew, i bet. instead you would rudely say everything through someone else even when he was in earshot.

how very sad.

at least it's been proven my voice is deeper, Mr. "bass in high school choir." wahaha!

 

[mjos22]

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I have been accepted to MCW, and my gpa is ~3.90. However, I'm taking a genetics class right now and its kinda rockin my world. I hope to get a 3.5, if i'm absolutely lucky, but if I end up with a 3.0, how bad does that look? Will it look like I'm slackin off in my last semester, even though thats not the case?

 

[Gimlet]

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I have been accepted to MCW, and my gpa is ~3.90. However, I'm taking a genetics class right now and its kinda rockin my world. I hope to get a 3.5, if i'm absolutely lucky, but if I end up with a 3.0, how bad does that look? Will it look like I'm slackin off in my last semester, even though thats not the case?

No one will care now that you're accepted, as long as you don't fail the class. Probably shouldn't get a D either.

I got a "BC" (worth 2.5 grade points) in one of my classes last semester of college and never heard word one about it.

 

[DoctorFunk]

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I have been accepted to MCW, and my gpa is ~3.90. However, I'm taking a genetics class right now and its kinda rockin my world. I hope to get a 3.5, if i'm absolutely lucky, but if I end up with a 3.0, how bad does that look? Will it look like I'm slackin off in my last semester, even though thats not the case?

You've already got the acceptance in hand, so don't worry too much. There is always a clause that says that the acceptance is contingent on "satisfactory academic performance" or something to that effect. That essentially means that they might rethink your acceptance if you really, really bombed something in your last semester.

Bombing doesn't mean getting an A-, B, or even C+. The only time I've heard of it become a problem is if you are pulling a D, fail a class, or have multiple Cs during your last semester for some reason. Chances are that with a 3.90 cumulative, none of these scenarios apply to you and you're in the clear. Congratulations on the acceptance!

 

[Gimlet]

No one will care now that you're accepted, as long as you don't fail the class. Probably shouldn't get a D either.

I got a "BC" (worth 2.5 grade points) in one of my classes last semester of college and never heard word one about it.

Actually, wait. Now that I think about it, I got accepted with that BC already on my transcript, since I didn't get accepted until after I was done with undergrad. Duh!

 

[45408]

you wouldn't even talk to him if you knew, i bet. instead you would rudely say everything through someone else even when he was in earshot.

how very sad.

at least it's been proven my voice is deeper, Mr. "bass in high school choir." wahaha!

Pffft, she didn't want to hurt your feelings. And you haven't talked directly to me either, so who's being rude now?

 

[Chulito]

you wouldn't even talk to him if you knew, i bet. instead you would rudely say everything through someone else even when he was in earshot.

how very sad.

at least it's been proven my voice is deeper, Mr. "bass in high school choir." wahaha!

Pffft, she didn't want to hurt your feelings. And you haven't talked directly to me either, so who's being rude now?

Are you guys really fighting here, or is this just the usual shenanigans?

 

[Gimlet]

Are you guys really fighting here, or is this just the usual shenanigans?

99% shenanigans, 1% catfighting. Prowler and Splat have never actually spoken in real life, and neither one of them wants to be the first to crack.

 

[Chulito]

99% shenanigans, 1% catfighting. Prowler and Splat have never actually spoken in real life, and neither one of them wants to be the first to crack.

... ... ... ...

 

[Agent Splat]

99% shenanigans, 1% catfighting. Prowler and Splat have never actually spoken in real life, and neither one of them wants to be the first to crack.

that's not 100% accurate. He actually did approach me and speak to me at the organization fair at the beginning of the school year. I don't think he realized who it was at the time though, and this was before our pact. But still, he technically cracked first by coming to me. So very long ago.

 

[Bucky_Badger]

Got the e-mail yesterday from Michael Istwan about the dedication of the new biomedical research facility. Any idea if any classes will be held in the new facility, anatomy maybe?

 

[Agent Splat]

Got the e-mail yesterday from Michael Istwan about the dedication of the new biomedical research facility. Any idea if any classes will be held in the new facility, anatomy maybe?

probably not. i haven't heard anything as such. i think it's dedicated to research. the anatomy labs we have in the existing college are perfectly adequate.

and plus, I may be wrong on this, but there's no outside entrace to that building other than through the original MCW building. That means more of a pain in the arse to get to class by walking through a whole building.

 

[Chulito]

I claim the 1000th post.