Napoleon1801 said:
I know it seems pretty weird, but I'm only taking a 4000 level immunology class down at OU right now and I'm pretty bored. I got my hands on a graduate level immuno book and I'm nearly halfway through that already. Mainly its just curiosity at this point. I'm pretty much a workaholic and I kinda feel bad and depressed when I don't have much to do. And now since I don't think I have anything planned this summer I think I'll need some reading material to munch on.
You're going to get a ton of people who are going to call you an idiot for wanting to study before med school, but I sympathize. The summer before school, I wanted at least a taste of what it was going to be like. If you want something to do, grab a histology text (I like Junqueeira's "Basic Histology") and read it.
Don't worry about anatomy or biochem, as you'll get all of that you can possibly handle in the first sem., and that way it'll be "new" and exciting, not something you just read. Besides, while you might be able to grasp some anatomy, the med school biochem curriculum is so piecemeal and without logical construct, that you'd never even know what they will want you to learn.
Finally, I urge you all to not start freaking out yet. First semester was hard, I'll grant you that. But, during the first semester, I spent a large majority of time at the HSC. This is necessary for several reasons. First of all, Anatomy lecture is 3 days/week (if I remember right), and there is an "Audience Response System" that you will use that consists of individual remote controls used to answer two questions at the end of each lecture concerning that days content. Secondly, anatomy lab is 3 days/week, however you will only actually dissect every other lab period. You are in groups of 4, and there is two groups per cadaver. On the days you don't dissect, you are expected to still go down to the lab and "teach" the other group what you did in the last lab (30 minutes was scheduled for this, however we usually spent about 5-10 minutes).
The rest of the time, I went to lecture or studied in the mod.
However, this semester, I have done a complete turnaround. Now that there are no more required labs, (neuro is mostly online, and the few that are in the anatomy lab are short and optional), I have started homeschooling. I cover the material in the syllabus, and only go to the HSC when we have a mandatory PBL or PCM session. (On avg. about once every week or so).
It is absolutely incredible the amount of free time I have when compared to last semester. I used to have to plan a few days in advance to go grocery shopping, now instead of getting up at 7am, class until 3p, and studying until 10p, I get up at 9a, study until 2 or 3p, and then have the rest of the day off. Some days, I don't study at all, some I study all day, it just depends on the amount of material to cover.
And, I'm making almost exactly the same grades I did last semester.
It's great. I know what many of you are thinking. (I'm not paying 16,000 bucks a year to homeschool.) Yes, that's what I said too. You'll figure out what works best for you.
If you're the kind of person who has the discipline to make yourself study the material every day, then homeschooling will work great for you, but if you don't think you would, then don't.
....etc. I did know this one guy who completed a course directly through one of the hospitals around here (Integris I think) and he had a job with them doing all sorts of ER work with lots of interaction. I don't know if this particular program is a certification per se, but it does grant you powers beyond that of a Basic EMT. 
thanks for the input.
