I get really excited whenever someone asks about Western 😀.
Not going to lie: PBL definitely IS daunting, and for the first 4 weeks, I was struggling to find the right way to study. But I love the freedom I have with studying.
Additionally, the faculty, like TrocarKarin mentioned, is extremely supportive. There's no other way for me to put it. They understand that PBL is a completely different method from what we were accustomed to, so they take pains to check in on us and to gauge our performance.
Pros of PBL:
- I have never had to ask myself, "Why the hell am I learning this crap?" Everything we go over and research is relevant. And during the PBL discussions, you play the doctor, and you constantly have to question why each test was run, question why that test works the way it does, question what the next step in treatment or diagnosis is. This is probably the shortest section in my description, but I cannot stress this enough.
- I'm not stuck in lectures from 9am - 5pm. We have PBL sessions for 2 hours on MWF. We have a few ancillary activities which is either practicing calculations for epidemiology, going over parasites, or having a Q&A-like session with one of the faculty with specializations in whatever field our case was focusing on (e.g, we'll have a pathologist or physiologist/internal med vet answer our questions if we have a crazy internal med case). We also have anatomy for 2 hours twice a week, where we're allowed to (and advised to) look over the comparative differences of the part of the body of interest. But the rest of the hours of the day? I can spend on whatever field I want for as long as I cover what I need to: histology? Physiology? Maybe I want to look into epidemiology later because it's easy and concentrate on pharmacology now.
Our Molecular/Cellular Biology is comprised of 1 assigned scientific lit paper (usually relevant to our case) per week that is discussed with the class. Unfortunately, sometimes the discussion leader for that week feels more comfortable with lecture format, so you end up being lectured. But you know what? It's actually a good thing. After not knowing anything, being told what to know becomes a godsend.
- It's PBL. If I don't truly think learning "Disease/Process X" is important at this point and time, nobody will hold it against me (unless, for example, this dog peeing pure sugar comes in and you, for some reason, decided not to look into diabetes). You pick the learning issues you want to understand and think are relevant to solving the case. This seems like it leaves gaps in your education, but each case has enough information for you to pick out that you'll eventually learn everything you need. If not, you'll know where to look it up because you're familiar with your resources. Additionally, if a case seems to be pointing towards one differential and goes another way, subsequent cases will cover the missed material.
- Group work! I actually did not like the idea of relying on others before, but I've quickly realized that it's imperative to have others in the group working with you. First off, your classmates come from various backgrounds and are probably interested in a different field of vet med from you. They come in handy when you come across an iguana or horse or shar-pei and are completely unfamiliar with common diseases that plague them because you've only been exposed to small and lab animals for 4 years.
Second, with how many learning issues you come out with after even the first set of case disclosures, it can be overwhelming to try and research everything you don't know by yourself. Your group mates come to your rescue by either 1. Providing notes on separate subjects they've done research on or 2. Providing you with the resource they used so you can figure things out yourself. But because they shared, it's less time you spent getting your sources together… which brings me to my first con:
Some cons of the system:
- No required textbooks. Because there is so much freedom with what reputable source you can use to study, you will sometimes come up with conflicting or outdated information, or even information you're not ready to understand. Not all textbooks that you end up using has the information you're looking for. Therefore, I've become very very very very intimate with PubMed and SpringerLink and other online databases for my information. And I will reiterate this: your PBL groupmates help you out so much. Later during the semester, you have other groups sharing useful resources with the entire class.
- It's PBL. Nobody will tell you what you need to know. You may have an EXTREMELY huge hunch (or a "raging clue" 😀). For example, on the first day, a limping, snuffleupagus comes in with rads on its stifle. That KINDA tells me it's going to be musculoskeletal case focusing on the limbs. But that's easy. What else are they going to test you on? Vaccines? Parasites? Pain pathway? NSAIDs? What about proper radiograph technique?
They sometimes throw you a curve ball by adding in the fact that on the last day of PBL, the urinalysis showed glucosuria and blood tests revealed hyperglycemia. How sure are you that this is still a musculoskeletal case?
- During PBL, the facilitators won't guide your discussion of the case. They aren't supposed to tell you if it's diabetic neuropathy or what the vaccine protocol is for imaginary creatures. All they are supposed to do is ask you more questions about what you know until you honestly say "I don't know."
- Despite not being in class for 8 hours a day, the cases are so broad and filled with issues you don't know yet and have to look up that you'll never ever be on top of everything. Even when you do identify the core Learning Issues, after spending time collecting and verifying the resources you want to use and extracting the necessary info, you'll only have an iota of time to get a good grasp of that info before it's on to the next issue on your list.
The hardest part of PBL is being OKAY with not knowing everything and being honest in admitting what you don't know. As I've mentioned in my previous point, it's hard to complete all of your learning issues in the time frame you'd like. But what many of us had to learn the hard way was the fact that you can't go too in-depth at this point because the case issues will repeat. Example: That curveball glucosuria and hyperglycemia earlier? Don't worry about it. It WAS a musculoskeletal case. That last disclosure about glucose in everything was to give you a hint that maaaybe glucose will play a big part in your next case next week.
And yes. I love PBL despite all those cons. It is daunting, but it is DOABLE. I would rather be working at finding out what I need to know rather than being asked to memorize minutiae out of context.
Anyway, I think I've gone off and started rambling at this point. Feel free to PM me for more specific details.
And congratulations again to everyone who's gotten an interview 🙂. TT, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!
And regarding safety in Pomona / SoCal: It's not that bad. It's not the ghetto. I live 3 minutes away from campus and it's been alright. If living in Pomona isn't your cup of tea, we have several commuters who are in more affluent neighborhoods that are less than 10min. away (driving) to an hour away, and they do fine with the commute.
. I'm trying to keep it positive and hoping that's why I haven't heard from them yet. 
but they also seperate the molecular and cellular biology course which is not lecture but presented in a seminar format where students must again present findings in a discussion! Lastly they provide clinical skills that correlate with the case in progress which seem PUURRFECT! It seems like all my prayers about a veterinary curriculum have been answered and I cant wait I am going in with an open mind and faith that this is the program for me !
Trust me da whole male thing has finally helped me because we all know gurls rule and Boiz drool 
