Here are 10 tips for you 2011 Schollies...
1) First-year will come at you quick. Exams don't start for around a month after you begin classes, but they will come at you hard and quick. DO NOT blow off your Biochem pre-test. It's worth 3-4% of your grade in that class and you don't know how many people grades come down to +/- 1% and miss the grade. Don't expect sympathy... people miss the next highest grade by 1-2 questions out of hundreds, sometimes even by 1/2 of 1 question... and don't get the next highest grade. It just depends on the class.
2) You will learn to love to hate gross anatomy... don't blow the lab component b/c it's worth 50% of your grade and the class typically has the greatest room for a curve and thus better grade if you study. You CANNOT study for the anatomy practicals the weekend before... TRUST ME!
3) Once you get past the first set of classes (Gross anatomy, Structure and Function, and Biochem), the 2nd half of classes are much better
4) Make use of your first-year BBS professors. They are always around to help you. Get to know them and know them well! You will have much less accessibility for assistance from faculty in your 2nd-3rd year since they are mostly clinical faculty.
5) DO NOT DISRESPECT FACULTY! No matter how much you might not like a professor, do not piss him/her off! You will pay for it the remaining years you are at Scholl. It's a small campus... word travels like wildfire.
6) This is from my own experience... be consistent in your note taking. Either stick with paper or stick with laptop. It gets confusing when some of your stuff is written down and some of it is on your laptop. If you decide you still want to write notes (I estimate it's about 50/50 among the students), printing notes can get costly... but cost shouldn't matter. You're paying nearly $40,000/yr for tuition and housing and such... put forth another couple hundred $$$ and print all your notes large and in color. You will thank me for this.
7) FYI... If driving to campus, parking on some days can be full by 9-10am... sometimes there have been no spots available in both lots.
8) With good residencies becoming more of a premium, and your Part I boards (at end of 2nd year) being a Pass/Fail exam, your GPA matters. Other than research/activities/extracurriculars, it is the only thing that sets you apart from your classmates. I'm not one for competition among future physicians, but it does exist (at least for the so-called "power" residencies). You do not want to play catch-up. Get off to a good start.
9) There is a balance between studying, partying, and relaxing... if you don't find that balance, your grades will suffer. The successful students do all 3.
10) If you find yourself not doing well in school, look at the people around you and see what they are doing and adapt. Medical school is all about adaptation. Don't be afraid to see what successful students are doing and adjust on the fly. If you can't adapt, then what are you going to do in the O.R. when something happens suddenly and your patient goes sour on you?
If you guys and gals have any questions... shoot!
Good luck!
-The Big Kabob
SCPM c/o 2009