The first semester schedule looks bit jumbled compared to what we had, but the material should be the same (I was actually told it may be a bit less to allow for more hands-on/clinical time up front). Your second semester looks identical.
First semester:
-Anatomy: They will beat you down with Moore "blue boxes". Let me tell you, Moore is huge and overly detail for MS1 anatomy. IMO, don't even read the blue boxes. My grades went up when I stopped and anatomy no longer seemed time consuming. Get the high yield info from BRS (the only book I used). The profs let you know what clinicals you should know and the additional high yield info will be in BRS. I would suggest getting Moore and using it as a reference. These are also very helpful:
http://www.med.umich.edu/lrc/coursepages/M1/anatomy/html/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index.html and a good muscle chart can be helpful. The CD you get from the 2nd yrs is nice, but be careful as much if it was done by some real anal gunners and is "too much info". Know the scribes and know the lab lists and you will get an A with relatively little effort. Do req'd reading and try to learn it all and you will go insane and likely NOT get an A. Use High Yield or BRS along with FirstAid for the final.
-As for lab practicals.... I get as much out of netter (a must have) as looking at cadavers. A lot of students got Netter flash cards, but didn't use them for long. Rohen's color atlas was also a student favorite as it has color pics of pro-sected cadavers. I bought it, but didn't use it. Try some different things and see what sticks. Don't get the dissector manual. It's a waste. They will tell you what to do in the prelab. For studying, I would spend 10-30 minutes the night before lab finding the things we needed to see the next day in Netter and simply writing the pg #'s next to the term (for future quick ref). This was very helpful for just seeing it for the 1st time and being able to find it quickly in lab the next day. Also bring your Muscle Chart to lab (I'll send a link to the one I liked as soon I find it again). Use the lab time to learn
. Dont waste it chattering. Spend a few minutes with the material that night reviewing and you will have it. Thats it! Look at the cross-sections but don't have a panic attack (like I did first block) about them. Most of the Q's from x-sections are easy and obvious. Don't freak about lab practicals, just know your lists, basic landmarks and basic actions (not too much detail though). Just be steady/consistent. If you don't wait til the last minute, It really isn't that bad and you won't have to study much come test time. Dr. Dalley and Dr. Chilton give GREAT reviews. Go to one (or two), but dont be rude and hog him. I would recommend you try to schedule reviews at odd times (real early or late, or when the lab is likely to be empty). Med students are vultures and your review will become everyones if its crowded. Keep it to 8 or less if you can. Here's a big one!... don't pay attention to what others are doing and try to find times to study when the lab isn't really crowded. Others (intentional or not) will make you feel like you know nothing and try to freak you out. Go at your own pace and learn what's high yield. These people got to me at first and for nothing (my lowest lab score was a 92). FWIW, stay away from everyone except for your study group (if you have one) around test time. Don't listen to what people are freaking out about and trying to learn right before you walk into the exam. Learn what's high yield and what YOU think is important. That's it!
-For the embryo portion: get BRS (NOT the req'd text) to clarify things, but only learn what Dr. Beale teaches. If you know what he goes over, you will get every question on the test. He is a bit confusing in lecture, but somehow, it makes sense later on when you read the scribes. DON'T ignore embryo and DON'T put it off (you won't get to it during test week), but DON'T spend too much time with it. High yield and the req'd texts are horrible. Don't even buy as a ref. The final is ridiculous. Look at FirstAid, but don't waste much time (like I did). It's 25 Q's at the end of the anatomy final and really sucks.
-Biochem: Req'd text sucks..... don't buy it. Your class notes really are enough. Google what you can't figure out. Some of the others got a different book and really liked it. I say 'get nothing'. PreTest for the final (seems hard and over the top, but so is the final). This is the ONLY course I recommend PreTest for. It was waaaaaay off on the others. Also, remember that grading (for everything) is relative and if it seems REALLY hard, it probably is for everyone. I felt like I got my ass handed to me on the biochem final and ended up with a 96 (same for the physiology final). Listen to Dr. Pelley. He gives lots of great advice for med school, learning and life. Try what he recommends and see if it works. For me, some did and some was too time consuming. It all worked though.
-Histo/cell bio: Wheater's atlas is very good. A lot of students also got the Leeson & Leeson atlas that all of the WebCT slides come from. Just buy one and go with it. The req'd text sucks and I never used it. For tests, just know your note packets. That's it! For Dr. Hudson, get the relevant clinical stuff (from the book) off of your CD (the one you get from us) in condensed form. For lab tests, know the WebCT slides and we will tell you as you go which prof's like to focus on tougher microscope slides.
-Intro to med (or whatever they call it this yr): don't buy the books. Go to class (req'd and attendance is taken). Have respect for the people teaching it. It's tough going to this class when you are stressed about first semester classes, but you will learn to appreciate it. You don't have to get all your little Dr. tools for this class if you don't want (I didn't).
Second Semester:
-Phys: NMS Phys is the ONLY book you need. That's it! I've seen the others and there is NO comparison. If you buy the req'd text(s), I will rip them out of your hands and slap you over the head with them. NMS uses pics/details from many diff resources (including the few good things in the req'd texts). The few things that showed up in class lectures from the req'd texts that weren't in NMS ended up being useless anyway. If you really need to see it, borrow a friend's book or go to the library. Some people also used a book by Costanzo (I bought it too) and while it's much better than the req'd texts, NMS is still superior by long shot. My buddy I study with used the Costanzo (felt it was a shorter and easier read) and ended up more than 10pts below me in the end (and he's a very capable student). For the final....... drum role please....... NMS!
-Neuro: Get the atlas. Other than that, the class notes are all you should study. Req'd readings are a HUGE waste. Never did them. Blumenfeld is a good book to have for reference (very interesting, but who has time for interesting in med school?). The other req'd txt....... I gave it away with the plastic still on
For the final..... this will be easy. You are pretty prepared to begin with as the Nuero dept is awesome. High Yield only (even the new info in it you may not have seen in class yet). The other stuff I looked at was no good. Had I spent all my time in High Yield, the NBME would have been very high (only got a 90..... my lowest NBME yet..... focused on PreTest which was no good).
That's it for now...... as yes, I do have better things to do....but I want to help you guys out. I feel med students are left to guess and struggle too much (esp. in the beginning). It doesn't have to be that bad. I have a family, kids, worked out 4x/wk, played b-ball, had free time and went out...... all that, plus low stress (after the 1st block) and very high class standing. Anyone can do it. Just be consistent (don't procrastinate) and go high yield (BTW, when I say High Yield in CAPs, Im referring to the book
.. in lower case, Im referring to the concept). A few hrs of studying every day and bust ass during blocks. Take your time, see, understand the first time through, then memorize for tests. Dont be too frustrated by how quickly you seem to forget the stuff. Happens to everyone and probably wont stick well until were actually using it 3rd yr. As long as you really understand it the first time through, re-learning goes very fast. Good luck and feel free to ask Q's.
