- What is your end goal and how does this program fit into that plan?
Most of us in the program hope to apply to medical school after the program ends. A few of us currently applied to medical school while doing the program. 2 of the 18 are pre-dental. The MS in Anatomy, I would say, is the better option among all the other MS programs because we actually take gross anatomy and histology alongside the first year med students (T1s as they’re called at Tulane). So you get more opportunities to interact with the T1s if you want. The program allows you to show that you can get through first-year medical school courses, especially one as rigorous as anatomy. If you didn’t do as well in undergrad, this is your shot to do everything you can to do well and prove to admissions committees you can handle medical school.
- What other programs were you considering and why did you ultimately decide on Tulane?
I was considering a post bacc program back home in California and I also applied to Tulane’s MS Physiology program. I ended up choosing MS Anatomy because of the fact I would be taking actual medical school courses and you can actually use the MS Anatomy degree to teach at community colleges or TA for undergrads.
- Is the culture more competitive or cooperative?
I would say Tulane is very collaborative. Everyone is willing to share resources with each other. I even had some T1 friends that helped me out and vice versa. Even among us masters students, most of us are willing to help each other out, study with each other, teach others, and share our resources. Tulane really wants everyone to work together as a team and be able to help one another.
- How did you feel like Tulane supported your transition to grad school? How do you feel it compares to undergrad?
Coming from a very competitive undergrad, I really liked how the staff in our department are very supportive and will give time to help you. I had a better experience here with regards to grades than with the hard sciences in college. Sometimes though, they kind of leave us masters students alone too long and don’t really follow up with how we are doing. Although we are placed into an environment that is academically rigorous, which is good because it teaches us how to study effectively, I do wish that we were given an opportunity to get to know our cohort in the program better. We were just all thrown in not knowing much about anyone or getting to socialize.
- What do you think about the classes/curriculum? How are the courses that are in medical school but offered to grad students?
I really like how our program includes taking classes with T1s. It gave me an opportunity to talk with them and get to know some of them. For MS Anatomy, Anatomy and Histology are taken alongside the T1s. We also have seminar classes or grand round classes you can take to fill up the other units. I recommend taking Dr. Korndorffer’s Leadership in Healthcare Class in the Spring semester because it really is helpful.
- How is the work/life balance?
The first 11 weeks of anatomy are going to hard and long. Most of my day every day was studying in Matas library. I spent most of my day at the school, maybe at least 9 hours every day (my personal goal was to always beat the med students’ test average). I would not recommend getting a job during this program, because even after anatomy ends and you start histology and have more free time, the schedule is never consistent, which is what we all have to deal with as MS students. When you are doing histology, some students were also studying for the MCAT. It’s not recommended that you get a part-time job because of the uncertainties in schedule changes with certain classes. I’m sure maybe working at the front desk of the library may be manageable since you’d be in school, but outside work might be difficult. I decided to get more research experience during histology, so I reached out to a few professors on the Tulane DeBakey Scholars Mentors website and asked if any of them could take me on. I was able to take part on a case study with ENT department.
- The program seems small at only 20 students. Did you find this to be advantageous or take away from your experience? Are students in the program close to each other? Do you interact with students outside your program/in the medical school?
We have 18 students in our program. It really didn’t matter for me the size of the program. What really matters I guess is how well you can be proactive, interact with the faculty and other students, and seek out resources. So I would advise to not worry about how the other 17-19 students are going to affect you because at the end of the day you make out your experience in the program.
For our class, there definitely was a divide among certain groups in the program. People would hang out with their own group outside of studying. There are some that are loners and keep to themselves, so I’ve never seen them outside of class. It really depends if you are a sociable person and willing to take the time to get to know your classmates outside of studying. Most of us are here to really buckle down and study a lot to get into med school so there wasn’t that much of social life unless it was after a test.
For me, since the ACLP students (who will become TAs the following year) are taking anatomy and histology alongside MS students, I was able to get to know most of them early on and hang out with some of them outside of class, especially since we all lived in Deming Pavilion. I think building a relationship with the ACLP was helpful for me because I learned how to better apply to medical school, what to improve on, and get insight into their study habits and resources.
I also got close with my TAs in our lab (the TAs are former ACLP students) and another TA from Lab G. Going to TA sessions and building those relationships really show to them that you are here to work hard and get into med school. So be genuine, competent, and hard-working around your TAs and schedule sessions with them. They are helpful!
- What do you (or other students) find most challenging about this program?
For me, the most challenging thing about the program was having time to take care of my health. For anatomy, I found it really hard to make the time to cook for myself or go workout every day. I was eating out a lot when it got close to an exam and I could only work out once or twice a week during the 11 weeks of anatomy (I studied a lot). When histology starts, you have a lot more free time. Many students started studying for the MCAT while histology was going on.
- Is it well managed?
Management of the program was kind of all over the place because of the inconsistencies in scheduling, the random changes, and lack of communication to MS students because we were on a different list serve. That’s why make friends with the TAs, the T1s, and ACLP so you can stay in the loop with what’s happening in anatomy.
- Do you believe it is significantly helping you get to medical school?
I think it does because you are proving to yourself and eventually admissions committees that you can manage the rigor of medical school level work. I would say it helped me also get my foot in the door at Tulane; I was able to get an interview and get accepted. So there is hope.
- If you had to make the decision again, would you still enroll in the program? (also what stood out about this program to you?)
This is a tough question. Because it really depends on the results you want and why you are doing this in the first place. I definitely learned a lot from anatomy and histology and I learned how to study for medical school, which I’m very grateful for. I learned about my study habits and how I like to learn through this program as well. Because I felt the program helped me get into medical school, I would say I would do it over again. Some people would have differing opinions because of what we all experienced and how we were cared for.
- Would you recommend living in Deming?
I chose to live in Deming because of convenience and because of the uncertainty of coming out here. Deming has what you need, all the basics, but it is not anything special. The staff at Deming I would say is very friendly and hospitable and they do love helping out their students. And I would say, you can’t find that kind of affordable living space in downtown, connected to the school. Plus, if you don’t have a car, living in Deming is convenient for going to school and walking back and forth from the library.
However, I would not live in Deming again because I was so discouraged from cooking. The kitchen is so tiny, there’s no room to really prep food. Most of us students living in Deming had problems with cockroaches, it was so annoying. They really need to burn down Deming and renovate it because it doesn’t look appealing inside or out. The workout room is useless because the majority of the machines are broken.
- Where do most students go after completing the program?
Some of us plan to apply to medical school right after the program ends. Others are also studying for the MCAT or DAT. I know a couple of people plan to get a job as a medical scribe or tutor/TA for anatomy students at the undergrad or work downtown. Many are going home to their home states to work on their med school apps. A couple of us (including myself) got into med school and will be starting this fall.
- What’s your favorite and least favorite part about the program/Tulane?
Favorite thing about the program: the amount of useful information we learn amazes me, the professors and most of our lecturers are amazing
- I really like how the structural and cell biology (anatomy) department are all very supportive
Least favorite thing about the program: often we are treated as second class citizens (which is sometimes understandable since the med students are a priority)
- However, there are often schedule changes and inconsistencies with room locations we just got annoyed with, but you have to deal with it.
- You will be taking Anatomy and Histology alongside the ACLP students. After anatomy is over, practically all of them get so lazy during histology that they become useless in TBLs and show no motivation in doing well in histology. You’re gonna have to work with that attitude from them.
- What’s your favorite and least favorite part about New Orleans in general?
Favorite things about NOLA: the food, culture, history, the churches, Mardi gras is fun!
Least favorite thing about NOLA: Bourbon St. at night and all the drunk people during Mardi Gras
- Do you have any general advice or things you wish you knew when you were in my shoes?
TA sessions are vital! Get close with your TAs, be on their good side, show them that you come to lab prepared every day and you did the readings and can participate. Go to TA sessions at least once a week, especially as exams approach.
My other big advice is to be friendly with everyone and respectful. Stay motivated and be proactive with resources, ask for help when you need it, and anticipate your responsibilities during lab time. Also, don’t be afraid to meet up once a month with your advisor, whether it be Dr. Hill, Dr. Korndorffer, or Dr. Rowan. Build those professional relationships because they will help you reach your professional goals.
