What did you love the most in your first year

[mulberry]

Those that don't have to attend lecture have no reason to complain about how tough m1 was. Try being on campus ~9-5 all week then make time to study and have a life. If classes were optional, I'd be doing much better on tests as opposed to average/barely above average.

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[fastlane]

Those that don't have to attend lecture have no reason to complain about how tough m1 was. Try being on campus ~9-5 all week then make time to study and have a life. If classes were optional, I'd be doing much better on tests as opposed to average/barely above average.

I can't agree with this. Because this means that all of your classmates are at an equal disadvantage. Thus, the test averages are generally lower for your class as a whole. If your classes were optional, I doubt that would all of a sudden put you at the top of your class.

 

[bakedbeans18]

I know! Embryo sucks so bad and you put it off and then you actually read it because you sooooo have to and it's like...oh wait, this is kinda interesting - **** I only have 3 days. I messed that up too.

I never ever want to hear the words "lateral plate mesoderm" again after Step I.

 

[malaika]

Those who are handsome, tall, and brilliant and don't have to attend lecture have no reason to complain about how tough either year is. But if you want to complain...and you're especially handsome...

lol
? Please explain?

 

[dyspareunia]

I'm breezing through first year and it scares me.

Me too. Failed my first 2 classes and MS1 was over just like that.

 

[colbgw02]

I can't agree with this. Because this means that all of your classmates are at an equal disadvantage. Thus, the test averages are generally lower for your class as a whole. If your classes were optional, I doubt that would all of a sudden put you at the top of your class.

Except it's not a disadvantage for everyone. I tend to retain information better when hearing it from a lecture. That's probably not common, but it does means that a mandatory attendance policy would be advantageous for people like me.

 

[Psai]

Except it's not a disadvantage for everyone. I tend to retain information better when hearing it from a lecture. That's probably not common, but it does means that a mandatory attendance policy would be advantageous for people like me.

Or you could listen to it on video with the option of pausing it when you need a break, looking thing up when you need to and being able to go back to listen to things you missed the first time.

 

[colbgw02]

Or you could listen to it on video with the option of pausing it when you need a break, looking thing up when you need to and being able to go back to listen to things you missed the first time.

That wouldn't have done any good for me. There is something beneficial to my retention about physically sitting in a lecture hall and actively listening to a speaker in person. I understand that I'm in the minority here, but none of that is the point. The point is that mandatory lecture attendance affects people differently and to differing degrees, so it's a fallacy to say that all "classmates are at an equal disadvantage".

 

[Psai]

That wouldn't have done any good for me. There is something beneficial to my retention about physically sitting in a lecture hall and actively listening to a speaker in person. I understand that I'm in the minority here, but none of that is the point. The point is that mandatory lecture attendance affects people differently and to differing degrees, so it's a fallacy to say that all "classmates are at an equal disadvantage".

It's not a fallacy. If attendance helps you, then you can go to class by yourself. I don't see why you should inflict mandatory anything on people just to waste their time. I don't like getting up at 7 am to get to school so that I can be tired and hungry while listening to people drone on about stuff I don't care about.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

It's not a fallacy. If attendance helps you, then you can go to class by yourself. I don't see why you should inflict mandatory anything on people just to waste their time. I don't like getting up at 7 am to get to school so that I can be tired and hungry while listening to people drone on about stuff I don't care about.

Seems like you are free to not apply to schools with mandatory attendance...

Also, just wait until you are an MSIII-IV or intern, and you are waking up at 4 am to get to the hospital to listen to your attending drone on on rounds about stuff you don't care about. I would kill to wake up at 7.

 

[solitarius]

Every school has mandatory attendance for the non-lecture stuff. Making lecture attendance mandatory is just stupid. My undergrad had mandatory attendance in quite a few classes, and it felt like high school.

Going to the hospital is different as you are expected to learn by observation. As opposed to the classroom, which can be podcasted or just read straight from powerpoint slides.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Every school has mandatory attendance for the non-lecture stuff. Making lecture attendance mandatory is just stupid. My undergrad had mandatory attendance in quite a few classes, and it felt like high school.

Going to the hospital is different as you are expected to learn by observation. As opposed to the classroom, which can be podcasted or just read straight from powerpoint slides.

Some things need to be mandatory--like your physical exam course. Reading about how to perform a physical exam is quite different from actually performing one.

 

[solitarius]

Some things need to be mandatory--like your physical exam course. Reading about how to perform a physical exam is quite different from actually performing one.

I agree.

For the record, my school has non-mandatory lecture attendance. All the other stuff we will have to go to.

 

[colbgw02]

It's not a fallacy. If attendance helps you, then you can go to class by yourself. I don't see why you should inflict mandatory anything on people just to waste their time. I don't like getting up at 7 am to get to school so that I can be tired and hungry while listening to people drone on about stuff I don't care about.

You seem to be confused, because I'm in favor of not making attendance mandatory. Let's recap:

-mulberry points out what a burden mandatory attendance is on his performance.
-fastlane points out that it isn't a burden because everyone is "at an equal disadvantage".
-I point out that mandatory attendance is not an equal disadvantage, because it could preferentially benefit those who learn best in that manner, thereby reinforcing mulberry's point.
-You make several posts not on point.

 

[mulberry]

Those who are handsome, tall, and brilliant and don't have to attend lecture have no reason to complain about how tough either year is. But if you want to complain...and you're especially handsome...

So what does it make those who are tall, handsome, brilliant and still complain about attending lecture?

I can't agree with this. Because this means that all of your classmates are at an equal disadvantage. Thus, the test averages are generally lower for your class as a whole. If your classes were optional, I doubt that would all of a sudden put you at the top of your class.

You're not necessarily looking at the big picture. I take time out for things like the gym, grocery shopping ~2x a week (gotta get dem macros, brah), movies, make time to see the girl and still manage to study all while getting home sometime between 4-6pm every monday-friday. Generally speaking, yes, the class average might be higher without mandatory lecture but then again the average student in my class doesn't make it an exception to have a life outside of medical school. Now, if I had no life and didn't have mandatory lecture, I would be on top of the class. I'm not trying to brag, i'm just saying I really dislike those who complain how hard m1 is while they have the benefit of not attending lecture and the option to study all day while they have the time. We can get into outliers like lecture is beneficial to some because they retain the information like a sponge, but the average student does not have that capability.

 

[Psai]

You seem to be confused, because I'm in favor of not making attendance mandatory. Let's recap:

-mulberry points out what a burden mandatory attendance is on his performance.
-fastlane points out that it isn't a burden because everyone is "at an equal disadvantage".
-I point out that mandatory attendance is not an equal disadvantage, because it could preferentially benefit those who learn best in that manner, thereby reinforcing mulberry's point.
-You make several posts not on point.

cool story bro

 

[dyspareunia]

So what does it make those who are tall, handsome, brilliant and still complain about attending lecture?



You're not necessarily looking at the big picture. I take time out for things like the gym, grocery shopping ~2x a week (gotta get dem macros, brah), movies, make time to see the girl and still manage to study all while getting home sometime between 4-6pm every monday-friday. Generally speaking, yes, the class average might be higher without mandatory lecture but then again the average student in my class doesn't make it an exception to have a life outside of medical school. Now, if I had no life and didn't have mandatory lecture, I would be on top of the class. I'm not trying to brag, i'm just saying I really dislike those who complain how hard m1 is while they have the benefit of not attending lecture and the option to study all day while they have the time. We can get into outliers like lecture is beneficial to some because they retain the information like a sponge, but the average student does not have that capability.

I've found that to be a pretty common misconception. All the time you make for yourself outside of class could actually be beneficial to your performance. Having hobbies, avoiding burnout, and being an overall happier person make learning much easier and more efficient.

I've gone from studying for 12+ hours a day to studying for 4-5 hours a day and my position in the class has actually improved. Am I in the top 5%? No. Top 10%? No. But studying for 12+ hours a day wasn't getting me there either. At this point I know that my class rank is limited by my intelligence and not by my study habits and really that's all I can ask for.

Also, you should shop at Costco/Sams/BJs and stop overspending at the grocery store. Macros are much cheaper in bulk.

 

[Kahreek]

Except it's not a disadvantage for everyone. I tend to retain information better when hearing it from a lecture. That's probably not common, but it does means that a mandatory attendance policy would be advantageous for people like me.

except hearing a phD with no direction in his teaching is still 100x worse than reading any kind of material.

 

[DermViser]

Honestly, I've enjoyed pretty much all of first year. The only times I've gotten stressed or frustrated have been because I procrastinated too much (damn you embryology...). I feel like it's really only rote memorization if you wait too long to the point where you don't have time to look up and understand the underlying mechanisms. If you're truly interested in medicine and the science behind it, you will enjoy taking the time to dig a little bit deeper to gain further understanding. If you're solely concerned about grades because you think most of the stuff in 1st year doesn't matter for clinical medicine, then you will be doing a lot more memorization and probably find it much less enjoyable.

Gross Anatomy, Embryology, and Histology have no underlying mechanisms. Depending on the curriculum, sometimes digging in deeper to understand the underlying mechanism is just not possible. All the more reason that 1st and 2nd year should be strict P/F.

 

[Arkangeloid]

Mandatory Attendancy?

The people who came up with that garbage must be sadists.

 

[DermViser]

I've found that to be a pretty common misconception. All the time you make for yourself outside of class could actually be beneficial to your performance. Having hobbies, avoiding burnout, and being an overall happier person make learning much easier and more efficient.

I've gone from studying for 12+ hours a day to studying for 4-5 hours a day and my position in the class has actually improved. Am I in the top 5%? No. Top 10%? No. But studying for 12+ hours a day wasn't getting me there either. At this point I know that my class rank is limited by my intelligence and not by my study habits and really that's all I can ask for.

Also, you should shop at Costco/Sams/BJs and stop overspending at the grocery store. Macros are much cheaper in bulk.

So true. There's a lot to be said for raw talent and aptitude, which has been cultivated or not through your growing years.. The goal should be to capitalize on this to your greatest potential.

 

[Planes2Doc]

that it's over

This and not having mandatory classes.

My other favorite thing is that I didn't end up punching any classmate who proclaims their love for anatomy in the face.

 

[deleted480308]

(Start in August).....my favorite will be not having a job


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[dyspareunia]

Gross Anatomy, Embryology, and Histology have no underlying mechanisms. Depending on the curriculum, sometimes digging in deeper to understand the underlying mechanism is just not possible. All the more reason that 1st and 2nd year should be strict P/F.

I've found histology to parallel physiology nicely in many cases.

 

[DermViser]

I've found histology to parallel physiology nicely in many cases.

Yes, it parallels it, naturally. But histology by itself is not mechanistic. Physiology is mechanistic, and histology are the microcellular anatomic structures that carry out those processes.

 

[ChEMD]

Gross Anatomy, Embryology, and Histology have no underlying mechanisms. Depending on the curriculum, sometimes digging in deeper to understand the underlying mechanism is just not possible. All the more reason that 1st and 2nd year should be strict P/F.

I have to disagree. There are things that you have to memorize in every class, that is unavoidable. You must learn what something is (a fact you must memorize) before you understand how it works (a conceptual topic).

I will agree with you that anatomy is much like learning a new language. There are a lot of new words that you must learn. However, there are also concepts you can learn that help reinforce the new vocab. For example, you could either memorize all of the flexors of a joint, or you could think about the muscles that go across that joint, how their tendons attach, and reason out what actions that muscle should have. I can assure you, the latter will lead to much better retention and understanding. Histology is much of the same concept. Different cell types look the way that they do because they are performing a certain function. Learn the function and how it relates to the structure and it will make much more sense.

As far as embryology goes, I'm not sure how you can say there is no underlying mechanisms for development lol. Sure, you have to once again memorize some new words, but instead of just memorizing what tissues come from what layers, reason out why it makes sense that they come from a certain layer. And don't even get me started on the fetal circulation (which makes perfect mechanistic sense when you take into account the inactivity of fetal lungs).

 

[dyspareunia]

I have to disagree. There are things that you have to memorize in every class, that is unavoidable. You must learn what something is (a fact you must memorize) before you understand how it works (a conceptual topic).

I will agree with you that anatomy is much like learning a new language. There are a lot of new words that you must learn. However, there are also concepts you can learn that help reinforce the new vocab. For example, you could either memorize all of the flexors of a joint, or you could think about the muscles that go across that joint, how their tendons attach, and reason out what actions that muscle should have. I can assure you, the latter will lead to much better retention and understanding. Histology is much of the same concept. Different cell types look the way that they do because they are performing a certain function. Learn the function and how it relates to the structure and it will make much more sense.

As far as embryology goes, I'm not sure how you can say there is no underlying mechanisms for development lol. Sure, you have to once again memorize some new words, but instead of just memorizing what tissues come from what layers, reason out why it makes sense that they come from a certain layer. And don't even get me started on the fetal circulation (which makes perfect mechanistic sense when you take into account the inactivity of fetal lungs).

It's much easier to memorize a list of flexors than to memorize all the origins and insertions...

 

[ChEMD]

It's much easier to memorize a list of flexors than to memorize all the origins and insertions...

You don't have to know the name of every bone structure that every muscle inserts on to know what joints the muscle crosses and how it is oriented.

Edit: I guess my point is that it isn't necessarily easier to think about the reasoning behind things, it definitely takes extra time and effort, but it is much more enjoyable IMO and will help you retain it long term.

 

[Trogghunter]

....my school going to a bcs bowl. That rocked. We have been really good these past few yrs.

 

[EMDO2018]

I love when people in Walmart bow and kneel when I walk by in my white coat.

Does this actually happen? Come to think of it, I've never seen a doctor in Wal-Mart, Or at least not one wearing a white coat.

 

[EMDO2018]

What are the highlights of your first year? What did you enjoy, appreciate or love the most in your first year. What did you find most surprising?

I see threads of people complaining but what they hated and how much work it is etc. etc. stress of overwhelming flow of info etc. But this is not that. This is about what you LOVED about it. If there's a single thing you enjoy(ed) the most about getting into medical school, what is it?

How exactly did you get into med school without taking the MCAT or applying?

 

[Arkangeloid]

The worst year of my life is almost over, I cannot believe it. God has seen fit to deliver me from my suffering!

To answer the question, Psych was the best part of MS1, Path was cool too I guess. Micro and Anatomy are stupid, ofc.

 

[whomikejones]

Binge drinking. Also the lack of pressure and freedom to focus on learning what I found interesting. But I think this is highly variable based on your school's grading and attendance policy.

 

[mcloaf]

How exactly did you get into med school without taking the MCAT or applying?

I think she got bored trolling people as a premed and wanted to reinvent herself with more authority.

 

[sazerac]

You had Path and Micro in your first year?

Those are first year subjects in a traditional curriculum. They are both in the first half of First Aid, along with biochem and pharm and immuno and other basic sciences. Second year would be organ systems, the second half of First Aid.

One of my friends goes to an integrated curriculum school, and it blew my mind the kinds of advanced subjects she was covering the first couple of weeks. She was doing the pathophysiology of Henoch–Schönlein purpura in September of MS1 when it wasn't really clear she understood what an IgA was!

 

[Flamen04]

How exactly did you get into med school without taking the MCAT or applying?

Have you never heard of accelerated med school programs? Like NW's HPME program? lololol

 

[notbobtrustme]

Those are first year subjects in a traditional curriculum. They are both in the first half of First Aid, along with biochem and pharm and immuno and other basic sciences. Second year would be organ systems, the second half of First Aid.

One of my friends goes to an integrated curriculum school, and it blew my mind the kinds of advanced subjects she was covering the first couple of weeks. She was doing the pathophysiology of Henoch–Schönlein purpura in September of MS1 when it wasn't really clear she understood what an IgA was!

****, I thought the traditional curriculum was histo/physio/anatomy/biochem in the first year and then path/pharm/micro in the second. That's pretty much how I've viewed it for the last 10 years.

 

[dyspareunia]

****, I thought the traditional curriculum was histo/physio/anatomy/biochem in the first year and then path/pharm/micro in the second. That's pretty much how I've viewed it for the last 10 years.

We do micro first year, but no path. Also do some pharm with micro/immuno

 

[FIREitUP]

the day it ended.

 

[Arkangeloid]

You had Path and Micro in your first year?

I thought everyone has Micro in their first year, and yes, we've done Basic Path.

 

[username456789]

I thought everyone has Micro in their first year.

Definitely not.

 

[sazerac]

I thought everyone has Micro in their first year, and yes, we've done Basic Path.

In a perfect SDN world, pre-clinical med school would do a few pages of FA every day, in order, with summer break neatly sandwiched between section 2 (basic science) and 3 (organ systems).

 

[D4C]

I have an amusing story I shall share about my first year. During a dissection in anatomy, the most foul and noxious smell hit me. Someone had gotten into those beans again it would seem. I gazed around at my partners, looking for any sign of guilt or hint of a smile as they did the same to me. Another member of my group returned from getting a new blade and stopped dead in his tracks, as if he hit a wall. Not a wall of any solid object. No. It was the wall of flatus. As a group, we abandoned our cadaver to wait for the smell to clear out, giggling like school girls all the while. Half of us were shocked that the cadaver didn't get up and leave as well. Facing the group adjacent to us was one of our anatomy professors, he turned his head around and had THE MOST GUILTY look I've ever seen on another human. There was no doubt who the culprit was. Good god I almost died as much from laughing as I did from the smell.

 

[Psai]

I have an amusing story I shall share about my first year. During a dissection in anatomy, the most foul and noxious smell hit me. Someone had gotten into those beans again it would seem. I gazed around at my partners, looking for any sign of guilt or hint of a smile as they did the same to me. Another member of my group returned from getting a new blade and stopped dead in his tracks, as if he hit a wall. Not a wall of any solid object. No. It was the wall of flatus. As a group, we abandoned our cadaver to wait for the smell to clear out, giggling like school girls all the while. Half of us were shocked that the cadaver didn't get up and leave as well. Facing the group adjacent to us was one of our anatomy professors, he turned his head around and had THE MOST GUILTY look I've ever seen on another human. There was no doubt who the culprit was. Good god I almost died as much from laughing as I did from the smell.

hahaha at first i thought someone hit the colon with a scalpel

 

[evilbooyaa]

I thought everyone has Micro in their first year, and yes, we've done Basic Path.

My school was Embryo/Anatomy (Micro and Gross)/Biochem/Physiology/Behavioral Science as a MS1, with Path/Pharm/Microbiology/Pathophys as a MS2.

 

[Priapism4tooLong]

I thought MS1 was beautiful, the complexity of the human body, the way it worked, its delicate framework. The complex way the human body forms in utero. You always wonder, how lucky you are to be studying this. How lucky you are to be in a position where you can question everything you are studying and learn more and more. Where does the information end?. It doesn't. It was so beautiful that i remember actually shedding tears in some of my lectures.
I think medicine and beauty are synonyms.

 

[DermViser]

Does this actually happen? Come to think of it, I've never seen a doctor in Wal-Mart, Or at least not one wearing a white coat.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Meeting a group of trolls in my year and trolling my class.

 

[Brain Bucket]

all that free time. To any IMG MS1s...this is your chance to travel and really get to know your city!

 

[Anastomoses]

I thought MS1 was beautiful, the complexity of the human body, the way it worked, its delicate framework. The complex way the human body forms in utero. You always wonder, how lucky you are to be studying this. How lucky you are to be in a position where you can question everything you are studying and learn more and more. Where does the information end?. It doesn't. It was so beautiful that i remember actually shedding tears in some of my lectures.
I think medicine and beauty are synonyms.

Are you trolling? Because I actually felt this way.
Minus tears.