Whats medical school schedule like?

[VickFan]

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im guessing its not like UNDERGRAD where theres lotta classes to choose from and u can pick ur own time and make ur own schedule... rite?

i know that a template (w/ certain classes) is given that u have to go by.

but my question is...

- is there only 1 choice per class (as in no time selection/class selection/professor selection, for that matter)?

- wat is the first year schedule like? is it class after class (no breaks), or do they spread it around a good bit?

the reason i ask this is b/c in UNDERGRAD, i prefer to have late classes and such (im not a morning person). in undergrad, its not a problem because theres so many classes/times to choose from for a certain course. but im guessin med school is different. was wondering if i could get around that in med school.

 

[VCMM414]

usually 1 choice/class, especially in cores like anatomy, biochem, etc.

class schedule varies with each school. some may go 8-12, 9-12, 8-5...

sorry, many med schools start at 8 or 9. there's no going around it. you can choose NOT to attend lectures though.

 

[Anka]

Med school is more lockstep -- you don't have any choices about time, lecturer or place during your preclinical years; during your clinical years, you may have some say in site selection, etc. As far as preclinical years go, though, most students don't actually go to class -- so not being a morning person isn't a problem. On the other hand, at some point you'll have to deal with the fact that most of the medical profession has early hours.

Anka

 

[bewitched1081]

the schedule is something that you want to look at when you research med schools. some schools will put students in lectures for a lot longer than others.

 

[redrocks]

Schools vary drastically in the class schedules and types. Some have more lectures, or are more PBL (problem based learning) small group sessions. Some even have independent study the first couple of years. Usually the schedule is pretty set though from what I hear. Good luck in your search!

 

[BigRedPingpong]

NYU:
9am-10am M-F: Molec. bio, Gen, Biochem
10-3:30 Three days per week: Anatomy conference, embryo conference, dissection. (1 hr break for lunch. usually 11-12)
Two days per week: anything you want
Sat-Sunday: anything you want-usually study on sunday and relax on saturday.

 

[fourthyearmed]

the reason i ask this is b/c in UNDERGRAD, i prefer to have late classes and such (im not a morning person)

Then you might want to re-think med school. If you can't handle 8 am classes then you sure won't be able to handle 4 am pre-rounding on Surgery and OB patients! Then throw in missing a full night of sleep every four days. I'm not exactly a morning person either but you just suffer through it and start going to bed really early!

 

[VickFan]

^ nah... 4 AM is fine. im fully awake at 4 AM. im the night-person. if they had classes in undergrad at 12 AM and such, i would be ALL OVER IT!!!

 

[mikedc813]

My school is 8am-3pm M-Th and 8am-12pm Fri during the first block which is molecular medicine, ethics, humanities, and physical diagnosis.

I'm just about to start the 2nd block which is anatomy/physiology and that is 8am-5pm 3 days out of the week with the other two days being half days.

The main point is that they are LONG days. And remember you have to go home afterwards and actually learn all of the stuff. You'd be surprised how little you actually learn in class. It's all about time management in med school, from what I've learned so far, the material isn't that hard, there's just so damn much of it.

 

[aparecida]

It's also worth noting that as you get older you will find it easier to get up early. When I got to undergrad, I didn't like scheduling classes before 11. Now I can get up for a 9:00 with no problem. The further you get from your teen years, the easier (in general) to wake up earlier.

 

[mikedc813]

It's also worth noting that as you get older you will find it easier to get up early. When I got to undergrad, I didn't like scheduling classes before 11. Now I can get up for a 9:00 with no problem. The further you get from your teen years, the easier (in general) to wake up earlier.

That's definitely not the case for me! I still hate waking up early. I can't wait for 3rd and 4th years....oh goodie

 

[melophilic]

If you're not a morning person, find a school that has a transcript service. At our school (UAB), we have a student-run transcript service where every single lecture is transcribed onto paper and also recorded in 2 formats to be posted on the web. We get the transcripts in our boxes everyday, so we never have to set foot in class and still can do very well! You learn the same things - just on your own time. I can't imagine living without scripts... 8:00am classes are just insane!

BTW, med school is much easier than it's hyped up to be (I think). If you just keep up with your workload, you'll be fine!

 

[Doctor&Geek]

I don't know which year you're in, or what intelligence level you have, but, yes dear, believe the hype: medical school is hard.

 

[BigRedPingpong]

I don't know which year you're in, or what intelligence level you have, but, yes dear, believe the hype: medical school is hard.

I wouldn't say its harder--just more material relative to undergraduate studies. I remember taking biochem as an undergrad and compared to med school's biochem...its a joke. Maybe because I have taken it already, but damn, it's a lot less intense.

 

[erin682]

More material to learn= harder.

But as to the topic I have to agree that med school is really rigid. There is no registering for classes or picking times and profs. You show up when they tell you to show up---or you don't because classes usually aren't mandatory, unless you go to a problem based learning type school. I'm not particularly a morning person either even though I took 8:00's in undergrad. I just choose the lectures that are worth going to and if the prof is bad or the material doesn't need explanation I just sleep till 9 and then start studying. That way I don't fall asleep studying later in the day and I can get some evenings off.

 

[VickFan]

If you're not a morning person, find a school that has a transcript service.

sounds interesting! i would LOVE to do that!

got any other info, as far as how i OBTAIN that info (which schools use the transcript service, etc).

im guessin they're not gonna have that info in the MSAR book.

 

[fourthyearmed]

I think most schools have transcript services and if they don't, then just start one up. We'll all be glad to tell you how it works. That still doesn't solve your getting up early problems for 3rd and 4th year. I was just talking to a friend today about how we now consider sleeping until 7am to be "sleeping in"!!!

 

[BigRedPingpong]

More material to learn= harder.

Ok fine. You wanna be right-there you're right. But if you think TCA cycle that is taught in med school is some kind of different, special, magical TCA cycle that is super-difficult to learn relative to biochem in college
Or that the Na-K channels are somehow much more intricate and complicated than the ones kids learn about in undergrad...then, you get the point

 

[erin682]

Ok fine. You wanna be right-there you're right. But if you think TCA cycle that is taught in med school is some kind of different, special, magical TCA cycle that is super-difficult to learn relative to biochem in college
Or that the Na-K channels are somehow much more intricate and complicated than the ones kids learn about in undergrad...then, you get the point

okay that wasn't me who was debating with you earlier there's no need to get pissy. I'm fully aware that the material in med school is more general than that learned in undergrad and that memorizing the TCA cycle is the same either place. But when you have to memorize all the stuff in 3 weeks that you would in a semester of undergrad you live a lifestyle that is more difficult. Geez its just a silly point there is no need to get upset over it.

 

[BigRedPingpong]

okay that wasn't me who was debating with you earlier there's no need to get pissy. Geez its just a silly point there is no need to get upset over it.

what are you talking about?

 

[lattimer13]

here's a link to both the first year and second year basic science master schedules here at UArizona med school:

http://www.medicine.arizona.edu/curricularaffairs/schedule/index.html