Thread: *2nd semester question*

Hello,
I was wondering what books do you guys recommend for second semester. In addition, Is there any advice for second semester? Also, I was wondering how does one's avg for first semester correlate to the upcoming semesters? Thanks.

Fantastic question! Really the average is not very correlative in my opinion. Some people improve their average as semesters advance and they learn how to study better and such. Others are able to make it through 1st semester and struggle with increased workload of upper semesters and either decelerate or drop out completely. Its really up to you and how well you can adjust your time management skills and studying.

Book advice?! Hmm gonna have to ask someone on the island, its been a while since I was on the island and classes have prob. changed since then. I ALWAYS ADVISE studying STEP 1 questions for your subject as it prepares you for step 1 and youll be suprised how many questions on your subject exams are step related. I got a fair number of questions from professor exams by studying Step 1 questions from books or online. Its SOO WORTH your extra time.

Books: Lipincotts Biochem for MCB, immuno you don't need anything, and physio it depends on your style of learning. A few use Guyton, some use Berne and Levy, and a good chunk don't use any book at all.

Advice:
MCB: For the biochem stuff, read Lipincotts as you are going through. If a step is rate limiting, has an important enzyme, has a by-product, or has a co-factor, make sure you know it. Cancer block is generally pretty nice and straightforward.
Immuno: A lot of people tend to treat it in the same light as histo, especially after 1st block. 1st block is pretty straightforward and traditionally has a pretty good average. People relax and take it for granted and averages plummet.
Physio: Physio is pretty much luck of the draw based on what visiting professors there are. There is no real correlation because it is different every semester. Stay caught up and go to office hours to try and get a feel for the types of questions that might be asked. It is not really like any class you've had. In physio you need to not only understand what is happening, but also why. Also the final is worth over 1/3 of your overall average. Its good because it can save you, but its bad because it can kill you. If there is any class you really want to have a buffer in, its this one.
Biostats: Not much to say. Don't fail the final.

As for your average, it tends to vary. In general, physio makes a lot of repeaters. Some people get bogged down by the amount of material in MCB. Some don't take immuno seriously enough. Personally, my average went up a little from 1st to 2nd, but I think I'm in the minority. Some really smart classmates of mine either failed physio or came really really close.

My suggestion... Worry about finishing strong on your finals before you worry about 2nd semester stuff.

do lots of UsmleWorld. Its like Crack for medical students.

wanna see if i can bump

i dont think there is any grade correlation. generally your grades correlate to how much work you do. dont limit yourself based on what you did first semester.

books....lippincotts, brs physio, first aid

In terms of Biochem, I would advise writing out pathways over and over again....for me, I couldn't memorize Biochem any other way. For physio, its really imperative to do practice questions...Pretest and BRS are good resources for questions. For immuno, I can't really say that I had any special techniques. Just make sure that you work at every day.