1st semester classes

[brazilvasco]

can anyone tell me what first is like, I did read its not as much work as second, but what are the exams like and the shelfs, also do many students fail out during first, I know I am thinking - thoughts but it cant hurt to ask

[kemper6036]

i haven't been through first semester that recently, but for me it was the hardest. it is a big adjustment period from college or anything you've done before. just be prepared to tweak your study habits.

i dont know what you mean what are the exams like. they are multiple choice, 1 min 12 sec/question. they can be hard. some are easier than others. some people think shelf exams are tough, but i like them better since theres more quality control

[Phur]

About 2/3 the way through first semester at this point...

Like Kemper said a big part of it is adjustment. That varies from person to person though. Its important to realize this isn't undergrad anymore. Some people took the first couple weeks off and thought they could catch up by the first quiz. It is going to happen inevitably for one reason or another, but try your hardest not to fall behind. Be open to adjustment. Find out what works for you whether its studying by yourself, group study, reading, practice questions, etc.

You're going to have three classes- Anatomy (&embryo), MCB, and Histology. Test-wise they are all fair (at least so far). Just keep in mind you're in med school now- A's aren't quite as easy to come by.

For anatomy you have so many professors rotating through that can make it difficult to study for. We just had 4 professors during our last 5 week block. The majority of the questions on the written exam are clinical vignettes. You also have lab at least 2, usually 3 times a week. Good news for your class is that you'll have fresh cadavers waiting for you (or arriving shortly thereafter). The two hour labs take up a lot of time, so utilize it as much as possible. Lab practicals vary based on who did the tagging. Don't take it lightly. In the middle of embryo now, so can't really comment on that. I'll let ya know about the shelf in a month or so.
For MCB, you'll have 3 professors- 1 for genetics, 1 for biochem, and 1 for cell bio if it stays the same, which I imagine it will.
Histology- tests are pretty straight forward

I can't really speak about the failing out side. Will know better in a few weeks. Upper semesters can speak better than I can about it, but from what a few have told me is that there is more work in 2nd semester, but you also have more time to do it since you don't have lab anymore so it about evens out.

[kemper6036]

i thought i remembered hearing that the attrition rate was around 10%. the number of people who actually get kicked out is lower most likely. some people quit before school started, others because they had family problems and others because their gf broke up with them.

[Phur]

Would make sense. I'd be much more curious to know the decel rate as opposed to the attrition rate.

[brazilvasco]

thanks for the info, whats the MCB class like, from what i read on here, its mostly genetics

[Phur]

MCB I is 1/3 biochem (replication, transcription, translation, etc), 1/3 genetics (modes of inheritance, and some odds and ends) and 1/3 cell bio.

[DrFraud]

The content of mcb 1 has changed over the past 4-5 semesters. It used to be primarily biochem with an intro to genetics, and more recently, it has shifted to be more genetics and cell bio., with biochem covered in mcb 2.

In general, your first semester will be a transition period. It might be a little easier than semesters 2-5, so its a great chance to get off to a solid start, but if you take it too lightly, you might end up struggling a bit more.

Perhaps you can get a first semester student or your Orientation advisor (if you have been assigned one) to PM you with the most recent course outlines from the N drive.

-DrFraud

[livingthedream]

Having been through MCB and seen it change slightly over the past few semesters, let me clarify how the department is run. Basically Dr. B, M, and VO take all of their powerpoints and throw them in a pile. Then, after 6 beers and a modified game of dizzy bat they randomly grab a lecture from the pile. That chosen lecture is what happens to be the next days lecture (regardless of logical order). The process is justified based on the fact that once a lecture is given, it is removed from the pile, so in the end you still receive all the necessary lectures to be a doctor. Hope this helped.

[Lemacfar]

Having been through MCB and seen it change slightly over the past few semesters, let me clarify how the department is run. Basically Dr. B, M, and VO take all of their powerpoints and throw them in a pile. Then, after 6 beers and a modified game of dizzy bat they randomly grab a lecture from the pile. That chosen lecture is what happens to be the next days lecture (regardless of logical order). The process is justified based on the fact that once a lecture is given, it is removed from the pile, so in the end you still receive all the necessary lectures to be a doctor. Hope this helped.

LOL I love that game!

[brazilvasco]

what books if any did u guys use

[BiologyBY]

The one book you definitely need is Lippincott's Illustrated revieews Biochemistry by Champe and Harvey