Did first semester just get pwned?

[Experienced]

Every May or so, we have a class come in with members who think they are much smarter than they are.

Lo and behold! Some (not all) of the current first semester noobs have already started to make a bad rep for themselves on the island. Tearing up Scout's Place according to the owner. Playing loud music from Matthew's. Clueless about what a small island this is and how high a profile each and every one of them has.

Then first block exams. Only 40% of them pass. Who could have predicted it??? Umm, everyone on the island. Roll like punks, fall like punks.

Wake up, grow up. Contribute to the school and the island that hosts you. There is still hope, but many of you will not make it through basic sciences. You will fail out of SUSOM.

It's up to you.

E.


-

[gumby]

Wow, Experienced calling them out. FYI to all the first semesters... you just might want to listen to him.;)

[darkmansaad]

the only time its cool to get wasted and belligerently drunk is if u are getting A's. That pretty much separates ballers from herbs...sort like in real life. I mean look at movie stars and some people that live in trailers = when you are rich and "DOING WORK" you can get blitzed but if you are wearing a wifebeater and watching jeff foxworthy while getting smashed u look like a loser. If need be some of the elder council students done with rotations and having slayed Steps 1 and 2 can give guest lectures on how to be baller and take care of business

Darkman out

PS do not neglect the bench press, bicep curl and cardio. As you go through life everyone around you is getting fatter and uglier. Do your part to combat this horrible trend!

[huxald]

PS do not neglect the bench press, bicep curl and cardio.

Too True!.....but NEVER neglect Deads/Squats and a positive nitrogen balance.

[newyorkkid]

well first off you are dead wrong on the stats....40% failed not 60%...the average for our first medical exam blocks was a 77% which is a passing grade....as far as scouts place goes you can not group the whole class for 2-3 people being stupid...

But you sound like you know what you're talking about. I think you should come to our 8am histology and give us a bit of a motivational speech. It would probably save a few slackers from failing out. We're all here to help each other anyway and some people buckle under stress.

[Dr Coconut]

Quick tips:

1) Many of the locals will group you together when forming their opinion and the label could last for 20 months. Prepare to have judgement passed upon you based upon the actions/thoughts/whatever of the lowest common denominator. It sucks but its how things work. Life is predicated upon being judged by the company you keep, by choice or otherwise. Want a big shock? Some of the faculty judge this way too. And, your patients will also use your reputation to form an initial opinion.

2) 77% is a poor average. 40% failing is also scary. Trust me - I was part of a class that got averages like that too (the May 2008 class). We were labelled "The Stupid Class" in some circles. 12 months later, I'm not convinced that the label has disappeared entirely yet. Before responding to whether this is fair or not, review point #1.

3) We're in a PROFESSIONAL program that is training us to be a part of a profession that requires a great deal of personal integrity and adherence to a strict code of conduct. If these classmates need to be TOLD that trashing a place is "not the best idea", I'm sure the list of other things they need to be told "not to do" is too exhaustive to even be moderately worth addressing. A pep talk won't help them.

4) As for the "slackers" and those that "buckle under stress"...all reports from those that have gone before seem to suggest that it won't get easier...Again, a pep talk? Seriously?

[Idiots]

Wow! These are some of the most inane and pretentious comments I have ever heard from a group of people involved in higher education. Honestly, how can you expect to be taken seriously when you use a term like, "pwned"? Are you a thirteen year old shut in gamer kid? Do you honestly believe that this group of first semester students is any different from any other group? The second semesters had an average of 72.13% on their block 1 anatomy exam. 44 out of 85 students failed. That's over 50%. Despite these bad results, the second semester students did extremely well on the anatomy shelf, and they were well above the national average. Based upon their block 1 results, I suspect this new class will do even better than us. I can safely guarantee everyone that there was plenty of drinking, partying, dancing, and general drunken debauchery from second semester students despite this. Third semester students have told me about how they got in trouble for throwing chairs off the Matthew's balcony. Like any semester has been full of saints. Do you get off on negativity?

Experienced, students know you are a member of the staff here at Saba, and they know which classes you teach. Is it really appropriate to write messages like this? You make the school look bad, and you make yourself look like a bitter angry old man. Is that really what you want? I'd hate it if everyone thought I went to a school where all the profs were bitter and angry. People get judged by the company they keep.

[mario345]

i agree with the first semesters here...its their first exam, first time exposure to medicine...give them a break, please.

i do not think that any 'class' as a whole can be stupid...it is so idiotic to label anyone such...and we have this nasty habit in our school of being judgmental and fingering in everyone else's business (including some of the profs)

the class ahead of me thought that they were gods gift to earth just because they were the sept class PLUS they were canadian, and 'apparently' smarter...they thought that they ran the school and always indulged in self glory about how cohesive and a smart of a unit they are. i was happy when they were PWND by Dr. K in third semester when no one got an A...their egos were shot, and they came down to earth thankfully...they were no different than any other classes...same old bull crap class politics, immaturity and annoying characters. plus it was fun to see their faces dropped when couple of days before the exit exam in 5th semester, they found out how difficult the exam was and how everyone had failed at AUC...i have never seen so many people panic in my life like i saw then...

Some people in my class did the same thing any new class does (get drunk and create havoc), they labelled us as morons, disrespectful, and god knows what...p.s. ALL of the people implicated in that 'class stupidity' had left by the time we were in 2nd sem, yet we were still persisted with that title. this despite the fact that we had some of the smartest kids in the school's history, and some of the nicest and decent students for whom the profs went out of their way and acknowledged them in front of everyone...

so, avoid listening to people tagging you with these garbage titles...just do your business and get out...you are way too old for this...

best of luck on your next exam

[darkmansaad]

haha i love labels....the whole point to me ranting is that its ok to party hard as long as you still get A's. I was probably considered to be mildly retarded based on some actions on my time on the island but i would love to compare myself academicaly with the noobs who dissed me

[mario345]

haha i love labels....the whole point to me ranting is that its ok to party hard as long as you still get A's. I was probably considered to be mildly retarded based on some actions on my time on the island but i would love to compare myself academicaly with the noobs who dissed me
there is nothing wrong in partying...its a great stress relief..
however, i do think that SABA can do away with these 'labels' and categorizing a whole class.

[SPennella]

Alright. Someone has brought this thread to my attention telling me that it was amusing. And so I brought myself to register on this website because I read the part where someone said the original poster is a professor here. Is this really true?

First of all. I hold all of my current professors in high regard. They know what they're teaching and they're helpful with a sense of humor which is why I like them. A part of me wants to know if you're currently teaching one of my classes, but the other part of me wants to be kept in the dark, because I would be very disappointed after reading what you wrote if you are someone whom I respect.

I think I can speak for a large number of the incoming may class with regard to this being something new for us. I majored in Aerospace Engineering in undergrad and took all of my premedical courses along side it. This is a completely different ball game and it requires different studying techniques which most students may not have used in the past.

As you can see have nothing to hide so I can tell you straight up:
I was one of the (approx.) 50% that failed the first anatomy exam. I failed by 2 points and it's frustrating. And yes I got completely wasted afterwards to wallow in my own pain since I'm not used to failing. But I didn't disturb anyone's peace.

You cannot judge an entire class based upon a few careless individuals. Nor can you judge our intellect based upon one round of tests.

Passive-aggressive is out of style.

[Idiots]

SPenella,

If you need a hint as to who this mysterious "Experienced" person is, it may help you to know that his first post on ValueMD.com was August 31, 2005. At this point he is already familiar with Saba and the medical school. That should help you narrow things down. Good luck figuring it out. Mysteries are fun!

[atropine]

You cannot judge an entire class based upon a few careless individuals. Nor can you judge our intellect based upon one round of tests.

You can't judge intellect based on any number of tests in anatomy. Anatomy is 95% memorization of endless lists of random facts, and 5% actual thinking process involved. By thinking process, I mean a situation where you might need to actually fire a few neurons outside of those involved with basic memory recall. I'm sure if you have an engineering background you can attest to the differences. ;)

[Xorthos]

I don't know about you guys...but SABA is my top choice (Still applying) for September 2009 / January 2010.

One of the primary reasons behind me wishing to attend SABA is because of the small island. My mentality is that i'm going to school to learn how to be a doctor, and to study my butt off. Not to get wasted on some resort tourist island in the Carribean.

When I actually started researching the island of SABA, the school looked more and more appealing to me.

A neurosurgeon I work with told me when he was in Med School they had exams every two weeks. And the Saturday after the exam they would drink and enjoy themselves for a day. Then they would get back to work. I see nothing wrong with taking a day every now and then after an exam to take a break...but you're in Medical School, not a community college. You have to treat it as such, and take it seriously. Otherwise you're just costing yourself time and money, and wasting spots that more dedicated people could be filling.

~Hunter

[WaiWahine]

Hunter I completely agree. Don't fall for the garbage that some folks post as it's usually rumour and simply petty-mindedness.

Saba has been a very good choice for me thus far as what I put into it is what I will get out of it. The island has few distractions compared to others, the faculty know their material, and the administration has been very supportive.

I have yet to witness total debauchery by my classmates and I am happy to call them my colleagues.

Please don't let the OP discourage you from coming to this school, it's just as fine as any other and the students are not much different from any other medical school.

Good luck!