Which classes do we take in the first semester??

[RAMAIR57]

I am starting in August and never got a class list (well, I sort of did, but it was very vague). I have a good idea, but what exact classes do we take first semester (labs also), and about how many credit hours is it??

[Jay]

Term 1
17 wks Credits
Gross Anatomy 6
Embryology 2
Histology 4
Biochemistry 6
Clinical Skills* Continued Course

www.sgu.edu

oh yeah, labs in histo and anatomy. anatomy lab not that fun sometimes!

[emt036]

Can't forget:

CPR (1 4hr class and 1 1hr test)
Basic Science Foundations of Clinical Medicine (BSF) (3 organized lectures, and have to hand in a professional portfolio...)

Both are pass/fail. BSF is a continued course, and CPR is no credits... but you have to pass sometime before going on clinicals.

[RAMAIR57]

so are the two labs part of the class, or are they separate grades? If not, that comes to about 18 credit hours right?

[Jay]

so are the two labs part of the class, or are they separate grades? If not, that comes to about 18 credit hours right?

Labs are part of the class, so yeah 18 credits. In anatomy, lab table demonstrations were around 10% of your final grade or somewhere around that.

[Nimitt]

But anatomy feels like it is 12 hours credit rather than 6!
Dont let Dr. Jordan scare you guys in the first day or two.

Nimitt
4th year
SGU SOM

[Ronu]

I believe there's a misconception of lab. Histology lab and histo. CTSI's (where you get quizzed orally on slides, once before midterms and once after midterms) are important, probably ~10-15% of your final grade. But anatomy lab I think was about 1-2% of the final grade. I failed the anat. midterm and barely passed the final in addition to having 2 unexcused absence for lab presentations. Our lab group had one of the worst group of lab presentation grades out of our entire class. But I ended up passing the class (rumor is that Dr. Jordan adds points from out-of-nowhere so that not too many people fail the class). The professors will try to scare and intimidate you into thinking that you don't know enough; don't let them do this. They want you to learn and spend a lot of time in anatomy lab to learn the body but remember there are three other classes you are taking as well.

I almost decelled before my anatomy midterm because I felt very lost but I realized I would have given up a lot of scholarship aid so I stuck with it. I probably would have benefitted from entering the decel program but Dr. Rao convinced me that I shouldn't, telling me that my problem with anatomy class alone shouldn't be a reason to decel. After midterms, I focused more on biochem, histo, and embryology and I got great grades for those three classes. I realize I have major holes in my anatomy knowledge base but I'll be encountering anatomy in my future classes and the Step 1. Hopefully, I'll be solidifying my weak points when I encounter these concepts again.

Anyways, most Term 1 students will put in too much time before midterms in anatomy lab and neglect the other 3 subjects, namely biochem. After midterms, most students learn to balance the 4 classes.

That's my 2 cents.
[/quote]

[5th Termer]

I am so glad this worked out for you. It had to have been nerve wracking until all the grades were posted at the end of the term. Probaby the reason Dr. Rao encouraged you not to decel and to take it on the chin in Anatomy is that your grades were good otherwise, and your overall average with one bad grade was still high enough to keep your scholarship.

Students who are about to enter Anatomy should also know that going ahead at all costs is not a good strategy for everyone. I personally know of students who failed anatomy, and one who never got out of Anatomy and had to drop out. I am not saying this to be ominous, just to indicate that there is another side to the coin. It is devastating to fail a course and should be avoided at all costs. You can spend the rest of your basic science years trying to work off the deficit, and in the end be in the unthinkable position of not being certified to take the USMLE because your GPA is too low. There is no shame in deceling, and if that is what it takes to get a passing grade (even a C), so be it.

Some students cannot admit to themselves that they need to slow down at first to go fast later, and they stick with a course until it is too late. It can turn out good or bad, just be sure that whatever choice you make your ending is good (ie. passing).

And that's my two cents!

[rokshana]

A correction about the amount anatomy lab. The oral quizzes in lab and the professors evaluation of your dissections are worth 50 of the 350 points that are in Anatomy, so its more like 15% of your total grade. That being said, I think Dr. Jordan does add some "bonus" points at the end of the semester to everyone's grades to save some people and I don't think that if you do poorly in lab that it will keep you from getting a particular letter grade (I mean if you made As or ** on your midterm and final that you are probably going to get the A or the B), I think its more there to be able give a boost, if you're borderline and you went to lab and have good lab presentations it could push you up a letter grade.
The Histo CTSI's are worth 10pts a piece out of 340 points, so its not even worth 10% of your grade, and again I think its there to help boost a borderline student not hurt a grade.
The big key is like others have said is balance ALL your classes (and that embryo...its the secret bomb class ts worth only 150 points and the unified quizzes in there are 20 points each, so they can easily affect your grade and its a class that you easily will put off to the last minute(so don't!!).If you are spend more than an hour a day in Anatomy lab (and aren't doing active dissection)trying to learn things, you're not studying effectively(unless you're teaching others, because when you teach it to others, you are cementing that info in your head too!)

[IndianBabu]

I am starting in August and never got a class list (well, I sort of did, but it was very vague). I have a good idea, but what exact classes do we take first semester (labs also), and about how many credit hours is it??

Hey,

My class list just arrived in the mail today, along with some other stuff, so keep checking your mailbox for more info from SGU.

IndianBabu