this is a hint list by someone who finished premed at MUA very recently, and had a blast doing so.

my experiences and depth differs than other peoples, but it is all very recent info, NOT 5 years old! everyone learns differently, and your interactions with classmates and profs will be your own, so take this in stride.
i never too a bio or chem class before coming to MUA (not even HS level), but am a good listener, which i found most helpful. work on ur listening skills if u need to, cos some classes move real fast!

i am doing this as a favour for a few ppl who are worried, so any non-constructive replies are just idiotic, so don't waste ppls time!
aii?

premed 1
med term - dr A
- DO NOT be late or miss more than 6 classes, u CAN miss up to 7, but don't take the risk. the 7 misses include sick days btw, so be careful!
- Dr. A does not like being questioned or told how to do stuff - be respectful if he makes a mistake and don't come on as you are calling him out - he will get pissed n pop quizzes can arise.
- read a few pages of the next chapter, as he loves quizzes BEFORE starting the new chapter - to reward those who read.
- his tests are godawful at times, but if he likes you (as a person or as a class) he will lighten up on the grading.
- he is a good guy, though his teaching methods can be questionable sometimes. but don't question them as nothing good will come out of it!
- a lot of time is spent on this class, tho it is half the credits of other permed 1 classes. it DOES come in useful in the future, which i learnt afterwards.
- some assignments seem redundant or too easy - just do em, points are points - as you will learn desperately in premed 2!

chem - dr s
- eclectic guy, every energetic - loved him, great fun, then again i could never sleep as he'd always call me out!
- he changed his format last semester - made it a lot easier i heard, thos some ppl dropped his class (no idea why).
- foundation for biochem in premed 2, and med 2 - know it! some things are not as important, but it is an easy class overall.
- read the book, u can skim some chapters even.
- i may offer help to some students (officially with him or unofficially), depending on my schedule. anyway, extra help is available - last semester he had his own help sessions on weds, which he didn't do for us.

a&p 1 - dr av & dr d
dr av - monotone, knowledgeable, easily on tangents, loves nevis
dr d - great, interesting, somewhat funny (tries too hard), good teacher, be nice n he'll love y'all! like a lil party now n then also.
- anatomy - the block reviews are key - he goes over everything essential (i.e. on the test) drops hints - so LISTEN UP!
- physio - can get real confusing - ask lots of qu's - take good notes n LISTEN! this is the core of medicine bascally; n A&P 2 in premed 2 will expand upon everything!!! the book is insane - go bu the ppts and esp. his word documents!
- personally - i printed out the ppts of A&P (chem had useless ppts and med term had none), n took my notes on the ppts - then correlated them with the word docs.


premed 2 - HUGE jump from premed 1, with a LOT more reading and work!

cell bio - dr L & dr B
Dr L is in charge, nice guy, useful to know. will emphasize what u need to know (which is everything he says!!!). tries to help make it easier, but will not baby you. the best teacher in premed!
dr B - easily distracted onto tangents, knows his stuff but doesn't teach it all, so question him to keep him on track - as his exams will be what he should've covered, not what you talked about in class.
- exams - wow - know ur stuff well, how everything relates, etc. once ur used to them, u'll have a chance!
- quizzes n homeworks are key to passing the class!!!!! homeworks (mondays n thursdays, but not the thursday before blocks) are added to ur exam grades - dr Ls are harder by far, but u actually learn a lot cos of em! homeworks can take a long time however, but spend the time & do it urself, as it is a good amount of studying for the exams all-in-one. personally, i just did it shorthand, but in the longrun i cheated myself.
- print his ppts, they cover most of the book btw (i just went by them, as did others), and take notes on his ppts.
- for memorizing pathways n stuff - just write them out then again, then in less words, n less words till u don't have to write anything down at all. personally i just did it a few times, hence i forgot quite a bit now.
- final - cumulative - u can look over the old exams n the final is 'based' on them, so review ur notes, after the review sessions he gives - they outline a lot of good ish.

A&P
- new teacher - ur either in for a tough time, or he'll be nice. word is - he's a SABA grad (pre-residency i think).
- ppts! the book s still insane, except for some parts which have good details n explainations.
- print the ppts, n take notes on em! as notes on lined paper will be confusing for later review (prolly be a cumulative final).

biochem
- DR A is still teaching!
- can be insanely hard or nice, keep him in a good mood. don't be late or miss too many classes! n nothing that shows disrespect (food, hat, etc).
- he will change his format most likely, also cos of all the reviews n stuff from last semester.
- already told a couple premed 2 ppl bout this one, n they can tel others depending on how it goes.
- he likes quizzes - if it says on his ppts that there is a quiz - there is probably... a quiz!
- exams are excessively hard and sometimes unfair, thus pushing you to know ur stuff even more.
- the book is not bad, some parts need explaination (IMO, no chem background remember!).
- enjoy his stories & jokes, don't point out minute mistakes as that just slows the class down.
- not bad overall (timewise).
- keep track of your own grades & extra credit assignments!!! keep in communication with him about it, as it can get a lil 'confusng' at the end.

premed 1 ppl - get at least a 3.5!!! as premed 2 is a HUGE jump (echo, echo, echo) and many ppl have problems just passing the premed 2 classes at 70, nevermind getting a 3.0 overall.

premed 2 ppl - do it well, spend that lil extra time n the 1st few blocks of med 1 should be cake (relatively, not literally of course - thet'd be bloody weird!).

any questions ppl? go form a thinktank!
aii

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Don't be afraid, bad dreams are only dreams! (from the Shogun Assassin, an AWESOME movie!)

just to clarify, as some ppl have asked me, you will need all the required texts, so not the optional genetics book for cell bio.
med 1, u don't really NEED ALL the books btw.

__________________
Don't be afraid, bad dreams are only dreams! (from the Shogun Assassin, an AWESOME movie!)