Monday, December 1, 2014

Term 2 of Medical School: Let the Fun Begin!

Notes, notes, and more notes!

Last week we started our second term, and it looks like this one will be more intense than last term! Just last week alone, we covered 15 lectures, and that’s saying a lot considering we only had class Monday through Wednesday. It also seems like the professors we have this term are determined to fit as much information as possible into one Powerpoint slide, and the packets are thicker than ever! It definitely looks like I will have to make the switch to a bigger binder before the end of the week, but I don’t feel too overwhelmed yet. Today, we had six lectures over the course of seven hours, and I think the biggest adjustment thus far has sitting in lectures all day. Last term we usually had anatomy or OMM labs in the afternoon to break up the monotony, but anatomy lab has now been replaced with more lectures. The good news is we are now covering the basic sciences that I am familiar with, so I feel completely in my element. I just hope I feel the same way after our first exam next week!

Bonding and education: a win-win for us both!

On a slightly non-school-related note, having an entire week off before second term and an additional two days off after we started was just what I needed! Not only was I able to enjoy my Thanksgiving, but I accomplished all the small tasks I had been putting off for a while. I was even able to pre-read for today’s lectures which is something I never have time to do. My daughter was also happy about the free time, and we put it to good use. Yesterday, we took a trip down to Atlantic Station and explored Bodies: The Exhibition and Extreme Dinosaurs. After studying anatomy and doing dissections for the past thirteen weeks, it was a great experience for me to see all the parts I had worked on beautifully dissected. It put even my best dissections to shame, LOL. I think the only part my daughter enjoyed was seeing the fetuses as they transitioned from just a couple of weeks to a full term infant, but she was blown away by the dinosaur exhibit next door, so it was a win-win for everybody. Other than that, I need to get back to studying, but I hope everyone has a fantastic week! 





10 comments:

  1. I'm glad that you guys got the chance to go out. Good luck with the second semester! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like how you take care of your daughter hair. Good luck for this term.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :-) Natural hair is a beast, but I try my best to make it work. Well, unless it's close to exams....Then she just rocks a huge puff like you see in the pic! LOL

      Delete
  3. Sounds like the workload is super intense! Does it really help to have taken undergrad classes like microbio, immunology, etc.? Or are you referring to your master's level classes? It seems like a lot of people say not to bother with taking more science classes in undergrad because the focus and volume in med school will be very different... but I'm wondering if it's true?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess I am referring more to my master's classes, because I honestly didn't retain much in undergrad. I did take anatomy and micro only on an undergraduate level and not a graduate level, and it helped a very small bit. It helps to be familiar with the material, but the focus is completely different. Basically, my classmates who had never encountered the material spent more time going over basic definitions and such, whereas I was able to focus a bit more on actually just retaining the material, if that makes any sense. I'm definitely going to do a blog post on this soon, so hopefully that will help clarify more for you. The workload is intense for everyone regardless of background though.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for your reply, I'll be waiting for your blog post on this topic!

      PS. Loving the "puff" hairstyle, so cute :)

      Delete
    3. Thank you :-) My plan is to have that post out within the next week, so stay tuned!

      Delete
  4. How is it second semester already? shouldnt it start in january?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PCOM (both campuses) runs on a trimester system. Our first term ended 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, and second term is over at the end of February. It's great because we get a one week vacation after each term in addition to holidays, but it also means that we cover more material in a shorter amount of time than schools on a semester schedule.

      Delete
    2. Oh I see. Thanks. Keep up the good work!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...