Swift kick by reality...

[SaltySqueegee]

Damn.

Just finished moving to Ohio where I will be doing my MD/PhD. Started my first lab rotation this week, thinking it would be a smooth transition in. To put it gently, the proverbial fire hose of information is turned on low, and I can't seem to keep the information in. I keep thinking how well I have done in my undergrad studies up to this point, and how I can take on almost anything; well I'm here to say this is going to be one tough battle.

This feeling reached a pinnacle this afternoon after a molecular cell seminar, wherein everyone seems to know the lingo except for me. I'm not even sure now if the research I did as an undergrad is worthy of the lowly stipends I received for my undergrad tuition.

I'm now searching on amazon for a molecular biology dictionary to help my way through the mountain of articles my research advisor wants me to digest, because no matter the fact that my major was in physio and molec cell, everything at the PhD level is in a different realm. I now realize how much my undergrad professors handed every piece of information to me, already digested into simple bite-size chunks, so that my frail mind wouldn't choke on the information. Damn this is going to be a long arduous uphill road. I now understand why the three year mark to complete a PhD is somewhat insanity. It's definitely not enough time to cover the necessary information in a reasonable amount of time.

The one thing I have going for me is bone-headed determination, and with that I close my internet browser and plod my way through a mountain of information just to get a general grasp of the current techniques and research results in the field of molec cell.

Did I mention Damn? Anyone else out there relate?

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[Treg]

I went into my PhD in immunology from an undergrad in chemistry and no immunology courses. I really felt like I knew jack **** for a long time, about 6 months or so, until things started coming together and I took an advanced immunology course, went to a ton of seminars, etc. I think that the learning curve my first year of grad school was so steep that I learned more than I did in years 3-4 of undergrad combined.

Don't worry, they know and expect that you don't know anything yet. Strangely enough, everyone becomes an expert in their little niche by the end, whether they want to or not

Hang in there,

Treg

 

[dl2dp2]

also, remember there IS medical school. BTW you are done with your first year medical school, you should be able to understand most of the lingo in the vast majority of cell/molecular biology seminars. (that is, except with due regard to experimental techniques.)

don't worry, compare to some other bodies of knowledge (organic chemistry, for instance; or theories of harmony and counterpoint) cell biology is EASY to pick up. Most people with no special talent can do it pretty well. as far as books, i suggest reading the $100 gray covered "molecular biology of the cell"

 

[coldchemist]

It's good that your attitude is to just push through it regardless of how foreign everything seems. Keep the faith...before you know it you'll be in MS-1. It'll still be the proverbial fire hose, but at least you'll be back to easily digestable, bite-sized chunks.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

All right, new day, new mind set; at least for now.

I was thinking the same thing Sluox & ColdChemist, after molec cell in MS1 I will be a little more on top of the subject matter. However, the PhD Molec Cell class is much more in depth and technique oriented over the MD Molec Cell class. Should I poke around to see if I should take the PhD one instead of or in addition to the MD one? Seeing that it is my PhD focus, I want to make sure I have a sound grounding in it before I jump into my research.

Thanks for the feedback,

-Tom

 

[coldchemist]

That certainly sounds reasonable. I know that my school requires 1st years to take the MS-1 classes in addition to the biomedical graduate core. If MCO does something similar, you may not have a choice. I think, though, that it's far more important for you to be prepared going into your research years than it is for your lab rotations. You're still in the "feeling out" stages of research right now.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Thank you all for the replies. I appreciate the feedback.

-Tom