Wayne State University part 01

[Renee]

I'm starting to get very depressed. I've only got about 250 questions to go on Q-bank. My scores are getting worse! WTF! Is it because all the hard questions are at the end or something? It seems like it's all minutia that I will never learn or grasp. It's making me worried. I take the damn thing on the 19th and I felt prepared a few days ago. Now I'm freaking out. I'm consistently scoring between 60-70 on random blocks of 50 (today all low 60's). Is that good? My overall % is not moving at all.

At one point today I almost cried. I know, I'm over-reacting.... just feeling very overwhelmed right now.

Don't stress Katrina- it suppose to get harder. I know easier said then done.

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[lj1230]

I'm starting to get very depressed. I've only got about 250 questions to go on Q-bank. My scores are getting worse! WTF! Is it because all the hard questions are at the end or something? It seems like it's all minutia that I will never learn or grasp. It's making me worried. I take the damn thing on the 19th and I felt prepared a few days ago. Now I'm freaking out. I'm consistently scoring between 60-70 on random blocks of 50 (today all low 60's). Is that good? My overall % is not moving at all.

At one point today I almost cried. I know, I'm over-reacting.... just feeling very overwhelmed right now.

My percentages started to get worse too the last couple of days, but I felt like I was learning more.... kinda weird. Today the percentages started to go back up, so don't worry....... only 3 more days

 

[theSCIS]

I'm starting to get very depressed. I've only got about 250 questions to go on Q-bank. My scores are getting worse! WTF! Is it because all the hard questions are at the end or something? It seems like it's all minutia that I will never learn or grasp. It's making me worried. I take the damn thing on the 19th and I felt prepared a few days ago. Now I'm freaking out. I'm consistently scoring between 60-70 on random blocks of 50 (today all low 60's). Is that good? My overall % is not moving at all.

At one point today I almost cried. I know, I'm over-reacting.... just feeling very overwhelmed right now.

Hey I'm a soon-to-be 4th year...I remember feeling the same way in the last weeks before step 1. If you haven't yet, I recommend that you take a break from Q-bank and try one of the $40 nbme tests. I took 1 a week before I took step 1 and when I saw the score it was higher than I was expecting and I felt a lot better about my studying. I ended up getting just 2 points higher on the real thing so it was pretty accurate for me and a lot of people on this site. Don't let Q-bank get you down-its just for learning, not for predicting your score. Good luck to all you guys-3rd year will be much better (even if you are waking up at 5 am.)

 

[bagonnia]

good luck to everyone taking the boards soon!

this is totally unrelated to any of these posts, but I am going to be a first year in August and I'm looking for a place to live in Royal Oak, is there a place where a group of med students live? Like a particular apartment building or something? PM me if you can help out. Thanks so much.

 

[Flobber]

Hey, I just had a dream last night that Shangal said something really offensive and got this thread closed down. I was pretty pissed in my dream. Thats all.

 

[Shangal]

wow,

Do I give out that kind of a vibe. I feel like I have to appologize to somebody.

 

[oldjeeps]

and got this thread closed down.

Then we might have to actually start using the forum at http://wsusom.10.forumer.com

 

[katrinadams9]

Group 6 rocks!!! Ob-gyn orientation starts on the 5th, so we have the 3rd off. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dancinjenn]

Group 6 rocks!!! Ob-gyn orientation starts on the 5th, so we have the 3rd off. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo! Sounds like fun. So do you know of anyone who will be doing ob/gyn in @ St. John's? ...in Sept? 'Cause I'm giving fair warning...any third year I see from WSU is going to be summarily kicked out of my room! I don't need ya'll lookin' at my well you know. ha.

 

[lj1230]

Group 6 rocks!!! Ob-gyn orientation starts on the 5th, so we have the 3rd off. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got an e-mail saying that surgeries orientation is July 5th, too. I just figured that they would have something else planned for us on the 3rd..... I will be really excited if we get it off too!!!

 

[katrinadams9]

I got an e-mail saying that surgeries orientation is July 5th, too. I just figured that they would have something else planned for us on the 3rd..... I will be really excited if we get it off too!!!

I emailed Kate Connors to make sure I wasn't seeing things, that we get the 3rd off, and she said that's right.

In other news... finished up Q-bank today! Did much better today than yesterday, so I'm feeling a little more confident. I'm going to take NBME form 2 tomorrow and see if I improved at all since taking form 1. Then I'll be cramming pharm and I/M the next few days, with a little bit of FA and random bookmarked pages mixed in.

 

[oldjeeps]

Woohoo! Sounds like fun. So do you know of anyone who will be doing ob/gyn in @ St. John's? ...in Sept? 'Cause I'm giving fair warning...any third year I see from WSU is going to be summarily kicked out of my room! I don't need ya'll lookin' at my well you know. ha.

From the looks of the list that Frank put together there will be at least 3 third years doing OB/GYN at St. John’s in Sept.

 

[oldjeeps]

I got an e-mail saying that surgeries orientation is July 5th, too. I just figured that they would have something else planned for us on the 3rd..... I will be really excited if we get it off too!!!

Stupid group 5 with Neuro orientation happening on the third.

Further evidence that Wayne hates me and is out to screw me in every way possible. And then there’s the fact that lots of the electives don’t offer any slots in June – stupid school what did I ever do to it to make it hate me so much?

 

[Shangal]

should I insult somebody now or restrain myself from closing this thread down

yeah I have that power

 

[Flobber]

should I insult somebody now or restrain myself from closing this thread down

yeah I have that power

Hey, I never said I was a dream prophet... just a dork who dreams about SDN.

 

[katrinadams9]

What electives are people doing? Mine isn't until January so I haven't given it any thought. Maybe after the boards I'll figure that stuff out and fill out the FM paperwork.

 

[katrinadams9]

Hey, I never said I was a dream prophet... just a dork who dreams about SDN.

That is pretty dorky.

 

[Renee]

Hey, I just had a dream last night that Shangal said something really offensive and got this thread closed down. I was pretty pissed in my dream. Thats all.

I had that same dream

I think we should have a vote and close his thread down-

 

[dancinjenn]

From the looks of the list that Frank put together there will be at least 3 third years doing OB/GYN at St. John’s in Sept.

He actually made a list?!?!? Wow...got some free time or what. Ok, well they can stop by, just not during active labor...It would be entirely too weird. ug, three more months to go, then I'll be able to see my feet again. grr. I guess I just need to complain about how crappy I feel right now. I hope the dog isn't too tired. lol.

 

[Shangal]

I had that same dream

I think we should have a vote and close his thread down-

am I that mean? come on now

 

[ddmo]

He actually made a list?!?!? Wow...got some free time or what.

Frank's priority list:

1. Sleeping
2. Sleeping
3. Researching tech stuff online
4. Eating
5. Working out
6. Socializing
7. Making 3rd year list
8. Studying

Needless to say it took a month and a half to get the list. It's a sweet list though that can be sorted into catagories and everything. He did a really awesome job.

 

[shad420w]

Hey guys... sorry to interrupt the boards discussion. I am looking for a place right now to live as an M1 with 2 other guys. We are considering renting (possibly buying) a house in the dearborn or royal oak area.

I really would like some advice and experiences with living in these areas.

Is there a better one? Perks/dislikes?

Thank you very much

 

[oldjeeps]

Frank's priority list:

1. Sleeping
2. Sleeping
3. Researching tech stuff online
4. Eating
5. Working out
6. Socializing
7. Making 3rd year list
8. Studying

 

[oldjeeps]

Hey guys... sorry to interrupt the boards discussion. I am looking for a place right now to live as an M1 with 2 other guys. We are considering renting (possibly buying) a house in the dearborn or royal oak area.

I really would like some advice and experiences with living in these areas.

Is there a better one? Perks/dislikes?

Thank you very much

There are enough other folks on here that can (and probably will sing the praises of various areas), so I won’t (this time).
I’ll freely admit that I have a very limited knowledge of the real estate market in the Detroit area, but it seems like there has been/is a lot of growth to the North (RO, Troy, & area) and it is being marketed as the place for young professionals to live/party/etc.
Which says to me that you could probably get more house for the money somewhere else, where the housing market is a bit slower. So I would try looking in the D or in some of the older ‘burbs (I know that the housing market in the near eastern ‘burbs is really slow at the moment).

 

[Flobber]

Well, I took it today. And it sucked. Big time.

I was doing pretty well on QBank and the last NBME I took was pretty encouraging... the real thing, however, was far from encouraging. I am legitimately afraid of failing at this point. So much for a relaxing break.

For the curious, I was absolutely inundated with biochemical pathways and renal path/phys. The stupid thing makes you THINK. Very unlike school or QBank. Thinking hurts.

 

[oldjeeps]

Well, I took it today. And it sucked. Big time.

I was doing pretty well on QBank and the last NBME I took was pretty encouraging... the real thing, however, was far from encouraging. I am legitimately afraid of failing at this point. So much for a relaxing break.

For the curious, I was absolutely inundated with biochemical pathways and renal path/phys. The stupid thing makes you THINK. Very unlike school or QBank. Thinking hurts.

Not what I wanted to hear.

Especially that bit about the Biochem pathways .

 

[oldjeeps]

I’m guessing that the individual questions on each Step 1 are a little different – you deal with whichever questions the computer randomly pulls out of a preselected pool – so the content of each exam is slightly different.
Does anyone know if this is true?

 

[Flobber]

Not what I wanted to hear.

Especially that bit about the Biochem pathways .

Yeah, I don't mean to scare you guys, but that did kind of blind-side me. Just know FA biochem BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS. All the little enzymes that you think "No way that's on the exam"... it will be . I had one question that vaguely described alkaptonuria and then asked for the defective enzyme, which I would have had no idea about had I not skimmed that section one day prior. I had not 1, not 2, but THREE questions about cystine deficiencies/metabolism. WTF is that? How common is homocystinuria, about 1 in 1,000,000,000? And the renal... oh, the renal. And I don't necessarily dislike renal, but GOOD LORD.

On a more positive note, there were some questions that were verbatim out of QBank, and at least one verbatim question from NBME #1. So, there are some freebies if you do the work. Most every other question will require you to think which, as I alluded to before, really hurts.

Good luck, guys. Take from this what you can and crush this thing. I'll be glad to answer any questions...

 

[lj1230]

Well I am glad I am done with that! All in all I know I passed...... it is hard to judge how you think you did..... I really didn't think it was all THAT bad! Just glad to be on vacation!!!!! 2 weeks of freedom!!

 

[katrinadams9]

You guys are totally scaring me.... maybe I should cram some biochem. I wasn't really planning on it.

 

[Shangal]

i know

not coo


Oh, and flobber, I don't know if this will help. But most of the people who I know who did well on this exam, actually thought they failed it. So hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised

 

[deowolf04]

i know

not coo


Oh, and flobber, I don't know if this will help. But most of the people who I know who did well on this exam, actually thought they failed it. So hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised

Reminds me of those horrible physics exams in undergrad. Things turn out ok if you think you did horrible and they turn out horrible if you think you did well.

Two more study days; thank God it's almost over.

 

[katrinadams9]

Reminds me of those horrible physics exams in undergrad. Things turn out ok if you think you did horrible and they turn out horrible if you think you did well.

Two more study days; thank God it's almost over.

Is your D-day on Monday too? Want to get drunk on Margaritas that night?

 

[oldjeeps]

For anyone that has already dealt with the beast:

How does USMLE pharm compare to Kaplan pharm?

I’ve heard that USMLE pharm is more direct; any truth to that?

 

[oldjeeps]

Is your D-day on Monday too? Want to get drunk on Margaritas that night?

Different day, but similar plan on this end.
Mainly due to the fact that there is a place around the corner that has them super cheap on my D-day.
If anyone wants to join me on Thursday, let me know.

 

[deowolf04]

For anyone that has already dealt with the beast:

How does USMLE pharm compare to Kaplan pharm?

I’ve heard that USMLE pharm is more direct; any truth to that?

Speaking of beasts, has anyone taken the Kaplan online simulated exam besides me? That thing was TOUGH with very few straightforward questions.

 

[oldjeeps]

Speaking of beasts, has anyone taken the Kaplan online simulated exam besides me? That thing was TOUGH with very few straightforward questions.

I haven’t finished reviewing it, yet.
But my performance on that is part of why I’m panicking at the moment.

 

[katrinadams9]

I just bombed both Q-book biochem exams. I'm gonna bone up on the stupid storage diseases and pathways tomorrow. Maybe a little pharm review and then I'm taking the rest of the day off to relax.

 

[Renee]

Good luck, guys. Take from this what you can and crush this thing. I'll be glad to answer any questions...[/QUOTE]





Congrats! you are done
I have a few questions
1) was bugs crawling all over that exam
2) how specific was pharm

thanks

 

[Flobber]

Good luck, guys. Take from this what you can and crush this thing. I'll be glad to answer any questions...

Congrats! you are done
I have a few questions
1) was bugs crawling all over that exam
2) how specific was pharm

thanks[/QUOTE]

Sadly, not much micro for me (micro was a strong suit for me). I have heard others say that micro was all over it, so I guess you cant take too much from my experience. Pharm was pretty reasonable, no crazy QBank-esque minutiae. Lots of nervous system drugs and theory.

Good luck.

 

[ddmo]

Well I am glad I am done with that! All in all I know I passed...... it is hard to judge how you think you did..... I really didn't think it was all THAT bad! Just glad to be on vacation!!!!! 2 weeks of freedom!!

I concur.

I talked more about my experiences over in the Step I forum, if you care:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=3812336&postcount=494

As for the micro, I just got some basic stuff. No real crazy bugs, no helminths, thank god, didn't even study those. Pneumocystis carinii, had like 10 questions on that, apparently it's called something else now too.

 

[katrinadams9]

I had one worm question about how to treat the worm that causes anal pruritis. Micro wasn't bad on my test. Hardly any cardio either! I had a lot of stupid DNA crap and tons of questions on HIV related stuff. I wish I'd memorized those drugs a little better. Other than that I don't remember much. Just glad it's over! I will be partying hard tonight after my nap!

 

[ddmo]

Just goes to show the variability of the individual exams, mine had a ton of cardio on it. Lots of cardio, respiratory, and endocrine.

 

[katrinadams9]

Can't be;ieve I'm done! holy cow. margaritas are awesome. if you guys have a chance to go out after your exam, i recommend it! it's too bad i;m getting my friggin pins out tomorrow or i'd still be drinking but i'm not supposed to have anything to eat or drink after 12pm. damn... maybe i'll get more wasted tomorrow.

 

[deowolf04]

Can't be;ieve I'm done! holy cow. margaritas are awesome. if you guys have a chance to go out after your exam, i recommend it! it's too bad i;m getting my friggin pins out tomorrow or i'd still be drinking but i'm not supposed to have anything to eat or drink after 12pm. damn... maybe i'll get more wasted tomorrow.

Ahhh, yes. Being done feels great. For the first time in a month, I can laugh and feel joy again!

To those of you who have not yet gone through the step 1 initiation, I'll let you know in advance that blocks 3-7 have special names...
Block three: The Leap of Faith
Block four: The Wreck of the Hesperus
Block five: Crossing the Desert
Block six: The Unblinking Eye
Block seven (the final ordeal): The Paddling of the Swollen A$$ (with paddles)

Note to those of you who don't have much of a sense of humor: the above is a joke and a direct reference to The Simpsons when Homer gets initiated into the Stonecutters.

 

[fun8stuff]

congrats all on surviving year 2...

with that said, what books do you recommend for year 2?

Specifically, which ones do we need for micro/heme (first block-august)?

I heard that this first block is the worst taught notes-wise... is this true?

any other advice? thanks! enjoy your last week(s) of freedom!

 

[ddmo]

It's immuno/micro, heme that biotch isn't until you get back from winter break. As for books, you need to buy the immuno book by Coico, et. al. Plan on reading the entire book in the first two weeks back from summer break. If you want more time, get a head start over break. Your counselor will probably recommend that. I personally didn't, just because I would rather be super stressed during school, than read on a break.

Everyone who was older suggested Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple, flipping through it, it looked like it would take too much time, so I didn't read it. Big mistake, because I read most of it in 1.5 days while studying for boards, and it's a great book. Made some concepts seem very simple that were just baffling during the course because they were taught so poorly. The chapters are very short and helpful, especially the sections on antibiotics.

They will say that Robbins is required, but don't waste your money. Way too detailed and expensive. If you really need to look something up, just check it out of reserve at the library. A friend gave me an old copy and I read one chapter on Inflammation, which took forever. I promise you can honor without ever opening that book.

The Heme book is helpful but not essential.

Shwartz for Physical Diagnosis is another waste of money. Way way way too long for you to have time to read it. The notes, online videos, and bootleg study guide are sufficient to do well in the class. Although this would probably be a good book to still buy since it will come in handy for reference.

That's about it.

 

[angelMD]

To all current Wayne State students:

I am an incoming M1 and had a few questions about WSU. I recently got into Rosalind Franklin University, and although I beleive WSU to be a much better school, I need to make an informed decision.

1. How are the clinical locations? Do you feel you get a lot of experience? Can students choose to do there rotations at any of the specialty hospitals, i.e. peds at Children's or Ob/Gyn and Hutzel?

2. Although the med schools facilities are not the newest, do you feel this is not a big factor in your overall education?

3. Do you think the large class size affects education? I cannot remember from my interview, but are you assigned a mentor or community preceptor? Is faculty and administration willing to help?

4. How diverse is the patient population? Is is mainly African American and caucasian, or do you also work with a good amount of Hispanic, Asian and Arab American patients? I would like to work with a very diverse group, and have some interest in working with Spanish-speaking patients.

5. Do students ever do any medical missions abroad, for example, between M1 and M2 years?

6. How safe do you feel the campus is? Can you walk to and from your car safely at night? Anyone ever have any issues?

7. How do you feel the education and reputation of WSU is overall?

Thanks for replying, any information would be greatly appreciated. I have to make a decision soon, and I want it to be the right choice.

 

[ddmo]

To all current Wayne State students:

I am an incoming M1 and had a few questions about WSU. I recently got into Rosalind Franklin University, and although I beleive WSU to be a much better school, I need to make an informed decision.

1. How are the clinical locations? Do you feel you get a lot of experience? Can students choose to do there rotations at any of the specialty hospitals, i.e. peds at Children's or Ob/Gyn and Hutzel?

2. Although the med schools facilities are not the newest, do you feel this is not a big factor in your overall education?

3. Do you think the large class size affects education? I cannot remember from my interview, but are you assigned a mentor or community preceptor? Is faculty and administration willing to help?

4. How diverse is the patient population? Is is mainly African American and caucasian, or do you also work with a good amount of Hispanic, Asian and Arab American patients? I would like to work with a very diverse group, and have some interest in working with Spanish-speaking patients.

5. Do students ever do any medical missions abroad, for example, between M1 and M2 years?

6. How safe do you feel the campus is? Can you walk to and from your car safely at night? Anyone ever have any issues?

7. How do you feel the education and reputation of WSU is overall?

Thanks for replying, any information would be greatly appreciated. I have to make a decision soon, and I want it to be the right choice.

1. The clinical rotations are the main draw to WSU as you get tons of experience. You put down preferences for where you want to do your rotations and a lottery is run. I got all of my choices except for one, which is pretty good.

2. The facilities are a low point, but are being improved. You should see the new third floor. Does it affect the education, no, I don't really see how it could. The color of the paint on the walls doesn't make learning pharm any easier. Don't be fooled, Wayne is as advanced technologically, if not more so, than any other medical school. We were one of the first to do the PDA thing, have streaming videoes of lectures, etc.

3. I don't think the large class size makes any difference. If anything it's just more people to get to know. In terms of lecture, what difference does it make if a person is lecturing to 1 or 300 people? You can get as much face time with a professor as you could ever want. They are always available and since about 95% of students never talk to them, you could have them almost all to yourself. We break up into smaller groups in the labs, so it's ~25 students per professor. Yes, they assign mentors who are physicians in the community, some of whom are very big in their fields. Mine first year was the VP of the american college of cardiology. Now mine is the surgery Chair at Henry Ford.

4. Patient population is about as diverse as you can get. It's pretty much different at every hospital. Although I think hispanics aren't as prevalent in Detroit as other major cities, they do get a good share at Henry Ford since it is closest to Mexicantown.

5. Yes, through the World Health Organization

6. I know of some cars around school that have been broken into and stolen, but not of any violence against medical students. The area is patroled by the Detroit Police, Wayne State Police, Veterans Hospital Police, and DMC Security, who's jurisdictions all kind of overlap where the medical school is.

7. Overall, I'm pleased with my decision to attend Wayne and have never had regrets.

 

[angelMD]

ddmo:

Thanks so much for your post, it was great information! I have a few more questions that I just remembered and didn't ask during my interview. Any information from a current student would be great.

1. How close and supportive are the students? Is the atmosphere very competitive, or does it foster a teamwork attitude?

2. Is there a clinical skills course during the first 2 years? How are students exposed to patients during the first 2 years? Does Wayne utilize mock patients to help students learn to take a history and physical exam?

3. About how much time do you spend on campus? Is this dependent on how you study, home vs library? Do you stay many nights on campus for anatomy?

4. Are lectures required? What is a typical day schedule for a first year? I am wondering this because I have a dog, and need to arrange for a dog walker.

5. Is there a specific medical ethics or professionalism course, or is this integrated into the curriculum.

6. Can students volunteer at the Cass Clinic 1st and 2nd year, or only during 3 and 4? I'm sure this depends on your knowledge base and skills.

Thanks Again!