Wayne State University part 01

[ddmo]

lol... you know I think Brooks interviewed me... is his first name Samuel? Seemed like a nice guy during the interview.

Brooks was sweet. He's just a no non-sense kind of guy and the fact that he would stand at the board and reproduce by memory the most complicated pathways for an entire hour always made me laugh. But, I loved his figures, great for visual learners.

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[fun8stuff]

Any of you guys know of anyone who has or is planning to take a year off to do research between MS2&3? I knew a few guys doing this at the medical school where I had my summer internship. They were doing it mainly for the resume booster..

 

[oldjeeps]

Brooks was sweet. He's just a no non-sense kind of guy and the fact that he would stand at the board and reproduce by memory the most complicated pathways for an entire hour always made me laugh. But, I loved his figures, great for visual learners.

I’ll agree that he’s an impressive lecturer; I just can’t say that I actually learned much in those lectures. But it sure was impressive to see those pathways drawn from memory.

 

[fun8stuff]

any of you guys have a good guess about how long it would take to get from romulus or belleville is from wayne (best case/worst case)? Mapquest says between 25-30 mins, but I am guessing it can take a lot longer than this.

Any opinions of these towns?

 

[Finally M3]

Your commute will be dependent on how long I94 will remain under construction. My fellow interns who live in Ann Arbor have had an extra 15 minutes added to their commute because of it (ends around the Oakwood Blvd exit).

11 more hours and I will be home

 

[I'msodesperate]

I need your advice
I'm majoring in chemistry at wayne, I'm a sophomore now. Do you advice me to take genetics or cell biology? I'm not good at the genetic stuff and I think I might do bad and beside that, I have to take it in the semester in which I plan to take the MCAT. I will be taking physiology and biochemstry, though this summer and next fall. I've already have taken microbiology. Do you think taking cell bio or genetics will help me more on the MCAT snd would look nice on the trascript (especially that I did really bad in my general bio class)?
Is taking Physics 2 during the semester when you take the MCAT is a bad idea?
I got a C in orgo 1 but got an A in orgo 2, do you think it's a good idea to retake orgo 1? I just want to improve my GPA. Does WSUSOM look down if you retake classes?

 

[artemis]

I need your advice
I'm majoring in chemistry at wayne, I'm a sophomore now. Do you advice me to take genetics or cell biology? I'm not good at the genetic stuff and I think I might do bad and beside that, I have to take it in the semester in which I plan to take the MCAT. I will be taking physiology and biochemstry, though this summer and next fall. I've already have taken microbiology. Do you think taking cell bio or genetics will help me more on the MCAT snd would look nice on the trascript (especially that I did really bad in my general bio class)?
Is taking Physics 2 during the semester when you take the MCAT is a bad idea?
I got a C in orgo 1 but got an A in orgo 2, do you think it's a good idea to retake orgo 1? I just want to improve my GPA. Does WSUSOM look down if you retake classes?

quick question, who's teaching the cell bio class and the genetics class?

 

[fun8stuff]

so i have another quesiton, big surprise, eh?

I am trying to decide between a laptop or PDA. I asked this in another thread, but thought it probably makes more sense to ask it here.

The facts...
-I have a good desktop
-I will be making 30+ min commute, and want to study at the school or library
-My parents have a coupon for like $750 off $1499 dell laptop


Do you think it is necessary that I buy a PDA now? Or could I wait until 3rd year? Would a laptop or PDA be more useful? Are the things that they have you do on PDAs available on laptops- "interactive teaching sessions", "class schedules", "self-assessment modules", etc

Which do you think would be more useful? Thanks!

 

[dancinjenn]

See page 10 for my recommendations on PDA's. And to your other questions. No, you will not be able to get all of the functionality from your laptop. You need the PDA to log in for clinical med class and for the schedule (although, they give you a paper copy as well) because that functionality is set up through the Campus Mobility for PDA's only. The self assessment you can do from your desktop because that is from Blackboard. You will also need your PDA to do the course evals or you won't get your scores from your tests.

 

[fun8stuff]

See page 10 for my recommendations on PDA's. And to your other questions. No, you will not be able to get all of the functionality from your laptop. You need the PDA to log in for clinical med class and for the schedule (although, they give you a paper copy as well) because that functionality is set up through the Campus Mobility for PDA's only. The self assessment you can do from your desktop because that is from Blackboard. You will also need your PDA to do the course evals or you won't get your scores from your tests.

hmmm.. how important is it in clinical med?

 

[oldjeeps]

hmmm.. how important is it in clinical med?

The PDA is only important for clinical medicine if you would like your presence to me noted in those REQUIRED lectures. Logging into the campusmobility website is the only way to sign in at those (and all other required) lectures. Granted I have heard of a first year that never got around to getting a PDA and just borrows one to log in; but I think that is a rare exception.

Also, as previously stated; you need a PDA to do course evaluations (no way to do these with a desktop or laptop). If the powers-that-be don’t see it indicated that you logged in and did your evaluations then they won’t release your exam/course scores. That might not be a big deal for the folks that are honoring everything, but I usually like to know how much danger I am in of having to take some exams over the summer.

 

[oldjeeps]

I need your advice
I'm majoring in chemistry at wayne, I'm a sophomore now. Do you advice me to take genetics or cell biology? I'm not good at the genetic stuff and I think I might do bad and beside that, I have to take it in the semester in which I plan to take the MCAT. I will be taking physiology and biochemstry, though this summer and next fall. I've already have taken microbiology. Do you think taking cell bio or genetics will help me more on the MCAT snd would look nice on the trascript (especially that I did really bad in my general bio class)?
Is taking Physics 2 during the semester when you take the MCAT is a bad idea?
I got a C in orgo 1 but got an A in orgo 2, do you think it's a good idea to retake orgo 1? I just want to improve my GPA. Does WSUSOM look down if you retake classes?

Regarding retaking orgo 1, I would suggest that you speak with the folks in admissions and see how they calculate GPAs. I know that some schools include the score from all your classes (so the first attempt is part of the calculation); I do not know if this is the case with WSU-SOM, so you might want to ask. If it is the case, I would suggest taking something else that you'll enjoy and do well in (no sense in dealing with the orgo any more than you have to) - no offense meant to anyone that actually like O chem.

Cell bio vs. genetics: which do you think you'll enjoy more? Take that one (it is probably the one that you'll do best in). In retrospect I really wish that I had taken more classes in undergrad because it was something that I enjoyed or was interested in and less because they might "look good" on my transcript.
Should you end up having to take some time off (like I did) between undergrad and med school you'll find that most places in the real world care less about the classes that you took and care more that you #1 have a degree and #2 can learn to do what they need done (if you already have the skills, from some class that you took it is a plus). Of course if you go for a Ph.D. or a masters program that might be a different story.

Physics 2 during the same semester as the MCAT; isn’t that what ends up happening for most people? It should make the physics questions on the MCAT a little easier since you haven’t had as long to forget the theory/formula that they might ask about.

 

[ddmo]

I need your advice
I'm majoring in chemistry at wayne, I'm a sophomore now. Do you advice me to take genetics or cell biology? I'm not good at the genetic stuff and I think I might do bad and beside that, I have to take it in the semester in which I plan to take the MCAT. I will be taking physiology and biochemstry, though this summer and next fall. I've already have taken microbiology. Do you think taking cell bio or genetics will help me more on the MCAT snd would look nice on the trascript (especially that I did really bad in my general bio class)?
Is taking Physics 2 during the semester when you take the MCAT is a bad idea?
I got a C in orgo 1 but got an A in orgo 2, do you think it's a good idea to retake orgo 1? I just want to improve my GPA. Does WSUSOM look down if you retake classes?

Take cell bio, that material you will learn will apply to more classes and be worth more than genetics.

 

[fun8stuff]

The PDA is only important for clinical medicine if you would like your presence to me noted in those REQUIRED lectures. Logging into the campusmobility website is the only way to sign in at those (and all other required) lectures. Granted I have heard of a first year that never got around to getting a PDA and just borrows one to log in; but I think that is a rare exception.

Also, as previously stated; you need a PDA to do course evaluations (no way to do these with a desktop or laptop). If the powers-that-be don’t see it indicated that you logged in and did your evaluations then they won’t release your exam/course scores. That might not be a big deal for the folks that are honoring everything, but I usually like to know how much danger I am in of having to take some exams over the summer.

well this is kind of silly... they should have said that PDAs were required. In the letter they sent they said that they were not required for first and second years, only for third and fourth. Oh well... I guess I wil either buy a cheap PDA for first and second year, and then buy a nice one for third year. Or, I will run just run an emulator so I can have pocket PC/windows CE on my laptop.

 

[Flobber]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who found the Nutrition test to be so impossible as to be bordering on hilarious. Please.

 

[katrinadams9]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who found the Nutrition test to be so impossible as to be bordering on hilarious. Please.

I actually didn't think it was all that bad. I only wish I'd studied those damn fatty acids and eicosanoids more... sure I got all of those wrong. Studying those old exams really helped though!

 

[dancinjenn]

I thought that it was semi-crazy. I think that it was harder than Sardesi made it seem. The fatty acids were a B*tch though...oh well, on to neuro!

 

[oldjeeps]

I thought that it was semi-crazy. I think that it was harder than Sardesi made it seem. The fatty acids were a B*tch though...oh well, on to neuro!

If that is what Sardesi thinks is an easy exam, I would hate to have to deal with a difficult one . And to think that I thought I spent way too much time on nutrition yesterday - I now think that I was mistaken.

I really hope that I feel better than this after the neuro exam. Anybody else go to the Neuro review this afternoon? I think that might have been a waste of some valuable study time.

 

[artemis]

If that is what Sardesi thinks is an easy exam, I would hate to have to deal with a difficult one . And to think that I thought I spent way too much time on nutrition yesterday - I now think that I was mistaken.

I really hope that I feel better than this after the neuro exam. Anybody else go to the Neuro review this afternoon? I think that might have been a waste of some valuable study time.

yeah, i definitely left halfway through, who was that woman??

 

[I'msodesperate]

quick question, who's teaching the cell bio class and the genetics class?

cell bio is dr. Parkin and genetics either golenberg or lopes

 

[ddmo]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who found the Nutrition test to be so impossible as to be bordering on hilarious. Please.

It seemed to me that on every page of 5 questions, 4 were fairly straight forward from the notes, and the remaining one was just something we were expected to know like we had PhD in clin nut., not to be found in the notes, or his pain in the asss book.

 

[katrinadams9]

I loved how Dr. Sardesi stood at the front of the lecture hall asking us how the exam was as we were turning them in. Like I'm going to tell him it was tough to his face!

 

[artemis]

cell bio is dr. Parkin and genetics either golenberg or lopes

I don't know Dr. Parkin, I guess Dr. Taylor is not teaching much anymore, but Dr. Lopes is really good in genetics. I think I would agree with the people above and say cell bio would be more helpful for many classes, but also go with what you would like better b/c both would be helpful for the MCAT. Me personally, i love genetics and would go with that Good luck

 

[I'msodesperate]

I don't know Dr. Parkin, I guess Dr. Taylor is not teaching much anymore, but Dr. Lopes is really good in genetics. I think I would agree with the people above and say cell bio would be more helpful for many classes, but also go with what you would like better b/c both would be helpful for the MCAT. Me personally, i love genetics and would go with that Good luck

I find genetics interesting, but the class is harder than cell bio and I don't want to do bad in it. Do you think that taking physiology, bio chemistry, microbiology is enough to get a good score on the MCAT and will these classes make you life easieronce you're in in med school or should I go ahead and take cell bio or genetics?
thank you

 

[I'msodesperate]

Is there any body who was a chemistry major and had to take the calc. based physics and biological physical chemistry at wayne? I'm so worried about physics since I never had it in high school. The chem department give chem major two choices to satisfy physics requirement, either take the two calc based physics or take the non-calc based physics and a modern physics class which I heard is very hard but you can take when you are a senior, so med schools might not look at it.
By the way, do you actually apply physics in medicine? do you use it in med school? I just want to know why pre-meds have to take two semesters of physics?

 

[lj1230]

cell bio is dr. Parkin and genetics either golenberg or lopes

Dr. Parkin's is great, but cell bio isn't all that interesting!! I had her for immunology. Easy exams! Goldenberg is horrible I have heard. I lucked out and got Dr. Hari. Hope that helps

I took the calc based physics. If you have taken calc, it isn't much different from the normal physics. In fact on of my friends said that the regular physics was kinda hard since you had to use longer complex formula instead of just integrating or something. But you will need some physics for the MCAT so I would take it before then

 

[Shangal]

Nutrition and Neuroscience is done, finally. My god, I feel so relieved!
I thought it was tough. Especially neuro, I can't believe how smart our class is and how everyone thought it was easy.

 

[SteffJ]

Nutrition and Neuroscience is done, finally. My god, I feel so relieved!
I thought it was tough. Especially neuro, I can't believe how smart our class is and how everyone thought it was easy.

isn't this some rule about med school though... "27 - The ass who always aces every test and never studies is everyone in medical school BUT you."

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6174/premed-advice.htm

 

[oldjeeps]

Nutrition and Neuroscience is done, finally. My god, I feel so relieved!

If I am to believe some of the second years, the worst is yet to come with Neuro . They were claiming that the second exam is about ten times worse than the first. I am certainly not looking forward to the portion that will be using lab slides, especially since they won’t be straightforward identification questions.

I thought it was tough. Especially neuro, I can't believe how smart our class is and how everyone thought it was easy.

Has anyone else been wondering if that many people really find the exams to be easy? I have a gut feeling that some of the "the exam was so easy" that we hear to really just some posturing. Any thoughts on that gut feeling?

 

[oldjeeps]

isn't this some rule about med school though... "27 - The ass who always aces every test and never studies is everyone in medical school BUT you."

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6174/premed-advice.htm

Interesting link. I had not seen that one previously. Many of the points made are all too true. I think that I am going to have to pass that link onto some of the people that I was too stupid to listen to; specifically everyone who told me to run far and fast while I still could (before the acceptance letter showed up).

 

[dancinjenn]

If I am to believe some of the second years, the worst is yet to come with Neuro . They were claiming that the second exam is about ten times worse than the first. I am certainly not looking forward to the portion that will be using lab slides, especially since they won’t be straightforward identification questions.

I don't believe 2nd years on ANYthing. This test was easy...that test was hard, it is all relative to the specific person. I go to Goshgarian's lab and he already uses the slides like that...If I lesion here what will be affected. That way when we get to the lesions we were supposed to cover at the end of lab we already covered most of the symptoms.

Has anyone else been wondering if that many people really find the exams to be easy? I have a gut feeling that some of the "the exam was so easy" that we hear to really just some posturing. Any thoughts on that gut feeling?

Of course it is. No one wants to admit that they weren't as prepared as they should be, or as prepared as they think that everyone else was. Personally, I thought that the nutrition test was harder than I expected, and the neuro was easier than I expected. Of course I am one of the few, the humble, the having problems in med school, so I will admit that I spent a lot more time on neuro than on nutrition.

 

[SteffJ]

just curious... was the test hard because....
1) volume of material
2) difficult topic(s)
3) question wording was tricky
4) other
5) all of the above

if other, please specify
now i am guessing you will say "all of the above", if so, which of the 4 options was the number one contributor to the difficulty.

i was under the impression that everything was in the notes and the topics aren't that hard, it's just that there is so much fricken material that it's near impossible to remember it all...

 

[shaydz]

just curious... was the test hard because....
1) volume of material
2) difficult topic(s)
3) question wording was tricky
4) other
5) all of the above

if other, please specify
now i am guessing you will say "all of the above", if so, which of the 4 options was the number one contributor to the difficulty.

i was under the impression that everything was in the notes and the topics aren't that hard, it's just that there is so much fricken material that it's near impossible to remember it all...

I'd say it was a tie between 1 and 2 for me.

 

[oldjeeps]

just curious... was the test hard because....
1) volume of material
2) difficult topic(s)
3) question wording was tricky
4) other
5) all of the above

if other, please specify
now i am guessing you will say "all of the above", if so, which of the 4 options was the number one contributor to the difficulty.

i was under the impression that everything was in the notes and the topics aren't that hard, it's just that there is so much fricken material that it's near impossible to remember it all...

For neuro: a mix of 1 and 3 (mostly 1) - even though I had hit the point where I just wanted to get it over some more time would have been nice
for Nutrition: 1 and 2 (also mostly 1) - knew that I didn't know some of the topics as well as I wanted, partly because there was so much little/detailed BS to memorize [I had a really hard time with the water sol. vitamins]
I think I see a trend here - maybe I should start my "quality" studying a little earlier - with less early unit slacking maybe it won't feel like there is so much to learn

of course those answers are subject to change after the scores are posted.

 

[oldjeeps]

Hmm...I think that there was at least 200 people there. I am not sure if the whole thing was taped. I did hear a rumor that you could get ahold of at least the taped skits, but I'm not sure where from.

there was an e-mail last week that DVDs of lampoons are available; do those of you that went think that it might be worth getting?

 

[dancinjenn]

I would say it might be nice...I thought that parts were very funny, most were just funny, and some were just not funny. I guess it would depend on how much you really wanted to see it. I was there so I'm not going to buy one. I haven't heard anything on quality, you may want to find someone who has a copy and just view it...or hack it. lol.

 

[Flobber]

Did anyone go to school today and see if the grades were up? If so, what were the averages?

 

[Shangal]

83% for neuroscience and 81% for nutritien
I was shocked

 

[Flobber]

83% for neuroscience and 81% for nutritien
I was shocked

Well that's just swell... did you happen to notice what the pass/fail line was for them?

 

[dancinjenn]

Hey did you guys do that aging quiz yet? What a crock, at least 1/2 of the 50 questions were nowhere to be found in the self-study notes!

 

[Shangal]

the answers are all in this website, just google it.
And flobber I think 15 people failed nutritian

 

[katrinadams9]

the answers are all in this website, just google it.
And flobber I think 15 people failed nutritian

I might be one of 'em. I'm going in to see Ms. Conors tomorrow.... I did do fairly well on neuro though, suprisingly enough! I guess I shouldn't put off genetics until the week before, huh?

 

[Shangal]

hopefully it would all work out, I did pretty bad on neuroscience, I hoped that the average was going to be a little lower

 

[heisenberg]

Dear WSU SOM students,

Does WSU SOM accept international students on student visa who have completed their undergraduation in US?

 

[dancinjenn]

heisenberg, yes they do. I'm not sure exactly how many but I know that there are a couple in the first year class for sure.

 

[fun8stuff]

hopefully it would all work out, I did pretty bad on neuroscience, I hoped that the average was going to be a little lower

edit: oops, sorry. i misread what was said.

 

[oldjeeps]

Well that's just swell... did you happen to notice what the pass/fail line was for them?

Pass line for Nutrition was ~64% - rumor has it that WSU is a little concerned about how we did on that one. Guess that we had "too many" that didn't do very well on it.
don't recall what pass line is for Neuro.

I must be getting less OCD; at the start of the year I would have written down all of the statistics.

 

[oldjeeps]

83% is bad? geez, what was the average? what are the typical averages on exams?

83% WAS the average. But as memory serves you would of needed a 93% in order to honor it (not really something that I have to deal with).

typical averages? No such thing exists. Averages depend on your class (and the class of 2008 is nuts) and the way that the instructors write the exams.

 

[Flobber]

Pass line for Nutrition was ~64% - rumor has it that WSU is a little concerned about how we did on that one. Guess that we had "too many" that didn't do very well on it.
don't recall what pass line is for Neuro.

I must be getting less OCD; at the start of the year I would have written down all of the statistics.

Maybe they should be more concerned that they have a deceitful, vindictive SOB for a course director. Since we have outperformed every other class by a significant amount thus far, maybe it warrants looking to other explanations other than us just being stupid for this one exam. I personally thought that exam was total bull**** and was heavily weighted towards the most challenging material, while essentially skipping anything relevant (probably because it was too easy).

I am seriously starting to think that guys like Sardesai use their exams to "prove" to medical students how smart they are and how difficult their specialty is. BS.

I'm done now.

 

[oldjeeps]

Flobber,

Do you feel better now that you have had a chance to vent?

I am seriously starting to think that guys like Sardesai use their exams to "prove" to medical students how smart they are and how difficult their specialty is. BS.

I'm done now.

I have felt that way about the instructors that are Ph.D.s since early on in the year. It seems like some of them are pissed that they are Ph.D.s and not MDs and are taking that frustration out on us future MDs.

I hope that you mean you are done venting and not that you are done at WSU.

Oh well, such is life. Not much more that we can do but suck it up and deal with it. Just remember one more month and we are 25% of the way to our MDs (it is somewhere in the ballpark of 3 years, six weeks and counting until we graduate).