UofA Med Questions

[Guest MEDDOC]

These questions are directed towards UofA med students/grads.

 

If you don't mind I have a few questions about the UofA.

 

1. Do you find that you have enough time to absorb all the new information that is coming at you in your first 2 years? Do you feel that you are rushed?

 

2. What would you rank your day to day stress level in the first 2 years?

 

3. What are some drawbacks of the UofA med school?

 

4. How do you find your lecturers? Do you find that many of them are the type that go through 150 slides in 50minz or are most of them properly paced? Also, UofC has basically a new lecturer for each class is this the same for UofA?

 

 

 

Thanks SO much!

[Icebox]

1. Do you find that you have enough time to absorb all the new information that is coming at you in your first 2 years? Do you feel that you are rushed?

Easily more than enough time to absorb information, at least for first year. Not rushed in any way, in fact I felt I had plenty of spare time to do other things. How well I'm actually retaining it will be seen next year as I begin preparing for the comprehensive pre-clinical exam, though I feel like I have a decent foundation on our first-year material.

 

2. What would you rank your day to day stress level in the first 2 years?

For first year, less than in my undergrad years. Mainly because pass-fail reduces competition, you learn through so many different forms of teaching, and the material is interesting and applicable.

 

3. What are some drawbacks of the UofA med school?

Hard to say when you're in the program itself, and you can't really compare it to other schools you aren't in. I guess the class sizes that are increasing (though this is prevalent across the country), and that the curriculum is constantly changing so you never know when/how material will be presented. I don't think this was a huge hindrance though, as I feel that they went above and beyond to ensure we were well taught and used our feedback.

 

4. How do you find your lecturers? Do you find that many of them are the type that go through 150 slides in 50minz or are most of them properly paced? Also, UofC has basically a new lecturer for each class is this the same for UofA?

Yes to the latter - we always receive lectures from those who are specialists in that area, so if there are 3 lectures on a particular subject, then one person will lecture for the 3 classes. But you tend to have 2-3 lecturers per day depending on what is covered. I like most of our lecturers. Obviously there are a few here and there that aren't as enthusiastic/don't make things interesting, but for the most part there is great variability between their teaching styles and it keeps things fresh.

 

Hope that helps.

[juicyprunes]

Unfortunately, with all the independent/self-directed learning we're supposed to do, the amount of material we're supposed to cover is deceptly little if you only go by what is covered in lecture/discovery learning. I feel like there's a tonne of material that we have to cover on our own and realistically the knowledge that is needed for clerkship is immense.

[DoctorDub]

1. Do you find that you have enough time to absorb all the new information that is coming at you in your first 2 years? Do you feel that you are rushed?

Althought I can only comment on first year, I felt that there was definitely adequate time to absorb the information. I felt like there was more information to learn than there was in undergrad, but if you managed your time well and stayed on top of reviewing your notes from lectures, there was never a big rush. Cramming for exams would not work, and since we're trying to learn this information for helping patients (and not just exams), it's smart to learn as you go.

 

2. What would you rank your day to day stress level in the first 2 years?

I found myself to be much less stressed about school than in undergrad. The schedule is balanced quite well and there are a lot of support systems in place (faculty advisors, student support groups, well-being week, balance night, etc.). There are also so many social events and extra-curricular events to be involved in that it helps you stay balanced.

 

3. What are some drawbacks of the UofA med school?

Lots of changes are happening, but in the long run they are definitely for the better. I absolutely love going to med school at the UofA.

 

4. How do you find your lecturers? Do you find that many of them are the type that go through 150 slides in 50minz or are most of them properly paced? Also, UofC has basically a new lecturer for each class is this the same for UofA?

Personally, I think the lectures are done quite well. It's great to have the best experts in the field teaching us the information. Just like any school, some lectures are better than others and some can be rushed but you always have the notes and learning materials on the web-based program HOMER to go through later. For each block, there are generally a handful of lecturers that are quite consistent such as one lecturer teaches all of virology, one does all of fungal infections, one does all of bacterial, one does all of immunology, etc. Lecturers like interacting with students so they are really good about making themselves available and responding to student questions.

[Bestime]

Very useful, Thanks, Icebox

[superchargedman]

Yeah, thanks for the info, guys! You make me feel even more positive about coming to UofA in Sept! :D

________

Pl platform

[soccer_dude]

Hey, when you guys say that you still have free time to do what you want, does the free time include shadowing and studying and everything? I'm wondering because I'm slated to be an RA this year, and obviously being in med school and being an RA are both time-intensive pursuits. Can any med students comment on whether being an RA while also being in med school would be feasible?

[Jamer]

I know a girl who's in Med II right now (Daisy) who was supposed to be the FC for 11 Mac but she got into med and she chose to avoid the extra responsibility. As far as I'm concerned, being an FC/RA (I was one too and I enjoyed it despite the fact my floor kind of blew) is about commitment to your floor and being there for them. With the schooload of med + if you choose to have a life, I feel it would be unfair to your floor.

 

I wouldn't do it, but that's me.

[BrendanJ]

It's all a matter of how hard you'd like to work and your level of dedication. We had a student in our class play varsity hockey, which is about as time consuming as it gets.