I can't say that I've ever experienced this type of pressure! I
went from studying for one final a week to trying to get nine
finals in! It's crazy. Everything came so fast. Even though my
grades aren't entirely reflective of the work I put in, I am so
glad and relieved that this trimester is almost done! Friday night,
we were able to unwind and go to that amazing sushi place I wrote
about last week. I actually had a chance to breathe, get off
campus, and enjoy myself. We ended up going to a thrift store
afterwards and bought awesome shirts! If only I took pictures of
them!
I spent the whole weekend at my friend Carly's apartment because
we both did not want to be on campus, and we actually studied!
Don't think that if you're at the library every minute of your free
time that it will give you a better grade. It's okay but I
definitely recommend getting off campus in smaller groups and
refreshing yourself. Whether or not it's just a coffee shop or
someone's apartment, it will help. Sometimes being at the library
all day and seeing the same people every day gets
distracting.
Anyhow, this week's blog will include some popular questions
I've heard and also ones that I've gotten from my readers.
"Should I live on campus? Is it more
convenient?"
Of course, it's more convenient. I actually LOVE living on
campus because I can wake up at 7:30 a.m. and just walk to class
that starts at 8 a.m. If you are new to the area, you should live
on campus because it can give you a better chance to meet more
people and get accustomed to the Chicago/Lombard area.
Now, a better question is, will I live on campus through the
entire program? Honestly, probably not. I want to eventually move
downtown and get a burst of Chicago city life before graduating,
but everyone is different. However, at this point in the program,
personally it's hard enough to deal with studying without handling
the traffic from commuting, too.
"Should I buy all my books recommended for the courses?
What about scrubs, lab coat, and a dissection kit for
Anatomy?"
No and no. The truth is that not EVERY single book recommended
will be used. You should wait to attend orientation where you can
get an updated list of books, buy the necessary items, and wait for
the classes to commence to talk to your professors about what they
recommend.
You can and should also wait for Anatomy supplies. During the
first week of classes, there will be a scrub sale where you can buy
old Anatomy atlases ONLY for lab use, old scrubs, and lab coats.
They are all washed so don't worry. If you want new scrubs and lab
coats, then you can buy it early, but trust me, it won't stay so
fresh and clean forever! If you want to save some money, wait for
the scrub sale. (Don't buy new atlases for LAB, but buy an atlas
for the course!)
"What is the difference between class sizes when
entering in the summer or fall?"
Well, my current class consists of about 45 students. The
trimester before ours was about 80 and the summer trimester before
theirs was about 20. So in conclusion, fall is the biggest, spring
is the medium size class, and summer is definitely the smallest.
Class size can make a huge difference because if you are more
accustomed to small class sizes, then you should consider spring or
summer. But being in a big class is also beneficial because you
have a lot of resources just from each other. I personally love
smaller class sizes because it's just more comfortable for me, but
listen to yourself and go for what you're used to.
"Do all the classes listed for Trimester 1 have to be
taken at the same time? Is there anyway to do a part-time
schedule?"
Remember that every trimester for a while consists of about
25-29 credits. So the trimesters can be broken up into a reduced
load. There are many people that do complete loads every trimester,
and there are a lot of people who take reduced loads. If you take a
part-time schedule, it will hold you back from your initial
trimester. Also some classes are prerequisites for others, so you
will also have to plan that out. A full load is definitely
possible, but part-time is great if you need time to adjust, if you
have a family, or if you just want to take it slow! Quality is
better than how fast you get done. This is graduate medical school.
It's not like undergraduate programs that lead to other schools.
This school will finally take you out into the "world" as a
"doctor," so it's better that you customize your experience to what
will better suit you!
I hope those questions helped! I know I did not cover
everything, but if you have more, please feel free to email me! I
will try to get back to you as soon as possible!
Well, wish me luck this week!! It's going to be
fun!