Rearword (sort of like a foreword, only at the back):I
f you’re still reading this thing, congratulations, you’re very dedicated, and obviously have little to do. Now put the darn thing down and go be social or something – you’ve got better things to do than sit around reading this all day.
Personal comments from a guy with a BS job, whose boss thinks he is working right now:
Medical school is intense. It is a professional rite of passage that no other occupation can fully appreciate and as such will be one of the craziest experiences of your life. Academically, I learned more in one year of medical school than I did in all four years of college and have subsequently forgotten most of it-the hip bone’s connected to the what bone? None of the material is terribly difficult; there is just a lot of it. Try to keep up, but don’t fall apart if you fall a bit behind.Culturally, medical school is unlike anything I had ever seen. Everyone wants you to succeed and people take pride in your success. Administrators and teachers alike are thrilled when you do well and are always available to lend a hand if you run into difficulties. My last piece of advice is to pay no attention to the people who don’t seem worried or the people that are worried all the time. You will hear stories of people who sleep in the study rooms on the 9th floor and people who don’t plan on studying until the day before the exam. Everyone has their own style at this level and it is up to you to find your style. I’m a pre-reader, lecture zealot, who doesn’t study until 2 weeks before exams. It might not work for you, but it works for me. Remember, they picked you over 4000 other kids for a reason. Just sit back and enjoy the experience, and if you are still reading my drivel, you should pack up your sleeping bag because you’re probably going to be an overnight guest at the 9th Floor Study Room Motel.
Personal Comment from an M2 with too much eye strain:
(Special Thanks to the Forefathers of the Survival Guide for the above Photo)
Profuse and eternal thanks
We’d like to thank our predecessors who wrote this guide in years past and send our regards to the ambitious persons from your class who will be slashing at our material a year from today. Writing this would have been impossible without the framework the “old folk” established.
Though much of this gets written/rewritten every year, not everything is wholly up to date, so be careful taking everything to heart. Additionally, though we’ve tried to represent the concerns of the class without too much personal bias, this is largely subjective and probably wouldn’t fly in a court of law (at least not without tearing it up into little pieces and installing a large fan).
Thanks to those who offered suggestions and contributed text, ideas, love, and sympathy.
Contributors & Editors:
Aaron Kirkpatrick & Mark Farag (Co-Editors) with help from the M2 class
Shari Brandli (Assistant Editor)
Courtney (“The Ice Box”) Erickson (Contributor)
Ali (“The Big One”) Mithani (Contributor)