Update from N:
Administrative Note:
I know when I started at SGU, I had a million questions that were unanswered until I started the work. So, this blog has the sole purpose to provide tips to incoming students, prepare students for class, and give insight on my perspective of my time in Grenada. I understand SGU is in the process of making changes to the curriculum. This blog will focus on experiences that I have as a medical student in Grenada. I plan to incorporate certain aspects of my life such as meal prepping into this blog, but the main focus will remain on medical school. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to email me at meyouandsgu@gmail.com.
Personal Spiel:
Over the course of term 3/4, a number of events took place in my life. Despite all that has taken place, I've learned that regardless of good or bad, it is important to remember the people who will always stay by your side. Medical school is not easy for anyone. There are days that your slide presentation for pathology goes extremely well and you ask excellent questions during the interview in CPD. However, there are also days filled with frustration and anger. So, I truly value those who talked to me and stuck by my side even if I had a horrible day. I just want to take a moment and thank my amazing family, my college roommates, and some of my best friends from high school who make up the best support team a girl could ask for. Also, to those that have continued to read the blog while I worked my way through term 4, I greatly appreciate your interest in the blog.
Ok, now for the actual catch-up on life:
In December (which seems like a century ago), I completed my term 2 finals, flew back to the US for the holidays, enjoyed my mom's fabulous cooking for a few weeks, and definitely caught up on some much needed sleep. Personally, I thought the end of term 2 was harder than anticipated. In addition to the three finals that I took (Immunology/Genetics, Physiology, and Neuroscience), term 2 students are also required to complete a OSCE examination and BSCE 1. The BSCE 1 is a end of year 1 of medical school exam. It is 4 hours long and integrates concepts from all classes taken during the first year of medical school. Although it does not go on any transcript, I think the result is valuable information to have as I prepare for future board exams. The results are systematically broken down by subject so students can clearly see their strengths and weaknesses.
I kept up with lectures for Term 3 and also made a ton of charts for all the diseases that are covered. The charts helped me easily differentiate between diseases, which helped me answer questions on the exam.
The following are some tips for surviving term 3:
1) Keep up with lectures. The midterm and final tend to sneak up quickly. Majority of the lecturers do a fantastic job highlighting the important information.
2) The small group discussions do not require much prep work, but do pay attention to the topic. There will probably be questions on the exam associated with material covered in small group.
3) If you are anything like me, find a way to organize all the diseases so that you can quickly identify the subtle differences between 2 disorders. This will become helpful on exam questions. For me, this meant making charts. If you have read my previous posts, as usual, I put the charts up on the wall. I frequently looked at the chart and then was able to pin point key differences between disorders.
4) have fun in term 3 because before you know it, term 4 will start. If you have time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start skimming through pathoma (in my opinion, a must have) for term 4.
5) Term 3 students have an option of visiting the mental hospital in Grenada. I would highly recommend this experience. During my visit, my group was able to hear personal stories from 2 patients that were admitted to the facility.
The following are a few pictures from places I visited during term 3:
1) Seven Sisters Waterfall - Highly recommend going on a sunny day and take a tour guide.
2) Turtle watching - One of the best things I have done on the island to this day and would highly recommend it! People travel around the world to see leather back turtles lay eggs on the beaches of the caribbean islands. So, this is definitely a bucket list item.
3) River-tubing: lots of fun if you go with a lot of people. Just be prepared to get wet! (Sorry, we weren't allowed to take cameras, so I don't have pictures)
4) If you haven't done so already, visit the cliff on campus.
5) Visit Fort George:
I personally thought term 3 was straight forward as long as students keep up with lectures. My next few posts will provide tips/recommendations and my perspective of term 4 courses (Pathology, Microbiology, CPD, Nutrition). If there are any particular questions on term 4, please email me at meyouandsgu@gmail.com. I will address the questions in my next few posts.
Hope everyone is having a great summer! To the SGU students that started term 3 today, good luck for the upcoming term! :)
-N
Administrative Note:
I know when I started at SGU, I had a million questions that were unanswered until I started the work. So, this blog has the sole purpose to provide tips to incoming students, prepare students for class, and give insight on my perspective of my time in Grenada. I understand SGU is in the process of making changes to the curriculum. This blog will focus on experiences that I have as a medical student in Grenada. I plan to incorporate certain aspects of my life such as meal prepping into this blog, but the main focus will remain on medical school. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to email me at meyouandsgu@gmail.com.
Personal Spiel:
Over the course of term 3/4, a number of events took place in my life. Despite all that has taken place, I've learned that regardless of good or bad, it is important to remember the people who will always stay by your side. Medical school is not easy for anyone. There are days that your slide presentation for pathology goes extremely well and you ask excellent questions during the interview in CPD. However, there are also days filled with frustration and anger. So, I truly value those who talked to me and stuck by my side even if I had a horrible day. I just want to take a moment and thank my amazing family, my college roommates, and some of my best friends from high school who make up the best support team a girl could ask for. Also, to those that have continued to read the blog while I worked my way through term 4, I greatly appreciate your interest in the blog.
Ok, now for the actual catch-up on life:
In December (which seems like a century ago), I completed my term 2 finals, flew back to the US for the holidays, enjoyed my mom's fabulous cooking for a few weeks, and definitely caught up on some much needed sleep. Personally, I thought the end of term 2 was harder than anticipated. In addition to the three finals that I took (Immunology/Genetics, Physiology, and Neuroscience), term 2 students are also required to complete a OSCE examination and BSCE 1. The BSCE 1 is a end of year 1 of medical school exam. It is 4 hours long and integrates concepts from all classes taken during the first year of medical school. Although it does not go on any transcript, I think the result is valuable information to have as I prepare for future board exams. The results are systematically broken down by subject so students can clearly see their strengths and weaknesses.
At the beginning of January, I flew back to Grenada and started term 3. This specific term is 6 weeks long. Although there are 4 lectures per day and periodic small group discussions, students tend to have more time for themselves during this term. So, it is advisable to use the time touring the island and relaxing before term 4. There is a diverse array of material that is covered during the short term. A few of the main topics covered are as follows: Psychopathology, Biostatistics, Universal and United States Healthcare Systems, Bioethics, Epidemiology, Healthcare Law, Human development, Behavioral and Cognitive Development, Behavioral Sciences.
The following are some tips for surviving term 3:
1) Keep up with lectures. The midterm and final tend to sneak up quickly. Majority of the lecturers do a fantastic job highlighting the important information.
2) The small group discussions do not require much prep work, but do pay attention to the topic. There will probably be questions on the exam associated with material covered in small group.
4) have fun in term 3 because before you know it, term 4 will start. If you have time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start skimming through pathoma (in my opinion, a must have) for term 4.
5) Term 3 students have an option of visiting the mental hospital in Grenada. I would highly recommend this experience. During my visit, my group was able to hear personal stories from 2 patients that were admitted to the facility.
The following are a few pictures from places I visited during term 3:
1) Seven Sisters Waterfall - Highly recommend going on a sunny day and take a tour guide.
2) Turtle watching - One of the best things I have done on the island to this day and would highly recommend it! People travel around the world to see leather back turtles lay eggs on the beaches of the caribbean islands. So, this is definitely a bucket list item.
4) If you haven't done so already, visit the cliff on campus.
5) Visit Fort George:
I personally thought term 3 was straight forward as long as students keep up with lectures. My next few posts will provide tips/recommendations and my perspective of term 4 courses (Pathology, Microbiology, CPD, Nutrition). If there are any particular questions on term 4, please email me at meyouandsgu@gmail.com. I will address the questions in my next few posts.
Hope everyone is having a great summer! To the SGU students that started term 3 today, good luck for the upcoming term! :)
-N
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