Orientation week: So we got here on August 8th flying in from Miami. Going through passport control was a breeze for us because we were with our two kids, they let families go into a separate line, an it took us literally 10 minutes to get through. However......for those of you who do NOT have children, expect this to be a long night for you. There are only about 3 or 4 control officers working and they like to take their time with each person...just saying. Next we went to pick up our bags ( note: we each brought only 1 checked bag each) I think there is a baggage limit at this time of the year, so check with the airlines. Many students had issues with this; some had damaged bags, others had to pay hefty fees for an extra bag..For us we were fine, none of our bags were lost (phew). So after we got our bags, we had to get in another line for baggage check or something, I don't quite remember. I handed them my acceptance letter, my electronics page and my immigration letter (you get this all once you're accepted). There is a limit as to how many electronics you can take as as a student. It is 1 laptop, 1 tablet, 1 smartphone. Our girls had their ipads in hand and my husband had his laptop. They said nothing about this and we didn't have to pay any taxes on them. We finally got outside and there are SGU reps waiting out there to give you your first weeks orientation schedule and to take you to wherever you will be living. For us, we are off campus in Mont Tout, so away we went.
The first week of orientation isn't too bad, but you are expected to be at every session, it's mandatory, unless you are unable to get a flight and have to arrive later.. You go and pick up ALL of your books, class notes, PD kit, clicker, ID in one location. There are many books such as histology, biochemistry, genetics, anatomy, pharmacology, embryology. I recommend coming with a carry-on suitcase or even full sized sturdy suitcase to lug these, and if you can have a friend help you that would be even better because you need to lug it down the stairs and then maybe up the hill depending on where you live on campus (just a suggestion).
Okay so now you have your books, notes, you're starting to feel like a real student by now.
If you're placed into AEP (academic enhancement program) as 80% of my class is, you will have to attend an introductory session. AEP is basically a small group of about 10 people and an instructor(upper termer) that meets once a week to go over important topics of the week. It is mandatory, and if you do not attend, you probably won't pass, because attendance is mandatory here at SGU.
Now that orientation is over, enjoy this weekend before you start on Monday :)
WEEK 1 Excitement was building in the air orientation week. We couldn't to officially start med school and be med students. Our lecture schedule is 1-5pm mandatory you have to be in class at that time and nowhere else. The first day topics weren't that bad, I the first lecture was an introduction and then we did homeostasis and cellular organization. Pretty much a review... but 4 hours of back to back lecturing is a lot to get used to. Once the lectures were over I took a break, got something to eat, and then started reviewing the days lectures... This is what my days the first week were like. At the end of week 1 a quiz is posted that you have to complete by the following Thursday, you have a lot of time to do this, and it's relatively easy to pass.
WEEK 2, Similar to week 1 but Labs started. The labs weren't in a "laboratory" but it is again a small group meeting, you have to prepare in advance for the lab.. and at the end of lab there is a very short quiz on the material.
WEEK 3, Similar to week 2. This is the end of material for Exam 1. I know it's nice isn't it? Compared to previous terms that only had a midterm and final, I am glad I am in the class with the "new curriculum style", systems based. Our exams are about every 3 weeks, so it's really not that bad... I say that but the material is still a lot. You're looking at 80-100 questions that are from about 50 lectures..that's 1-2 questions PER lecture, and the lectures are usually 40-50 slides.
EXAM 1 was Monday Sep 5... 8-12pm, it only took about 2 hours to complete. I actually felt pretty good about it when it was done. And yes, I PASSED my first medical school exam!!!!
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