General Information
The school year is divided into two semesters, Fall and Spring, each of which is divided into three blocks, called phases. A phase usually consists of 5-6 weeks of classes followed by a week of exams (with no class meetings the week most of your exams are given). A typical phase exam is 2-4 hours long and should be approached as an undergraduate final exam. Some of your phase exams will be comprehensive, and may consist of a final exam, depending on the course.
You will be enrolled in about 21 credit hours per semester. Except for phase week, you'll be in lecture or labs for about 25-30 hours/week, with an hour off for lunch, usually from 12-1. Each course has one or two course directors who lecture, design exams and lecture schedules, and otherwise oversee the course. Most courses utilize a number of professors and guest lecturers. Most courses will require you to purchase a syllabus in addition to any required textbooks. The syllabus is designed not just as a course schedule, but as a compilation of lecture notes, study guides, and other information designed to help you understand and identify key concepts. The syllabi can be extremely helpful, but they come in different degrees of completeness, depending upon the course, and are not intended to be your sole source of study material.
You are urged to keep up with your coursework and seek help immediately if you feel you don't understand a concept or are falling behind. Don't wait until after your first phase exam to ask for help. Professors are an excellent resource, and most courses have teaching assistants (second-, fourth-year or greaduate students) who are available during labs or for tutoring. Be sure to include tutoring fees in your personal budget along with books and supplies.
Beginning in 1998-99, the curriculum has been designed to coordinate topics among courses. For example, you will be taking the Immunology portion of Microbiology and Immunology while you are studying topics related to the immune system in Biochemistry. Gross Anatomy & Embryology and Microscopic Anatomy have been aligned in such a way that you will often be studying the microscopic structure of a system as you are learning about it in Gross. You will start off the year with an emphasis on clinical experience, and will have the opportunity during weekly meetings of the Clinical Integration Course to correlate what you are learning to various clinical situations. The following course information is designed to give you an idea of what to expect. Please understand that every year, courses are revised somewhat, and this information may be changed by the time you start your classes. Keep in mind that the volume and intensity of the material presented in the first four weeks of CIC is much less than that in the basic science courses which begin in August (but don't write off the written or practice exams at the end of this first month, either!) Be ready to switch into high gear when the Fall courses begin. Wait to find out from your syllabus and the course director what is required BEFORE you sink a lot of money into books, in case they have changed over the summer (new text, new edition, etc.) Here's a brief look at what the schedule looks like (click on the course for more information): |
