FIRST YEAR SUBJECTS: Advice, Tips

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR 1ST YEAR SUBJECTS:

Hahahaha, maybe some of you might feel let down just reading inspirational self help stuff, so here are a few tips for studying/ passing some of the subjects during your first year:

1. ANATOMY

For HISTOLOGY, make sure you take the time to view the slides during your lab sessions, some classmates may like to help out and picture the slides, put them together in a little powerpoint presentation, that's ok, but make sure you put in little time to review them still. Take note of specific characteristics of the specimen, dont just wander around the slide and point out random stuff.

READ THE BOOK. Yup, the book Gonzales and Esteban. The lecturer takes everything from there, word for word. Sometimes he gets a little tricky with the questions, so be sure you've read each chapter. The chapters are pretty concise, but there's a tendency for some info overload after each lecture. Make sure to study them well because they sometimes have pre and post quizzes.

For EMBRYOLOGY, read read read read Langman's Embryo and the Embryo notes from the CD (the CD comes with the Dissection Lab Manual that they will require you to buy at the start of the year). Langman helps you out with the flow while the Embryo notes on the CD helps you out with the genes that you will have to memorize. 

For GROSS ANATOMY, for certain professors, study the powerpoints, for others, study Snell. Absorb, memorize, understand the lectures. In dissection, one professor likes it to be done this way:

1. Study the topics from the book~ understand and remember the surrounding organs, their connections with one another, their boundaries, etc.
2. From the book, look for it in the atlas based on what you know about it.
3. From the atlas, find it in the cadaver.

This professor doesnt like students heading straight for the cadaver, second guessing if this is the organ, or if you cut it out already, etc. Armed with what you know, you should have a good idea where specific organs, muscles should be. He'll go around each team asking the blood supply, the importance of this, the importance of that, etc. He's very, very, VERY thorough with his questions. By the end of the session, you can actually feel the life force drained out of you from all the tension and the mind boggling questions.

2. PHYSIOLOGY

Physio works extremely well with Anatomy. Once you understand your anatomy, Physio becomes pretty easy and vice versa. I recommend reading Guyton. Its simplified, and covers certain topics over and over and over again. For me, the hardest topics were Respiratory and Cardio Physiology. Study on that. 

3. BIOCHEMISTRY

Biochemistry uses a lot of references. Different books for different lecturers. Some prefer Harpers, some prefer Devlin, some focus more on their powerpoints since they used A LOT of references. 

NOTE: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS IN BIOCHEMISTRY. YOU HAVE TO MEMORIZE AND UNDERSTAND IT ALL. The enzymes are especially tricky...those evil little suckers....



For these last two subjects, never, ever, NEVER EVER EVER EVER underestimate them.

4. COMMED

No shortcuts with this either. Study or die. That's about it.Try to do well in all exams, the earlier the better, because their exams are hard and unpredictable at times.

5. PSYCH

Attend EVERY lecture. They check the attendance, there are recitations, there are quizzes, there are activities. Don't skip any lecture. You can either read the book, or follow along with the lectures, memorize and understand everything. There are only 3 evaluations, followed by Finals. Try to do well in all of them.