Academics

The quintessential first year medical school course, Anatomy inspires excitement — and anticipation — like no other course can. From the very beginning of your medical education, you are entrusted with a donor’s body to dissect, to learn from, and to care for. Each step, from the first incision to the final day, is a powerful moment and an unrivaled learning experience. Don’t worry if you feel nervous or apprehensive about this class — most of your classmates will feel the same way. The course directors, TAs, and of course your lab group will all help and support you as you learn about the amazing intricacies of the human body. By the end of the course, you’ll have learned more than you ever thought you could, forged lasting bonds with your lab group, and developed a connection with — and a deep respect for — the donor whose gift made this experience possible.

Anki is the best $24.99 I have spent in my life (so far). This flashcard app is a med school favorite for memorizing prodigious quantities of information. With a built-in space-repetition algorithm, it allows you to learn new cards and review old information in a very organized way. If you stick with the app and use it on a regular basis, you should be familiar with most of the important information by the time the exams approach. While each entering class receives Anki decks made by previous classes, I have been making my own cards since this allows for deep, thorough, and 100% relevant learning. Anki is great for making the most of small breaks, and I sometimes even multitask on the stationary bike (on especially ambitious days). Keep your eyes peeled for my MFM deck next fall!

Histology is about identifying tissue types and some of the basics of how they function on a cellular level. In the beginning, every slide looks like the same mess of purple and red, but it will become dramatically less daunting as you get the hang of it. The Bridgman and TA review sessions are extremely high yield. If you know the review slides by heart, read through the course pack a couple times, and do the past exams, you should come away from this class with a lot of knowledge and a P on your transcript to show for it.

As an MSTP you can decide whether to take Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) or Molecular Foundations of Medicine (MFM). Overall, MCB can be useful for learning molecular techniques and practicing how to review articles. The class has mandatory journal clubs, which I personally enjoyed because it can be a way to improve article reading skills. If you have a background in Molecular Cell Biology this class should be relatively straightforward. Classes are not recorded and can be overwhelming because of the amount of material presented in class, but there are TA review sessions where they discuss everything you need to know for the test (TAs write/grade the exams). In comparison to MFM, some of the topics overlap but MFM is more biochemistry focused than MCB (which means the STEP 1 biochemistry material would not be covered in class). In addition, there are three MCB exams versus two MFM exams throughout the semester. My advice would be to talk with Brian Sullivan and think about your priorities in terms of building a better knowledge base in considering whether to take Molecular Cell Biology or Biochemistry.

Molecular Foundations of Medicine is a well-oiled machine for learning biochemistry that runs like clockwork. It has been taught for the last 30 years and kept meticulously up-to-date by the same top professor, Dr. Pike, who was at the forefront of G protein coupled receptor discovery. You will learn exactly the biochemistry you need to know for medicine in an exceptionally organized and clear fashion between the coursepacks, lectures, assessments, and small group discussions. The clinical connections you see in every lecture will remind you why you chose to study medicine. Biochemistry research at WashU is premier and the instruction is no different.

Having a pass/fail preclinical curriculum isn’t exactly novel these days, but its impact on your quality of life and education should not be understated. Quite frankly, the quantity of material to learn in medical school is so vast that you just can’t realistically expect to master it all. Pass/fail coursework affords you the flexibility to focus on your interests, get involved with lots of extracurriculars, experiment with different learning styles, and generally approach your education without the threat of a GPA dangling over your head. Don’t get me wrong — the coursework is still challenging, and you’ll still need to learn the material for Step I, but you have the freedom to choose what parts of your education matter most to you. When the stress starts setting in during exam week, don’t forget: P = MD.

The Physiology course led by Dr. Mercer offers a solid foundation in the mechanics of the various organ systems. The first block begins with a very broad take on physiology that covers cell membranes and membrane potentials, before diving into specific systems with muscular and cardiovascular physiology. Each lecture can be relatively hit or miss depending on the lecturer and their preferred teaching style. However, the recommended textbook — Physiology by Costanzo — is a straightforward and comprehensive guide that helps students keep up with the course.

The Practice of Medicine (POM) course helps to prepare us for the day-to-day skills of being a doctor. One thing that makes it special is the amount of hands-on experience we get. When we learn the basics of taking a history and performing the physical exam, we watch a demonstration by a guest speaker then break into small groups immediately after. In those groups, we have the chance to practice the exams we learned, while receiving tips and feedback from the doctor in our room. We’ve also been paired with clinical mentors, M4s who volunteered to take us into the hospital and help us hone our skills. I’ve already gotten to see real patients, take their histories, and perform physical exams. I say real because another component of our education through POM is the standardized patient experience. Standardized patients are actors and actresses who pretend to be a patient so that we can practice on them. This has been so helpful because it’s a low-stakes environment for learning, and we get to debrief the interaction with the standardized patient right after. Aside from these standard skills that are generally expected of any trained physician, we also learn about other components of patient care — social disparities that can negatively affect patient outcomes, proper communication, various spiritual and religious beliefs, and practicing medicine, just to name a few. I’m extremely glad we have this course because it helps me feel less nervous about going into the clinical years!

If there were just a few more classes you wish you could’ve taken in undergrad, don’t despair — WashU’s undergrad campus is right on the other side of Forest Park. You have a significant amount of free time during first year for extracurricular activities, shadowing, volunteering, etc., and if you want to spend some of that time in a classroom, it’s pretty easy to email a professor who’s teaching something you’re interested in and ask if it’s possible to sit in on a lecture or two (or even over the course of a semester). It’s a great way to keep up with other academic passions — for me, that meant sitting in on some awesome math lectures, but no matter what you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to open up the Danforth course catalog and check out what awaits you just two metro stops away.