The "How" and the "Why"

As I mentioned before, the class that did me in was Biochemistry. Since day one of last semester, I knew Biochemistry would be a struggle. Throughout my undergraduate studies, it was the only class I struggled in. For me, Orgo and Physics weren't very challenging though I felt Orgo was the most difficult of the two. My weakness has always been Biochemistry. In fact, it's the only "C" on my undergrad transcript. Because I was a Psychology major and not a Biology major, I wasn't required to take Genetics or the 4th year level Biochemistry course. So, I took my "C" in my 200 level Biochem class and ran. Due to my utter disdain for Biochem and Genetics, I did the minimum required for my degree and for Med School and never looked back. Little did I know how much that would come back to haunt me later.

So, fast forward three years later to me at Ross. The first three Biochem lectures were not bad at all. They were meant to be a review of undergrad material. We went over bonds (covalent, ionic, hydrogen, van der Waals, hydrophobic, etc.), stereochemistry (diastereomers, enantiomers, et.), reducing sugars and reagents (Tollens' and Benedict's), carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose, amylose, amylopectin, etc.), fatty acids... well, you get the picture. So far, not too bad, right? Well, for me, the butt kicking began with the fourth Biochem lecture on proteins. That lecture was difficult and the following lecture on enzymes was even worse. Then began a DNA nightmare of replication, translation, transcription, eukaryotic gene expression, prokaryotic gene expression, mutations, viruses, and ... ugh, I can't keep going. My Biochem PTSD is kicking in right about now. Anyway, so pretty much on a daily basis they hurled a barrage of Biochem at us and I was still like "Huh? Wait. What's a gene again?" Not pretty. I just couldn't keep up. So, by the time Mini 1 reared its ugly head, we had covered five weeks worth of Biochem which came out to about 30 lecture hours. Then, there was still DPS, Anatomy, and A LOT of Histology. It seemed like there was never enough time to cover it all.

That Monday afternoon, when I turned in my scantron, I felt like I had just failed everything. I remember just wanting to stay in bed depressed all night while my fellow classmates went out and partied all night long. To them, it didn't matter how they did - they were just glad it was over. For me, I had just finished the hardest exam I had ever taken and I did NOT do well. I swore I got a 15% in Biochemistry. Turns out, I did better than I thought I did. I passed DPS, Anatomy, and Histology without a problem. Biochem, as always, was a different story. I got a whopping 48% on Mini 1. To this day, I still don't know how I managed a 48%. I think it was due to the sheer volume of questions. There were like 49 Biochem questions. Also, the Biochem department dropped about 8 questions. If I remember correctly, they dropped three that I got right and four that I got wrong. I think that somewhere between dropped questions, miraculously guessing right, and actually knowing a few questions, I somehow ended up with a 48%.

Mini 2 went MUCH better for me. I got a 92% in Histo and I actually passed Biochem! After Mini 2, I realized that I don't suck at all of Biochem. I only suck at the Genetics component of it. Silver lining, people! Mini 2 Biochem covered blood groups, plasma (blood) proteins and enzymes, the blood coagulation cascade, hemoglobin, Sickle Cell, glycolysis, TCA, ox phos, and much more. For me, Mini 2 material was more interesting (because it was more clinical) and easier to understand. The reduced volume of Biochem on Mini 2 and the reduced genetic component seemed to have helped my grade as well.

Mini 3 barely had any Biochem on it. Mini 3 Biochem was only worth 5% of our entire grade. This is because Mini 3 was basically all Physio. The Physio portion was worth 45% of our entire Physio grade. Because of this, I focused on Physio more than anything. Unfortunately, I didn't focus on Biochem at all and my grade suffered for it. My attitude going into Mini 3 was "Physio is worth too much and Biochem isn't worth anything. 5% is nothing. I'm going to focus on Physio because it's much more important that I do well on Physio on this Mini than Bio." While this is true, for me (because I was struggling in Bio), this was a BIG mistake. Out of the possible 5%, I only earned about 2%. Had I just spent a little more time on Bio for Mini 3 and answered a few more questions correctly, that may have been the difference between passing and failing first semester. Remember, the difference was ONE percent. This may have been the Mini that sealed my fate.

The final exam was ... HARD. There were only 25 Biochem questions on the final. 25 questions covered a whole semester's worth of Biochem! Studying for the final was so difficult for me. It seemed like too much material in too little time. I just didn't know where to begin. I had to go back to all the DNA garbage that plagued me on Mini 1. Since I didn't know Mini 1 material very well and I still had to cover Mini 2 and Mini 3 material, needless to say, the final didn't go very well for me. My other grades suffered as well because in the five days leading up to the final, I ONLY studied for Biochem. I felt that it didn't matter if I studied and did well in my other subjects if I didn't pass Bio. So, I gave Bio my full attention and effort. As you can see, my plan backfired. Turns out, you can't cram a whole semester of Biochem, especially if you didn't know it well enough to begin with, in 5 days.

And so, Mini 1 Bio (worth 35%) and the final (worth 35%) comprised 70% of my entire Biochem grade. Unfortunately, these two exams were my worst. For Bio, Mini 2 was worth 20%, Mini 3 was worth 5%, and PBL factored in another 5% to total 100%. So, in the end, I couldn't make up for my poor performance on Mini 1 and the final.

Mini 2 aside, I consistently did poorly (hovering around MPS) in Bio across the board. Still, I got close to passing. But as you can see, I didn't deserve to pass. I didn't know my Biochem well enough to move on to second semester. Let's say I did earn that 1% that would have allowed me to pass. I would have to face first semester Bio on the Biochem shelf at the end of 2nd semester. And then I'd have to face it again on the comprehensive exam (which determines if you can sit for Step I) at the end of 4th semester. And then I'd have to face it again on the Step! So, in a way, I'm glad I didn't scrape by. I'd rather I fail semester 1 and retake Bio and learn it properly, than fail the comprehensive exam at the end of 4th semester. Did you know that you have three chances to pass the comp exam? If you cannot pass the comp by the third try, Ross kicks you out for good. So, I like to think that retaking Bio will help me pass and perform better on my Biochem shelf, the comp (hopefully on the first try!), and ultimately, STEP I.

Now you all know how I failed. It wasn't that I didn't study or I didn't try. It's just that I struggled with the material, I didn't study efficiently, I didn't properly manage my time, and I didn't seek any help. It can happen to anyone.

My advice for incoming students is this:

1) If you struggled with any of the first semester classes (Physio, Bio, Histo, Anatomy) while you were in undergrad, chances are you may struggle with that class here at Ross. My advice is to brush up on that subject before you come here. You can re-read your old notes or read the BRS book on that subject. Find a way to strengthen your knowledge in that subject while you have the time.Once school starts, it's difficult to find the time to review those undergrad concepts that you were shaky on. Here, it's expected that you mastered the fundamentals and that you're ready to build on that.

2) Consider a Masters degree. After college, my boyfriend earned a Masters in Biomedical Sciences at Barry University. He was part of the accelerated program and finished his Masters in one year. In that year, he took all the first year medical courses you would normally take in medical school. Needless to say, he was EXTREMELY prepared for his first semester here at Ross. In the end, he finished first semester with excellent grades. When I was considering Ross, he advised me to look into the same program but I just wanted to start medical school already! Perhaps if I had listened (don't tell him I said that), I would have been better prepared for my medical studies here at Ross. I have also met several others that earned a Masters in similar programs across the country. They all aced first semester and are currently doing well in second semester. Of course, this may not be the recipe for success for everyone. There are MANY people that did well first semester that did not take the extra time and spend the extra money on a Masters degree. I just wanted to point out that this is one option if you've never heard of it or considered it.

3) If you find yourself drowning in the material once you start here, seek help! You can go see the professors themselves. You can join a study group. You can go to the academic success office where they have several counselors willing to help. They can help you map out a schedule to better manage your time or they can help teach you how to study more efficiently. They also have afternoon sessions where you go over practice problems. These practice problems are written by the professors themselves. Several of my friends would go to these sessions and found that going over these practice problems helped them prepare for the style of questions asked on the Minis. Then, there is also peer tutoring available. Just about every night, upper semester students hold tutoring sessions for first semesters that you can sit in on. They can go over any question in any subject you'd like. There are many other resources out there. The point is that they are there. If you're struggling, find help!

More to come in this saga... stay tuned!

-Melissa