Finch/CMS AP program people... Desi... FU...cms others

Wow...its 8 of 11 classes for the AP's?? That's pretty insane. As an MISer I took only Physio, Biochem, and neuro and in those the grades were solely based on the exams. All exams are multiple choice on a scantron. FU would know more about MCB and genetics but Im sure those are the same as well just due to the number of people. There's no extra credit (grades based only on the exams), but the grades are curved in the sense that if the med school mean is below an 80, points are added to bring that up. Also the mean is set only by the med students, APs and MIS students are not counted in that mix, so that kind of works to your advantage. For more info you there's some other threads going about these programs so I suggest reading them...I just dont wanna be redundant about things. FU has written some fine discertations on the AP program in a few of these threads...so those are definitely worth a read...hehe.

the AP classes are changing. i forget exactly what...but i know you will be taking Neurosci with the M1s also, and taking less AP classes. which, i think is better. i mean, you're paying $32K....best to get the most bang for the buck.

it will mean that your Spring Qtr will be heinous, b/c Neuro is pretty hard i hear, and you will have Biochem AND Physio with the "real" med students. (but that also means, as a M1A, you will have like, NO finals your next Spring Qtr. so i don't know how that works).

i think you also take Embryology with the med students in the Fall. i don't think that'll be as bad. we had to take Developmental Bio as APs, and it's not that bad.

but of course, the additional classes you take with M1s, the more pressure there is, (and the more payoff there will be when you're a M1A, subsequently).

the classes that were dropped, were pretty lame, so that's a good thing.

how hard is it? not ~that~ hard. but that was my personal expr. like i said, i do not think med school is "hard". nothing is conceptually hard to understand, it's just volume. so the hard thing is discipline and time. b/c given enuff of those two, one could memorize the phone book. so "how ~hard~" it is, is dependent on the individual. discipline and time management and desire is more...difficult than it is for others.

the 3week course is only Genetics. and it's really really basic/simple. there is a 10Q quiz, and then there is a 50Q final. (it was so simple, that a 92% was a low A on the curve. i got a 90% on the final, and missed an A by ONE question. needless to say, that was a wake up call and i knew how hard-core the rest of the year was going to be, and adjusted accordingly).

the exams are after 5weeks, Midterms Week. (yes, a WHOLE week of days dedicated to tests!). then weeks 6-10, and TWO weeks of Final Weeks. (yes, 14 days dedicated to tests!).

most of the AP classes, are 40Q multi-choice, and 50% of your grade. (therein, also lies, "how ~hard~" the AP prg is). so don't choke or psyche yourself out on a 40Q test that is 50% of your grade. the med classes are also multi-choice, but have more questions.

the curve is based solely on the M1A grades, and applied to all ancillary students. usually there IS a curve, and that depends on the class. sometimes, there is a NEGATIVE curve, (i.e., Genetics). but that is rare, (except for MCB).

i don't think the prof's want curves. it's not undergrad anymore. they WANT everyone to get A's and B's. if someone (M1s) fails, that reflects poorly on the school, and means they are not doing their job. they all (mostly) write fair exams, and want you all to do well.

the curves are based on t-scores, and standard deviations. the mean is usually a low B, and the grade-cutoffs for t-scores is usually generous, (.7-1 std deviations), and is not hard core like undergrad distributions.

i know you're anxious and skeptical and have doubts Roger Rabbit, but i think it's a great opportunity. you just have to go and knock it out. i was in your same shoes last yr (except i had only like, 3days to make my decision). but my convo with the admissions office ending in me saying, after many questions, "what if i am 100% positive i can get a 3.0?" they said, "then i'd say, what are you doing talking to me? i'll see you in a week."

it's as simple as that....

Well done once again FU. You really do a good job with putting that AP program into perspective.

Just wanna add to FU's post on neuro. That 3rd term is very rough so Id advise making sure you do as well as you can in Physio and Biochem adn that'll at least make your 3rd term a lot easier so you can concentrate on neuro. The thing that makes neuro rough is that it's a one term course that has two exams, each 50%. So you can imagine the amount of material, and it's not as conceptual as some of the others. It also doesnt help when you have M1As that are taking that course and really not much else....they tend to bring that curve up. But hey...it's all doable. Med students taking all 11 classes have done it and gotten by so if you're really ready to be in med school, this should not be a problem. Just go in with the right attitude and discipline and you'll be golden.

all the concrete numbers i know for my class, is that with a starting class of about 85, it was down to 65 by the beginngin of the last, Spring Qtr. ppl had failed out, withdrawn, or been accepted to other schools (MD and DO), and any combinatino thereof.

if you call admissions, they will tell you the real numbers. and they can tell you last years numbers too. i don't remember exactly, but it was like 45/65 got IN.

last year...when i was deciding...i was like, a 3.0 can't be ~that~ hard. so why did 20 NOT get in? but you must realize. my back was to the wall, and this was my last-ditch, last chance in my mind. so i went there trying to get a 4.0. not everyone had that mindset. and since there are no +'s or -'s....you can get screwed sometimes. a 89.4 is a B, and a 79.6 is a B. and a 89.499999 is a B. no buts about it. but it works both ways. a 89.5 is an A. and taking 2 tests, 40Q each, 50% of your grade each...can psyche people out sometimes. esp if you don't do so well the first midterm, and you HAVE to do really well on the next test. 40Q's doesn't leave much room for error.

but...i always said to myself. we're all in the same boat, so if everyone else can do it, so can i. so it's how much you want it, really. b/c the people that got close to the 4.0's...you knew who they were...b/c they were in the library alllllll the time.

FU....CMS: You are talking about finch, right? Do AP student have a priority in med school amdisions to Finch? How hard to get into this program?

FU....CMS: check your PM

damn. credit hrs will basically mean, that's how many hrs/week of class you will have.

i DOUBT you will be a M2. it seems like you will still be a M1A. b/c you still have to Anatomy, Histo, and ICM. and it's unlikely you will be able to take M2 classse, even as a M1A. you can take electives....

just means you'll have a super easy last qtr at CMS. and a cake year....i don't know anything about summer school. doubt it. but hey...it's just the dues you have to pay to earn it.

b/c...what else are you going to do? it's a golden opportunity. and you'll really enjoy your M1A year...

any AP making it next year would still be an M1A. Id heard the rumor about people transferrign to M2, but someone I knwo asked Kristine Jones about it and she shot that down. Like FU said...you'll have a really easy year basically as an M1A, so that's one reward for making it...