why are my exams so easy? why does your school cover more material than mine? is my grade because i worked hard or because the exam was weak? am i contributing to the stereotype of low-quality medical schools in the Caribbean by doing well on exams and talking about it? are blocks better than midterms? are midterms better than shelf exams?
or in the words of a recent commenter, Jenn:
I don’t think it is “better” to test all the material at once, but most schools (in the US anyway) test every few weeks worth of material. And not in “blocks”, it’s all at once, including every class.
It’s a lot easier to brag about getting A’s when you have the minimal amount of info in one exam. Our averages are *not* that high, and I go to a very good school.
Why do people go to schools in the Caribbean, anyway?
Our averages are low(as in 80%) because according to the current post, we studed way way more than what was “listed”. And, we aren’t given the luxury of having one subject per test. Do they move slower? Maybe.
This is in no way saying the writer isn’t smart. I just think posting grades online is a little self-indulgent..considering.
dear Jenn,
first off, i am making this response the subject of its’ very own post because i think you voiced a few things that may have been on the minds of other readers. i hope you don’t find the publicity of this response disrespectful since your original comments were public anyway.
1) i don’t entertain discussions or debates about the quality of Caribbean medical schools. some are good, some are bad. some are diploma mills and their licensing availability in the USA reflects that. some are high-caliber and make great doctors out of people that “couldn’t get in” (for whatever reason) to a medical school in their own country. we could talk ourselves in circles and it doesn’t really matter.
i am attending a WHO certified medical school that happens to teach and test material in a certain way. as mentioned in a (recent) previous post, instead of lumping MUA in with All Other Caribbean Medical Schools, i will let MUA’s overall USMLE 1 & 2 pass rates speak to the caliber of their professors and teaching/testing style. there is obviously a big difference between passing an “easy” med school exam and doing well on the USMLEs.
2) our exams are formatted to be as close to the USMLE as possible, but are divided by topic for whatever reason. US schools may do it in a more practical and traditional way for whatever reason. since neither of us have personal experience with the other system, i guess we can only do our best with the system handed to us and see what happens when the USMLE rolls around.
3) i was aiming and working very hard for all As on the last set of exams. unfortunately that was not the case. i apologize for however or wherever you were misled with my “bragging”.
4) also previously mentioned, i do not have any class averages posted, nor do i intend to include them in this blog because this website is a very personal first-hand account of the trials and tribulations of medical school. if you couldn’t tell by the name, i’m not sure what other hints to provide. i am trying to speak only for myself and not get caught up in comparison with others. if i share my grades it’s in case you want to compare yourself with me. which would probably only work if you were in similar system in a similar Caribbean school. ; ))
5) is my “re-cap” post in any way a comprehensive list of the material we covered in three weeks? of course not. if that was the case, it would have taken me three weeks to type it out.
6) and lastly you say “a little self-indulgent..considering.” considering what? considering that this is a self-indulgent namesake blog? if so, i think sharing my successes and failures is perfectly self-indulgent and fits perfectly with the theme of the rest of the site. : ))
thanks again for sharing your point-of-view! i’m sure a lot of other folks out there were of a similar opinion but didn’t have the guts to share their non-anonymous thoughts.
i hope things are going well for you in Oregon. good luck with the rest of the semester!
sincerely,
(another) Jen
What is it about human nature that we feel we need to constantly compare ourselves to others? What is it about med students that makes them compare their schools to other schools with a nasty vengeance? The grass is truly always greener on the other side. Personally, I’d rather just do the very best job that I can wherever I happen to be going to school. I don’t want to be the best doctor that graduated from my school, or that had to take a block exam every 4 weeks, or that didn’t have enough cadavers in their lab, or that had MCQs instead of clinical vignettes, or that has pink hair, or that lives on the beach, or that talked about her progress in med school. I just want to be the very best doctor that I can be. And I’d bet my britches that Jen (Hawke), who happens to be my secret twin, feels pretty darn similar.
Your response to her was very eloquent. I, on the other hand, would probably have blocked her ip from commenting on my site. Oops, did I say that out loud? Good luck in the rest of your exams!!
I never thought that you made the school sound easy, however you have made it very clear that you spend a lot of time studying so maybe that is why you are doing well. Good luck I rooting for you to do well and keep an eye out for a postcard from SoCal.
Late
Oh my…methinks that “someone” doesn’t have enough studying to do and is out on the Interwebs trying to stir up trouble. ;-P
Besides, I post my grades (proudly!)…I guess that makes me self-indulgent, too…personally, I just think that it’s easier for me to communicate via blog posts, especially when good friends are half-way around the world working their asses off. *lol*
Hmmm… so bloody typical of med students. Why?
I had an interesting chat with one of my lecturers about exam grading and he was talking about how he will pass people on what he thinks they need to know to be competent, yet others think that there must be a bell curve distribution. Therefore, if you’re in the bottom quater of the class, for example, you fail regardless of your knowledge/comprehension etc. And that’s within the *same* course.
Let’s look at Australia and the US. Aussie docs have a pretty damn good reputation, yet the same student here would get into a prestigious med school in Australia but would miss out completely in the US purely due to supply vs demand. See how ridiculous it can get?
‘jen, when you smash the USMLEs and become a kick-ass doctor that can actually relate to people who haven’t had it all given to them on a plate, then we’ll see which system produces better doctors.
Readers of your blog know how much research you put into your chosen med school and I think that counts for more than blindly going along with a system due to a perceived reputation. Believe me – I know first hand about the pros and cons of falling into this trap. I’ve been there.
Sorry to rant – but this friggin’ elitism is exactly the reason why medicine is losing respect – not because people study off-shore.
it’s really unfortunate that someone can be so obtuse as to go and say that since you did so well on your exams they must have been easy or dumbed down. i find that downright insulting. anyone who follows your site knows how much time and energy you put into studying and preparing for exams so to say your success is from anything other than your own effort is ridiculous.
I think that many med students are so scared that they won’t get a good residency, or won’t get to do the fellowship that they want, or whatever, that they make themselves feel superior by putting down others. It’s a trick of self esteem. Even in my medical school that tries to foster a non-competitive attitude, there are rumors from day 1 about which programs are really competitive for CaRMS and how many research papers you have to publish to get into them or how high your grades have to be or how many things you need on your Dean’s letter. It’s a shame, but I can understand how much it freaks people out who have been over achievers for their whole lives and suddenly are faced with the fact that they might not get exactly what they want. Anyway, that’s just my two cents about neurotic med students. I try to steer away from it, but some might say that I have that luxury because the residency I want to do is less competitive.
Anyway, I think your answer was very well thought out and got your point across beautifully.
Lovely well written reply Jen
As a previously neurotic medical student (now an only slightly less neurotic doctor) I can relate to most of the comments made. Being from the UK our system is slightly different but I have taught both UK and Caribbean medical students on the wards and whilst yes there are some useless Caribbean ones there some are equally useless UK students. But the best student I’ve had by far was from a Caribbean Med School cause she didn’t get a place in Canada. I think it’s all down to individual motivation or which Jen obviously has heaps of.
Now if only I could start studying for my membership….
If the students are able to retain the material and recall it for tests, then that school is doing a good job. If students at another school covering the same material consistently have trouble recalling said material for their exams, then, yes, they are going to a “harder” school. But not a better one. Actually, the first school is better, assuming the value of a school is based upon its ability to achieve its goal of educating students.
Excellent polite reply to an obvious narrow-minded US med school influenced student. Unfortunately I, who am not in the medical field, had a similar opinion about a guy who was in the same spot as you were Jen. He went to a Caribbean Med school and eventually married into the family. Boy did I learn how wrong I was. He has been one hell of an ER Dr in the Midwest for many years.
Jen, keep up the hard work and I know you will be one hell of a Dr.
you handled this beautifully … community is stronger than competition and anyone who knows you even a little understands how hard you work and how committed you are … you are going to be an amazing physician because you are an amazing person. xox
yeah, what they all said.
You’re the bomb Jen