MBBS Year 3: Sem 1 (It's hell...)

Hi! 

It's been awhile. You miss me? 😉

I am sure ALL you loyal readers have been so EAGER to read this next excerpt of my experiences with 3rd year, Semester 1.

And you betcha, I am still online. Visa processes in my country are taking awhile. BUT! you'd be glad to know, I have started liaising with the Embassy of my country on the process to return. (Mind you, this is another HELL of an experience.. perhaps another blog post in the future for this. Stay tuned!)

First thing's first! How does the timetable of Semester 1 of year 3 look like? (my Oh my... WHAT a thrill..)

I have so much to say about this schedule and timetable. So, let us start with a rant!

1. WHO IN THE RIGHT MIND, thought THIS was okay? And above ALL else, WHY did the person in charge APPROVE this. 

• The schedule is SUFFOCATING and legit the biggest driver to experience BURNT OUT.

• If you wanna experience how a sardine lives in a can, this is it. Come to Year 3, and you would know. Right now, BATCH 2020, we are all HIGH quality sardines.

• Forget thinking 'one coffee a day' will pull you through. After 3 coffees a day, I am still as tired. The only effect caffiene has on me is elevating my heart rate and anxiety. The first half of the sem what state are you in? *repeat after me*

                                A state of CONSTANT tiredness, lethargy and lack of sleep.

• You wanna know how to get 'enough rest'? Jokes on you, there isn't any. I have had literally a total of 9 hours of sleep in the past two days. At one point in this semester, i slept at 3am for an entire week. What's that on my face you ask? I will tell you, they are EXPENSIVE looking eyebags. One you may never get unless you are doing this course. Its a rite of ritual to achieve these eyebags. A Panda or a Raccoon has nothing against a tired 3rd year MBBS student. We are the new species with the best looking eyebags.

2.  ABSOLUTE ZERO Communication between ANY classes, or the courses you are mandated to take 

• This semester every damn course you take, the Professor has the mindset "Oh you're just doing my course right?" This is LEGIT the biggest problem. When EVERY professor has this mindset, you see the problem don't you? Each of them gives you assignments after assignments after assignments, quizzes after quizzes and presentations after presentations. You wanna talk mental health and asking an extension? They legit will do nothing about this, and still  the following week, give you the SAME AMOUNT of workload.

• How bad are the BACK to BACK assignments? Here's my checklist, WEEKLY: 

TO-DO:

            Medical Chinese

• Writing Hanzi, Recording Hanzi and Making sentences/ Fill in the blank

            Pathology Lab

• Drawing Homework (Histology)
• 3 specimen diagnosis (Writing or Vlogging your diagnosis)

            HSK

• Expect a homework for each class (it can be listening, writing or mcq); Twice a week

            Parasite and Micro

• Expect LAB reports 

            Immunology

• LAB report and sometimes Quizzes

            Survey of China

• Weekly quiz 
• Group Presentations 

So how do I juggle a work-life balance?

Answer: YOU can't. NOT this semester.

Now lets talk the two subjects that just left us, free-ing up more time to breathe (jokes i still can't. someone send a canister of O2 please), cause it was a HALF-sem course:

• Immunology

This is a course filled with a bunch of random letters and numbers. Best advice, you should DEFINITELY pay attention to the lecture notes. Lecture notes does jack for you? Read the textbook.

How are the Quizzes? They are straight forward, if you read the ppt. 

Pros about this course:  

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Cons about this course:

The LAB reports.

Given we are online, we OBVIOUSLY cannot do the experiment. So instead, a solution given to us was a LAB PPT that had literally EVERYTHING. The principle, method, result, discussion, what the concepts are etc... The catch? There is NO structure in the lab ppt. ABSOLUTELY none.

A wise student in our batch told me what the lab report process reminded her off. I shall tell you what she said:

"Its almost as if we are dumpster diving in the lab ppt. It is so unstructured, we have to filter ourselves the recyclables from the non-recyclables."

THIS statement made me wheeze. IT is the exact feeling. The lab ppt is 200+ pages worth, and the lab lecture is 3 hrs of the professor talking and reading off the ppt. In the end, you end up not listening and filtering it yourself. The catch, it takes you HOURS to do this....

Note: I can't think of a pro for immunology, personally I just hate this subject 

• Biomedical Informatics

This course teaches you how to use a search engine for all your research needs. Gen Z and Millenials... we are high techy by nature and pick up these things by ourselves. So my personal take of this course? Its educational but I have no time, therefore this is an easily tune-out class for me. 

Pros about this course:

Legit self making this course as my time to catch up on other course's homework and half-listening to the relevant parts useful for the group presentation project (worth 10%).

Half sem course. (Thank Fk)

Cons about this course:

THE BIG assignment worth 60% of your grade given during mid term, where ALL the courses you take give you a giant pile of assignments ALL due the same day. 

The assignment was 19 pages long. Each SECTION was HELL to do. it took me 3 WHOLE days to finish it to submit at a nail-biting deadline on the 8th of November. 

The worst part of this assignment is how they attache a 'survey' at the end. So it cannot be ANONYMOUS. Therefore, EVERY student will say "It is the best course and such a life changing experience" for fear of affecting your grade. I'll tell you what, it was life-changing alright. 3 days of this assignment, a high temperature from the stress of this assignment and a nearing deadline... 

                                                            🌈 LIFE CHANGING🌈

So to sum up ALL of BATCH 2020's emotions, Here is a HAIKU

PS: IF you know a senior in this batch and they haven't been replying you, they aren't ignoring you. They are dealing with several crisis and life -death matters this semester. Be kind, and PRAY for them.

That is all for now,

For all the rant of the other courses... STAY tuned for AFTER FINALS. 

XOXO

-D.