The Unofficial Guide to First Year - University of Oklahoma Health ...

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
I’ll be honest with you. You WILL lose sleep during test block. You WILL experience
some of the most mentally challenging moments of your life. But you will also realize that
you have no idea how little of your brain you’ve been using up to this point. Test block
shows you 2 things about yourself that you never knew: 1) The sheer amount of reserve
memorization space that is in your brain and 2) The threshold of how your body can
function on no sleep, fast food and mucho coffee. But, trust me when I say that you will
get used to it, and you will come out alive. Only 12 tests blocks to go!
Tips for overcoming Test Block
1. Stay AHEAD!!! This makes life much easier!
2. Surround yourself with CALM people. There is no help in hanging
around people that freak out all the time, trust me.
3. Don’t over-caffeinate.
4. Don’t wait until the day before the practical to go to Anatomy lab.
5. Don’t wait until the last second to do your pre-tests!!!
6. If you find a good YouTube video, send it out to your friends. Everyone
can use a bit of comic relief (try searching “bear trampoline” or “censored
count” which are two of my personal favorites).
7. And of course, my favorite piece of advice… Don’t Panic!!
Making the Grade…
Now that you’ve gotten the point about studying (no cramming!), we can discuss everyone’s
favorite topic, which is making the grades we want to make. As our mentors told us, for
perhaps the first time there will be a distinction made between the grades you to want to make
and the grades you can make. Most people will tell you that actually passing is the vital thing.
This is definitely true. On the one hand, don’t underestimate yourself – with hard work some
people can perform very well. On the other hand, there may be times when no amount of
studying seems to help. No matter what you hear, straight A’s aren’t everything! The following
is a look at how each class factors into your GPA for the year.
“It’s Dr. Evil. I didn’t spend six years in evil medical school to be called ‘Mister’, thank
you very much”.
– Dr. Evil from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
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