TIPS FOR UST MED FRESHMEN

(A more detailed version can be accessed at bit.ly/2NMiSR4)

(A comprehensive guide for second years that I also made can be found at bit.ly/2unR7Gp)

Anatomy [5 hours per meeting, 2 meetings a week, 10 units]

 Snell is the official textbook and is the source of most questions in the long exams and for
Clinical Anatomy. READ SNELL!!!
 Netter is good for visual learners. McMinn’s is useful for practicals.
 Langman is VERY helpful for embryology and is a short and easy read.
 Wonder Notes for embryology and Clinical Anatomy are helpful but are not enough on their own.
 Montelibano Notes are very helpful for exams, but do not use them as a basis for Anatomy Case
Discussions (ACDs) because professors are familiar with these notes; use Snell instead
 Do not neglect practicals, embryology, and clinical anatomy, because each point in these quizzes
contributes to a bigger portion of the shifting grade than the points in the Gross Anatomy long
quizzes and shifting exams.
 For practicals, focus on the structures listed in your manual. No need to study the bonus structures
(the ones marked with *).
 Always keep track of which groupmates are assigned to discuss in the ACDs and which are
tasked to dissect. The assignments are shuffled every meeting.
 Pay attention in dissection and try to cadaver-hop (look at the body parts in different cadavers);
practice identifying structures as fast as you can.
 Short quizzes are always identification-type; wrong spelling is wrong. Long quizzes are always
T/F and multiple choice.
 Give your all in Zumbanatomy and cadaver measurement reports because these can pull your
grade up.

Physiology [4 hours per meeting, 2 meetings a week, 8 units]

 Berne and Levy is the official textbook and is the source of most questions in the exams. READ
BERNE AND LEVY!!!!
 Handouts and lecture notes are also very good studying materials.
 Physiology requires more analysis than memorization. DO NOT MEMORIZE.
 Physiology is the quiz capital of first year med. Study in advance to keep up.
 This subject has the most activities out of all the subjects; do well in these activities because they
help pull your grade up.
 SGDs require cooperation with your subsection and are heavily recitation-based; your grade here
is based on the person with the highest number of SIGNIFICANT contributions (recitations) in
the group. Therefore, BAWAL ANG PABIDA.
 LISTEN to Figure Reviews (FigRev) because the quizzes are difficult.
 Third shift (GI, Renal, Immuno) is the hardest; do good in the first shift to make up for it.
 The coverage of each shifting exam is cumulative. 10% of the questions in each shifting exam
consists of topics from the previous shift.

Biochemistry [4 hours per meeting, 2 meetings a week, 8 units]

 Do not buy ANY book. The handouts ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH.
  Topics under Dr. Laygo may be relatively difficult; ask for transcriptions from your
upperclassmen.
 No post-lec quizzes here, only 3 short quizzes, a DIFFICULT departmental exam, lab exam, and
shifting.
 There are also EXACTLY 4 post-lec pop quizzes of 5 items each. Do not cut class if you haven’t
had 4 pop quizzes yet.
 Do not take the lab exam for granted; it is 15 items only but it comprises 10% of your shifting
grade.
 Fourth shift is the redemption shift; topics are generally easier.

Histology [3 hours per meeting, 1 meeting a week, 3 units]

 Wheater’s is the official textbook. Many questions are taken verbatim from paragraphs in the
book. READ WHEATER’S!!!!
 The pictures in Junquiera and UST Atlas of Histology are very helpful for practicals.
 The department gives lecture notes in the histology manual but these are not enough on their own.
 Post-lec quizzes are fairly easy if you listen to the lecture.
 Long exams and shifting exams are relatively easy if you read Wheater’s.
 Practical exams are split into two parts: microscope and projection. The projection part is VERY
DIFFICULT. Prepare by looking at pictures in Wheater’s, Junquiera, and the UST Atlas of
Histology.

Neuroscience I [3 hours per meeting, 1 meeting a week, 2 units]

 Maybe one of the hardest subjects in 1st year. Do NOT take Neuro I for granted as it has a high
failure rate.
 Haines is the official textbook, but Haines can be very difficult to understand for non-CRS
majors.
 Notes from upperclassmen can help in understanding the topic better.
 There are very few grading components in Neuro I.
 Long quizzes are very tricky. Practical exams are relatively easier; do well in these to make up for
the long quizzes.
 Last year, the department gave post-lec quizzes.

Preventive Medicine I [3 hours per meeting, 1 meeting a week, 1.5 unit]

 Prev Med I is divided into Community Medicine and Family Medicine.

 Listen to the lectures and try to get the Powerpoint presentations of the lectures.
 Borrow a copy of “The Filipino Physician Today” for Family Medicine.
 This subject is relatively easy, but there are a lot of paper requirements and oral reports.

Clinical Epidemiology I [2 hours per meeting, 2 meetings a week (depends), 1.5 unit]

 Study the lecture PowerPoints, as well as any undergrad research and statistics notes, if you have.
 Work on your research protocol early on because it will be hard to cram this near the end of the
year.
 Half of the section will have Saturday SGDs, half will have Friday SGDs. The schedule switches
in the second semester.
 The coverage of each shifting exam is cumulative.
Medical Ethics I [2 hours per meeting, 1 meeting a week, 1 unit]

 Use your own conscience. Listen to how your professor reasons out ethical concepts and apply
this reasoning to the exams.
 Think like a conservative Catholic.