Do you think everything is turning around for your good?
The College has decided to change the approach to Preclinical incourses. This year, instead of letting each department fix their incourse dates independently, while students lament, and juggle overlapping schedules, and instead of the usual style of writing only an exam a week after completing a course, College said NO.
The style is now different.
The Preclinical classes are to write their six to seven incourses in two weeks. The first batch in one week. And the second batch in another. If I am to say this in another way, I would say they are to write their Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology 1st incourses in the same week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday respectively.
Some seniors heard this and laughed. Some even muttered quiet prayers of thanksgiving. They are grateful they escaped the new system. Whether the laughters were mockery or relief or whether the prayers were genuine or not is not even relevant here. What matters is the reason behind the reactions. Brothers and Sisters, why are you giving thanks? Why hath thou laughfet?
This new system demands that students read for three major courses at the same time with the same intensity. You snooze a little, you fail a little. The Invictus, oh sorry, the Part 3 students are probably accustomed to the older style. They experienced it in Part 2. Now, adaptation is required again. And adapting in college is like you learning to walk on hot coal. But when the system changes, you are asked to walk on that same coal with wet feet. Imagine adapting to a new pass mark of 60 instead of 50. Exactly. Wait, did I just here you shout? Lol.
New Pass mark isn’t even the issue here. The real question is this: what does it feel like to live through this shift? So we asked members of the Invictus class a few questions about the new combined incourse system.
Here is what they had to say.
MediVoice: If you had to describe this combined Incourse week in one word, what would it be and why😌?
Miss L: Intense. Because everything comes at once and you have to be mentally present for all courses at the same time.
Miss Ronke: Hell, Torture. It’s nerve-breaking and more stressful. It puts you on survival mode.
Mr S: Stressful because there was no break to rest in-between
MediVoice: Do you think the combined format improves learning efficiency, or does it simply compress stress🌚?
Miss L: I can’t pick one. It doesn’t necessarily make learning more efficient, but I won’t say it simply compresses stress because I prefer itðŸ˜
Miss Ronke: I’d say both. You’re stressed but your brain works faster due to that stress.
Mr S: It does improve learning efficiency and it helps those who are new to Mb be aware of the format.
MediVoice: Has this format changed the way you prepare academically?🥹
Miss L: Yes, definitely. You know you can’t afford to neglect any course because everything is tested within the same window.
Miss Ronke: A little. It hasn’t affected much about how I study, it just really removed a lot of my sleep time and sleep patterns.
Mr S: Yes, I now get to prepare for all, rather than leaving a particular course till it’s closer to the date of the incourse, or leaving a particular course in order to prepare for just the incourse ahead.
MediVoice: Would you choose this format over the previous system if given a vote?🥲
Miss L: Yes, I would.
Miss Ronke: No. This format is way stressful than the previous one, it doesn’t give you time to breath and it affects long term memory at the end of the day.
Mr S: I’m indifferent because both are fine with me
MediVoice: Do you think this structure reflects educational reform or administrative convenience?🌚
Miss L: I’d say a bit of both.
Miss Ronke: Administrative convenience
Mr S: It does reflect education reform
MediVoice: What is one thing the faculty should adjust if this format is to continue?
Miss L: They should ensure the lecture-free week actually remains lecture-free, and possibly give us 2–3 days off afterward to reset mentally before regular academic activities resume.
Miss Ronke: Give a full lecture free week. I mean they could do at least that.
Mr S: They should give more time for lectures for all the 3 courses to cover up and also there must be a compulsory lecture free week ahead of the exams.
It appears that even those being cooked are not even worried. All they care about is a lecture free week. But would college acknowledge their request? Let wait and see.
Till another day. Dearest gentle readers.
Read more here.
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