First Week of Class

It's been ages since I've written anything, but I find myself with a (rare) spare moment, so here goes.  We're halfway through our second week of classes, and already bogged down with a tremendous amount of schoolwork...sort of.  Honestly, I can't imagine having come out of high school (as many of my UK classmates have done) and doing this sort of program.  First of all, we simply didn't have anything close to the preparation these kids have.  I didn't have organic chemistry, or microbiology under my belt at eighteen.  But more importantly, I didn't have the self-motivation, or even the ability to be self-directed in the way that the program seems to require.  I had thought, entering the program, that there might be a certain amount of hand-holding or guidance provided, since most of the class has never been to university before, but that simply isn't the case.

We have a busy schedule, but not excessively so.  We have lectures most mornings, and practicals most afternoons.  Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning are free.  So, that's about twelve hours of lectures a week, and another ten or so hours of practicals, depending on the week.  Which doesn't seem like a lot, until you consider that you have to study what you learned in lecture.  That is hours and hours and hours of work.  I didn't have a practical scheduled for yesterday afternoon, and I spent literally seven hours making notecards from the lectures.  And I don't mean making notecards and watching YouTube videos, or making notecards and talking to my flatmates.  I mean sitting in an (uncomfortable) office chair and cranking out two hundred or so little bits of paper that are somehow supposed to help me internalize enough information to pass the one, GIANT exam at the end of the year (worth 90% of our grade).

It's certainly a different system than the one at home, and I'm having to readjust my study habits to work with it.  Odd, not having a test every few weeks.  And scary.  It's one thing to get a C- on my first chemistry test.  It pissed me off, but I knew I'd have three or four other tests to make it up.  Here, people look at things in terms of passing or failing.  Failing?  Failing has never been an option.  You don't fail things if you want to go to vet school.  Maybe the odd test here or there (*cough, cough* fourth-grade-states-and-capitols), but failing a major exam?  Failing the year?  It happens to people every year here, sometimes up to 25% of the class.  I think they give you one chance to re-sit it, if you don't pass, but then you're out of luck and have to repeat the year.  So, scary thoughts.  And strange to think that people are usually happy to pass, let alone be worried if they got a good mark.

They do incorporate a good bit of practical information into the first year, which keeps things exciting.  Already, we've had classes on suturing and histological slide preparation (which is cooler than you'd think--it involves wax, and ovens, and scary chemicals).  Our practicals rotate, but I've had horse handling, and a whole lab on washing hands and boots, and I'm doing something with dairy cows tomorrow.  Have I ever mentioned that I'm afraid of cows?  I've handled them a fair amount, and one dairy cow isn't that intimidating, but a herd of cows?  Get me the hell out of there, thank you very much.  They're all talking to each other, plotting in their own weird cow language.  Waiting.  I suppose I'm about to have to do an awful lot of dealing with it, though, so I'll dutifully don my wellies and boiler suit and head off to the farm tomorrow.

Image from Wikipedia

See?  Don't they just look like they're plotting something?  One more thing that's worthy of mentioning:  we are not, in general, permitted to take photos of our labs or on the farm.  So, while I'd love to put up pictures of my beautiful simple interrupted sutures for you all to admire, I'll get expelled if I do that.  Which is, I suppose, reasonable, since our subjects are all either dead (not great PR for a hospital) or someone's property.  However, if I am allowed, at any point, to take photos, rest assured that I will gladly post them here.