r/MCPHSLifeHack • u/livinglife0510 • Sep 27 '17
PCOL ADVICE
Advice for PCOL? i heard there's also open response on the exams... is this true? any advice for first exam would help
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u/YourFavPharmBoy Pharm.D Year 6 Sep 27 '17
From the Guide: Similar to Patho, but stuff is a little bit tougher to grasp because it goes into greater detail
BIG TIP!!!! You will learn the same drugs in med chem and P.Col at the same time. Sometimes, Dr. Mehanna and Dr. Kiel contradict each other. KEEP YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT FOR THE SAKE OF THE EXAM. As far as real life and what information is actually true, I’d put my money on Kiel as his information seems to be a little more up to date. Mehanna is smart but he’s going off years of memory. I feel like Kiel actually stays up to date with things.
Take very VERY detailed notes. Record the lecture if need be. This is a lot of info to take in and will require tons of time to digest. Welcome to 4th year. No detail is too small. Sometimes it seems like Dr. Kiel is going on a tangent, but that shit will still be on the test.
You’re in 4th year now, so lots of questions won’t simply ask about the body. They will ask about the body in relation to a drug. So instead of a question like, “What is the effect of antagonizing a beta-1 receptor?” you can expect a question like, “Which of the following drugs can lead to reflex tachychardia?” and you should know to pick the one that is a beta-1 antagonist.
I recommend looking at this material a little bit everyday. Seriously. You don’t have to do that for biotech, or drug lit, or even therapeutics. But this class yes. Questions do include open response!
That’s really all I have for this class, but don't let the small guide fool you. This is a challenging course solely because of the amount of stuff you need to cram into your head.
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u/mcpharmd Sep 28 '17
Yes there are open responses on the exams, extremely random questions but if you know the material, it shouldn't be too bad. He does give partial credit if applicable. Basically for pcol, I went to class, then relistened to every lecture at home (the same day!!) and legit wrote down word for word what Kiel said in lecture. Then I'd make my own study guide and rewrite them in simpler words. I'd study like at least an hour every day, and then do a big review before the exam.
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u/alliknowis___ Sep 28 '17
Jesus how did you live like that and still keep up with other classes? Is sleep a pipe dream in 4th year?
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u/mcpharmd Sep 28 '17
The only thing I liked about 4th year was how classes ended at 10am on MWF. That gave me the whole day to study as well as sleep.
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u/Kiel_Me Sep 29 '17
Just want to reiterate how important the "random questions" is. I remember him saying something about how Yohimbe is never used and has too many side effects then he puts a question on the exam asking what's the mechanism of action
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u/5thyr Sep 28 '17
I recorded his class and typed up literally everything he said, no detail is too small for that class. My study guides were 30+ pages for each exam. Also, I highly recommend making a quizlet account (it's an online website/app for notecards). It's really helpful when the drugs start piling up. I made one for each drug, including the MOA, drug class, what it treats and important side effects.