Tips on...Surviving an intercalated degree
Here are some tips that I wish I had known
before I started an intercalated bachelor of science degree in
physiology.
Do
- Go to
lectures. Lecturers often talk about the most recent research in
their field. You won't find this information in textbooks
- Read
the journal articles that your lecturer recommends as soon after
the lecture as possible
- Summarise
the main points of each article—that is, the aims, basic
method, and results in as few words as possible (no more than half
a sheet of A4 paper)
- For
extra marks, try to look at articles critically and note down any
limitations in the interpretation of data. For example, is the
method biased?
- Make
use of the expertise on offer. Often some of the top doctors and
surgeons in their fields will be lecturing you. Don't be
afraid to ask them questions during or after their lectures
- Enjoy
what you are learning. There won't be many other
opportunities during your time at medical school for you to
appreciate all of the research that goes into the treatments you
may eventually prescribe
- Use
the year to meet new friends and have fun. Although the year is by
no means easy, lectures usually only take up a few hours a day,
leaving plenty of time for coffee, lunch, shopping, and going to
the gym with your new group of friends.
Don't
- Panic.
Many intercalated BSc courses are centred heavily on research and
therefore require you to read many research articles. Reading
research articles is a skill, and practice is the only way to
master it. Don't be alarmed when the first 20 papers you read
seem completely above you—they are not, it just takes a while
to get used to reading them
- Print
out or photocopy every article you read. You don't need to
learn 20 pages worth of a detailed method, quite often the
introduction, results, and discussion will give you all the
information you need
- Forget
the bigger picture. Lecturers often concentrate on one specific
process, pathway, or mechanism. Try to develop your own ideas and
points of view on the subject as a whole. For example, when
studying fetal undernutrition and programming: What are the health
consequences in later life? How does this affect society as a
whole? Would it be ethical to alter the course of programming? How
could this affect the future of the human race? This is a good way
to round off an essay and will help you to pick up those extra
marks at exam time
- Think
that you will be able to get through all of the recommended reading
if you start two weeks before the exams—you won't. Keep
on top of your reading from the start of the course, and you will
save yourself a major panic when it comes to revising.
Competing interests: None declared.
Rebecca White , third year medical student (with an intercalated bachelors degree in
physiology), University College
London
Email: zchax2g@ucl.ac.uk
studentBMJ 2006;14:133 - 176 April ISSN 0966-6494
