Re: Accepted in Drexels ACE Program Spring 2009
Congratulations sznd126!
So far it's been interesting. I'm in my 1st quarter. We just had our midterms week (a whole week with no classes, just scheduled midterms!). The schedule is 10 weeks of classes and a week for finals (midterms week is week 5). After this, we have a whole week break before the next quarter!
I don't work (recommended). I don't feel like I have a lot of "downtime" like I did when I was in school before. One thing that takes getting used to is the powerpoints. There are 1+ sets of powerpoints for pretty much every class (one class had 10 ppts the first day!!). So, just remembering to print those out (and doing it) can take some time.
I have 1-3 classes/day, and I'm in school about 8am-2 or 4pm mon-wed. Thursdays are "late" days, I have class at 1pm, and others start at 10am. We have at least an hour for "lunch", but one day "lunch" is from 9:20am till 11:30am when we have a 3 hour lab. I'm not hungry at 9am, and by 11, I've forgotten to eat. Fridays, it is either clinical (which starts at 7, mine is an hour from the city) or lab (which starts at 8). Out at about 2. Getting out of school from 2-4 is really new for me (since I used to work past 6pm normally).
Overall, the feeling I get with the program is _do_not_fall_behind_. Seriously, there are ONLY 9 weeks of classes. And there are 6 classes to keep up with. There are some classes that are test based, others that are more assignment based. There are some classses with assignments that are "pass/fail" (so you grumble as you do them knowing it won't affect your grade). There is a lot of work.. Seems like something is due all the time (or at least every week). If you are not familiar with word processors and the workings of the internet, I'd work on that before classes begin.
Professors vary from super energetic to the 'read from the powerpoint' types. All of my professors and lab instructors seem knowledgeable. Most are good at answering questions and putting a lot of knowledge into the program.
Overall, it's not easy. The average grade in one of the midterms was 83%. We need a 76 to pass (with a C). Granted, a quiz in another class had a 94 average. It is possible to get through this program (though, all A's may be a super challenge). There just isn't any room for falling behind. No getting sick. No deaths or breakups. No new dating. Heh. Just focus on the classes, and remember to study for the class - focus on "what am I supposed to be learning in this class". i.e. You aren't learning diseases in Assessment - you're learning how to asses/determine what's normal, and to recognize abnormal. I'm sure diseases will come later!
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