2nd look weekends worth money?

[brokemed]

I was wondering if any current med students had advice about attending 2nd look weekends. The application/interview process has cleaned me out. I owe money to my parents, credit card companies, my dog, etc. The last thing I want to do is shell out more money to buy plane tickets for 2nd look weekends. But picking a school's a big decision. So, I was curious if others had thoughts about the value of going to 2nd look weekend.

Is it worth it? Is it just an excuse for a party weekend? Do you really get a better sense for what life will be like at school x? (I'm looking at Pitt and Dartmouth).

It seems like you could get a random assortment of future classmates who might not present a fair portrait of what the class will be like. Not to sound like a cranky old man, but I don't really feel like flying across the country to hang out with a bunch of 21yr olds hitting the umbrella drinks. Not that there's anything wrong with a party - it's just not what I need for a $300 plane ticket, time off work, etc.

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[DNM503]

I was wondering if any current med students had advice about attending 2nd look weekends. The application/interview process has cleaned me out. I owe money to my parents, credit card companies, my dog, etc. The last thing I want to do is shell out more money to buy plane tickets for 2nd look weekends. But picking a school's a big decision. So, I was curious if others had thoughts about the value of going to 2nd look weekend.

Is it worth it? Is it just an excuse for a party weekend? Do you really get a better sense for what life will be like at school x? (I'm looking at Pitt and Dartmouth).

It seems like you could get a random assortment of future classmates who might not present a fair portrait of what the class will be like. Not to sound like a cranky old man, but I don't really feel like flying across the country to hang out with a bunch of 21yr olds hitting the umbrella drinks. Not that there's anything wrong with a party - it's just not what I need for a $300 plane ticket, time off work, etc.

I'm having the same financial issue. I don't think I am going to go to any of my schools' second look weekends. I'll just have to be one of those 21-year-olds hitting it with the umbrella drinks at the bar down the street from my current apartment rather than in a city that is a 250 dollar plane ride away...

 

[Whootman]

I was wondering if any current med students had advice about attending 2nd look weekends. The application/interview process has cleaned me out. I owe money to my parents, credit card companies, my dog, etc. The last thing I want to do is shell out more money to buy plane tickets for 2nd look weekends. But picking a school's a big decision. So, I was curious if others had thoughts about the value of going to 2nd look weekend.

Is it worth it? Is it just an excuse for a party weekend? Do you really get a better sense for what life will be like at school x? (I'm looking at Pitt and Dartmouth).

It seems like you could get a random assortment of future classmates who might not present a fair portrait of what the class will be like. Not to sound like a cranky old man, but I don't really feel like flying across the country to hang out with a bunch of 21yr olds hitting the umbrella drinks. Not that there's anything wrong with a party - it's just not what I need for a $300 plane ticket, time off work, etc.

You owe money to your dog? Anyway, on a serious note, I am definitely attending the second look day for the school that I think I am going to attend just to make sure it will be a good fit. While you can get a decent idea of what the school is like on the interview, I think the stress of the actual interview might interfere with the impression you get of the school, so I think it will be worthwhile to visit the school again to get a second opinion.

 

[Centinel]

This is a question I'm grappling with, too. One plus that I hear is that people often meet future roommates and get a sense of the housing situation on second look weekends. Any other ups or downs that people know of?

 

[mphthenmd]

I thought long and hard about the 2nd look, but then common sense kicked in. Airfare hotel etc... vs. one last N.O. Jazz fest before I head north....needless to say I'm skipping it, but if it were closer and less of a hassel to get to I'd go with out a second thought.

 

[theartofcare]

I was wondering if any current med students had advice about attending 2nd look weekends. The application/interview process has cleaned me out. I owe money to my parents, credit card companies, my dog, etc. The last thing I want to do is shell out more money to buy plane tickets for 2nd look weekends. But picking a school's a big decision. So, I was curious if others had thoughts about the value of going to 2nd look weekend.

Is it worth it? Is it just an excuse for a party weekend? Do you really get a better sense for what life will be like at school x? (I'm looking at Pitt and Dartmouth).

It seems like you could get a random assortment of future classmates who might not present a fair portrait of what the class will be like. Not to sound like a cranky old man, but I don't really feel like flying across the country to hang out with a bunch of 21yr olds hitting the umbrella drinks. Not that there's anything wrong with a party - it's just not what I need for a $300 plane ticket, time off work, etc.

If you are debating between a few schools then second look weekends are a good way to make an educated decision. However, if you know where you want to be then just skip it.

 

[Rafa]

You owe money to your dog?

This reminds me of Doug (Porkchop) or Charlie Brown (Snoopy). I could definitely see someone owing money to those two.

 

[FloridaMadame]

If you are debating between a few schools then second look weekends are a good way to make an educated decision. However, if you know where you want to be then just skip it.

I second this. Going to 2nd look was invaluable to me. It was at 2nd look that I realized how uncomfortable I was at XX school and decided to attend YY school. This happened to quite a few of my friends as well. But, if you are 100 percent sure that you are going to attend a specific school, just skip it.

 

[Risa]

I second this. Going to 2nd look was invaluable to me. It was at 2nd look that I realized how uncomfortable I was at XX school and decided to attend YY school. This happened to quite a few of my friends as well. But, if you are 100 percent sure that you are going to attend a specific school, just skip it.

Me too... at the one second look I've attended, I wound up having my opinion of the school COMPLETELY changed, which reordered how I felt about the rest of my schools. I definitely recommend going if it's at all reasonably possible.

 

[brokemed]

If you are debating between a few schools then second look weekends are a good way to make an educated decision. However, if you know where you want to be then just skip it.

Yeah, that's my case. I'm mostly debating between 2 schools, possibly a third. I think it could really help my decision to get another gut impression, so I'll bite the bullet. Dog's gonna be pissed. Thanks for the thoughts.