Just wondering.
Do med students take classes in summer?
- Thread starter Deepa100
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
- Messages
- 1,754
- Reaction score
- 17
My school has a regular summer break between M1/M2 (mid-May to first of Aug). Smaller break between M2/M3 (~ 5 wks) and M3/M4 (~ 4 wks).
So M1's will often do research over this summer, get a job, or remediate a failed block. Upper classmen are often studying for their Step exams.
M1's and M2's get ~3 wks for winter break; M3's and M4's get ~10 days.
So M1's will often do research over this summer, get a job, or remediate a failed block. Upper classmen are often studying for their Step exams.
M1's and M2's get ~3 wks for winter break; M3's and M4's get ~10 days.
N
njbmd
In general, the summer between your first and second year is free. Most schools start sometime in late July to late August and classes will end around the first week of May.
The second year generally ends around the last week in April or first week in May but USMLE/COMLEX Step I is usually taken during the summer between second and third year. You may be done with class but you are not done with studying. The average US medical student will spend between four and six weeks preparing for Step I.
Third year usually starts in late July early August and is 12-months long. Most students are given two to 4 weeks vacation/break at the end of third year or sometime during fourth year. Of course, there are electives during fourth year that are less busy that others and rotations that are less busy than others.
Many students will elect to complete Step II after the Match or like me (took complete vacation) from Match to graduation as I took Step II early in my fourth year. Graduation is usually in May and then move to wherever you matched to start PGY-1 by late June to early July.
Other than the summer between your first and second year, there is something to do. If you have to remediate anything, remediation classes are conducted between first and second year summer.
The second year generally ends around the last week in April or first week in May but USMLE/COMLEX Step I is usually taken during the summer between second and third year. You may be done with class but you are not done with studying. The average US medical student will spend between four and six weeks preparing for Step I.
Third year usually starts in late July early August and is 12-months long. Most students are given two to 4 weeks vacation/break at the end of third year or sometime during fourth year. Of course, there are electives during fourth year that are less busy that others and rotations that are less busy than others.
Many students will elect to complete Step II after the Match or like me (took complete vacation) from Match to graduation as I took Step II early in my fourth year. Graduation is usually in May and then move to wherever you matched to start PGY-1 by late June to early July.
Other than the summer between your first and second year, there is something to do. If you have to remediate anything, remediation classes are conducted between first and second year summer.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Messages
- 30,872
- Reaction score
- 10,060
As njbmd indicated, there is only one summer "off". And even during that first summer most people do research or something productive at least part of the time. Summer after second year will be completely consumed with Step 1 studying, where you may be working harder daily then you did during classes. There basically is no summer after 3rd year -- at some places classes end in late June and pick up again in early July.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
- Messages
- 161
- Reaction score
- 1
Some of the newer curricula I've seen which go through the preclinical material more quickly have summer classes, but as others have noted, such is still more the exception than the rule.
Keep in mind that if you're not being charged tuition over the summer, the school may not provide financial aid during that term, and any school-sponsored health or dental insurance plans might have been negotiated for an August-May term.
Keep in mind that if you're not being charged tuition over the summer, the school may not provide financial aid during that term, and any school-sponsored health or dental insurance plans might have been negotiated for an August-May term.
