Do spring breaks matter?

[matlas]

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I have mostly spent my spring breaks taking a much needed break from school work by relaxing with my family. However, there are plenty of opportunities at my school to do things such as volunteer work or related things.

How big of a disadvantage am I at compared to others who have consistently spent their spring break doing productive things?

I do things like volunteer work, shadow, research, etc, but often during the summer. I guess what I'm asking is if I should feel guilty for doing nothing over spring break.

 

[passionformed]

There is no extra curricular you can do in one spring break that will have any effect on medical school admissions.

 

[484511]

No. Enjoy your break. They can be good opportunities, but schools are more concerned with ongoing activities and experiences.

 

[darklabel]

I have mostly spent my spring breaks taking a much needed break from school work by relaxing with my family. However, there are plenty of opportunities at my school to do things such as volunteer work or related things.

How big of a disadvantage am I at compared to others who have consistently spent their spring break doing productive things?

I do things like volunteer work, shadow, research, etc, but often during the summer. I guess what I'm asking is if I should feel guilty for doing nothing over spring break.

I wouldn't waste money on those 500 - 1000$ "medical trips" to 3rd world countries where you play doctor.

Either enjoy your break or best thing you can do is shadow a physician/gain some extra hours at the hospital volunteering.

 

[LittleDandelion]

I did nothing on all of my spring breaks and got accepted just fine. Don't worry about it. Enjoy your break from school.

 

[bocanutz]

Spend the time making sure you actually want to practice medicine, by shadowing or something. And read up (or even watch YouTube videos) on medical economics while you're at it.

 

[KnuxNole]

I have mostly spent my spring breaks taking a much needed break from school work by relaxing with my family. However, there are plenty of opportunities at my school to do things such as volunteer work or related things.

How big of a disadvantage am I at compared to others who have consistently spent their spring break doing productive things?

I do things like volunteer work, shadow, research, etc, but often during the summer. I guess what I'm asking is if I should feel guilty for doing nothing over spring break.

No offense, but is this a joke? Spring break is a break for a reason. So, don't feel bad at ALL for relaxing with your family. That goes for anyone else who stumbles upon this topics and worries that they aren't doing anything productive during spring break.

Unless you count marathoning a TV series, how to improve your Monopoly game against family, and seeing how many shots of tequila you can take without blacking out productive, then sure.

 

[def1]

I spent every spring break partying like it was my last week to live. You'll be just fine.

I can't imagine any 1 week experience being good enough to make any difference.

 

[Renaissance Man]

I either went home and slept in caught up with high school buddies, or went somewhere with friends. Please don't start worrying about medical school applications down to single weeks of the year.

 

[DrEnderW]

I spent spring break senior year studying for the MCAT... Do NOT do that.

Enjoy some time off and come back refreshed. Breaks are always good for shadowing a doctor or watching a surgery, something like that. As others have said, on-going volunteering and ECs is what matters.

 

[eggs13]

2 of my spring breaks I spent on trips with the athletic team I was a member of. After I stopped playing, I spent both spring breaks studying for the MCAT (retook test a year later), and during one of them I spent 2 days shadowing a doctor (I had many hours shadowing surgical specialities, but none in primary care, so I used this time to strengthen my app by getting some family medicine exposure). I think shadowing for a day or 2 would be beneficial if you don't have a whole lot of clinical experience on your app, but otherwise just enjoy yourself!!

 

[darklabel]

I spent spring break senior year studying for the MCAT... Do NOT do that.

Enjoy some time off and come back refreshed. Breaks are always good for shadowing a doctor or watching a surgery, something like that. As others have said, on-going volunteering and ECs is what matters.

Try doing it during 3 week winter break. That was brutal...

 

[Barcu]

No. Enjoy the break.

A week-long experience is worthless unless it is followed up with more sustained involvement (such as going on a service trip and then raising money or starting a new club once you get to help the problem).

 

[DrEnderW]

Try doing it during 3 week winter break. That was brutal...

Oh don't worry... I did that also...

 

[CrimsonKing]

Enjoy spring break while you can, because this will be you for the next ten years:

You can replace "Money" with "Time" if you want.

 

[LizzyM]

Enjoy Spring break but don't get arrested, avoid stupid stuff that lands you n the hospital (or the morgue) and don't pose for pictures you wouldn't want your grandmother to see. 😉

 

[Lamel]

Oh man OP spring break should be exactly what it is named, a break. Enjoy it! And whether that enjoyment comes from rest, shadowing, volunteering, video games, TV, reading, etc. Do what you like.

 

[911 Turbo]

FFS only on SDN I swear


OP: go to Mexico with friends, get drunk at least twice a day, and try to get laid every night.

 

[RosettaStoned]

Smerk a bowl.

 

[WompyWomperton]

FFS only on SDN I swear


OP: go to Mexico with friends, get drunk at least twice a day, and try to get laid every night.

This. But in Panama City Beach (US equivalent to Cancun).

 

[passionformed]

No offense, but is this a joke? Spring break is a break for a reason. So, don't feel bad at ALL for relaxing with your family. That goes for anyone else who stumbles upon this topics and worries that they aren't doing anything productive during spring break.

Unless you count marathoning a TV series, how to improve your Monopoly game against family, and seeing how many shots of tequila you can take without blacking out productive, then sure.

Marathoning a TV series? No! Why'd you have to mention that 😱 Now I have to renew my Netflix subscrption

Enjoy Spring break but don't get arrested, avoid stupid stuff that lands you n the hospital (or the morgue) and don't pose for pictures you wouldn't want your grandmother to see. 😉

Don't those things apply all the time? 😛

 

[Geebeejay]

I have mostly spent my spring breaks taking a much needed break from school work by relaxing with my family. However, there are plenty of opportunities at my school to do things such as volunteer work or related things.

How big of a disadvantage am I at compared to others who have consistently spent their spring break doing productive things?

I do things like volunteer work, shadow, research, etc, but often during the summer. I guess what I'm asking is if I should feel guilty for doing nothing over spring break.

Depends on what you consider productive things....do you consider spending thousands of dollars, team building with your friends, trust falls, doing manual labor that real workers would do a much better job at, defacing established communities and wildlife/nature reserves while making sure everyone in a 5 mile radius knows you are in college, sight-seeing and taking hundreds of facebook-caliber pictures to be productive?

 

[Stumpyman]

I always slightly chuckle when I see people go on "mission trips" to X country where they pose in scrubs in front of multiple cameras, and it becomes more of a vacation with poor kids in the background than anything else. Pretty worthless if you ask me; enjoy your break.