Hey everyone, I'm so excited I had to share. Before getting my 3rd yr schedule I was pretty indifferent but now that it's here, I'm really starting to look forward to it!!! Anyone else feel similarly? I think there's something about having something tangible.
Got my 3rd year schedule today!!!
- Thread starter gschl1234
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2002
- Messages
- 576
- Reaction score
- 2
LOL...third year was quite painful.
Thank God for only 10 more days of med school.... 🙂
rotatores
USUHS 2006
Thank God for only 10 more days of med school.... 🙂
rotatores
USUHS 2006
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2003
- Messages
- 1,503
- Reaction score
- 0
pardon my ignorance, but why is 3rd year so bad?
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2005
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 0
beponychick said:
Some people say they love it because you can finally apply all the seemingly useless things you learn from those lectures and labs in first/second year, seeing real patients, etc.
Others say it sucks because you often need to show up at the hospital at 5-6 AM and stay until really late, not to mention the possibility of night calls.
Still others say some combination of both of these.
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2006
- Messages
- 1,267
- Reaction score
- 147
3rd year is awesome. You're not sitting in lecture for hours and hours anymore. Sure, you work long hours at the hospital, but you can manage it so that when you go home, you're done for the day. There's enough down time most days that you can get most of your reading done during the day.
Plus, when you get out of bed in the morning, you're actually going to go help sick people get better. Not stress out about finding powerpoint slides
Plus, when you get out of bed in the morning, you're actually going to go help sick people get better. Not stress out about finding powerpoint slides
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2003
- Messages
- 1,397
- Reaction score
- 9
Well... really you're actually going to "pretend" to go help sick people get better. After all, you're still just a student... 😀.BigNavyPedsGuy said:
If you're curious as to why 3rd year sucks, go to the Clinical Rotations forum and click on the thread "anyone else glad to see 3rd year go?". From what I can tell, 3rd year is pretty much just as painful as the first two years, but in a different way. Anyway, I am looking forward to third year, because it means two things:
1. I'll be done studying/taking the USMLE Step 1.
2. With every passing day, i'm a little bit closer to... a year off!!! Yay 🙂.
Q
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,758
- Reaction score
- 23
what type of reading do you have to do for 3rd year?
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2005
- Messages
- 948
- Reaction score
- 4
masterMood said:
a lot. most people still have to take exams. and you have to prepare for step 2 and ****. so it's a different kind of headache eh?
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,758
- Reaction score
- 23
if you do really really really really really really really really really really really really really ridiculously well your first two years by high grades and high board scores, can you b.s. your 3rd year and part II a little bit?
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2005
- Messages
- 84
- Reaction score
- 0
masterMood said:
Uhhhhhhh ...
I'm really sorry to say this, but your first two years hardly even matter. The only things that really matter from year 1 and 2 are:
Step 1 scores
any research you might have done
any *significant* extracurriculars
3rd year grades matter so much insanely more than 1st and 2nd year it isn't even funny. Even for most schools grades from 3rd year alone can define whether or not you get AOA regardless of your 1st and 2nd year grades. 3rd year is what you use to get your LOR's which are extremely important.
So I'd say if you bs'ed anything a little bit, bs 1st and 2nd year and do super well 3rd year. It'll help you far more in the end.
This is part of the reason so many schools are moving to pass/fail for 1st and 2nd year.
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,758
- Reaction score
- 23
very informational...good to know. Thanks!
N
njbmd
beponychick said:
Hi there,
Third year is NOT bad. After all, the things that you learn in third year are the things that you will be doing for the rest of your life. Most people do not come to medical school to sit in a classroom so third year is out of the classroom and on to learning to treat patients. Even in residency and later on in practice, you have to take exams. There are yearly in-service exams and board certification exams and re-certification exams. The nature of medicine is to treat patients and take exams.
The OP is totally correct to be psyched about getting on to third year. This person is going to have a huge number of interesting experiencs and put that pre-clinical knowledge to work. If you start off on a positive note, you end on a positive note.
If you go into third year hating life, then life is not going to be very good. I am sorry that some folks have a negative opinion and negative experiences in medical school and in their teaching but no success can come without some set backs and challenges. It is the mark of a successful person to get back up after the setbacks and get on with the career and its challenges. After all, you are paying thousands of bucks for this education and you get one shot at it.
You can choose to enjoy the experience and the learning or you can become cynical and hate life. Again, it is your choice because after all, you DID choose to attend medical school.
Was third year easy for me? At times yes and at times there were some tough things to get through. My reward at the end was a great fourth year! 🙂
njbmd 🙂
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,758
- Reaction score
- 23
njbmd said:
quoteworthy.
N
njbmd
masterMood said:
Hi there,
It's probably a paraphrase of something that Teddy Roosevelt said anyway.
njbmd 🙂
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2003
- Messages
- 4,173
- Reaction score
- 9
njbmd said:
Seriously, if you're that bitter and resentful already and only looking forward to your time off, why did you all waste your time to do medicine in the first place? The OP and I go to the same place and we hear very positive things about the third year - but thanks for all the encouraging input, all the same.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2002
- Messages
- 337
- Reaction score
- 5
Quick question...I don't understand how 4th year is so much better than 3rd yr....I mean don't you still go on rotations and there's interviews to go to and stuff and step 2 and step 2B? Can someone please explain this ignorant 2nd year?
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2003
- Messages
- 4,173
- Reaction score
- 9
chintu said:
You get 14 weeks off in 4th year - I think that's part of the reason, but I'm also curious to know.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2005
- Messages
- 285
- Reaction score
- 2
chintu said:
Not an ignorant question. Experiences are variable, but here's what my 4th year friends are telling me:
Med 4 is actually a lot busier than you can imagine, for the first half of the year. That's because you are indeed going to rotations that are important because they count, and you need letters of recommendation. (Although I also hear the rotations are graded more leniently as they know you are going into the profession you choose to do rotations in early) At the same time, you are writting you personal statement, putting together your CV, filling out ERAS, as well as finishing other house keeping stuff like making sure your letters are in, etc. Also, depending upon the requirments of your school and how well you did on step 1, you may need to take step 2 early and do well, take step 2 cs sometime, and of course interview.
However, immediately after the interview season ends, its all better. The rest of your rotations don't matter from an academic standpoint, although you may want to work hard to learn the stuff. At this point, all you do is wait for the match, and then look for a place afterwards. Most people telling you how easy 4th year will be are likely in the second half of their fourth year or are residents already who remember the second half as opposed to the first half.
I'm in the tail end of 3rd year right now and am both scared and relieved that 4th year is coming...good luck everyone.
sscooterguy
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 1,531
- Reaction score
- 48
gschl1234 said:
👍 awesome... i think I am going to like 3rd year better than now ..
Good luck
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2003
- Messages
- 1,397
- Reaction score
- 9
To clarify, my "year off" is a year off to go do international medicine work. So, that's why i'm looking forward to it. And as far as third year being hard/annoying, etc., I certianly don't speak from personal experience (again, I just finished second year), but I do have a lot of third year friends, and the consensus is that at least some rotations will suck, some will be good, and the majority are going to be a kinda-sucky-trying-to-learn-a-lot-and-do-well-without-shooting-yourself-or-your-classmates experience 😛. But again, i'm just repeating what i've heard.Brickhouse said:
Btw, coming into med school, most people described the first two years as long, mostly boring, and very time consuming. A few said they really enjoyed it... and i've found that, in fact, they were long, mostly boring, and *still* very time consuming. So... i'm going with the pack on what I *think* 3rd year will be like.
Additionally, I don't think that not looking forward to 3rd year is a bad thing... I think that i'm being realistic in what to expect, and am preparing myself to deal with it. Frankly, I think that's healthier than having false expectations... but anyway, to each their own. I hope that all of our 3rd year experiences are uplifting, inspirational, life-altering expriences with friendly interns, helpful classmates, and cheerful nurses! 😀
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,345
- Reaction score
- 1
masterMood said:
Actually you can...your Step 1 score might carry you to a decent residency spot in a non-competitive field. You won't get recommended highly though by your residents or attendings and might even make some people mad by your incompetence. I've found that the fund of knowledge you learned in your first two years actually does play a role. People say it's totally different but they are just forgetting that they knew none of this prior to 1st year of medical school.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2002
- Messages
- 576
- Reaction score
- 2
4th yr is also better b/c you know more and you're more comfortable around the hospital...in addition...people tend to treat your better as a 4th yr (not sure why...it just happens).
rotatores
USUHS 2006
rotatores
USUHS 2006
Just because I'm looking forward to moving on doesn't mean that I'm blind to the trials of 3rd year. 😉 Like everything else in life there are going to be highs and lows. I'm just excited to finally make it to this point.quideam said:
