How much fun do people have in med school?

[cee]

after reading posts, talking to friends in schools, and reviewing the workload-- med school looks pretty scary.. believe me, i have NO DOUBT that everyone's going to have to work their tails off, at least through the 1st 2 years of school and before rotations, but do people have enough time to blow some steam off and party/unwind?

i know this isnt undergrad anymore, but i've been looking at schools in and out of my home state. I look at med school as an opportunity to pursue the career that i've had a calling for AND to "experience a new part of the country".. my biggest fear is that i'm gonna be so swamped with work that i wont have any free time to at least enjoy/experience my new surroundings and explore the city that i'd be living in..

is the workload bad to the point that you might as well stay close to home, because you wont be experiencing much outside of school anyways?

 

[BradenDO]

My brother is in med school right now and it is a lot of work, but he does find time to go out. They do their tests in blocks, so after they take a test they have a few days to kinda relax a bit. So, you're not going to be going out every weekend, but I'm sure you can find time.

 

[DORoe]

after reading posts, talking to friends in schools, and reviewing the workload-- med school looks pretty scary.. believe me, i have NO DOUBT that everyone's going to have to work their tails off, at least through the 1st 2 years of school and before rotations, but do people have enough time to blow some steam off and party/unwind?

i know this isnt undergrad anymore, but i've been looking at schools in and out of my home state. I look at med school as an opportunity to pursue the career that i've had a calling for AND to "experience a new part of the country".. my biggest fear is that i'm gonna be so swamped with work that i wont have any free time to at least enjoy/experience my new surroundings and explore the city that i'd be living in..

is the workload bad to the point that you might as well stay close to home, because you wont be experiencing much outside of school anyways?

Yes, if you do it wisely you can go out and enjoy yourself. You would go crazy if you couldn't. Liver rounds are good for the soul.

 

[Karina]

"All work and no play, makes us dull docs"... People HAVE to relax and fun...otherwise you have a miserable life and therefore be a miserable person.

Personally, I intend on also having fun in med school, meeting new, smart people who share the same interests as I do and that I can form long, meaningful friendships with...and just grow as an individual. But yes, I think people can and should have fun while in med school. It might be a bit of a challenge to manage the time..but it's do-able.


Karina

 

[crys20]

You'll be the same person in med as you are in undergrad. If you went out every weekend in undergrad, you'll probably continue to go out on the weekends in med school. If you found yourself studying a lot of weekends in undergrad, you'll probably continue to do so in med.

I will also say that I think people go out a lot more first year than their second since the workload increases and people start to worry about Step 1. But yes, most of the med students I know go out quite a bit.

 

[nico05]

I know a few people who are current students, one MS4 and one MS2 who come to mind. I'll tell you this, they are both very, very busy but, they do find time here and there to go out and have a good time. Its really all about time management and prioritizing. Get done what you need to get done and then make some time for yourself, honestly, from what I see, you'll need it otherwise you may not make it. Balance my friend is an extraordinarily important concept. Best of luck.

 

[OSUdoc08]

after reading posts, talking to friends in schools, and reviewing the workload-- med school looks pretty scary.. believe me, i have NO DOUBT that everyone's going to have to work their tails off, at least through the 1st 2 years of school and before rotations, but do people have enough time to blow some steam off and party/unwind?

i know this isnt undergrad anymore, but i've been looking at schools in and out of my home state. I look at med school as an opportunity to pursue the career that i've had a calling for AND to "experience a new part of the country".. my biggest fear is that i'm gonna be so swamped with work that i wont have any free time to at least enjoy/experience my new surroundings and explore the city that i'd be living in..

is the workload bad to the point that you might as well stay close to home, because you wont be experiencing much outside of school anyways?

i promise that most people go out all the time, especially the night after tests......go somewhere that you can have fun......you will do better in school if you are having a good time while doing it

 

[Chisel]

To give you an idea of the amount of fun that you can have.....

My first week in MSI ended with the professor saying, "Congrats, you've finished your first week of med school. Now go out and party."

This is so true. I worked my a$$ off in MSI and II studying all week long in an attempt to have some free time every weekend. Even now in MSII I study during the week and enjoy those weekends that I can get away from medicine.

Of course there were weekends that I had to study all weekend. But even on those rare occassions I vowed to myself to have the nights off for relaxation.

You'll find that studying with all of your free time will actually get to a point where it becomes counterproductive. It is at those times that you must be able to put school aside and relax a bit.

Believe me, I know the seriousness of Med school and becoming a Dr. It does not mean that your life outside of that realm has to stop.

Just my opinion.

Chisel
PCOM MS III.75

 

[Dr JPH]

To give you an idea of the amount of fun that you can have.....

My first week in MSI ended with the professor saying, "Congrats, you've finished your first week of med school. Now go out and party."

This is so true. I worked my a$$ off in MSI and II studying all week long in an attempt to have some free time every weekend. Even now in MSII I study during the week and enjoy those weekends that I can get away from medicine.

Of course there were weekends that I had to study all weekend. But even on those rare occassions I vowed to myself to have the nights off for relaxation.

You'll find that studying with all of your free time will actually get to a point where it becomes counterproductive. It is at those times that you must be able to put school aside and relax a bit.

Believe me, I know the seriousness of Med school and becoming a Dr. It does not mean that your life outside of that realm has to stop.

Just my opinion.

Chisel
PCOM MS III.75

Chisel, I believe the exact quote was "Now let's go have a beer."

I agree with what he said, there is a fair amount of free time IF you work for that free time. I try to relax on weekends, but that sometimes means studying even after a 10 hour day at the hospital or all day in lectures and lab.