Incoming student: How busy is your first week of school?

[moab336]

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So, here's the deal:
I'm an incoming medical student, and my friend is an incoming dental student. We both just got pre-sale tickets to Lollapalooza, a music festival in Chicago. They were too cheap to pass up even without knowing our futures.

I'm kind of expecting to be too busy to actually use the tickets, but what do you guys think? Is it reasonable to think there might be a chance if I buckle down during the week? The festival is all day Fri, Sat, Sun (although we probably wouldn't head out until 1 or 2) after our first week of classes.

 

[Law2Doc]

So, here's the deal:
I'm an incoming medical student, and my friend is an incoming dental student. We both just got pre-sale tickets to Lollapalooza, a music festival in Chicago. They were too cheap to pass up even without knowing our futures.

I'm kind of expecting to be too busy to actually use the tickets, but what do you guys think? Is it reasonable to think there might be a chance if I buckle down during the week? The festival is all day Fri, Sat, Sun (although we probably wouldn't head out until 1 or 2) after our first week of classes.

If you are talking about orientation week, most schools ease into it. You likely won't have too much "studying" to do that week, but the upper class social committees will be working overtime setting things up for you. I would probably skip the concert, not because you can't get off in the afternoon, but because the social events of that first week tend to be one of the few where you get to go out and party with your classmates without work hanging over your head. A lot of friendships are cemented during that week/weekend, a lot of study groups get their genesis, so too a lot of dissection groups. Basically, a lot of the cliques form (like in high school). So it's not like people go to class and then go home and study yet.

Also, you are going to need to be careful not to tie your social life too securely to folks in dental school -- most of the ones I know were able to go out far more frequently than med students, and party much harder each week; you will basically fail med school if you keep the schedule of some of my fairly average buddies who did quite fine in dental school. Best to start the "I can't make it this weekend"s now, because you will be doing that numerous times over the next few years.

 

[Jwax]

If you are talking about orientation week, most schools ease into it. You likely won't have too much "studying" to do that week, but the upper class social committees will be working overtime setting things up for you. I would probably skip the concert, not because you can't get off in the afternoon, but because the social events of that first week tend to be one of the few where you get to go out and party with your classmates without work hanging over your head. A lot of friendships are cemented during that week/weekend, a lot of study groups get their genesis, so too a lot of dissection groups. Basically, a lot of the cliques form (like in high school). So it's not like people go to class and then go home and study yet.

That's probably a good point, but I'd go. I feel that the first two years of med school are the last two years of our lives that we can do just about whatever we want just about whenever we want as long as we work around it. Maybe mention that you're going to Lollapalooza and maybe you'll find some people who want to join you. Then you'll make your own clique. Problem solved.

 

[Law2Doc]

That's probably a good point, but I'd go. I feel that the first two years of med school are the last two years of our lives that we can do just about whatever we want just about whenever we want as long as we work around it. Maybe mention that you're going to Lollapalooza and maybe you'll find some people who want to join you. Then you'll make your own clique. Problem solved.

There will be many other concerts, but only one orientation week of med school. I suspect you will be missing out on more than you are getting. Just the humble opinion of someone who has gone to a ton of concerts.

 

[turkeyjerky]

There will be many other concerts, but only one orientation week of med school. I suspect you will be missing out on more than you are getting. Just the humble opinion of someone who has gone to a ton of concerts.

Dude...orientation sucked.

I want those three days of my life back. I don't think the OP is talking about the weekend after orientation though.

I'd definitely go, either way--isn't the lineup supposed to be sick this year?

As far as workload goes, we started with a 7 week block of anatomy and we covered the upper extremity and back the first week. It was an adjustment, but if you buckle down and learn you stuff, you'll be fine taking that first weekend off.

 

[OCallag]

Go to the concert and all of the other orientation stuff you can.

 

[.surgical.]

Busy on the socializing and, thus, pretty important.

 

[njbmd]

First week of school is very school-dependent. I will caution you that getting behind in medical school is a disaster. If you can get yourselves ahead of your class in you studies, then you should be fine.

 

[moab336]

Just to clarify, my school has one full week of orientation, and then regular classes begin. This is after that first week of classes, so I should have already spent almost 2 weeks wth my classmates.

The lineup is all rumors now, but it's usually pretty good... and with 160 bands over the span of three days there's gotta be something for everyone. Plus, just being in Grant Park the entire weekend is pretty fun too.

Interesting the mixed reactions here... I'm less worried about the socializing because we are given a full week of orientation beforehand, but maybe I'll have to play it by ear and see how I feel about how much material they give that week.

 

[illixir]

Go to the concert, it sounds like you'll have had time to make friends and you're not going to get that far behind missing a weekend if you study during the week. There'll prob be med school parties after the first week of classes, or really every weekend until a few weeks before test time, but you'll be able to decide how much of lolla you want to go to at that time based on the lineup and the specifics.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Unless your school does something funky (exam after the first week), I think you should be able to swing it.

 

[jilliumm]

Totally depends on your school's curriculum. Our school has an exam the Saturday after the first two weeks of M1, so it would be tough (but doable) if you were productive during the week.

Have fun if you go!!