Is med school fun? How is it on a social level?

[SliceNDice]

I know med school is a ton of work and can be super stressful, but is it also fun at all? Do you have free time? What was it like in terms of social life?

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[raiderette]

I make sure I go out at least twice a week. I am friends with several classmates and do things with my non-med school roommates and guys I meet at the gym. Have fun when you can.

 

[sloop]

It can be more or less interesting at times but I think that's different than fun. When I think fun in a college/university context, I think playing call of duty on a projector with friends and beer like I did in college. Med school is not generally like this, though you can arrange moments like it if you choose. Nowhere near as fun as college though.

Med school is very interesting at times, but also very demanding. Your professional life generally becomes much more a priority and your social life less of one, especially in third year. You'll still have friends, but most people at school will be friends in a professional way—more colleagues or good acquaintances than people you spend tons of time with outside of school (though you may spend a ton of time with these people in school/studying).

You'll have free time—just a lot less than in undergrad, especially during third year.

 

[Promethean]

You have to learn to prioritize, and to do the responsible thing before the fun thing. But if you do have some sense about it, you can have a fair amount of fun.

You won't have loads of time to goof off. You learn to make the time you have more meaningful. Getting to spend an hour or two having coffee with an old friend is a treat, not just an every day thing to be taken for granted. If you go out, it will probably be after an exam, when your brain is too kaput to start trying to cram the next set of facts in.

Everybody gotta eat, so having dinner with a classmate or two is nice now and again. Sometimes it is a study session. Sometimes it is a "Let's talk about literally ANYTHING but medicine" session.

There are young folks in my class who seem to be able to party a lot more often than I did, even at their age. I mind my own business, so I can't tell you how that is working out for them. All I know is that they need to stay off my lawn. Darn kids.

 

[FlameBroiledDoc]

I know med school is a ton of work and can be super stressful, but is it also fun at all? Do you have free time? What was it like in terms of social life?

It'll depend more on you than med school itself. I'm naturally a hermit and had psychosomatic stomach attacks but still managed to keep in touch with old friends, make new friends I still see 20 years later, and land a future spouse. There wasn't much "partying", but that's because most people have that out of their systems by med school. It's a time when you're getting away from mixed drinks and beer (drinking for the sake of drinking), and moving towards a glass of wine with dinner.

 

[SliceNDice]

It'll depend more on you than med school itself. I'm naturally a hermit and had psychosomatic stomach attacks but still managed to keep in touch with old friends, make new friends I still see 20 years later, and land a future spouse. There wasn't much "partying", but that's because most people have that out of their systems by med school. It's a time when you're getting away from mixed drinks and beer (drinking for the sake of drinking), and moving towards a glass of wine with dinner.

That honestly sounds kinda nice

 

[mistafab]

Lots of fun - you can pretty much be as social as you want. My GF and I have been going out every night this week. Lots of opportunity to relax, though definitely feeling the burn now and gonna take it easy tonight.

100% this first year of med school is the jam.

 

[studentdocftw]

Doing physicals on patients year 1 has been a blast...makes learning all of the book material worthwhile. Otherwise, I wouldn't call it "fun"...but it's bearable with good time management. In terms of social life, I go out Friday or Saturday every other week.

 

[235009]

It will really depend on how well you deal with the need school stress and the high school-ish social situation. Lack of money also doesn't help.

For me the most fun times have been: residency > grad school > college > med school.


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[Crayola227]

Med school was one of the best times in my life... but the fun social parts weren't all the time

I had a few best friends I'd usually see a few times a week, with rotations and aways that really got spread out to weeks
thankfully your clinic months are interactive with humans (not always in good way)

I made some best friends fo life, drank too much, spent too much loan money on nice dinners out, flew around on too many interviews, had fun weekends that way

 

[caffeinemia]

I know med school is a ton of work and can be super stressful, but is it also fun at all? Do you have free time? What was it like in terms of social life?

It was great. I went to school in a big ass city. I'd get out of class at noon or 1pm on 3/5 days and study till 6. then i'd go gym, run, dinner, hang out with friends, fail at womanizing... etc etc. In bed around midnight, wake up at 730, walk to class by 8. Weekends were essentially huge booze and partyfests. Days got longer M3 and first half of M4, but it's literally a year of partying only 1 day instead 4 days a week. So meh..

Your time is how you choose to spend it. If you procrastinate with 3 hours on facebook, then it's 3 hours you didn't study, sleep, chill with friends. Think of medical school as a ~50 hour week. about 10 hours a day during the week. nothing on the weekends!

 

[bananafish94]

I've had a blast at my school. We have a very tight-knit class and it seems like somebody is always organizing something awesome. It's not the same as college where everything revolves around parties but I'm having the time of my life right now.

 

[Sardinia]

@MeatTornado All the arrows point towards medical school being the most fun time of your current life.

 

[SliceNDice]

It was great. I went to school in a big ass city. I'd get out of class at noon or 1pm on 3/5 days and study till 6. then i'd go gym, run, dinner, hang out with friends, fail at womanizing... etc etc. In bed around midnight, wake up at 730, walk to class by 8. Weekends were essentially huge booze and partyfests. Days got longer M3 and first half of M4, but it's literally a year of partying only 1 day instead 4 days a week. So meh..

Your time is how you choose to spend it. If you procrastinate with 3 hours on facebook, then it's 3 hours you didn't study, sleep, chill with friends. Think of medical school as a ~50 hour week. about 10 hours a day during the week. nothing on the weekends!

Sounds pretty great. Can I ask what school you're at?

 

[Pablo94]

You think MSUCOM would be fun?

 

[caffeinemia]

Sounds pretty great. Can I ask what school you're at?

No longer in school. This was a number of years ago in Chicago, where fun didn't go to die 🙂.

 

[musmjd]

I know med school is a ton of work and can be super stressful, but is it also fun at all? Do you have free time? What was it like in terms of social life?

Was wondering the same thing; I just found these guys and like the day-in-the-life advice they give for having fun in med school