Last 1 mo before starting med school

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1 month before med school. What did you do? (What do you plan on doing?)

  • Travel and have fun

    Votes: 23 42.6%
  • Chill at home, read books, enjoy time with friends

    Votes: 15 27.8%
  • Work/research or pre-studying

    Votes: 3 5.6%
  • Work/save money

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • Move near school early on, get ready

    Votes: 8 14.8%
  • Other: explain below

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    54

psswrd

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I took a road trip across the country and backpacked in national parks for several weeks. Honestly unless you have a family to support or some other compelling reason to be productive you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't take advantage of this time to have fun before the grind begins.
 
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I currently plan on working/saving up$$.... but I hope that falls through and I just end up chillin' ;)
 
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I plan on finishing my First Aid notations and doing a final fourth pass before sitting for Step I. Getting ahead of the curve is very important to me!
 
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I biked 700 miles up the Californian coast, camping along the way. It was awesome.

Do something neat and that might require a good amount of time, since it's much harder to fit in several weeks to do whatever once you're in med school.
 
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I'm doing a 3 week medical Spanish course in Argentina and doing a 4 week backpacking trip in South America.
 
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I voted for the 'chill at home' option but just because I'm planning on doing my traveling...the month before.

I have worked my ass off working full time and doing a post-bacc the last three years and I have piled up enough money to take several months off with absolutely no responsibilities. Gonna be AWESOME.
 
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I took a 2 week trip to South Korea for fun with my boyfriend and came back at the end of May. Still had plenty of time to look for housing since my school didn't start until late August.
 
Going to brazil for WORLD CUP 2014!!
 
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I'll be backpacking somewhere in Asia. Probably Japan, but who knows. I hear Cambodia and Vietnam are the hot places to be right about now, so maybe I'll go a little more off the beaten path.
 
Sleep. It'll be your last chance for the next few years.
 
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I mean is the grind going to be rough enough that I'd regret not taking a month long vacation abroad?

This isn't really a question anybody can answer for you ahead of time because it's so subjective. I'm having a pretty good time in preclinicals so far, but I have classmates who hate it and are just killing time until 3rd year. Not sure if there's anyway to know which you'll be ahead of time.
 
What to do in your last month before med school?

Pepper your angus
 
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What to do in your last month before med school?

Pepper your angus
While this may be a joke, knowing how to cook decent food on a budget is probably a good skill to have entering medical school.
 
I ended up relaxing before med school started and it was wonderful. I have some cash left over from financial aid now and I feel like making a bad decision with it this summer lol. Going to do a bunch of traveling for sure
 
A good cruise is an affordable option. I would not go into consumer debt before medical school because those payments are not included in COA
 
A good cruise is an affordable option. I would not go into consumer debt before medical school because those payments are not included in COA
Oh, that reminds me. Do your best to pay down any non-student loan debt you've got before you start. It'll make your life a lot easier.

Cashing out my paltry pension to pay off my car in full. That's 250 bucks a month extra in my pocket during med school.
 
I kind of hate not working, so I thought about jettisoning my high stress/decent pay job for a goofy internship at a science museum or something. I'm also doing a dance camp weekend in the boonies in July, since I have no idea when I'll be able to attend classes again.
 
Pretty awesome what you all got planned, especially the ones going South America, imo.

Can I get some advice on whether I should go on my dream trip if it's going to make me broke? I think I'll be able to afford it, but it's just that I'll go in med school with absolutely no savings left and minor credit card debt.

I mean is the grind going to be rough enough that I'd regret not taking a month long vacation abroad? Traveling is what I really want to do, no doubt about that. But the guilt about finances is killing me.



know what you mean bro

My South America trip is going to get me broke too. I spent all my savings on my 1 year abroad gap year last year and applying to medical schools. I'm working in a lab for a year while applying and saving up for the trip. I figure having some extra money while in school is going to be nice but I won't have another chance to go on a trip like this in a long time. To me, it's worth. To others, maybe not. It's really up to you and what you prioritize.
 
Well, I've traveled quite a bit in my life but I'm always anxious to go on another adventure. Now I'm thinking, do I really need this trip or is it time for me to be more responsible and save money instead. My priorities are a bit difficult to line up!
Not to be the devil on your shoulder, but you should go for the trip! You only live once and your free summers will be coming to an end in the near future. At least that's how I'm justifying my trip this summer between 1st and 2nd year lol
 
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I'm actually debating this right now. I can either quit work a month early and go home to spend time with my family or try to squeeze out as much income as possible.
 
I'm actually debating this right now. I can either quit work a month early and go home to spend time with my family or try to squeeze out as much income as possible.
Spend the month with your family. You'll be happy you did
 
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