I know that there is a free summer between M1 and M2 at most places, but what about during the year?
So are there any breaks during med school?
- Thread starter CBG23
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2004
- Messages
- 790
- Reaction score
- 2
We got Christmas break and a 3-day spring break during M1, as well as a few other random 3-day weekends. I know that we get a Christmas break (1 week?) during M2 and about a month before boards (which we do in March/April of M2). Then there's not much of a break until 4th year, when you can take a month off if you've completed 6 elective hours.
Of course, this varies between schools, etc.
Of course, this varies between schools, etc.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Messages
- 30,872
- Reaction score
- 10,061
At most schools you take Step 1 at the end of the summer after second year, which is a shorter summer anyway. So technically you will have "off" but you might be studying harder than when school was in session. So your summer after first year is really your last summer off. Enjoy it.
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2006
- Messages
- 169
- Reaction score
- 0
It varies by school. You'll probably have some time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If your school is on a quarter system, you might have a short break after each quarter.
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2006
- Messages
- 2,845
- Reaction score
- 63
I hear that you usually have time to take a break and sleep now and then. 😀
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Messages
- 30,872
- Reaction score
- 10,061
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2005
- Messages
- 1,465
- Reaction score
- 9
That's funny.Almost daily.
This is a little confusing, 'cause some people are quoting breaks on the year-round system (which I know some osteopathic schools use - I don't know which allopathic schools use it) and some are quoting breaks on the traditional semester system.
My school uses the traditional semester system. We start a little earlier than the other schools on the health sciences campus because, since our exam periods are a week long with no other classes, we run on an 18-week rather than a 16-week semester.
We get almost a month off at Christmas - about the 15th of December to the 10th of January. Spring Break is a week at the end of March; although - unlike traditional Spring Break after mid-terms, our Spring Break works out to be 2 weeks before block exams, so I was studying by the pool in Palm Springs. Thanksgiving is 4 days off although, unless you're super-organized, it's not a 4-day holiday - more like 2 days and the other 2 devoted to catch-up study.
1st year is the only summer off. 2nd year you'll be studying for Step 1 from the end of classes until your test date in June, and then it's into the wards July 1.
Medical school is indeed a lifestyle, and not really filled with vacations, unfortunately. Just look at this way, though: once you're a medical student, you'll get to experience partying like it's 1999 three times a semester on the weekend after test block.
Z
zimmie256
A lot of schools have academic calendars posted on their websites... If you browse a few of those that you're interested in, it'll probably give you at least a rough idea of what to expect...
