Summer after graduation / before med school

[No Egrets]

I just wanted to get a feel for how other '04's are planning on spending this summer (assuming you'll go to med school in the fall). Part of me wants to do the whole backpack around Europe with friends thing, but a (shameful) part of me thinks it might be a good idea to try to find some research to do at whatever med school I end up attending, to get a bit of head start (do people do this?)... Then another part of me wants to be a bartender, and there's always the desire to just go wherever the significant other will be this summer.

In general it seems like there aren't any research programs and whatnot aimed at entering med students--there are plenty for current undergrads or med students going into their second or third years.

I realize that this summer has the potential to be the most laid-back summer since like... middle school, in terms of not having the pressure to do something productive. Which makes it all the more difficult to decide what to do!-- Should I first decide what city I want to be in and go from there, or try to make as much money as possible, or what?!? The agony...

What are your plans/thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Brickhouse]

Definitely doing Europe for a month or so - it's your last chance to be stress free! Enjoy it!

 

[cather]

I am wondering about this myself. I don't think I can afford to travel through Europe but I have thought about working at a restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory near my house or working at the local Kaplan center. I want to do something that is totally unrelated to health care/medicine because I have been volunteering in the hospital for so many years.

 

[rompy]

I am planning on doing the Europe thing for some time this summer. However, all of my friends are going to be busy, so I'm going alone. Unless you guys want to plan an SDN trip!

-rompy

 

[LaurieB]

Originally posted by cather
I am wondering about this myself. I don't think I can afford to travel through Europe but I have thought about working at a restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory near my house or working at the local Kaplan center. I want to do something that is totally unrelated to health care/medicine because I have been volunteering in the hospital for so many years.

Cather,

You could always work in a pub in Ireland or on a fishing boat in Alaska. That way you'd really be off the medicine mark.

Laurie

 

[toomuch]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the backpack around Europe thing. I want to do the hit as many countries as I can thing. I'm not sure my friends will be up for that, but I won't mind going solo either because you can always be on the go and not worry about the people your with.

 

[youcandoit]

well, I'll be working to make some cash, in between vacations to the shore (2 weeks) and the British Virgin Islands (1 week). I also want to go visit friends in Wyoming & Denver, Chicago, and San Diego. Got lotsa frequent flyer miles to spend. Woohoo! I figure this is one of my last shots to enjoy summer, so by golly that's what I'm gonna do.

 

[jonb12997]

Getting Married!

 

[indo]

I've got a friend who toured with a band throughout europe and stayed in hostels. She said there are so many American kids "backpacking" in Europe that the "europeanism" of europe has been watered down and its pretty much like an american college town. It'd still be fun...lots of good photography ops in europe.


Here's what I wanna do though:

learn to fly
scuba dive
buy a motorcycle
sleep
vacate to souf america