Summer before med school

[ZeaL6]

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I realize this topic isn't much debated, 95+% of people say enjoy your summer before med school. Dont get me wrong, I plan on being lazy/watching netflix, playing video games, hanging out with friends, exercise, etc. However, I'm in good with a professor that teaches a physical therapy cadaver class at a medical school near me. I thought about asking if I could go observe/ maybe dice up a cadaver a little bit. I wasn't planning on "actively studying" as if I was in the class, but would it be worth it/ fun to go attend this lab once a week for 3-4 hours during the summer? Or should I literally be in an abnormal stupor for 12 weeks in which I do literally nothing? I think it would be fun and since I dont plan on studying really just want to know if the 3-4 hours could be potentially worth it

 

[kyamh]

If this is a summer class other students are paying for, it's not cool to freeload for the whole class and expect to participate in the activities (dissection) hands on or get in the way of other students. I think it would be appropriate to maybe come to one session when your favorite system is being discussed, but definitely not on any sort of regular basis...unless I understood your post wrong and you mean to officially participate as a student in the class.

 

[ZeaL6]

The professor has a few "TA's" so to speak that do well in his undergrad anatomy and they just oversee stuff. Most of them get paid but I was just going to go in, do it for free, and see whats up. Im not sure of the details yet I just wanted to know if it'd be worth the time

 

[DylanE]

If you think it would be fun, then do it. I'm not sure why everyone thinks the best option is to just drop everything as soon as they get in. I'm planning on going home and volunteering with a few doctors I really enjoyed working with a few days a week, just to keep a schedule. Several months of absolutely nothing productive to do sounds face-numbingly boring to me.

 

[CarlosDanger]

I think it's fine to sit in on a class as long as the professor is ok with it. If they think you'll be taking resources away from other students, then they'll say no. I'm sitting in on a grad. class right now in my free time taught by a friend of my PI and it's really cool. I get to learn new stuff but I don't have any real work to do unless I want to. Granted, it's a seminar and not a lab course, but I don't think it matters much. When you ask, just be very appreciative and don't expect that they'll be obligated to say yes.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Ugh. The smell. Don't do it. Especially during the summer. There's really not any benefit.