Summer before Medical School??

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DMB

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For all of you who've been accepted into medical school, what are your plans for the summer? I figured it'll be my last free summer for a verrrry long time, so I thought I would try to do some traveling. I really want to do a bus tour type thing in Europe (x amount of countries in x amount of days), but it's probably gonna cost way too much.

So shoot some ideas out here -- cheap trips anywhere in the world!
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I kinda want to work/volunteer in the hospital - I forgot what it feels like to be around patients and the whole reason I am going into medicine.
 
I'm saving up for on trip around Europe, or maybe even a Mediterranean cruise :D If you want to do Europe, don't plan to try and hit as many countries as possible in a short period of time, because you will miss A LOT.
 
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doxycycline said:
I kinda want to work/volunteer in the hospital - I forgot what it feels like to be around patients and the whole reason I am going into medicine.
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You are going to have your whole career to do this..
 
Anybody have any planned trips already?
 
doxycycline said:
I figured someone would say that lol also the fact of the matter is I probably will not be able to get a part-time job so going to the hospital once a week shoudlnt be that big of a deal.
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The thing is that it tethers you to home. Use that last summer to do something that you won't get a chance to do, like traveling. Get as far away from medicine as possible, literally and figuratively.

Regardless of the summer before, summer after 1st year is pretty nice (almost 3 months off). So I guess you have 2 final opportunities to get away.
 
DMB said:
Anybody have any planned trips already?
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I have some small trips ready such as Napa/LA. Hopefully go sky diving in LA (as I promised few of my friends there).

Then maybe some bigger ones like Hawaii, Thailand, but these are just ideas at this point. Haven't really solified any international and/or far away plans just yet.
 
Probably not overseas, I'm saving up my money. But probably within the states, maybe Las Vegas, Yosemite, Universal Studios, DisneyLand, etc.
 
doxycycline said:
I kinda want to work/volunteer in the hospital - I forgot what it feels like to be around patients and the whole reason I am going into medicine.
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WHY???

My plan is to enjoy life and do everything as much as possible for the next 6 months :D (only safe things of course)
 
I am planning a trip to Africa and see a few countries including South Africa for the world cup.

CaliSurferDoc said:
I'm saving up for on trip around Europe, or maybe even a Mediterranean cruise :D If you want to do Europe, don't plan to try and hit as many countries as possible in a short period of time, because you will miss A LOT.
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I completely agree with this. I think such trips are ridiculous. I know someone who went for one of those 'see France, Italy, Spain, and England in ten days' trips and to be honest I think they wasted their money. When I asked what she saw in Paris, she only saw the eiffel tower because the group had limited time in the city. There is no way you can fully appreciate a city like Paris in 2 days or even four.

I think it's best to plan your own trip then you can leave when you feel you've had enough of each place.
 
casillas said:
I am planning a trip to Africa and see a few countries including South Africa for the world cup.
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Really jealous. Studied abroad here for 4 months. I miss it :(
 
Do nothing but party, sleep, and maybe travel.

Trust me.
 
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alibai3ah said:
I have some small trips ready such as Napa/LA. Hopefully go sky diving in LA (as I promised few of my friends there).

Then maybe some bigger ones like Hawaii, Thailand, but these are just ideas at this point. Haven't really solified any international and/or far away plans just yet.
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Coming to Napa? Stop by and visit me I'm only a town or tow over!
 
First stop New Orleans.

Then Portland Oregon to LA and on to wine tasting myself!

The week before. I am renting a bunch of videos and hibernating. :cool:
 
the duck said:
Coming to Napa? Stop by and visit me I'm only a town or tow over!
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I'll most likely coming to Napa this weekend. Although I'm bummed to find out about the rain :(
 
250 km race through the gobi baby. ooooo yeaaa....
 
BlueElmo said:
Probably not overseas, I'm saving up my money. But probably within the states, maybe Las Vegas, Yosemite, Universal Studios, DisneyLand, etc.
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Sounds like what I'm thinking, just not as many. Maybe mountain road trip and Caribbean (just because it's cheap) like Bahamas or something.

casillas said:
I completely agree with this. I think such trips are ridiculous. I know someone who went for one of those 'see France, Italy, Spain, and England in ten days' trips and to be honest I think they wasted their money. When I asked what she saw in Paris, she only saw the eiffel tower because the group had limited time in the city. There is no way you can fully appreciate a city like Paris in 2 days or even four.

I think it's best to plan your own trip then you can leave when you feel you've had enough of each place.
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I agree. I spent 3+ weeks in London and still wasn't quite able to do anything. Plus, it was awesome to really get a feel for the city and learn my way around - it was like I lived there.

Mandiblespeaks said:
First stop New Orleans.

Then Portland Oregon to LA and on to wine tasting myself!

The week before. I am renting a bunch of videos and hibernating. :cool:
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If you've never been to NOLA or don't know anybody who's been, send me a PM and maybe I can help you out.
 
alibai3ah said:
I'll most likely coming to Napa this weekend. Although I'm bummed to find out about the rain :(
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I see no rain. Only perfectly blue skies, 70 degree weather and a touch of a breeze.


Edit: Upon checking the weather, yes it looks like it going to rain.
 
End of May/Beginning of June, I'm taking a road trip with my family out to Disney World, Myrtle Beach, Goldsboro (NC), and then El Paso for a wedding that I'll be a bridesmaid in. Three weeks of intense vacation time.

Beyond that, I'll probably be working right up until I head off to school, with a couple days to get settled in.
 
metallica81788 said:
If you've never been to NOLA or don't know anybody who's been, send me a PM and maybe I can help you out.
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Half my families from NOLA. Used to spend summers in my youth there, so freakin excited to go back! Happy Fat Tuesday btw! Wish I was there.

I love to travel, its one of my hobbies. Worst mistake I ever made was to plan a one day trip to Veanice while traveling through Italy. Forget all the hype and romantic etc etc, that place was amazing, mysterious and sexy. One day drove me nuts. Dont do anything that way, its only to give you bragging rights which is absolutely pointless.

Saints!!
 
Mandiblespeaks said:
Half my families from NOLA. Used to spend summers in my youth there, so freakin excited to go back! Happy Fat Tuesday btw! Wish I was there.

I love to travel, its one of my hobbies. Worst mistake I ever made was to plan a one day trip to Veanice while traveling through Italy. Forget all the hype and romantic etc etc, that place was amazing, mysterious and sexy. One day drove me nuts. Dont do anything that way, its only to give you bragging rights which is absolutely pointless.

Saints!!
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You went just for the summers? :eek:

Sorry for you, it's really hot.
 
metallica81788 said:
You went just for the summers? :eek:

Sorry for you, it's really hot.
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And humid.....

Although I went to NOLA for a medical school interview, awesome place. It's too bad that I didn't get a chance to go out, it seems like such a fun city.
 
the duck said:
I see no rain. Only perfectly blue skies, 70 degree weather and a touch of a breeze.


Edit: Upon checking the weather, yes it looks like it going to rain.
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Yea my plan to go on a hot air balloon died right there. Although do you have any advice on best wineries for tours/tasting? Any other MUST DO stuff there? I'll be near downtown Napa, but don't mind driving.
 
Going to Thailand for the month of May w/ my fiancee! Hooray for paid vacation days!
 
I am planning to go on a long backpacking trip to China + Southeast Asia (like for 2-3 months)
Just got my first acceptance yesterday. Still waiting on a couple of other schools. Mostly post interview, a few pre-interview, but blehh...
What are some stuff that I need to take care of before I can leave the country?
What if I get accepted to a school when I am out of the country, is it possible to work things out when I am out of the country?
Any input would be appreciated! =]
 
EURO-TRIP! I'm so excited. Saving as much as I can now, planning to go for about 4 weeks.
 
I'm planning a Carrib cruise and a trip to Africa...

I wanna really relax, unwind after a hectic semester, hang out with family/friends, recharge my energizer bunny and get ready for medical school.
 
I graduated a semester early and right now I'm living at home (sharing a bedroom with my 13 year old sister) and working as a waitress at a pizza restaurant. I constantly have to remind myself that I actually AM going to start med school in August and won't be living forever like I never got beyond high school!
 
sleeping, partying, barbecuing, enjoying Portland, the 53048975394875 excellent microbreweries and their respective happy hours downtown, brewer's festival, outdoor concerts, camping in the mountains/beach, lots of hiking, staying outside as much as possible, maybe travel a bit if i have some money.

oregon summers are the best, and i'm very much looking forward to this one. :)
 
eatsleeprepeat said:
sleeping, partying, barbecuing, enjoying Portland, the 53048975394875 excellent microbreweries and their respective happy hours downtown, brewer's festival, outdoor concerts, camping in the mountains/beach, lots of hiking, staying outside as much as possible, maybe travel a bit if i have some money.

oregon summers are the best, and i'm very much looking forward to this one. :)
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ha, you just made me excited for my OHSU interview - especially the microbrew part. om nom nom. although norcal isnt bad in the microbrew department.
 
Disney World, probably an overseas trip, learn how to cook, go to the zoo, hang out with friends that I probably won't see for a while.
 
oze said:
ha, you just made me excited for my OHSU interview - especially the microbrew part. om nom nom. although norcal isnt bad in the microbrew department.
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California in general is solid in the microbrew department, but norcal has got some of the best, for sure. Enjoy the interview :)xf:) and have fun in Portland!
 
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Will be camping the American West for 4-5 weeks, and probably doing a week or two on a house boat in either Kentucky or on Lake Powell.

Rest of the Summer will be a lot of chilling out.
 
This may be a dumb question, but don't you have a summer break in at least the first two years of medical school? I'm not accepted, I was just wondering, but this thread is great.
 
crprep23 said:
This may be a dumb question, but don't you have a summer break in at least the first two years of medical school? I'm not accepted, I was just wondering, but this thread is great.
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For most schools you only get the summer after first year free, and a lot of people will end up doing medically related things. though not required.
 
crprep23 said:
This may be a dumb question, but don't you have a summer break in at least the first two years of medical school? I'm not accepted, I was just wondering, but this thread is great.
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yeah but many will use that time to get involved in research and second yr step studying etc.

Depending on where I go to school...I'm planning on going to the Dominican Republic and possibly somewhere else. Some of the schools I'm still waiting to hear from start and/or have summer research programs as early as end of June that I would be involved in. If I don't attend those I'll be working at my current research job and saving up some money!
 
crprep23 said:
This may be a dumb question, but don't you have a summer break in at least the first two years of medical school? I'm not accepted, I was just wondering, but this thread is great.
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The summer after your 1st year some people will do research and others will just travel. I found a real non-demanding, paid research position during my summer after 1st year so I was able to make some money while still enjoying the break. The break after 2nd year is pretty much spent studying for STEP 1 so I wouldn't really bank on having much free time. Enjoy the time you have before starting medical school because the responsibilities only get greater as you move along.
 
mybubbles14 said:
yeah but many will use that time to get involved in research and second yr step studying etc.

Depending on where I go to school...I'm planning on going to the Dominican Republic and possibly somewhere else. Some of the schools I'm still waiting to hear from start and/or have summer research programs as early as end of June that I would be involved in. If I don't attend those I'll be working at my current research job and saving up some money!
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Oh that's unfortunate. I thought for some reason that would be a nice break, but apparently not. I went to the Dominican through my Catholic high school three years ago, and although it wasn't medically related, it was by far the most influential growing experience of my life. It puts things into perspective when you meet such happy children with little material wealth. Also, one of the kids had a heart condition, while another had contracted HIV (I don't remember if it was from the mother or a blood transfusion), but those individuals were two of my favorite just based on their love of life and bubbly spirits. It may sound cheesy, but it's true.
 
deuce924 said:
The summer after your 1st year some people will do research and others will just travel. I found a real non-demanding, paid research position during my summer after 1st year so I was able to make some money while still enjoying the break. The break after 2nd year is pretty much spent studying for STEP 1 so I wouldn't really bank on having much free time. Enjoy the time you have before starting medical school because the responsibilities only get greater as you move along.
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Thanks, that's good to know. It just shows how truly oblivious some pre-meds (myself included) are. For that reason, I don't try to get all tangled up into the "I'm Pre-Med" aspect because in all honesty, that title is just a symbol of my ignorance in regards to the whole process. There will be plenty of room for all that medical stuff down the road.
 
How are you guys planning these trips (esp. out of the country ones) if you're not 100% sure which school you'll attend? Some schools start July...some August...some September. You all going in late May/June?
 
The hubby and I are trying to decide on a place to go for a few days. He's so busy with work (and we're poor college students! :)) that that's all we can really do, but we're getting out of the US for a bit.
 
Eurrrrropeeeeeee!! finally!! planning to burn all my money and enter med school poor :soexcited:
 
Work. Pack. Move.

:lame:

Start school.

:)

Looking forward to the break that school will likely feel like in comparison to my life the past few years. Sounds ridiculous, but I'm not kidding.
 
I am actually gonna work part-time (20hrs/wk) teaching AP calculus, chem and physics courses to high school students pretty much entire June and 3 weeks in July... Bad idea? I thought I should make some money and contribute since my parents are paying my way through med school entirely, while I only have 20k saved up myself...

Sad thing is, 25k contribution on my part won't even cover one-year tuition...
 
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