Wedding after M2?

[Enkindu]

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So... my fiance really wants to plan a wedding for the summer after my second year at EVMS (2005) and I have a few questions for you more experienced sage-like med students:

1) Can you only schedule your step 1 test date within a 3 month block, or can you pick the exact date?

2) Would it be foolish to take the step early to accomodate a wedding that summer?

3) Has anyone done this? Would you do it again?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Moskeeto]

My student interviewer at UC Davis did it. He took his step 1 early, i'm not sure the exact date, but I'm guessing he got to pick it because he said he was taking it early so he could get married. he didn't seem too stressed about taking it early. I also talked with another M3 that took her test early and she had no regrets what-so-ever. I say go for it. I've honestly been thinking about doing the same thing myself. good luck.

 

[Enkindu]

Thanks for the feedback, skeeter 🙂

 

[Starflyr]

Yes, you pick your exact date to take step 1 and your exact test center - if you have to change it, it must still be within the original 3 month period you chose. Make sense?

Sure, you can take it early - you just have to study for it majorly during classes instead of waiting until they've let out to hit the books hard.

One thing, though, think about how your married life will be affected by third year. Ive been married a bit over a year, and its a major major stressor in our relationship (we're dealing, but its still very stressful, timewise). Can a brand new marriage handle that? Is your fiance clear on your future time committments? Is s/he ok with them? That's what Id ask.

Good luck!
Star

 

[madcadaver]

Star,

It is not a problem to schedule a wedding between MS 2 and 3 (obviously depending on how much time your school gives in between the end of classes and beginning of MS3).

If you ask most people who have been through step 1 I believe the advice would universally be: Study hard for your MS2 classes, using Step 1 review materials when possible, and any more than 3 weeks of dedicated USMLE study time (ie 8+ hrs a day) is probably unneccesary and will definitely make you go crazy.

Good luck,
MadC

 

[gwyn779]

Originally posted by Enkindu
1) Can you only schedule your step 1 test date within a 3 month block, or can you pick the exact date?
2) Would it be foolish to take the step early to accomodate a wedding that summer?
3) Has anyone done this? Would you do it again?

1) You schedule for the exact date
2) You don't have to take it that much earlier to accomodate a wedding
3) I just did this and had no problems. I actually took Step 1 later than a lot of people in my class, but we didn't take a honeymoon. Of course, we couldn't afford one anyway. So we're just planning on doing that when we have both time and money. Still left 10 days between the test and the wedding. Also, the wedding itself was really simple, which I think is a good idea anyway.
Medical school in its entirety is stressful and even though 3rd year has longer hours, I think 2nd year was more stressful.

 

[Museless]

Enkindu, what year are you now? I got married after my first year, and while I'm of course biased, I thought it was a good time. My friends who married after second year did struggle a bit with boards studying and with having a brand-new marriage during the long hours of third year.

What's your exam and vacation schedule like during second year? Do you have any windows of time in the middle of the year - like after Christmas - into which your wedding could fit? Whether or not it's 'foolish' to bump up your step 1 date to accommodate wedding plans depends on lots of things: whether you're the cram type or the slow reviewer type, if you're a procrastinator, if your school has cumulative year-end exams, and how much time you would be left with to study. I agree that three weeks is enough if used well, and more can drive you mad.