What should I be doing over winter break?

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xsoppy

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Freshman here, wondering if you guys had any advice on how to spend my winter break. Should I look for places to volunteer so I can get started on that early or do most people just relax? I didn't do any volunteering my first semester but I am definitely starting in the spring.
 
xsoppy said:
Freshman here, wondering if you guys had any advice on how to spend my winter break. Should I look for places to volunteer so I can get started on that early or do most people just relax? I didn't do any volunteering my first semester but I am definitely starting in the spring.
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I personally would just relax. You can go back to busting your ass in the spring. BTW, how did your first semester go?
 
zurc2014 said:
I personally would just relax. You can go back to busting your ass in the spring. BTW, how did your first semester go?
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Still have a couple finals and waiting on the ones I've taken to be graded so can't say for sure, but I'm expecting a 3.83-3.89. Wish I had started off stronger in chem and chem lab though. Thanks for asking
 
I think you'd be fine to just chill and hang out. Most ECs people do in undergrad end up being longer term things than just a couple weeks so no point doing something just over a break like that when the de-stressing time could be valuable.
 
EODguy said:
Study for USMLE step 2.

Or, go play outside.
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Yes but my question was when I go outside should I be doing it for other people or myself lol. I wasn't sure when most pre-meds get started with their volunteering (related to medicine)
 
xsoppy said:
Yes but my question was when I go outside should I be doing it for other people or myself lol. I wasn't sure when most pre-meds get started with their volunteering (related to medicine)
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I would use the first year to get your feet grounded since many people (including myself) struggle their first year or take on too much too soon. After you got your studying down and you are mastering the basics then you should start with the research, volunteering, ect. Grades first.
 
You could be volunteering one or two days a week. Given that you're going to be on break, relax. Most of your meaningful EC's should be long-term commitments. So relaxing for 2.5 weeks is fine.
 
smoke some weed and see your friends and enjoy yourself. breaks are for you, even when you're in med school
 
xsoppy said:
Freshman here, wondering if you guys had any advice on how to spend my winter break. Should I look for places to volunteer so I can get started on that early or do most people just relax? I didn't do any volunteering my first semester but I am definitely starting in the spring.
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If you are going to be in the same area over the summer and you'd like to volunteer in a local hospital over the summer, it might not be a bad idea to contact the local hospital(s) not later than 12/18 and ask if there is any paperwork, training, testing that you will need to do in order to be cleared as a volunteer and how far in advance that would need to be done to begin volunteering after school gets out in the Spring. Sometimes students are unpleasantly surprised how long it takes to jump through hospital hoops and the summer is gone before they get any real hours.
You can also inquire with adult daycare and nursing homes to see if they need help, particularly with Alzheimers patients. The idea is to get your ducks in a row for next summer.

Other than that, relax and enjoy the break but please avoid getting caught doing anything illegal. It is much easier to apply knowing that you don't have a police record that has to be reported.
 
You're a freshman. You can definitely relax. If you really want to do something, if you are currently academically stable, start looking into ECs to start getting involved in for next semester. You could also shadow for a day or two if you're so inclined and can find a physician who will let you.
 
You can probably look into various study techniques without feeling stressed about it.

Casually experiment with using Anki so that if you see future classmates using it and praising it so much, you won't rule out using it because of the learning curve or speed. It's great for language vocabulary when starting out. I use it for video games outside of class >.>

Other things to look into: Paper mindmapping, electronic mind mapping (coggle.it), look at Picmonic (and other similar services) for subjects you're interested in to see how that stuff works.
 
I would read broadly, and find ways to test your interest in medicine and other fields. But mostly as LizzyM said please avoid getting caught doing anything illegal.
 
Lost in Translation said:
Like you've never drank alcohol before you were 21 🙄
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I didn't. I may be in the minority, but I think you can have a great college experience while at the same time being a good citizen, and not breaking the law.
 
fball22 said:
I didn't. I may be in the minority, but I think you can have a great college experience while at the same time being a good citizen, and not breaking the law.
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I didn't either, but I will say that you can be a good citizen and break the law. Speed limits come to mind...
 
Im going to continue some my ECs. I'm volunteering at a hospital, getting non medical volunteer hours at a couple places as well, and I'm shadowing 2 doctors. During the school year it's not always easy to get this stuff in so make use of this time. I live close to my school so I'm going to continue the ECs I've been doing.
 
Healer@1994 said:
Not sure what we're talking about but we definitely need to legalize speeding
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Agreed, if the roads were a whirlwind of chaos and speeding metal deathtraps then people would not have the leisure or opportunity to text and drive, saving thousands of lives.
 
If you're a humanities-oriented person, you could consider beginning a research project. If you want to do literary analysis, philosophy, music theory, etc., you don't need to be working with a PI in school to produce a publishable manuscript. Plus, reading is a good idea for when you get bored in the second half of the break!
 
Healer@1994 said:
Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America. Talking on the phone, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and talking are just some of the ways drivers get distracted behind the wheel.Feb 19, 2013
Drivers.com: Top 3 Causes of Car Accidents in America

Suck it 😉
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I got my info from a highway patrolman and crash investigator. Maybe he was talking about CA specifically. Or he might have just been wrong.

And if you think speeding isn't dangerous, you're mistaken.
 
kopftonmd said:
If you're a humanities-oriented person, you could consider beginning a research project. If you want to do literary analysis, philosophy, music theory, etc., you don't need to be working with a PI in school to produce a publishable manuscript. Plus, reading is a good idea for when you get bored in the second half of the break!
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I've definitely gotten pubs on my own. Independent projects are fun, but no one is making sure you're progressing. You need to be able to motivate yourself.
 
Lucca said:
Agreed, if the roads were a whirlwind of chaos and speeding metal deathtraps then people would not have the leisure or opportunity to text and drive, saving thousands of lives.
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That's cute
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Wouldn't be the first time.
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TBH I'm just cracking up at how people assume speeding = ludicrous speed from Space Balls the movie. I'm honestly saying that 5 - 10 mph over shouldn't be criminal. Especially if you drive a nice car that has carbon ceramic brakes and killer handling (I do not)!

For real, love you people 🙂
 
Healer@1994 said:
TBH I'm just cracking up at how people assume speeding = ludicrous speed from Space Balls the movie. I'm honestly saying that 5 - 10 mph over shouldn't be criminal. Especially if you drive a nice car that has carbon ceramic brakes and killer handling (I do not)!

For real, love you people 🙂
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Just watched Spaceballs last night, it's on Hulu. 🙂
 
Healer@1994 said:
TBH I'm just cracking up at how people assume speeding = ludicrous speed from Space Balls the movie. I'm honestly saying that 5 - 10 mph over shouldn't be criminal. Especially if you drive a nice car that has carbon ceramic brakes and killer handling (I do not)!

For real, love you people 🙂
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I actually agree with you, I think speed limits are dumb. +/- 10, who cares. As long as the legal driving age is 16 though, we will need them though lol. Too many people taking daddy's Camaro for a joyride or leadfooting their massive SUV.
 
Lucca said:
I actually agree with you, I think speed limits are dumb. +/- 10, who cares. As long as the legal driving age is 16 though, we will need them though lol. Too many people taking daddy's Camaro for a joyride or leadfooting their massive SUV.
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Naturally, sane people collectively believe in reasonable limitations haha
 
Healer@1994 said:
TBH I'm just cracking up at how people assume speeding = ludicrous speed from Space Balls the movie. I'm honestly saying that 5 - 10 mph over shouldn't be criminal. Especially if you drive a nice car that has carbon ceramic brakes and killer handling (I do not)!

For real, love you people 🙂
Click to expand...

Move to TX. Speed limit is 85 where I lived.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I got my info from a highway patrolman and crash investigator. Maybe he was talking about CA specifically. Or he might have just been wrong.

And if you think speeding isn't dangerous, you're mistaken.
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I tend to think recklessness is different than speeding. It's possible to drive quickly while still being safe.
 
UNMedGa said:
I tend to think recklessness is different than speeding. It's possible to drive quickly while still being safe.
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Not when the rest of the drivers on the road with you are "reckless".

Edit: or a reckless deer decides to jump in front of your speeding vehicle.
 
UNMedGa said:
I tend to think recklessness is different than speeding. It's possible to drive quickly while still being safe.
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It is different for sure, but when you're going considerably faster than the cars around you and especially at highway speeds, reacting to what's in front of you becomes more difficult. I'm not going to curse at anyone for doing 75 in a 65 at 0500 when no one else is on the road, but there is a time and place to speed.
 
UNMedGa said:
I tend to think recklessness is different than speeding. It's possible to drive quickly while still being safe.
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I'd agree with this. I can imagine a situation where on an 4 lane low traffic highway with minimal turns and potholes one could safely travel at 95 mph. Provided one has proper tires and has a valid drivers license.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
It is different for sure, but when you're going considerably faster than the cars around you and especially at highway speeds, reacting to what's in front of you becomes more difficult. I'm not going to curse at anyone for doing 75 in a 65 at 0500 when no one else is on the road, but there is a time and place to speed.
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Exactly. If I find the roads open enough I pretty regularly do 10 over and am fine. Going 60 on a 35-MPH winding road is pretty reckless and could get someone killed. Same with going 10 over in heavy rain. It's just knowing what the proper time/place/circumstance where speeding is safe, and when it'd be dangerous. I guess I just call it recklessness when speeding is done improperly, haha
 
Healer@1994 said:
I'd agree with this. I can imagine a situation where on an 4 lane low traffic highway with minimal turns and potholes one could safely travel at 95 mph. Provided one has proper tires and has a valid drivers license.
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Yep. I've been able to go that speed at night, when few cars are around and I can really pay attention. Doing that during the day would be reckless because there are too many other people out for you to have room to react. I don't generally like going above 85 on the freeway even at night though.
 
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