What to do during the Summers in Med School?

[Xmulder]

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What do many or most med students do during the three summers between M1 and M2, M2 and M3, and M3 and M4? (outside of research)

how many people do research?

how many people usually go on vacation? Go abroad?

how many people continue studying?! (gunners)

I am considering possibly working to earn some money (and get some time off from studying).

Thanks.

 

[gschl1234]

What do many or most med students do during the three summers between M1 and M2, M2 and M3, and M3 and M4? (outside of research)

I don't know what I'll do after M1 but I think I may do some research or volunteer or some combination of the two. There is no summer between M2 and M3 (end M2 in June, start M3 in July and take Step 1 somewhere within that month). As far as I understand, there isn't much of a vacation between M3 and M4 either. Can anyone explain how long you have in between M3 and M4?

 

[jbish]

There is no break between m3 and m4. You go from your june m3 rotation directly into your july m4 rotation.

 

[jbish]

Oh, and I'm doing clinical research this summer (m1-m2). Of my good friends:
1 is shadowing a doc in a clinic and taking vacation
1 is just taking vacation (and moving apartments. always a pain)
1 is taking French (we live in Montreal which is pretty bilingual so a lot of the U.S. anglophones are learning French although I refuse to do so...yet.)
1 is volunteering on ambulances in Israel

I know there are a handful (10) of people doing the anatomy prosections job this summer as well as more than those doing clinical/lab research. There's a fair share just sitting on their butts or travelling in Europe, too.

 

[DrMom]

There is no break between m3 and m4. You go from your june m3 rotation directly into your july m4 rotation.

Exactly.

Many schools also don't have much, if any, break between M2 & M3. We get 3 weeks, but that's right after boards & we were all pretty burned out.

Basically you should just plan on having that first summer off. Basically you can use it as you choose. I worked in the ED and some classmates worked with other physicians, but we also had quite a few who did research, worked in various jobs around school, one went to Central America to do a Spanish immersion program, others took it all as vacation.

 

[flighterdoc]

Exactly.

Many schools also don't have much, if any, break between M2 & M3. We get 3 weeks, but that's right after boards & we were all pretty burned out.

Basically you should just plan on having that first summer off. Basically you can use it as you choose. I worked in the ED and some classmates worked with other physicians, but we also had quite a few who did research, worked in various jobs around school, one went to Central America to do a Spanish immersion program, others took it all as vacation.

DrMom - I like the new avatar look! I bet your kids don't give you any trouble with that look!

 

[DrMom]

DrMom - I like the new avatar look! I bet your kids don't give you any trouble with that look!

would that be my kids in Everyone? 😉

 

[Blake]

Oh, and I'm doing clinical research this summer (m1-m2). Of my good friends:
1 is shadowing a doc in a clinic and taking vacation
1 is just taking vacation (and moving apartments. always a pain)
1 is taking French (we live in Montreal which is pretty bilingual so a lot of the U.S. anglophones are learning French although I refuse to do so...yet.)
1 is volunteering on ambulances in Israel

I know there are a handful (10) of people doing the anatomy prosections job this summer as well as more than those doing clinical/lab research. There's a fair share just sitting on their butts or travelling in Europe, too.

Mcgill, eh ? How is it so far ?

 

[Xmulder]

There is no break between m3 and m4. You go from your june m3 rotation directly into your july m4 rotation.

Thanks for all the responses. Curious, how much of this is school dependent, and how much is just across the board at med schools? Are there certain med schools that have longer breaks between M2 and M3, and M3 and M4?

What about the summer between M4 and residency?

 

[Blake]

Thanks for all the responses. Curious, how much of this is school dependent, and how much is just across the board at med schools? Are there certain med schools that have longer breaks between M2 and M3, and M3 and M4?

What about the summer between M4 and residency?

Most of the schools in my province have a 5 year medical program. That means that there is always long breaks between the M years.

 

[sacrament]

Thanks for all the responses. Curious, how much of this is school dependent, and how much is just across the board at med schools? Are there certain med schools that have longer breaks between M2 and M3, and M3 and M4?

What about the summer between M4 and residency?

I don't know of any U.S. school that has an actual break between MS2/MS3 and MS3/MS4. The "break" between MS2 and MS3 is usually just an intense study session for Step One. Some schools give you enough Step One prep time that if you take the test soon enough you can have a reasonable vacation before rotations.

 

[dcalabria24]

B/W MS1 and 2 .....GO AWAY!!!...i went abroad and had the time of my life...Its your last real summer break from school....ENJOY IT!!! -dc

 

[Amy]

What about the summer between M4 and residency?

There isn't much of a summer then either. Orientations are mid or late June, and residency officially begins July 1 at most programs. Although, I suppose you could argue that most of 4th year is a break. 😀

Say goodbye to summer breaks, Man. 🙁

 

[LP1CW]

What, no summer breaks?

Maybe I should go to law school. I love my lazy days of summer.

 

[ctaborda]

What, no summer breaks?

Maybe I should go to law school. I love my lazy days of summer.

🙄
I hope your kiddin...

specially because summer days are gone when you are out in the real world 😱

 

[CaptainJack02]

🙄
I hope your kiddin...

specially because summer days are gone when you are out in the real world 😱

i know, i'm not looking forward to working 48, 49 weeks out of the year. and that's if i get an engineering position. if i go into medicine....god help me...

 

[mward04]

Emory really encourages you to do research (btw your M1 & M2 summer) and they support it with numerous financial grants for students. More than half of our class does research that summer. Between M2 & M3 years, you take Step 1 but you are required to finish it by July 1 so that you can have a break before you start again in August. BTW M3 & M4, you get a week at the end of July, plus you get about 2 months in which you can take off for vacation/interviews etc, but it's your choice when you take it.

 

[DendriticCell]

For the summer b/w M1/M2, i would suggest you, get a research job and make sure that your name will be on the paper. if not, find another one.... then while you are working, bring along a BRS physio or some other first year note to read and review, (there must be a time for incubation, or running the gel... ).. during lunch time, quiz yourself w/ the material you just read... after work, take a 10-15 mins nap.. then start pre-read some 2nd year's material.. before you go to bed.. do some Qbank questions for preparing the Step 1..
that should do it.. if you still have free time.. find yourself a significant others... 🙂

 

[Amy]

For the summer b/w M1/M2, i would suggest you, get a research job and make sure that your name will be on the paper. if not, find another one.... then while you are working, bring along a BRS physio or some other first year note to read and review, (there must be a time for incubation, or running the gel... ).. during lunch time, quiz yourself w/ the material you just read... after work, take a 10-15 mins nap.. then start pre-read some 2nd year's material.. before you go to bed.. do some Qbank questions for preparing the Step 1..
that should do it.. if you still have free time.. find yourself a significant others... 🙂

I hope you're kidding!

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

For the summer b/w M1/M2, i would suggest you, get a research job and make sure that your name will be on the paper. if not, find another one.... then while you are working, bring along a BRS physio or some other first year note to read and review, (there must be a time for incubation, or running the gel... ).. during lunch time, quiz yourself w/ the material you just read... after work, take a 10-15 mins nap.. then start pre-read some 2nd year's material.. before you go to bed.. do some Qbank questions for preparing the Step 1..
that should do it.. if you still have free time.. find yourself a significant others... 🙂

👍

 

[beatleschick]

For those students who went abroad the summer after their M1 year, do med schools ever offer study abroad programs, or offer research opportunities in other countries? I was hoping to be able to go abroad in the summer through some kind of program, but I was just wondering how realistic this is.

 

[raspberry swirl]

a resident friend of mine said that the summer between MSI and MSII should be used to do whatever you haven't done yet. if you haven't done research, you definitely need to do some. if you haven't done anything clinical outside of school, you need to do that. if you have never left your home state or perhaps even your country, you should do that. but whatever you do shouldn't be full-time or completely stressful, since it is your "last summer ever". i was lucky enough to land a research opportunity with an oncologist who promised me a publication, and lets me go with her into her clinic, as well as set me up with shadowing experiences with her colleagues, where i also am making some pretty good contacts. and im usually home by 3 o clock. 🙂 so its great. a lot of people will tell you do to absolutely nothing. but why close doors when you can open them?

 

[ctaborda]

I think it would be a nice time to rest, exercise and study a bit, just to keep study habits alive and to be ready for whats comming next!>

 

[Blade28]

Summer after first year...did research and a preceptorship. Summer after second year, studied for Step 1. No summer after third year though. 🙁

 

[messenjah]

I have about a 3.16 undergrad gpa, but about a 3.4-ish TOTAL gpa when you combine all of my post bacc in there too. i have also taken the mcat, 30 P, but after having taken those post bacc classes and practice tests on the mcat, i think i could reasonablly do around 33-35 level. i have also been out of undergrad college for about 3 years.

question is, will my post bacc (was done on my own, not a formal program) be added into the gpa that they will look at? or will my undergrad gpa kill me in the admissions process? I am planning on taking more classes to prep more for the mcat and possible help my gpa get to about a 3.5 if possible. will that be in vain???

i have taken a large number of post bacc classes, that i think might be able to add up to another undergrad degree. if i were to do that, would they still be considered post bacc??

can anyone offer advice on what to do? what will the adcoms think?? if i could get a 35 or so mcat, are top tier schools possible or still completely out of the question??

thanks!

 

[BDB4U]

.......

 

[DoctorDoom]

For those students who went abroad the summer after their M1 year, do med schools ever offer study abroad programs, or offer research opportunities in other countries? I was hoping to be able to go abroad in the summer through some kind of program, but I was just wondering how realistic this is.

Definitely realistic. A friend who is a student now is taking a month on the beach and then a month-long clinical rotation in India. Many programs allow for clinical work abroad but research abroad is far more difficult, because of the time limitations.

Let me add, I spent my summer after MS1 living in London/Paris and partying my ass off. Then after summer of MS2 I was thoretically studying for Step 1 but really partying in NYC. Probably don't want to follow that "plan" too closely...

 

[azzarah]

Most people I know are doing research plus some clinical work.

 

[Xmulder]

I spent my summer after MS1 living in London/Paris and partying my ass off. Then after summer of MS2 I was thoretically studying for Step 1 but really partying in NYC. Probably don't want to follow that "plan" too closely...

Curious, several people have responded that they travelled and vacationed abroad for several months during some of their summer(s). How are you able to fund these trips? I thought most med students were up to their necks in debt....so how have you been able to take nice vacations in Europe? 😕 Or do people just have wealthy parents and have little to any debt during their 4 yrs in med school?

Perplexed, 🙂

The OP.

 

[DoctorDoom]

Curious, several people have responded that they travelled and vacationed abroad for several months during some of their summer(s). How are you able to fund these trips? I thought most med students were up to their necks in debt....so how have you been able to take nice vacations in Europe? 😕 Or do people just have wealthy parents and have little to any debt during their 4 yrs in med school?

Perplexed, 🙂

The OP.

You learn to save and to travel rough, or you stay with friends. By the time I got to med school I realized that an extra 3-5 grand for a great summer meant very little in terms of my ultimate debt load of 150K. So I borrowed extra and saved during the school year. Plus I took advantage of wealthy friends and their hospitality; not paying for lodging helps a bundle.

 

[ctaborda]

I would defenetly volunteer and work at a hospital... and research!

 

[karmon]

i plan on getting a paper route. although i might have to spend money to try to get my front tire fixed on my bicycle. 'you have to spend some to make some' is a quote i've heard a few times before. fortunately i have enough saved up through my birthday funds to be able to afford the fix.

 

[Xmulder]

bump

 

[Drprttygyrl4]

I am a M1 at Meharry Medical College SOM, and for the past two weeks everyone has been preaching about how important research is when applying to residency programs. However, I do not want to do research. So besides research, what other meaninful way can I spend my last summer. Is it possible to work in a clinic and gain some pre-clinical rotation. Or is it really beneficial to just have fun next summer (Becasue I am sure I will need it ). And how can I find out about such programs.

 

[pal7718]

If the application process is like this past year, then good luck getting into school, period. I applied to med school last year straight out of college with a 3.4 (admittedly my science was closer to 3.0) and a 33P MCAT--got into 1 out of 12 schools (Temple, which I'm happy with, but certainly not "top tier"). I'm not saying you'll do similarly--it is after all a crapshoot, and I suggest you shoot for 1-2 top tier schools just in case (I did)--but be realistic (not pessimistic !) about it.

 

[ItsNotATumor]

Sleep.... followed by sleeping... then napping... finally some more sleeping.
I'm trying to build up that sleep reserve in preparation for MS2.

 

[eripearson]

Though my summer (M1-M2) is not as jam packed and hopeless as Dentritic's suggestion...I'm keeping busy with research during the afternoons and evenings while prosecting most mornings...my advice...if you're going to read, read for fun...and if you like to read NeuroA and BRS for fun then that's your bag baby.

 

[Howard Roark]

between 1 and 2 you should study for USMLE STEP 1

good luck