MD Journey » Summer http://mdjourney.com Thoughts on medicine and life during the medical school journey Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:14:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 5 Powerful Summer Goals For Pre Med Students http://mdjourney.com/5-powerful-summer-goals-for-pre-med-students http://mdjourney.com/5-powerful-summer-goals-for-pre-med-students#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:21:00 +0000 Steve http://premedjourney.com/5-powerful-summer-goals-for-pre-med-students

Congratulations on finishing the school year! Here are some simple yet powerful goals to work on during the summer.

    Relax
    While it’s natural to want to avoid boredom during the summer, being just as busy as during the school year defeats the purpose of a break. The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college I worked 20 hours a week and took a full year of Anatomy and Physiology. It was terrible. At the end of my Junior year I was burnt out. Do not do this. Find time to relax, read some good books, go on a vacation and give that brain a little well deserved rest.
    Get Medical Experience.
    Volunteer at a non-profit clinic, clean rooms in a hospital, shadow your family physician or try to find a job as an ER Scribe. The point is not to bolster your application but rather to better understand medicine and to be sure it is the right path for you.
    Find A Mentor.
    I wrote about this a while back. Mentors can challenge and inspire you. One mentor I met with has gone on over 30 medical mission trips (recently returning from Haiti). Talking with him always reminded me why I wanted to go into medicine. Take the summer to think about who might best mentor you and respectfully ask them.
    Read Medical Blogs.
    There are excellent physician and medical student blogs out there. It’s a great way to get an unfiltered perspective on medicine from the eyes of those actually practicing it. A few of my favorite are ER Stories, Vitum Medicinus, KevinMD, Med School Memoir, Agraphia and Jae Won Joh.
    Reflect.
    Take some time to think about the past school year. What study habits worked for you? Is there a subject that particularly interested you that you may want to do some research on? What were the highs and lows of the year?
    After reflecting on the past year, take some time to consider the coming school year. If you want to bump up your GPA, what grades will you have to get in your classes to meet your goal? If you’re going to take the MCAT, what is your ideal score? How can you simplify your life to reduce stress?

Working on these simple goals over the summer will help you have a great start to the next year. Do you have any other goals for the summer?

]]> http://mdjourney.com/5-powerful-summer-goals-for-pre-med-students/feed 2 18 Ideas for an Enjoyable Summer http://mdjourney.com/18-ideas-for-an-enjoyable-summer http://mdjourney.com/18-ideas-for-an-enjoyable-summer#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 11:37:00 +0000 Steve http://premedjourney.com/18-ideas-for-an-enjoyable-summer

Summer break has either started or is coming very soon for you. Here are 18 ideas to take advantage of your free time during the summer. Some have to do with being pre med, but most are just about enjoying life!

Start a blog. It’s fun, everyone and their mom does it, why not you?

Read. Fiction, nonfiction, comic books. It doesn’t matter. Just pick your favorite spot and relax.

Build something with your hands. It can be very satisfying.

Take a class. Don’t take a full year of A&P over the summer though, trust me, it sucks.

Volunteer. Medical, non-medical, just make sure it’s something you’re interested in.

Play Ultimate Frisbee.

Run a Marathon.

Start a Happiness Project.

Simplify your life. Get rid of things you do not use or need. Talk less, listen more.

Plant a garden. Healthy and fun.

Do some soul searching. Ask yourself, “Is my life going in the direction I want it to? Am I maturing as a human?”

Go camping and roast marshmallows.

Go on a bike tour.

Buy a Lonely Planet Guide to your city or state and explore places you’ve never been before.

Write a letter to yourself and do not open it for a year, or five.

Backpack. Anywhere, just make sure you’re only surviving with what you’re carrying.

Do a research project.

Take a vacation. You deserve it, right?

Share some of your ideas in the comments below!

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Summer Medical and Dental Education Program

Apply for the Summer Medical And Dental Education Program, a great opportunity for pre med and pre dental students. For all the details check out the site here.

Here is a brief overview:
-The program is a free (tuition, room and board included) 6 week educational experience for those interested in medicine or dentistry. This includes some clinical exposure as well as information on financial aid and career development.
-There are 12 program sites at these schools:
Case Western Reserve University
Columbia University
Duke University
Howard University
University of California-Los Angeles
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical and New Jersey Dental
University of Louisville
University of Nebraska
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Texas-Houston
Yale University

-Application closes March 1st, 2010.

Has anyone participated in this program? Care to share experiences?

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