The time between your first and second year of medical school is typically called “The Last Summer.” That is because it is the last time you have little to do. There are no USMLE, residency applications, or, if all goes well, a job. Unfortunately, for my school, this was not 100% the case. The summer before my second year of med school was when we had our third term. This consisted of two courses: Ethics and Biostatistics and Immunology.
Even though I was in school, I was given a nice break before and after the start of the summer term. So, I booked a little getaway as a refresh. Being in medical school gives you little savings, but websites like Skyscanner helped me keep a budget and travel a bit throughout my studies. My studies were still online, but COVID-19 vaccines were coming out. After receiving my two doses, I felt safe enough to travel with precautions in place.
As for my third term, creating microbiology algorithms provided a nice visual when remembering what gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus and Streptococcus) or a single-stranded DNA virus (Parvovirus) on the exam. I found Randy Neil’s videos extremely helpful for the biostatistics portion of the term.
