JSK44 said:
I am curious, how much free time do you REALLY have during your first year? Everyone says we'll be spending every waking moment studying -- will we be? Or will we have tons of time to do other things on the side (research, personal, etc.)
And, (this is sort of random), when do you suggest is the best time for friends to come visit? (At the beginning of the year, right after a block exam, at the end of the year, etc). Thanks!!
Your amoun of free time really depends on you. Most of the free time is going to come the week after an exam. With exams spaced usually at 3-4 weeks, the first week after an exam I usually used to relax and get some other stuff done, and didn't do much outside of class, maybe some reading especially during anatomy (an hour a day outside class). The second week, I would read transcripts, take some notes on the reading, but not really bust myself too hard, which left a decent amount of time (1-2 hours, depending on the test). The week before a test i would buckle down, and really didn't do much else besides study (4-5 hours early in the week, to all afternoon/evening as the test gets closer). Thats ust how i have done it, and I haven't had a problem, but everyone is dffrent.
Also, anatomy is totally different than any other course. It requires a lot more time, and keeping up with it outside of class. However, if you put your time in during lab/class, it makes it a bit easier. Also, first semester it feels like you have a lot less time, because anatomy is so time consuming. Then, most days were like 9-3 or 9-4 with classes. In the second semester, class days are considerably shorter, and there is a lot more freedom to not go to lecture if you just want to read the transcript.
Bottom line, though, you can have a good amount of free time if you want, but thats going to be affected by how much you need/want to study and what kind of extracurriculars you get involved in. Some people start reading for the next exam the day of/after an exam, and hardcore study all the time. I can't do that, and since its pass/fail, I don't feel the pressure to do so.
As for when to have a friend visit, don't do it in the first two months. First off, you want to get adjusted to the corse load, etc. Its also good to get an idea of the city so you can show someone around. Also, its best to have them visit the Friday after an exam. Sometimes we have Fri exams, so then they could come in the afternoon, and you are pretty free to not care about school while they visit. Sometimes we have Monday exams, so if they come that Friday after the exam, you still can usually just not think about work for a weekend. But I would definitely suggest not having someone come anytime within a week before an exam. You won't have fun if you are thinking about the test you have to study for.
