Island Med Student

Since my recent post about my clinical rotation schedule, I’ve received a lot of emails about what to expect for a Ross schedule, and questions about when is the best semester to start.

Here is the short version. For a little background, most U.S. schools work on a two semester schedule, and usually only accept incoming students once a year in the fall. Hence, they don’t really have to decide when to start. For Ross, I would recommed starting as soon as you’re ready to begin, and not to worry about which semester (Winter, Spring, or Fall) is best. The reason being that there are so many variables involved. You might have to repeat a semester. You might have a reason to take a semester off. You might take months to study for the Steps. You might take only a short time to study. There are really so many variables involved that it’s better to just start right away, and worry about the schedule as it evolves. That’s my personal opinion. Obviously it all does eventually matter, and will affect when you graduate and which Residency Match you apply to. As an example, I will provide my schedule below. I would say that I am not a typical student. Most of the students who started in the same semester as I started are shooting to graduate later, and are applying to the 2011 Match. I’m trying to make the 2010 Match, so my schedule is a bit more packed. Here is what I did/am planning on doing:

Semester 1 Basic Science: Sept 2006 – Dec 2006
Semester 2 Basic Science: Jan 2007 – April 2007
Semester 3 Basic Science: May 2007 – Aug 2007
Semester 4 Basic Science: Sept 2007 – Dec 2007
Study for and Pass Comprehensive Shelf Exam (in order to sit for the USMLE Step 1): Dec 2007
Semester 5 Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine (in Miami or Dominica): Jan 2008 – April 2008
Study for and Pass the USMLE Step 1 Exam: April – May 2008
Complete Clinical Rotations and Pass the USMLE Step 2 CK and CS: June 2008 – March 2010
Graduate and Make the 2010 Match: March 2010

As you can now see, when you graduate really depends on so many things, especially including how long you take off to study for exams. If I had started in January or May of 2006, obviously it would have been a bit easier to make the 2010 Match. However, I could also have just taken more time off in between things (as many people do), which would have made me good to make the 2011 Match. Another thing to keep in mind is that you are only eligible to get federal student loan money when you are enrolled in classes, not studying for an exam. To get loans for those “in between” times, you have to go private.

Also, I wanted to answer another question, which is, “what do I want to be when I grow up?” I’m still not 100% sure yet. But I am definitely leaning strongly towards psychiatry right now. I am still entertaining emergency medicine and surgery, but psych is really calling to me right now.

I hope that helps some of you new Rossies out there!