Holidays

[chiggy]

I know this is a long way off but I am trying to think what I want to do in the summer holiday in 2006. Firstly, I am a first year med student and I was wondering during this first summer holiday (between years 1 and 2) whether there is a lot of work or obligations for your to do or are do you reasonably have nearly 3 months off where you juts need to try not and forget everything and do some reading up? Outside term time are you reasonably free to do other things or would it be difficult to go away for a month or so in the summer holiday before the second year?
Also, has anybody done a sort of a mini gap year in a month or 2 in their summer holiday like going abroad and doing some projects?
I just want to check because i have been looking around for projects becuase i don't want spend months at home doing very little but the trips obviously need to be planned quite far in advance and i am just worried that if i planned to go away for July for example, though being out of term time i might suddenly find i need to do something which would be an obvious difficultly if i have arranged to be abroad for a month. I am worried that i am dedicating a month to go abroad months in adavnce when i don't know it something might turn up.
Thank you for any advice.

[Diya]

There was no work for me last summer...unlucky if you have resits but even then, you should have a good 6weeks to do absolutely anything you wish.
P.S Make the most of it 'cos I hear after 2nd year, the summer holidays are 3/4weeks shorter!!! and it only gets shorter as the years go by

[S Knights]

As I recall there was no obligation to do anything during the summer holiday in first year (as long as you passed the exams of course, otherwise resits do rather become a priority). Depending on the length of term you might well end up with three or more months off, so it is quite possible - if you have the money and inclination - to go away and set up some sort of holiday project for yourself.

It is the ideal time to do such things, simply because the holiday is so long... When I was at that stage I went travelling around Europe for a month, and still had eight weeks to waste when I got back.

In terms of the amount of preparation required travelling might well be the easier option, because you don't have to have a set time to go (always an advantage if there is a chance that things might come up), but if you have your heart set on something else I think I'd be inclined to set it up - just try to avoid resit periods.