How long is each semester?

[Tellorn]

How is it people graduate in 4 years if you need 9.5 semesters to graduate?

[tRmedic21]

16 wks per semester, 3 semesters per year.

[sohomale]

it doesn't seem like 2 weeks is enough time to recuperate from a semester's worth of stress. What do most U.S. med students do during their summers besides accrue more interest on their student loans?

[AUCMD2006]

is enough time...by 4th semester you fell like youve gotte the crap beat out of you....right now i feel like all life has been sucked out of me i don't care about anything anymore i am so tired of studying 7 days a week even when you leave this place it takes 2 days to travel back and forth so you only have six days or so home.....i hate this 3 semester business it should be like sgu where you get summer off but then the cash cow would be dry for four months for all the owners and businesses in the area that depend on our hard borrowed money....am i bitter? sure as hell gettin there

[sohomale]

I agree with you rrod..... if there was a clear benefit to a 3 versus a 2 semester program I would suck it up but it seems like you really end borrowing roughly the same amount of money less some accrued interest and some living expenses (not necessarily comparing to SGU which costs more than any other school) and after studying for the USMLE 1 and 2...end up finishing roughly in the same 4 years..... only difference is that the 2 semester students are less burnt out and maybe have retained more info since it was less intensive and stressful. Obviously, it pays for AUC to have 3 semesters versus 2 b/c that means there will be more students rotating through the curriculum...all comes down to $$$$. Actually, students in a 2 semester program most likely have an opportunity to do some quality research during their summers which helps them land a better residency.

I wonder if it would be possible to stretch out your time at AUC if one opted to... of course it would be awkward jumping to another entering class every other semester...also there are no research opps and I am sure you would lose your mind on the island with 3 months of nothing to do.

[anencephalic]

Actually, students in a 2 semester program most likely have an opportunity to do some quality research during their summers which helps them land a better residency.

AUC has opportunities to pursue research currently in the fields of Anatomy, Histology, and Microbiology. Several students are gaining research experience, publishing papers, and presenting research at symposia in the US and abroad.

Aloha,