As much as I love medical school and adore my classmates, sometimes the inevitable turn of conversation back to systolic murmurs and megaloblastic anemia can be overwhelming. After spending the whole day at school — learning, studying, and hanging out with other medical students — being with your non-medical significant other is like a breath of clean, non-anatomy-lab-smelling air. My boyfriend reminds me that there’s more to life than medicine. It would be too easy to get caught up in 24/7 medical school and forget that the rest of the world has other interests. Going through the long process of becoming a physician with a medical significant other has its appeals, but if your perfect match is non-medical, your relationship will add welcome relief, diversity, and fun to your otherwise very med school-oriented life.
— Rachel G., M1
Dating outside medical school adds much-needed variety to a medicine-centered life. In a time when you see the same classmates every day and you all worry about the same issues and events, it’s really refreshing to bond with people outside of medicine. The stress and time constraints of outside relationships might be tough at times, but they’re reminders of all the other important things besides your upcoming exams. You’ll soon be able to tell if you and your significant other are up for the challenge.
— Colton G., M1