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- Aug 4, 2014
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Hi!
I'm currently a junior Biology major hoping to go to vet school. I've been considering studying abroad in Australia for a semester but I'm not 100% sure if I should. I could either go there this spring or next fall but I see some pros and cons to each. For the spring, I would be missing out on an entire semester of shadowing experience with the vets I've been working with this year, which makes me worry about them forgetting about my experiences for rec letters in the fall (though I could start up shadowing again when I return in June). Studying abroad in the spring would also mean I'd have to take Physics II a full year after taking Physics I (not sure if this is a terrible idea or not). But...I've heard spring of junior year is the best time to study abroad usually.
However, if I studied abroad in the fall, I would be out of the country during all of the application shenanigans (I could try to get everything done the summer before). I'm only planning on applying to my in state school, which doesn't host interviews until January, so that wouldn't be a problem. I'd also still be missing out on that semester of shadowing but I could potentially ask for the rec letters the summer before I leave...
Finally, none of the courses I took overseas would count toward vet school prereqs (I emailed the school). I could still potentially take some science courses, but it would mostly be core courses for my degree. Not sure if this would hurt my app.
Sorry for all the details! I guess the bottom line is, would it be wise to study abroad this close to applying? And if so, which semester would be a better time to do it?
Thanks!
I'm currently a junior Biology major hoping to go to vet school. I've been considering studying abroad in Australia for a semester but I'm not 100% sure if I should. I could either go there this spring or next fall but I see some pros and cons to each. For the spring, I would be missing out on an entire semester of shadowing experience with the vets I've been working with this year, which makes me worry about them forgetting about my experiences for rec letters in the fall (though I could start up shadowing again when I return in June). Studying abroad in the spring would also mean I'd have to take Physics II a full year after taking Physics I (not sure if this is a terrible idea or not). But...I've heard spring of junior year is the best time to study abroad usually.
However, if I studied abroad in the fall, I would be out of the country during all of the application shenanigans (I could try to get everything done the summer before). I'm only planning on applying to my in state school, which doesn't host interviews until January, so that wouldn't be a problem. I'd also still be missing out on that semester of shadowing but I could potentially ask for the rec letters the summer before I leave...
Finally, none of the courses I took overseas would count toward vet school prereqs (I emailed the school). I could still potentially take some science courses, but it would mostly be core courses for my degree. Not sure if this would hurt my app.
Sorry for all the details! I guess the bottom line is, would it be wise to study abroad this close to applying? And if so, which semester would be a better time to do it?
Thanks!