planning traveling abroad around application cycle

tiedyeddog · May 4, 2010

Hey, I'm having a problem planning my off year. I graduated two months ago and I'm taking the MCAT in June and applying at the same time.

There is a program in Chile that pairs me up with a teaching institution from late February to middle of July. How badly will this interfere with my application cycle? When are most interviews all over with???

I'd love to teach in a spanish speaking country for a couple months in my off year. Anyone else do this and have information they could give me on something they did along those lines?

Thanks so much. 🙂

LizzyM · May 4, 2010

Most interviews take place between September and January with the tail end in Feb/March. Offers of admission start coming out in October and trickle out through March or April at schools that roll while others send a single batch of offers in March. You could have an offer well before you leave for Chile and at the very least, should have had most if not all of the interviews by then.

You'd just need to update your mailing address so that someone you trust would get offer letters that come by regular mail. You'll have internet access so you shouldn't have problems staying in touch with the States.

krs881 · May 8, 2010

I did my entire application and interviews while living abroad. with no problem. My employer agreed to me traveling a significant amount to interviews. The only difficulty I faced was the need to push back many interviews so that I could schedule them during the same trips. It sounds like you will be leaving only at the very end of the interview season, so my only advice would be to get your AMCAS and secondaries complete early so you don't get any late interview invites. Also, you will miss all second look weekends if you are in Chile through July and don't want to/can't travel back to the U.S.

You should definitely take this great opportunity or another similar one to live abroad while you can. In addition to giving you much more time to learn Spanish in a Spanish speaking country than you will have once in med school (max 3 mo summer of first year -- that is if you aren't already fluent), living abroad gives you a great perspective and teaches a unique type of humility. What about doing something health related, or some sort of community service while you are abroad? Seeing the way another health care system works and how people from another culture approach health in their own country, are also great experiences that you can't get at home!

Good luck and have fun!

JJMrK · May 8, 2010

That will probably work out, since your timing seems to be good and it's likely you'll get most of your interviews before your trip. Be prepared for the possibility of having to catch a flight back to the states for an interview, though.

Narmerguy · May 8, 2010

krs881 said:
I did my entire application and interviews while living abroad. with no problem. My employer agreed to me traveling a significant amount to interviews. The only difficulty I faced was the need to push back many interviews so that I could schedule them during the same trips. It sounds like you will be leaving only at the very end of the interview season, so my only advice would be to get your AMCAS and secondaries complete early so you don't get any late interview invites. Also, you will miss all second look weekends if you are in Chile through July and don't want to/can't travel back to the U.S.

You should definitely take this great opportunity or another similar one to live abroad while you can. In addition to giving you much more time to learn Spanish in a Spanish speaking country than you will have once in med school (max 3 mo summer of first year -- that is if you aren't already fluent), living abroad gives you a great perspective and teaches a unique type of humility. What about doing something health related, or some sort of community service while you are abroad? Seeing the way another health care system works and how people from another culture approach health in their own country, are also great experiences that you can't get at home!

Good luck and have fun!

I was thinking about doing this. But how can this be done without spending a fortune on plane tickets?

krs881 · May 9, 2010

Well, I live somewhere that there are often $300-400 tickets to the U.S. So not much different than flying within the U.S. Also, it was important enough to me that I was willing to make the investment, and felt that my application was strong enough that I could put off interviews for a month or so in order to group a few into one trip. Also, I work full time and can afford the flights, and my boss hired me with the knowledge I would have to travel for interviews. And all my interviews were fairly close to home and where I had lived in the US, so I got to visit family and friends.

However, in the end I really lucked out as I got an early acceptance to one of my top three schools, and had already interviewed at my other two top three (the only three schools I interviewed with)... and therefore canceled my other two trips planned for the rest of my interviews. I also was able to combine one interview with travel that I already had to do, and the other two were the same trip. All-in-all I cannot complain!

planning traveling abroad around application cycle

tiedyeddog

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LizzyM

the evil queen of numbers

krs881

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JJMrK

J to the J

Narmerguy

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krs881

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