Applying to Medical School while in Peace Corps

Please excuse me if this has been posted somewhere else. If it has please send me the link. I've been searching for a while and haven't had much luck.

Anyways, I just got my Peace Corps placement--I'm an MPH/MI--and I'm wondering for those RPCVs out there, particularly those who were stationed in Latin America, how was your experience in applying to medical school while in service?

I'm scheduled to write the MCAT next week and am hoping to put my application in 2011 or 2012--it will depend on my score, hopefully I won't have to take it again!

Congrats on your PC placement! Where will you be going?
I lived in two PCV-receiving countries in Latin America while doing my entire application. It can be done, although I was not in PC, so did not have travel restrictions during interview season. I've described my situation a bit in this thread.

From way back when I investigated the possibility of applying to PC I remember there were tons of blogs of current PCVs and other websites, I'm sure there are ways for you to hook up with people who applied to med school during or after who could answer your questions. Maybe even email your country director to ask for contacts?

As a non PCV I think I could comment on the following: In terms of communication, only in very particular regions of certain countries will you have trouble getting internet service. I'm sure your PC country office will have info for you about this if you don't know already. With the proliferation of cell phones, networks, and USB pay-by-the-hour wifi service in latin america, submitting the app and being in touch with advisors, med schools etc most likely will not be a problem. In most places, if you have cell phone service you have internet service as well. However, you will want to do everything EXTRA EARLY cause one thing that is very common in most places PCVs are stationed, is the unexpected set back to anything you may have planned to do, be-it power outages, transportation strikes, natural disasters, an internet cafe randomly closing, cell phone service going out for a couple hours, the list goes on. You'll need a parent or someone else of confidence to help you out whenever you need to deal with paper copies -- like sending checks for transcripts requests, etc.

I would think that your main concern will be how to pay for and make time for interviews.

feel free to PM me. Good luck!!