A semester abroad!!

[Rafael Cavalcan]

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hi everybody,
For all of you guys who went abroad for a semester, when is the best time to do that? I'm starting my sophmore year and I really wanna spend a semester in Brazil working in a public hospital. I'm originally from Brazil, so do you think it's a bad idea to do this in my home country? Would med school think I'm just going back to party and see my friends instead of dedicating my time to help people? I'm a biochem major and I really can't use any of my summers to do this, cuz I have things planned for all my summers already. I just don't wanna take a year off in between undergrad and med school and I also don't want my traveling to get in the way of my MCATs and the application process.

Thanks

 

[LadyBug9933]

I'm wondering the same thing!

anyone have any suggestions?!

 

[kreno]

First of all, *NO* it is NOT a bad idea... on the contrary, it's a very good idea! Getting in touch with your cultural roots, visiting friends and family (a *GOOD* thing, not abad thing... why would you think that?), and getting some good experiences to boot

But why only a semester? Why are you in such a rush to keep your schedule so organized and god-forbid you take a year off of school before med school?

Many people do study abroads for a semester, but a year-long experience is FAR more worthwhile... there is a big difference living in a country and really getting something out of it (whether it be volunteering, research, classes, cultural experience, etc) between 3.5-4 months and 11-12 months. HUGE.