Backpacking during big portion interview season

[yoyohomieg5432]

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I have been fortunate enough to be accepted at 2 medical schools. Both of which I think I'd be happy at attending. It has been a dream of mine to travel out of the country since I was a kid. I have the opportunity to go backpacking from the end of December until some time in March or early April with a couple buddies of mine and I've already purchased my plane ticket.

This obviously presents a huge dilemma to me because there are still a few schools that I'd love to hear back from and hopefully interview at and being gone for such a large portion of the interview cycle presents a big challenge. I feel that I'm relatively competitive at these schools, so the potential of an invite could be real.

Is there anything I can do to expedite the process of potentially getting an interview? I've sent out joint letter of interest/update letters to 3 schools this week and received notification that they'd been added to my file. I plan to send out a few more.

Should I talk to the school admissions? I didn't mention my backpacking trip in my update letters because I didn't want to lose a chance at consideration if they saw I'd be gone through a big part of the cycle. Ideally I'd like to interview before I leave. But, I'd be willing to suck up the cost and leave later or potentially come home a bit earlier to interview if it's a last resort.

In short: I'm in a major dilemma because I have a once in a life time opportuonity to travel with friends before years and years of med school/residency begin, but I also don't want to lose a shot at my top choice schools

 

[acceptedMD18]

Here's what's gonna happen bro:

If you go on the trip, you will receive those interview invites from your top schools while you are galavanting about Dubrovnik or Machu Pichu or Vietnam or wherever you're gonna go.

If you don't go on the trip, you will sit at home and you will be silently rejected from every school. This is just how the universe works, sorry.

Seriously, you're already in! Go on the trip!

 

[missdr10]

I agree with the above poster. ^

Maybe ask them to expedite your interviews for your convenience. I've heard of lots of applicants asking for expedited interviews so they could schedule flights/booking at the same time. I'm sure this wouldn't be too different.

Regardless, I would go on the trip. You're going to have regrets either way but I think the trip sounds amazing and you deserve to go after getting into not one. but two med schools!

 

[mcloaf]

Depends on how badly you want to go to those schools. You can call the schools and tell them you have pre-existing travel arrangements that will take you out of the country for an extended period of time and see if they could expedite your interview process, but I wouldn't necessarily expect them to be moved by that. This doesn't seem like a situation where you can have it both ways.

You could make reasonable arguments in either direction, and it's hard to say without knowing what the schools involved are. If these schools are really important to you then you could try to postpone your trip until the summer if possible. If you're already pleased with the schools you're accepted to then absolutely go on the trip.

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

so it wouldn't be totally unreasonable emailing admissions and saying that i'm going to be gone for like 3 months? how would i even approach that question? It seems kind of cocky or bossy if i say if you guys invite me to an interview please make it in november/december

another thing that concerns me is that in my AMCAS and secondaries i stated i'd be doing my full-time research until april then traveling europe. That obviously has changed since I'm planning to leave research early and go to asia. Would this be considered lying in my application? that was genuinely my plan up until like a month ago and it's pretty hard to see the future back in june.

 

[starlight15]

I'm in almost the exact same situation! Except not backpacking. Your trip sounds awesome, and definitely will be once in a lifetime. I also had a similar thread and someone mentioned contacting schools about my status but I'm not sure how to go about it either. I do think that people understand you don't know what you'll be doing in a year, so for amcas it should be fine. It's hard to anticipate how a cycle is going to go, especially at the beginning! Congrats on your acceptances though-doesn't it feel good to know early 😉

 

[starlight15]

Here's what's gonna happen bro:

If you go on the trip, you will receive those interview invites from your top schools while you are galavanting about Dubrovnik or Machu Pichu or Vietnam or wherever you're gonna go.

If you don't go on the trip, you will sit at home and you will be silently rejected from every school. This is just how the universe works, sorry.

Seriously, you're already in! Go on the trip!

Yeah... I can definitely see that happening to me haha.

 

[DokterMom]

Here's what's gonna happen bro:
If you go on the trip, you will receive those interview invites from your top schools while you are galavanting about Dubrovnik or Machu Pichu or Vietnam or wherever you're gonna go.
If you don't go on the trip, you will sit at home and you will be silently rejected from every school. This is just how the universe works, sorry.
Seriously, you're already in! Go on the trip!

This is how things work, unfortunately. To expand on this vein -- If you go without contacting them prior, they offer you a slot, you don't reply or can't go, you don't get in.

Worst case -- You write a "Will be leaving the country" update / request letter, they decide for whatever reason not to offer you an invitation, you don't get in. Whatever their reason is for not interviewing you - cocky tone, just missed their cutoff point, already full in November or December - whatever the reason is, they won't tell you, and in the end, it won't matter since the result is the same.

Best case -- You write that letter, they understand completely (sounds like a great opportunity, and you're right - once in a lifetime opportunity) - they take a look at your file and decide to offer you an interview. You might get in.

Really - You've got nothing to lose by asking.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

I've traveled around the world many times, it is MY PASSION. Going on January 6 to Feb 9 to backpack in Argentina, Peru and CHile. This medschool admission process has been so stressful, and planning for this trip is what is helping me keep it all in perspective. If I get my number 1 choice at my alma mater (looking at you U of M), but I'm out of the country, there is always residency.

College flew by, med school will fly by. Take what life has to offer, as I won't get the chance to spend 5 weeks once med school/residency starts. The rest of my 20s are gone. My Dad is a MD/PhD, and he says go for it, he regrets not doing more in his 20s but study. He is now a disgruntled academic, as grant funding has virtually dried up. He doesn't recommend PhD to anyone anymore (even though he went to school for 7 years tuition free). He's happiest taking care of patients, making a difference, and not just publishing crap and spouting platitudes at conferences, trying to make a name for himself. Watching the past 15 years of his career was the ultimate shadowing experience. Academic research/medicine, no thank you. Can't be good at both. Academic clinical medicine - yeah, but you are then a second class citizen in the academic hierarchy. Second class professor giving out first class care, YEAH!

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

This is how things work, unfortunately. To expand on this vein -- If you go without contacting them prior, they offer you a slot, you don't reply or can't go, you don't get in.

Worst case -- You write a "Will be leaving the country" update / request letter, they decide for whatever reason not to offer you an invitation, you don't get in. Whatever their reason is for not interviewing you - cocky tone, just missed their cutoff point, already full in November or December - whatever the reason is, they won't tell you, and in the end, it won't matter since the result is the same.

Best case -- You write that letter, they understand completely (sounds like a great opportunity, and you're right - once in a lifetime opportunity) - they take a look at your file and decide to offer you an interview. You might get in.

Really - You've got nothing to lose by asking.

this is true. I just know that a lot of schools probably have interviews in January and February by now and if they read an email I'm gone in january they will just say "oh he'll be gone, sorry." but, if I were given an interview in January or beyond without me sending them an email in advance asking for consideration and then I tell them my situation maybe they would try to work with me and fit me in? Is it ever possible to squeeze in another person to a "full" interview day? Or keep a list of applicants that would like to interview earlier in case someone else cancels their interview?

 

[DokterMom]

As acceptances begin to roll in, people DO cancel their interview spots. You've got nothing to lose by trying.

 

[JGimpel]

If you're 100% OK with going to either of the schools that you're already accepted to, pick one of them, send in your deposit then get on one of the last vacations of more than a few days that you'll get for many years. I'm jealous of you already.

If you still want to go to any other school, postpone your trip until after you're ready to decide. Changing travel plans now to postpone them may cost a bit of money, but if it saves you from regretting a decision that may affect the rest of you career (it probably won't, so you're OK) then it's a cheap peace of mind for you to buy.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Why can't you go between March and August 2014?

Also, #firstworldproblems

 

[darkjedi]

Very strong advocate of travel, so definitely do it since you already have 2 acceptances in hand. This is one of your last chances of your 20's to really take this amount of time off and be able to travel and backpack like this so take advantage of it.

You can definitely try politely emailing schools letting them know that you would be out of the country starting in Jan and see if they work with you. Additionally, if our dream school decides to interview you in the spring anyway, you wouldn't be the first person to fly internationally to make an interview.

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

Why can't you go between March and August 2014?

Also, #firstworldproblems

everyone has already purchased plane tickets. one friend starts a full-time job in april. and it will be the cool season dec-april in asia otherwise it gets very hot

 

[kyamh]

OP, everyone has priorities...we can't really advise you about what your values ought to be. Plenty of people have said that you should take advantage of the opportunity. Personally, I wouldn't risk feeling 100% confident that I chose the best medical school for me for a trip - I have worked too hard to get here. I'm not really sure what you are looking for.

 

[nemo123]

This is how things work, unfortunately. To expand on this vein -- If you go without contacting them prior, they offer you a slot, you don't reply or can't go, you don't get in.

Worst case -- You write a "Will be leaving the country" update / request letter, they decide for whatever reason not to offer you an invitation, you don't get in. Whatever their reason is for not interviewing you - cocky tone, just missed their cutoff point, already full in November or December - whatever the reason is, they won't tell you, and in the end, it won't matter since the result is the same.

Best case -- You write that letter, they understand completely (sounds like a great opportunity, and you're right - once in a lifetime opportunity) - they take a look at your file and decide to offer you an interview. You might get in.

Really - You've got nothing to lose by asking.

Second this. You could always send some update letters to the schools saying you're going to be backpacking (maybe use a better word?) through Asia and so you'll be out of the country later this year. Once you send that letter in, some schools might expedite the review process for you and you might be able to snatch some interview invites if they are interested enough. I've met someone who got a research fellowship for a semester in Germany (pretty prestigious) on the interview trail, and he said that he would be out of the country between late September and Christmas. Basically, he pushed most of his interviews until January.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

Okay, the worst scenario, I received an interview invite for U of M during January/February while I'm gone to S. America. Asking very politely if I can interview in December while I'm still in the country. We'll keep you posted on what they say. Already have an acceptance at another instate school, but this would be my top choice. First world problems, ha ha ha

 

[Great White Buffalo]

Okay, the worst scenario, I received an interview invite for U of M during January/February while I'm gone to S. America. Asking very politely if I can interview in December while I'm still in the country. We'll keep you posted on what they say. Already have an acceptance at another instate school, but this would be my top choice. First world problems, ha ha ha

WOW, U of Michigan is the BEST!! The person from michigan alternate medical school interviews called me, I will be talking to her soon. They are very responsive to prospective student's conflicts. GO BLUE!!

 

[darkjedi]

WOW, U of Michigan is the BEST!! The person from michigan alternate medical school interviews called me, I will be talking to her soon. They are very responsive to prospective student's conflicts. GO BLUE!!

From general SDN sentiment, it seems like UMich is famous for being very communicative/responsive to applicants. Seems like a lot of schools can learn from them.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

From general SDN sentiment, it seems like UMich is famous for being very communicative/responsive to applicants. Seems like a lot of schools can learn from them.

They are giving me a "special" date on Dec 18 just for me. WOW, don't know what to say, other than the gods are smiling on me today. GO BLUE FOREVER (hopefully). U of M is the best.

 

[Brunost]

I'm a big advocate of travel as well and really glad I fit in a world trip before getting back on the med school track. You can have it both ways really, if you're not on a super shoestring budget. As someone else suggested, just go on the trip, and if you get an II at a school you're keen on, just schedule an interview and book a flight back. Plus, when booking such tickets, a return ticket is usually cheaper than one way (weird, I know), so you'd be able to fly back to Asia and sync up with buddies. Interview attire can be rented on-location cheap for a single day.