Backpacking Europe in the middle of application cycle???

[MDurgs]

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Hey guys I really need your help! So basically my roommate and I were planning to backpack Europe this summer. We want to go for about a month, and most likely during July. However, I know July is the main month for secondary applications. I plan to have my entire application submitted as early as possible in June, so I'm betting on getting a lot of secondaries during July. I'm applying to 20-25 schools.

Is this trip going to mess up my chances of getting into medschool? Would you guys recommend not going? This is a trip of a life time for me and I'm super excited, but I didn't think about all the work that goes into submitting secondaries. If I go, I plan on compiling a list of previous secondary essay templates from the schools I am applying to and basically having them all completed before I leave for the trip so I can just submit them while in Europe.

Also, does taking the MCAT June 18th put me at a disadvantage at all?
Let me know what you guys think! (FYI I plan on going to Prague, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich, Rome, Ibiza, Dublin, Athens, and more!)

 

[veebo]

As long as you can get WiFi somewhere in the cities and spend some time doing your essays for the applications there you should be fine. I took the MCAT on July 9th and ended up being accepted you just might get your secondary applications later. Also I suggest a stop in Munich! I went there a couple summers ago for a month and a half and it was amazing!

 

[watermelon master]

Go on your trip after your secondaries. I really doubt you're going to find the time to work on them while you're backpacking.

Edit: Sorry I was somewhat quick to answer – if you are adamant on going on your trip in July then I highly recommend prewriting your secondaries. If you get on them early it is very possible to make your backpacking trip in July, however I recommend going in August because it's rare that an interview will be that early!

 

[MDurgs]

Thanks for your input! I cannot push the trip back into August because my roommate starts dental school in late August and wants to be home for a week or 2 before his classes begin. So the likely dates would be about June 20 - July 20 or July 5 - August 5. The only other option would be to go for 2-3 weeks instead of 4 (which is not ideal).

 

[watermelon master]

Thanks for your input! I cannot push the trip back into August because my roommate starts dental school in late August and wants to be home for a week or 2 before his classes begin. So the likely dates would be about June 20 - July 20 or July 5 - August 5. The only other option would be to go for 2-3 weeks instead of 4 (which is not ideal).

I would choose the earlier date and prewrite as many secondaries as you can. It is so important to turn in your secondaries as early as possible while still being of good quality. July5-August5 will be literally right in the middle of secondary season and I do not recommend that date.

 

[Frogger27]

Pre-Write your secondaries and periodically submit them when you have wifi once you receive them

 

[MDurgs]

It's just a compilation of places we both want to see! We have yet to make real/realistic itinerary. But thanks for the advice. My roommate is in an accelerated program so he only had 3 years of undergrad. If I go next year instead of this year he would not be able to go 🙁

 

[Mad Jack]

Hey guys I really need your help! So basically my roommate and I were planning to backpack Europe this summer. We want to go for about a month, and most likely during July. However, I know July is the main month for secondary applications. I plan to have my entire application submitted as early as possible in June, so I'm betting on getting a lot of secondaries during July. I'm applying to 20-25 schools.

Is this trip going to mess up my chances of getting into medschool? Would you guys recommend not going? This is a trip of a life time for me and I'm super excited, but I didn't think about all the work that goes into submitting secondaries. If I go, I plan on compiling a list of previous secondary essay templates from the schools I am applying to and basically having them all completed before I leave for the trip so I can just submit them while in Europe.

Also, does taking the MCAT June 18th put me at a disadvantage at all?
Let me know what you guys think! (FYI I plan on going to Prague, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich, Rome, Ibiza, Dublin, Athens, and more!)

Budapest>>>>>>>Prague. Stay at Retox if you want to have a good time and are okay with hostels. You can see everything good about Prague in a day, but the kind of fun you can have in Budapest you can lose weeks in.

Basically every hostel or hotel will have wifi of varying qualities. You can do everything you need to do, but be aware that if you get an early interview you might be in a tight spot.

 

[protego]

Have everything pre-written for your secondaries, and go to Europe. I spent the month of May and half of June in my application cycle backpacking in Europe and I don't regret it at all. My application was a little later than I would have liked but that was only because I didn't prepare properly.

 

[Mad Jack]

Any advice about things to do in Budapest?? I'll be there in a few months!!

The Turkish Baths (particularly if they're having a rave night), caving in the extensive cave system outside the city limits, going on one of the many free walking tours that show off the castles and architecture of the city, going on one of the late night boat tours on the Danube (the river view is amongst the best in the world at night), and hitting up the many unique bars and clubs the city has to offer. Just stay out of District 8 (it's basically a criminal enclave) and ask your hotel or hostel's staff for advice, they'll point you in the right direction and will generally cross off the places on your map you shouldn't be.

Or you could do things the easy way and stay at one of the Budapest party hostels (Retox, Grandio, Carpe Noctem, and Carpe Noctem II), they basically organize fun and chaos for you every night, but you have to be the sort of person that is down for that level of debauchery.

 

[turtles43]

You should definitely go! I spent the entire month of July in Costa Rica with WiFi access only here and there. I pre-wrote as many secondaries as I could. Whatever I couldn't finish before I left was put in a word document so that I could work on them even when I didn't have internet. I just submitted them when I had internet. I don't think a week or two will make that much of a difference. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Master_of_Savage]

I didn't prewrite anything and I was traveling through Eastern Europe + working on a farm in the Belgian countryside (but could bike 20 minutes to wifi at a cafe) from June-August. I wrote all of my secondary essays in cafes/hostels/on buses and trains when I was traveling. Specifically I got sick in Warsaw and wrote probably 80% of my essays in my hostel bed. As long as you can get to wifi you should be fine. What I did is I wrote down all of the topics + character limits when I did have wifi then when I didn't have wifi I wrote the actual essays. It can be inconvenient at times, but its very doable.

 

[leagueofDravenMD]

n=1 but I applied this cycle sending out completed secondaries late due to laziness, between early and mid August. I felt my application was strong but didn't get interview invities until right before thanksgiving. And then they all came at once. The anxiety between late September to mid November was REAL, and if you feel you have a strong application you will get in regardless, but its just a matter of when you will hear back. Interviewing when many acceptances were already given out just added to my interview jitters. Might be because I was an ORM, applied to too many high application volume schools, or because I was nontrad?(gap year) but it freaked me out.

If you have any schools you are going to apply to for sure, pre-write their secondaries, you can find them searching "(School X)2016-2017 tread" on sdn.

 

[pandamic]

Definitely go! I went abroad June- early August during my cycle. I just made sure I finished everything I could before leaving and prewrote some essays beforehand. I did end up pushing back 2 interviews that were scheduled for early August, but that wasn't too hard.

For the MCAT, that is a little late, although it probably won't be a problem. If you can take it in April or May instead that would be nice, but it's not the end of the world if you can't.

 

[deleted785918]

Your plan is perfect IMO. If you take the MCAT on June 18th, you won't even receive your score until a month later, which means med schools won't even process your application until then. I did this exact thing and didn't receive most secondaries until late in July/early August, and I received 9 IIs. Prewriting will probably make your life easier, but it's definitely not necessary (I didn't do it).

Take the MCAT, go to Europe for a month and forget about it, then come back and write your essays. Or pre-write a few of the most common topics beforehand. Don't write your essays in Europe; a month there is a short enough time, as is, and you should enjoy it to the fullest. But yeah I think your plan is totally doable in this timeline.