Does extensive world travel experience make one stand out?

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vokey588

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Hi,
I won't get into my entire resume but come app time, I will have a competitive application.

LizzyM and others knowledgeable about this business emphasize making one's application stand out for the rest. I was just wondering if significant world travel (meaning travel to non-Western countries) falls into the category of application items that stand out? I should note that I am NOT doing this travel to stand out, only because I love to experience different cultures.

Last summer I did an 8-week medical internship in Ghana at a community hospital. This summer I will be studying abroad for 6 weeks in India. I plan on taking a gap year before medical school and during that time I plan to travel through either SE Asia or S America for about 6-8 weeks. During the rest of the year I'm looking to get a short-term government or green-tech job.

Do travel experiences such as these make one's application stand out? Thanks!
 
I'm so jealous! I love to travel too!

I think anything you do can make you stand out, it all depends on how you sell it and integrate it as part of your story. It will all depend on if you can explain why whatever it is you're doing abroad, or why going abroad for the sake of going abroad, shows you will be a great doctor!

Good luck!
 
Extensive world travel would stick out as a sign of wealth and privilege, to me. But that's just one person's take on it. I'm sure many of the people who travel the world extensively are not wealthy, but the human mind is a generalizing mind, and that's the generalization *I* would make.
 
Extensive world travel would stick out as a sign of wealth and privilege, to me. But that's just one person's take on it. I'm sure many of the people who travel the world extensively are not wealthy, but the human mind is a generalizing mind, and that's the generalization *I* would make.

I have the same first impression when I hear this. World travel ain't cheap.
 
So someone with the means traveled to different countries and gained a global perspective in doing so? Then all the better! It's not something that should be held against that person but rather seen as something that adds to the diversity of the incoming class.

Edited to remove irrelevant ideas 😛
 
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Extensive world travel would stick out as a sign of wealth and privilege, to me. But that's just one person's take on it. I'm sure many of the people who travel the world extensively are not wealthy, but the human mind is a generalizing mind, and that's the generalization *I* would make.

I have the same first impression when I hear this. World travel ain't cheap.

I can see how this generalization gets made, but I respectfully disagree.

As an applicant, I would put it on the EC section if 1) it's medically related or 2) to account for a significant amount of time. I'm going to put it on my list of activities because I enjoy it and have spent so much time doing it. Plus if I don't, it will appear that I've spent entire summers doing nothing.

I'm curious to know how LizzyM has come across travel experiences on applications.
 
I can see how this generalization gets made, but I respectfully disagree.

As an applicant, I would put it on the EC section if 1) it's medically related or 2) to account for a significant amount of time. I'm going to put it on my list of activities because I enjoy it and have spent so much time doing it. Plus if I don't, it will appear that I've spent entire summers doing nothing.

I'm curious to know how LizzyM has come across travel experiences on applications.

I second this. When I hear "extensive world travel", my mind does not immediately jump to the conclusion that the person comes from a privileged background.

Maybe I'm biased because of my own background 😉 Parents are immigrants, yada yada. I've traveled back to the country I was born in several times, spending the summer months there. The last time I was there, I taught English to local children. I've also studied a foreign language in another country (3rd world) for several months, using $ I saved from a job I had post-graduation. It was a dream of mine to study the language so I saved up $$ and did it. I gained so much from that experience. None of these experiences I've had were superficial or touristy or due to a "privileged background."

I know classmates who have similarly saved up $$ and backpacked around the world, etc. They weren't wealthy, they got by through things like teaching English, etc. They got a lot out of the experiences.

It all depends on where you're traveling to and what you're doing while you're there. If it's something like just joining an organized tour group, riding buses around and seeing sites, that's one thing. If you're there studying or working and really spend substantive time there involved in the culture and with the people, it's something else, entirely. I don't even think the Adcoms really care whether these travel experiences are medically related. I mean, it can't hurt if they are. But I think what's more important is how much these experiences really bespeak of one's exposure to and interaction with foreign cultures. I think foreign language skills and facility with foreign cultures are always valued. And also there's no substitute for the life experience of LIVING in a foreign country (beyond visiting for a week or two). So in that sense, personally I would rate studying in or working in a foreign country more highly than other forms of travel in terms of usefulness towards med school application. Jmo.
 
If it is something that you love, if it has contributed to your desire to become a doc, if you've spend lots of time doing it, if you've invested alot of work into it...why not put it down? Who is to say what a worthy activity is and what isn't? It all depends on how you present it.

For example, I am sure it will help you become a culturally competent physician who will be able to better identify and work with patients that might require special cultural considerations.

I think there are way too many people (not just applicants) who have never experienced a world outside their own and I think travelling is a great way to realize that there are other worlds out there besides your own.
 
And yes, I think it will make you stand out to a certain degree. 😀 I've heard from a couple applicants now that they traveled out of state for the first time for their medical school interviews.
 
And yes, I think it will make you stand out to a certain degree. 😀 I've heard from a couple applicants now that they traveled out of state for the first time for their medical school interviews.

I think it's incredible how untraveled some folks are.
 
Not everyone's parents can pick up the tab for flights across the country or around the world...

Yes. I can only hope that someday I can provide opportunities for my children that were never provided to me.
 
They probably don't hurt your application, and if they influence your perspectives on medicine, then definitely include them in your personal statement... but I wouldn't try to sell your application on that travel experience alone (i.e. "I want to be a doctor because I went to Ghana and India and South America"). Eight week trips provide a great exposure to a new setting, but they don't provide immersion in a foreign culture the way studying/living abroad can, and you'll be competing against the people who managed to start a clinic in sub-Saharan Africa in their spare time.

I've spent considerable time overseas as well (about 14 months since graduating from high school), primarily through study abroad and visiting my parents' home country, and both those experiences were great conversation topics at interviews, especially since I am interested in international health.
 
I guess I should have elaborated on how my travel was/will be paid for to not seem like I was overly entitled. My trip to Ghana was partially paid for with a scholarship. Study abroad in India will be paid for by my parents but my merit scholarship is really what allows them to put down the money for things like this. And for the trip to SE Asia/S America, the whole point of working for that year is to save up enough money to go travel.
 
i think if you experienced something special, or present it in the right way, it could help.

putting it down simply in your app that you went to xyz will not help. elaborate your experiences (if you think it deserves to be!)



on a side note, where do most premeds want to go?

for me its:
1. cuba (not the base)
2. egypt
3. israel/palestine
 
"World Travel" can mean anything from an extended vacation to exotic resorts, to mission trips, to (in my case) spending a year at university in Europe because it was cheaper than staying at my college for that year.

Also, medical school can also be seen as something to do with "wealth and privilege".

This prejudice made me bristle a little.
 
word, SDN can be so quick to jump on people sometimes. but, traveling can be quite expensive though. if you are actually thinking about working entry-level for a year (esp a govt job) and using the money you save to travel for 2 months, the finances should be really stressful if you are paying for your own housing/utils/bills/apps/hookers/etc. those of us who graduated and are currently doing all that, and paying back our undergrad loans are a bit grumpy right now (just got home from work) because we wish we could be traveling too!

yea idk, just enjoy yourself man and be thankful that you live in the united states. keep an eye out for things like how a foreigner could get citizenship, healthcare for the poor, how people pay (most of the world is cash/no loans), etc. ive been to 30ish countries and lived in 4 so far (parents moving moving/home being destroyed), and i have to say, NYC is still the only city that has ever impressed me.

come back a happier, thoughtful, and more well-rounded person and that should just help you out on a daily basis!
 
Some schools like certain types of students. More than half of students accepted to Northwestern Med School have spent sometime overseas.

The idea that adcoms may be prejudiced against privilege and wealth is just absolutely ridiculous. If you are a student with the academic qualifications to get admitted to medical school, any experience and knowledge acquired by traveling around the world can only enhance your attractiveness as an applicant. Your whole class would benefit from diversity. Top medical schools want those students.
 
Some schools like certain types of students. More than half of students accepted to Northwestern Med School have spent sometime overseas.

The idea that adcoms may be prejudiced against privilege and wealth is just absolutely ridiculous. If you are a student with the academic qualifications to get admitted to medical school, any experience and knowledge acquired by traveling around the world can only enhance your attractiveness as an applicant. Your whole class would benefit from diversity. Top medical schools want those students.

Student A: 3.7+ gpa, everything is pretty solid, parents paid for everything, never had to work, never had any problems at home, everything was perfect and parents pretty much mapped out your life for you, you just had to follow through with it. You spend your time traveling because you dont really have to worry about anything else.

Student B: 3.7+ gpa, everything is pretty solid, had to either work to pay for school, had problems at home, had to take care of someone, but still managed to handle everything and spent their free time doing community service.

Student B has already demonstrated that when things get tough, they rise to the occasion and are even willing to sacrifice their time for their community.

Student A has not, instead of Extensive traveling (not just regular traveling) you could have taken up EC's that would benefit the community and show that you could continuously handle being under pressure.

This is just an example of how someone might see this situation when comparing applicants. They also might see if the way you described, I dont know.
 
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Hi,
I won't get into my entire resume but come app time, I will have a competitive application.

LizzyM and others knowledgeable about this business emphasize making one's application stand out for the rest. I was just wondering if significant world travel (meaning travel to non-Western countries) falls into the category of application items that stand out? I should note that I am NOT doing this travel to stand out, only because I love to experience different cultures.

Last summer I did an 8-week medical internship in Ghana at a community hospital. This summer I will be studying abroad for 6 weeks in India. I plan on taking a gap year before medical school and during that time I plan to travel through either SE Asia or S America for about 6-8 weeks. During the rest of the year I'm looking to get a short-term government or green-tech job.

Do travel experiences such as these make one's application stand out? Thanks!

Things like this can be viewed as positives if you are able to articulate what you learned from these experiences, especially if the work you did ties into a more general interest in international medicine, public health, working with underserved populations, etc. (although there are ample opportunities to do the latter two here in this country). Travel you have done for personal interest/vacation is fine to mention during an interview when asked about hobbies or non-academic activities but really doesn't have much of a place on an app. Also, I don't know if I would characterize a few 6-8 week medical mission/study abroad experiences as "extensive international travel." I had probably travelled abroad about that much before med school and still did not consider myself to be some sort of world traveller (and I am far from rich or privileged, I just prioritized travelling above other things and spent the money I saved accordingly and did things on the cheap).

There are at least half a dozen people in my class who did Peace Corps, plus many others who lived/worked abroad in a variety of contexts for >1 year at some point. You should realize that while many people in the US never venture further abroad than Canada, the subset of educated, often upper-middle class young adults that constitutes the medical school applicant pool will be considerably better traveled than this and many will actually have had substantial international experiences involving living and working in other countries for lengthy time periods. Describing a few 1-2 month trips abroad as "extensive international experience" may not cast your application in the best light as there will likely be many applicants with much more extensive experiences; if you mention these, focus instead on what you gained from them and how they tie into your larger goals and interests in medicine. This is not to minimize your experiences, just to put them in perspective. Good luck with your application.
 
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it annoys me that these doctors on the adcom evaluating you make it harder for an applicant from a privileged background to get in when they themselves are raising their own kids in privileged backgrounds. hypocrites.
 
Student A: 3.7+ gpa, everything is pretty solid, parents paid for everything, never had to work, never had any problems at home, everything was perfect and parents pretty much mapped out your life for you, you just had to follow through with it. You spend your time traveling because you dont really have to worry about anything else.

Student B: 3.7+ gpa, everything is pretty solid, had to either work to pay for school, had problems at home, had to take care of someone, but still managed to handle everything and spent their free time doing community service.

Student B has already demonstrated that when things get tough, they rise to the occasion and are even willing to sacrifice their time for their community.

Student A has not, instead of Extensive traveling (not just regular traveling) you could have taken up EC's that would benefit the community and show that you could continuously handle being under pressure.

This is just an example of how someone might see this situation when comparing applicants. They also might see if the way you described, I dont know.

Jumping in here....

While I see your point, part of your thinking is flawed from the perspective that ADCOMS will never know some of those details you describe. I never wrote about my parents paying/not paying for things, or troubles/lack of troubles at home, etc anywhere on my app. And I would venture to say that this would be true for most applicants as well. The ones who do disclose that information are at the extreme end, as in those with really extroadinary family problems or financial difficulties.

I didn't have room for my traveling experiences in my EC section, because they were filled with volunteering, leadership, etc. I talked about some of my travel in interviews, but that was about it. I doubt it was ever a deciding factor, and I've had some pretty cool experiences abroad.

And I agree with Mistress S, "extensive world travel experience" is not at all what the OP has. I know of people who have backpacked around multiple continents for a whole year; now that's extensive travel experience.
 
If you want it you can make it happen. here's how:

Get a job at resort type place very far away. Free board so save everything you earn there. Meet as many people as you can, have an awesome time. Ask people about their lives and LISTEN--you learn so much more by listening. A couple months later when things get boring, get a new job through one of your new friends in another far away place you've never heard of.

The most important thing is not having a plan!!!, and being able to let go of that and make the most of the present. There is nothing more exhilirating than waking up not knowing where you will sleep that night, only that you are going to live this day like it's your last and go wherever seems interesting.

I think it's incredible how untraveled some folks are.


Except some people actually have responsibilities that tie them down here......not everyone has the money, time, or freedom to just go prancing around the world aimlessly for a few months.
 
Except some people actually have responsibilities that tie them down here......not everyone has the money, time, or freedom to just go prancing around the world aimlessly for a few months.

Seriously. I actually wanted to do one of those volunteer for a week trips to Belize. It would cost upward of $6500. That is amazing, almost as much as a quarter's worth of tuition. People at my university tell me a lot of people volunteer abroad and that volunteering abroad makes an application stronger. I never really used to believe them, but I'm wondering how much of an effect that volunteeering abroad can have.
 
Except some people actually have responsibilities that tie them down here......not everyone has the money, time, or freedom to just go prancing around the world aimlessly for a few months.

Word. Apropos of nothing, it appears to me that medical school admission is getting more ridiculous every year. What a friggin' poodle circus it has now become if going to Ghana to provide ineffectual medical care makes a dime's worth of difference in how you will provide ineffectual medical care in the United States. In the Melanoleucaverse, if you mentioned foreign travel in an interview your interviewer would stop you and say, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with practicing internal medicine in Des Moines."

Traveling is kind of ridiculous if you are "searching" for something other than fun. People are the same everywhere, the food is just different and hygeine standards vary considerably. Either that or you are travelling for some ghoulish fascination with the suffering of others or some misplaced idea that you can make a difference which you can't.
 
it annoys me that these doctors on the adcom evaluating you make it harder for an applicant from a privileged background to get in when they themselves are raising their own kids in privileged backgrounds. hypocrites.

Let me tell you something about privilege: No matter where you come from or how privileged your upbringing, when you start rotating in the hospital as a medical student or a resident it won't make a difference. The daughter of a millioniare will be sticking her fingers in the same feces encrusted rectums as anybody else and dealing with the same idiot patients. Good upbringing and breeding is an advantage in a situation like this because almost by definition, somebody who has money and doesn't need this ridiculous job but does it anyway is a better person than somebody who does and this will show.
 
👎 I used to think like this until I realized that it IS possible to go wherever you want if you save up your money, know enough of the locals, and make smart decisions. My family is not rich and I used to be jealous of friends going on extravagant vacations until I stopped whining and figured out how to make it happen.

You don't need to pay a program six G's to work for free!!

Yeah, I agree. I spent 3+ months in a 3rd world country for under 2k (including plane ticket). And what Lizzy said about traveling in a country/supporting local economy is a superb point too. Those medical mission type programs are great experiences, but yeah, for one thing they're often expensive. For another, they tend to be highly organized-- go do X thing at Y time with a bunch of other foreigners in tow.

When you travel by yourself and are forced to arrange/organize everything by yourself, you are forced to interact more with the local culture and you learn more as a result, I think. And you learn not just the language/culture, but also how to be independent on how to problem solve. You also learn more about yourself. It's a great experience to travel by oneself. I highly recommend it. In fact, I wish I had done so earlier on in my life, say in high school... I think it would've made me more mature and ready for college.
 
Word. Apropos of nothing, it appears to me that medical school admission is getting more ridiculous every year. What a friggin' poodle circus it has now become if going to Ghana to provide ineffectual medical care makes a dime's worth of difference in how you will provide ineffectual medical care in the United States. In the Melanoleucaverse, if you mentioned foreign travel in an interview your interviewer would stop you and say, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with practicing internal medicine in Des Moines."

Traveling is kind of ridiculous if you are "searching" for something other than fun. People are the same everywhere, the food is just different and hygeine standards vary considerably. Either that or you are travelling for some ghoulish fascination with the suffering of others or some misplaced idea that you can make a difference which you can't.

You can't be serious?
 
It amazes me how bitter some people here are....I studied abroad and it was just as expensive as a quarter at my undergraduate institution. Sure the plane ticket price is absurd, but with rent/food much cheaper, it ends up working out the same.

LizzyM's argument works to a certain degree but it also has a major flaw. It is better to get something that is a luxury (like drugs) for free rather than spending your own resources (money received for goods being sold) on it. The goods they are selling can instead be bought by other customers. I mean why allocate money towards luxuries like aspirin when you need money for food/shelter to support your children.... If anything, it would be much more beneficial to help out that clinic, so that line moves faster....
 
I think it's incredible how untraveled some folks are.
I disagree, there are really only 4 countries that I would want to visit. These countries are Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the UK. I am not willing to risk the lawlessness, disease, and third worldness of much of the world. I am also not willing to spend all of the money to travel to countries that are very similar to mine.
 
If you are applying for a position of Secretary of State, extensive world travel would be beneficial.

Otherwise, It would make you a bit different, but I don't really see how it would help you get into medical school, if your stats are bad.
 
Let me tell you something about privilege: No matter where you come from or how privileged your upbringing, when you start rotating in the hospital as a medical student or a resident it won't make a difference. The daughter of a millioniare will be sticking her fingers in the same feces encrusted rectums as anybody else and dealing with the same idiot patients. Good upbringing and breeding is an advantage in a situation like this because almost by definition, somebody who has money and doesn't need this ridiculous job but does it anyway is a better person than somebody who does and this will show.

too bad the adcoms don't see it this way. everything else equal, they choose the applicant who had to work through college, came from a low-income family, etc. I respect ppl who had to work through college, but the reality is if they didn't NEED the money then they wouldn't have worked. they didn't work because they wanted to. they didn't think it was fun. they worked because they needed the money. if that same person was given the same background as the applicant from a high-income household, then they also wouldn't have worked through college.
 
whoa are you being sarcastic here?
Not at all, I can't think of any reason to go to Africa, Asia, or South America. But four countries is too low an estimate, 10 is a better number. These countries being in Northern Europe and the Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Hawaii would also be nice to visit, however these places are part of the US.
 
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime"
Doling out medications does nothing to help a poor country become self-sufficient. What they need is money.

Providing money for the brief time someone is in a certain country does not make them self sufficient....What happens after you leave? For many of these third world countries, healthcare is just a small problem. These countries face other issues such as corruption, slavery, civil unrest, famine, etc. Dumping money into the system is just a temporary solution before it runs out. Self sufficiency requires major reform...which all the aforementioned problems often prevent from happening.

I admit giving out medications is also transient relief, but at least you are gaining clinical exposure, doing what you love, and learning a lot more.
 
too bad the adcoms don't see it this way. everything else equal, they choose the applicant who had to work through college, came from a low-income family, etc. I respect ppl who had to work through college, but the reality is if they didn't NEED the money then they wouldn't have worked. they didn't work because they wanted to. they didn't think it was fun. they worked because they needed the money. if that same person was given the same background as the applicant from a high-income household, then they also wouldn't have worked through college.
There's always welfare or a bigger loan.

Providing money for the brief time someone is in a certain country does not make them self sufficient....What happens after you leave? For many of these third world countries, healthcare is just a small problem. These countries face other issues such as corruption, slavery, civil unrest, famine, etc. Dumping money into the system is just a temporary solution before it runs out. Self sufficiency requires major reform...which all the aforementioned problems often prevent from happening.

I admit giving out medications is also transient relief, but at least you are gaining clinical exposure, doing what you love, and learning a lot more.
:laugh:
 
too bad the adcoms don't see it this way. everything else equal, they choose the applicant who had to work through college, came from a low-income family, etc. I respect ppl who had to work through college, but the reality is if they didn't NEED the money then they wouldn't have worked. they didn't work because they wanted to. they didn't think it was fun. they worked because they needed the money. if that same person was given the same background as the applicant from a high-income household, then they also wouldn't have worked through college.

That is not the point of URM status. They are not giving out acceptances to those low-income applicants, because they love blue collar jobs and love working. Those applicants are given some leeway, because working often hindered their performance in school which us more fortunate students did not suffer from. So if those kids were held to the same standards as us (same GPA/MCAT)....they would never be given a chance.
 
One of my acceptance letters outlined my international experience as playing a major role in the committee's decision. Hope this helps :highfive:
 
Providing money for the brief time someone is in a certain country does not make them self sufficient....What happens after you leave? For many of these third world countries, healthcare is just a small problem. These countries face other issues such as corruption, slavery, civil unrest, famine, etc. Dumping money into the system is just a temporary solution before it runs out. Self sufficiency requires major reform...which all the aforementioned problems often prevent from happening.

I admit giving out medications is also transient relief, but at least you are gaining clinical exposure, doing what you love, and learning a lot more.

The point I was trying to make is that you are not "providing money" but contributing to the local economy by paying working people to provide you with goods or services. People who are able to work should work. It is counter-productive to their economic development to have things given to them. You buy a craft, a meal, a taxi ride, a hotel room, pay someone to shine your shoes, etc. Those people have money in their pocket to buy food, clothing, a bottle of aspirin (that shouldn't be a luxury but a basic item for any household). Now the vendors of groceries, clothing and over-the-counter medications have some money and they can, in turn, spend to purchase things that they need. This builds a local economy. Walking into a village and handing out free aspirin does little to help a village with high unemployment (many of them).


From what I can tell, going abroad to get clinical experience is mostly about what an applicant get sout of it and of very little benefit to the recipients/victims of the volunteer's good will.
 
too bad the adcoms don't see it this way. everything else equal, they choose the applicant who had to work through college, came from a low-income family, etc. I respect ppl who had to work through college, but the reality is if they didn't NEED the money then they wouldn't have worked. they didn't work because they wanted to. they didn't think it was fun. they worked because they needed the money. if that same person was given the same background as the applicant from a high-income household, then they also wouldn't have worked through college.

I come from an upper-middle class family, worked alot all through college, enjoyed my work, and by your definition didn't need the money.

/universe collapses in on itself/
 
Seriously. I actually wanted to do one of those volunteer for a week trips to Belize. It would cost upward of $6500. That is amazing, almost as much as a quarter's worth of tuition. People at my university tell me a lot of people volunteer abroad and that volunteering abroad makes an application stronger. I never really used to believe them, but I'm wondering how much of an effect that volunteeering abroad can have.

In those cases, you're paying someone else to do all the organizing and legwork for you. Most developing countries are not like the US where volunteering can actually be competitive, there's a lot less bureaucracy. I went to Costa Rica to volunteer for a semester. Because I put in the research time beforehand, I found an organization that would let me volunteer for $15/day -- and that included a bed and three meals, and you're not likely to find a bed and three meals for cheaper than that in the part of CR where I was. I was teaching English in a school that had no English teachers unless volunteers came do do it. When I got there the only volunteer teaching grades 4-6 was not a native English speaker himself. I definitely felt like I got to help out, and I didn't have to pay excessively to do it (unlike a lot of people who get their panties in a wad about paying to volunteer, I did not have the mindset that I was entitled to free room and board for my work). Unfortunately there were issues with the management of my particular location (the overall management of the organization seemed fine) and I decided to quit (I can detail these issues if anyone is curious). For what it's worth, most of the other volunteers had paid voluntourism agencies well over $1000 and were living in the same conditions I was for $450. Do your homework, don't go with a travel agency.

I migrated to a slightly busier town (keep in mind this "busy" town was still a two-road town, neither of them paved) and found several opportunities to help out by networking. I think anyone who is interested in helping out a community, and has at least a basic grasp of the local language, could do it just as easily. You just have to go out every night, meet as many of the locals and local expats (who will probably speak English and have a good idea of what's going on around town, maybe even be in charge of some of the projects) as possible. You have to be genuinely interested in getting to know people and becoming an, albeit temporary, part of the community. If you're good at networking you can easily find yourself plenty of things to do. I came across a school built for farmers' children that needed help because I happened to say something in French at a bar, and the French man who helped run the school happened to be standing nearby. I came across a project to help local women in a bilingual local magazine, there was a description of the project and the email address of the woman who ran the project for those interested. Unfortunately the accommodations I had found (through networking) fell through and I had to leave before I ran out of money.

Anyways, my point is that there are many ways to volunteer abroad for free and considering the number of premeds who willingly spend summers putting in free labor in hospitals and research labs, I'm not sure why volunteering abroad has the reputation for being for the wealthy and privileged. The cost of living in these countries is so low that if you can get a good deal on an airfare, you can spend a couple of months there much cheaper than you could in the US (at least California). Even maintaining a pretty high standard of living (staying in hotels with AC, eating every meal out and drinking in bars every night), you can live much cheaper in Nicaragua, Guatemala, less touristy parts of Costa Rica, Thailand, etc, for much cheaper than you could live in a decent apartment rarely going out at night in San Diego.

I understand that this type of volunteering isn't for everyone, and if you're not comfortable socializing with strangers in your non-native language it might not be easy for you. But I just wanted to put this out there for anyone else who might be interested so that they don't get discouraged. I personally plan to go abroad and volunteer again, using the lessons I've learned from jumping in headfirst the first time. The key is to find a town that's not touristy but attracts some expats and network network network. I'm really interested in doing international work and working with the underserved, and I feel like having travel experience to back up what I'm claiming to be interested in will help me out (just like if you're going to tell interviewers that you want to do medical research, you better have research experience to back that up).
 
too bad the adcoms don't see it this way. everything else equal, they choose the applicant who had to work through college, came from a low-income family, etc. I respect ppl who had to work through college, but the reality is if they didn't NEED the money then they wouldn't have worked. they didn't work because they wanted to. they didn't think it was fun. they worked because they needed the money. if that same person was given the same background as the applicant from a high-income household, then they also wouldn't have worked through college.


So what's your point? While you were out at the frat playing beer pong on friday night, some poor soul was going to bed early to get up for his job, which he worked during the weekend. You probably slept in and got to studying whenever you felt like it during the day. Meanwhile, after working an honest day's job, the other low income kid has to now start studying, while you're getting ready to hang out with friends on saturday night. Most people just want to relax and chill after work, not start hitting the o-chem.

Also, when you need to take your MCAT prep-course, you hit mom and dad up and they pony up the American Express and you charge it to that, no worries. When the low income kid wants to take the MCAT prep-course, he works some extra hours, goes on E-bay and buys some used books from '06. Not to mention he's working X hours per week, and while you have extra study time, he has less.

If you don't think being broke puts you at a disadvantage, then I don't know what to tell you. If you honestly can't see why adcoms would pick people with the same stats who came from a disadvantaged financial background, then good luck in the future.
 
If you don't really wanna travel, you can always watch the Travel channel and surf the internet to "feel" the experience. I mean, they won't ask you for your plane ticket now would they 😉

Then again, if you lack a creative imagination...then you better hope the AdCom does not have inate lie-detection skills
 
If you don't really wanna travel, you can always watch the Travel channel and surf the internet to "feel" the experience. I mean, they won't ask you for your plane ticket now would they 😉

Then again, if you lack a creative imagination...then you better hope the AdCom does not have inate lie-detection skills

If you are going to make something up to strengthen your application (bad idea to begin with) why would you ever make something up about travel, lol. 😀

I didn't have to make this up, but once I wrestled a bear to save a little girl in the woods. Because she got a cut on her arm from the initial attack, I cleaned it with fresh spring water and then sew it shut with a needle from a cactus and thread pulled from my pantyhose (yes, I am a manly man). I then built a giant kite out of beaver hide, oak wood, and a tub of lard, and flew us both to safety.

Some other day I'll tell you about the baby whale I saved by imitating its mothers call.
 
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