How busy do you get during the summer of application time?

[yjj8817]

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I was thinking about doing research internship which will be like end of may until mid august at another university or maybe study abroad. Bad idea?

 

[Cinclus]

I was pretty busy, but that was because I was also finishing up my master's research and beginning work on my thesis, which I finished in the fall while interviewing. So based on personal experience, you could make the research thing work just fine.

 

[Twinnering]

Make sure you have Internet wherever you decide to go abroad lol.

I worked 40-55+ hours during the week in a research lab, and it was very do-able with secondaries to be honest. My lab was flexible though, as I could come in some days when I wanted/leave when I wanted. That being said, if you don't fall behind with your essays you don't get overwhelmed. I did mine within 24 hours of receiving them, so when I got another one I didn't have a pile behind me to moan and groan about. Depends on how responsible/motivated you are, cause I definitely don't recommend falling behind during the process and end up finishing things late.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I went abroad during app season and I regret it.

Imo, leave that early app time open and get it done in like a week. Applying early is so critical, and it can be easily done if you give yourself the opportunity.

 

[MedPR]

Worked 40 hours per week while taking 6 credits during summer and 6 during fall. Wasn't a problem, but only because I had pre-written a lot of secondaries.

 

[TheShaker]

Are you studying/taking the MCAT over the summer? If so, then yes, you'll be very busy. I remember I asked for a month off of my research lab to have dedicated study time. If no, then you'll have plenty of time. Preparing the app and writing secondaries is time consuming but not to the point where you have to slave over it.

 

[GoBriightly]

I did a research internship that was 40+ hours per week this summer. I didn't have a problem getting secondaries done, while still being able to hang out with the other interns on weekends. You just have to time manage well.
If you do decide to go abroad, pick a place where you know you'll get good Internet. I did an internship abroad a couple of year ago in a country that did not have goo Internet access. The other interns who were applying to med school really struggled to finish their secondaries.

 

[MilMD01]

I applied & worked at a group home over the summer.

Instead of finding myself very busy... I found myself sitting around and thinking about my application quite frequently.. and wondering if I would get accepted haha.

Well it all turned out okay! I think being busy is a good thing during that time.. it helps keep your mind off your app.

 

[MilMD01]

double post.

 

[NickNaylor]

I worked almost everyday on my app for 2-3 weeks. This is probably excessive compared to most people, but I wanted to make sure everything was good and that I didn't miss any major errors. If you have everything prepared, though, you could realistically do it in a day or two. The most time intensive parts would be 1) copy/pasting everything into the app and 2) inputting your transcript. Beyond that it's pretty simple unless you're writing your activity descriptions from scratch (as I did).

 

[emilykay]

I was thinking about doing research internship which will be like end of may until mid august at another university or maybe study abroad. Bad idea?

it really depends on your priorities. I worked full time in the summer and traveled. I submitted my application in sept., complete at all schools in oct, and so far i've received 15 interview invites and interviewed at more than half already. the late application didn't exactly hurt me, and i think in total, i spent 2 days on primary application, and a week on all the secondaries. in my interviews at some of the top 10 schools, the admissions have told me i have amazing LORs, so i think that might have helped. also attending HYPSM so that might have made a small difference.

it really depends on how strong an applicant you are, and whether your summer activity will help your application. also how fast you can work under pressure.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Did a summer internship this past summer while applying (40 hours a week). It wasn't a big deal.