How do people balance staying abroad with IIs?

[Gladiolus23]

For people that do Fulbright, Peace corps or some other fellowship abroad, how do they manage interviews during the app cycle? I understand one way is to just postpone the app cycle, but what about applicants that don't want to take yet another gap year? I'm sure there must be some students who do work abroad during the same application year. How do you manage?

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[Gryffindor20]

You could try clustering your interviews within the span of a week or two. You can also try prodding some medical schools along with an in-the-area email, if the school is receptive to something like that and if you already have managed to score a few interview invites.

When sending an in-the-area email, outline your situation. Explain that due to Peace Corps involvement, you are living abroad for most of the year and therefore are facing a challenge in scheduling interviews. With luck, they might be willing to help out by scheduling you in a certain time slot.

 

[Gladiolus23]

You could try clustering your interviews within the span of a week or two. You can also try prodding some medical schools along with an in-the-area email, if the school is receptive to something like that and if you already have managed to score a few interview invites.

When sending an in-the-area email, outline your situation. Explain that due to Peace Corps involvement, you are living abroad for most of the year and therefore are facing a challenge in scheduling interviews. With luck, they might be willing to help out by scheduling you in a certain time slot.

Is this something that is generally very difficult to do? Since it seems most people get around 3-6 interviews out of 35-40 schools, I don't want to pass up on a great opportunity just to play the waiting game some more I'm hoping jet lag won't be too much of an issue either lol

Something like Peace corps is two years right? And people with this experience get into great med schools! Can any adcoms chime in on how their schools deal with applicants in such situations? @LizzyM @gyngyn @Goro @Catalystik

 

[Gladiolus23]

Also, is there anyone here that's been abroad during the app cycle doing a fellowship/masters, etc.? How did the cycle work out for you?

 

[tjo422]

Also, is there anyone here that's been abroad during the app cycle doing a fellowship/masters, etc.? How did the cycle work out for you?

Doing my PhD abroad right now. I'm ABD (and American so I have places to stay while I'm here), so I have a little more flexibility. So far, I've clustered all of my interviews in three weeks before I need to head back. If push comes to shove and I need to schedule the remaining ones at awkward times when I'm supposed to be back overseas, I'm going to suck it up and charge a very expensive flight to my credit card and pay it off slowly. I am lucky, however, that I have no teaching responsibilities this semester and can really work from anywhere should I need to, it's just the cost that's prohibitive.