Leave country during apps??

[Tweetie_bird]

I am planning to go back to my homeland after almost 8 years of being in the US to see my ailing grandfather. He is really the muse for why I want to be a physician, and I am afraid he may not have enough time. Not seeing him before anything bad *could* potentially happen scares me.

My question is this--when is the best time to take a month off during application season? I am taking my MCATs in 2002, applying in June 2002 to hopefully get in for 2003...should I plan to leave right after I turn in my apps? Could you guys give me a break down on when was the most relaxed/"no action" time during the year, so I can plan to leave the country then?

Thanks much.
Tweetie.

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[SMW]

Well, this year was a very unusual year, but there certainly was a long "down" time between submission of the primary app and verification -- like up to 3 months in some cases. But were things to go for you as they ought -- verification is supposed to occur within 4-6 weeks, I would think the weeks immediately after submitting AMCAS would be the best time to travel. You would have to make sure to have your transcripts sent into AMCAS (and get confirmation from AMCAS that they've been received) and LOR's all taken care of (ready and waiting at your schools letter service office, if they have such) way ahead of time too. If all that were taken care of, I would think you could go without too much worry. Another possible time might be winter break, if yours is long enough. Once schools start reviewing the apps and sending out secondaries and interview invites, there really isn't any predictable down time. There is some, but it's entirely unpredictable.
Hope this is helpful.

 

[Wednesday]

You're still in school right? If you get out in May, that might be a good time too. The application can't be submitted until June 1 (ideally) and you could have the whole thing all ready to go before you left. Could even have someone submit it for you, if you needed to. But even just submitting it sometime in June should be early enough. After submission, things do start happening. You may not want to miss the chance to turn in secondaries as soon as you get them (although not everyone does). If the application is fixed next year (ha!) this might be an issue. After the initial mailings of secondaries everything happens in fits and starts for (it seems like) the rest of the year. No way to plan it really.

You should DEFINITLY go see your grandfather. That is the important stuff.

 

[Nikki]

I left the country for 2 months during June and July when I was applying (this summer) and was working on my AMCAS while I was away. I didn't have a problem at all. I think the most important thing is to get your secondaries in right away, so you might want to be here when you are expecting those, but the good thing about the primary is that you can work on it and submit it anywhere in the world. Probably May and June is the best time to go.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Thanks y'all for replying. You guys are awesome at advice!! I was definitely thinking along the lines of what you have mentioned in your posts. So here's what I am thinking.....

1. Have letters of rec ready (2 of which already are) by May. I have already graduated and there is no service for alumni for letters of rec to be forwarded. What I am thinking of doing is giving each recommender stamped envelopes with school addresses on them that they can use to mail. Any better ideas out there?

2. Go to the transcript office and mention the vacation to them, have a specific contact person that will make sure that my transcripts are mailed out ASAP in June.

3. Have the AMCAS done by end of May (ideally) so all that needs to be done is send it out once the deadline approaches.

By end of June, I should be out of the country.
I will also have phone numbers/names/addresses of everybody that will take a role in sending out my application, and TONS of phone cards in case i have to call them and nag em to get the work done.
Do I have anything else to think of?? I will have somebody pick my mail at home that can tell me in case I get anything from AMCAS or schools through snail mail. I should have faxing privileges too on vacation, so if needed, I could potentially type something up and fax it in if need be. Anything else? Anything?

Thanks much for your help.

Tweetie

 

[Nikki]

You can actually send your transcripts before June. Unless there are some classes/grades that you really want them to see in your spring semester, you don't have to worry about having someone else send your transcript.

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

I'm leaving January 27th for Spain. I'll be back in June. All I did was notify every place I applied of my departure. Of the 30 places I applied, 12 have contacted me with either an inteview or rejection. That leaves 18 to go. I'm gonna send them another reminder soon, and hopefully I won't be flying back for too many interviews (or any at all). Not the smoothest way to do it, but hey, you only live once, and I figured why not do it in spain for 6 months.
Good news is I got inteviews at 2 of my top choices, so hopefully everthing will work out.

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by TwoSteveSquared:
•I'm leaving January 27th for Spain. I'll be back in June. All I did was notify every place I applied of my departure. Of the 30 places I applied, 12 have contacted me with either an inteview or rejection. That leaves 18 to go. I'm gonna send them another reminder soon, and hopefully I won't be flying back for too many interviews (or any at all).•••

Now that is what I call playing hard to get!
You're gonna love Spain!

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

Thanks SMW!

 

[crimson]

I flew 23 hours and still couldn't make it in time to see my gradfather one last time.
Don't let applications come in the way -- or for that matter anything else.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Thanks for your input guys,
Crimson, I am sorry to hear about your grandfather. This is exactly what I am afraid of. My grandfather had an accident 3 years ago and was in a coma for a long time. He came out of it eventually, however, with absolutely no long term memory. Every time I talk to him is like the first time, he remembers absolutely nothing. . . it's heartbreaking. We shared (still do) a very close bond, yet it's heartbreaking to realize that he doesn't remember any of the memories we shared while I was growing up. I just want to go back and rekindle some of them before the inevitable happens.

Thanks for your support, it's very much appreciated.

Tweetie