Need Advice Regarding Interview Process

[pandasunited]

Hey friends!

I need some advice regarding a unique situation I'm in. I realize I'm going to get some slack on my decision and timing but I've already made up my mind so please only respond if you are willing to help a brotha out.

My situation:
-I will be applying for this upcoming summer 2016 cycle
-Taking the MCAT in early June, will be submitting my primary application as early as possible
-I have decided to study abroad next fall of 2016 in Chile which means I will be gone from late August to mid November

Hypothetically, lets say I get interview invite(s) from medical schools for the September to early November range. Will I be able to sign up for an interview regardless for mid or late November for when I get back? Or are medical schools strict about keeping their interview ranges within stages? As in, if I get an II, will I be able to select a slot down the road in late November or will those not even be available?

Once again, I know there will be some of you die-hard pre meds that think I'm an idiot for leaving the country during a large portion of interviews (which I realize I am) but I just really want to go climb the Patagonia mountains (lol).

Thanks in advance!

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[BluMist]

1. you are an idiot
2. you know you are an idiot

given your June MCAT date, your score won't be released till July, so your primary cannot be officially complete until after.
while you're abroad and traveling, do you have planned time to write secondaries? or you are going to pre-write them all beforehand and submit while you're abroad? theoretically, you can write about your trip in your secondary to give the schools a heads up.

to answer your question, interview dates vary across schools, but most (if not all) schools interview past new year, so slots might be still available.

 

[El-Rami]

Why not go to Chile some other time? You could always just take a gap year so you do it right when you apply, but I doubt a study abroad in Chile will really contribute much to your application.

 

[pandasunited]

1. you are an idiot
2. you know you are an idiot

given your June MCAT date, your score won't be released till July, so your primary cannot be officially complete until after.
while you're abroad and traveling, do you have planned time to write secondaries? or you are going to pre-write them all beforehand and submit while you're abroad? theoretically, you can write about your trip in your secondary to give the schools a heads up.

to answer your question, interview dates vary across schools, but most (if not all) schools interview past new year, so slots might be still available.

Yes, I realize my primary won't be complete but from everyone I've talked to they said submitting your primary first then having the MCAT score come in early July isn't a problem at all.

I will have internet access while I am abroad so finishing secondaries on time won't be an issue. I plan on informing each school I apply to of my timeline in advance.

My question is, if I got an early interview invite, will I be able to select a time slot down the road (past September/October)?

Thanks

Why not go to Chile some other time? You could always just take a gap year so you do it right when you apply, but I doubt a study abroad in Chile will really contribute much to your application.

My decision to study abroad is not to help enhance my application. Just looking for some fun life experiences before the medical field envelops my life for 10 years.