Options For the Summer

[JimMorrison]

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I am in my freshman year. This summer I have the oppurtunity to volunteer for two months in Bolivia, shadow a DO, or possibly get involved in some sleep research in a professor's lab. The application for the volunteer oppurtunity needs to be turned in soon and I am wondering what would be the best choice since I can only do one of the three. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[okayplayer]

I am in my freshman year. This summer I have the oppurtunity to volunteer for two months in Bolivia, shadow a DO, or possibly get involved in some sleep research in a professor's lab. The application for the volunteer oppurtunity needs to be turned in soon and I am wondering what would be the best choice since I can only do one of the three. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Any of the above would be very impressive, so I would choose the one that you are most interested in. For me, that would be volunteering in Bolivia, but it also seems like you could work in a lab 3 or 4 days a week and shadow 1 or 2 days per week. So basically...do what sounds the most interesting and fun. You're well ahead of the game at this point.

 

[dr.z]

Any of the above would be very impressive, so I would choose the one that you are most interested in. For me, that would be volunteering in Bolivia, but it also seems like you could work in a lab 3 or 4 days a week and shadow 1 or 2 days per week. So basically...do what sounds the most interesting and fun. You're well ahead of the game at this point.

If you can do research and shadow, that would be great. Can you do these while you are in school? Going to Bolivia would be limited to summer, but the research and shadowing could be done while you are back in school.

 

[Tee 224]

i have found one thing out in my quest for a medial education, the odds of getting in aren't always in your favor. there is always someone more competitive or better on paper. the thing is, you don't want to make all your decisions based on what you think wil get you in or look good in "their" eyes. b/c in the end you could be passing up other great opportunities. do what interests you the most and if things fall into place great!! if not, at least you were you and had many awesome experiences. it would be horrible to look back at your academic and extracurricular career and have regrets.

best of luck in whatever you decide!!
"have the best time of your life now, b/c everyone grows up and hits the real world with a thud way too fast!!" -me

 

[njaqua]

I am in my freshman year. This summer I have the oppurtunity to volunteer for two months in Bolivia, shadow a DO, or possibly get involved in some sleep research in a professor's lab. The application for the volunteer oppurtunity needs to be turned in soon and I am wondering what would be the best choice since I can only do one of the three. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I would go to Bolivia. I wish I had done something like that for the experience b/c once in medical school you may not have the time to be going cool places and volunteering. Also, I have a ton of research but I'm always a bit jealous when I read of someone volunteering out of the country. Seems like a really cool experience to me. The previous posters made a good point that you can shadow and do research during the school year. good luck.

 

[manfood.com]

I really enjoy shadowing and doing research, even though the research has been definitely limited. But I have gone out of the country and my experiences there have been tremendous. It may open your eyes to things you have never seen before. I would take the opportunity to jam out of the country and see what is out there. Seriosuly, it's probably one of the few times you will have the time to leave. Come your junior/senior year, you might be studying for the MCAT, applications and what not. shadowing and research can be done at anytime, that's just my opinion, because the opportunities are at home. But to see Bolivia for a few months, you can only do that with pictures from your computer.