Project abroad and interviews during 4th year?

[crunchytoast]

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I'm thinking about doing a global health research project abroad 4th year, as an elective for 6 weeks.

Any thoughts on whether to do this before interview season? (i.e. September- early november) or after interview season (January-Feb?)

I'm guessing after interviews, because I might have trouble scheduling interviews if I'm abroad with bad phone service/internet?

When do interviews usually wrap up?

Advice appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Miss Alyssa]

I'm thinking about doing a global health research project abroad 4th year, as an elective for 6 weeks.

Any thoughts on whether to do this before interview season? (i.e. September- early november) or after interview season (January-Feb?)

I'm guessing after interviews, because I might have trouble scheduling interviews if I'm abroad with bad phone service/internet?

When do interviews usually wrap up?

Advice appreciated! Thanks!

I went away similarly in Aug/Sept. I had to coordinate LORs and communication with my attendings and school from abroad. It was hard because I had to travel a couple hours to get internet to submit my ERAS. I would actually call my bf every few days to get him to read and write emails for me. So I would suggest preparing everything for ERAS well in advanced so u don't have to worry about doing too much with uncertain internet. Also have someone back home you can call who has access to all your stuff and knows what to do with it.

Interviews can be scheduled anywhere from October to February. You can check with forum for your specialty to see when interviews generally are. Also, the timeline changed for ERAS stuff this year, so this was the first time that residency programs dealt with it. They programs might make changes for next year accordingly, I dont know.

I would personally plan to be in the US from the beginning of Nov to the end of Jan.

 

[crunchytoast]

How about July/August? Before the process starts...?

 

[gutonc]

How about July/August? Before the process starts...?

Got your SubI and/or away rotations (depending on specialty) done and your LORs "in-hand"? Will you have reliable internet access?

If the answers to those questions are yes then go nuts. Honestly, there's no great time to do such a rotation before the Match. If you're counting on this to make your app better, do it as early as you can but a 6 week rotation would fit nicely in the Aug - Oct range as long as you've got good internet access.

 

[Winged Scapula]

How about at the end of the year and combine it with a nice little trip as a pre-graduation present to yourself? The match is over, your paperwork is done...no worries about interviews, etc. to interfere with your rotation.

 

[Miss Alyssa]

Got your SubI and/or away rotations (depending on specialty) done and your LORs "in-hand"? Will you have reliable internet access?

If the answers to those questions are yes then go nuts. Honestly, there's no great time to do such a rotation before the Match. If you're counting on this to make your app better, do it as early as you can but a 6 week rotation would fit nicely in the Aug - Oct range as long as you've got good internet access.

I would agree with this. I would suggest some time in July/Aug/Sept depending on your SubIs and LORs. I did a SubI in July, secured an LOR from it, then left 2 days later for Honduras, spent 8 weeks there and did another subI in Oct. The Oct transcript didn't make my transcripts, but I did it more to look at the program and the area.

 

[twright]

I'm thinking about doing a global health research project abroad 4th year, as an elective for 6 weeks.

Any thoughts on whether to do this before interview season? (i.e. September- early november) or after interview season (January-Feb?)

I'm guessing after interviews, because I might have trouble scheduling interviews if I'm abroad with bad phone service/internet?

When do interviews usually wrap up?

Advice appreciated! Thanks!

You should do your elective whenever it makes sense for you, really. The other stuff (i.e., Match) will fall into place.

I completed my interviews in mid-November and then was out of the country from late November through early May.

With regards to the two choices you listed, I would go with Jan-Feb just because Sept-Nov is prime interviewing season.