Spanish Experience?

[2560hill]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi Everyone,
I was thinking about going to Costa Rica this summer for a month on a Medical Spanish abroad. It is not run through my University, but it is an intensive and immersive course to further my understanding of Spanish, and in particular medical Spanish. Common terminologies and aspects of patient interviews along with clinical work and shadowing in local hospitals is involved in the program. I have talked to many people who have done this and fully enjoyed the experience, and have already gotten recommendations on excellent homestays. Do you think this will be beneficial to my application, or is it more of a waste of money? I am running tight on money and as much as I am interested in Spanish and enhancing my application, I do not want to do it if it is truly not beneficial. I am applying in June (2009) , however will not be going abroad until July so I will be able to write it on the application, but not fully be able to describe the experiences until August. Any help would be great!! Thanks-

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

Do you think this will be beneficial to my application, or is it more of a waste of money? I am running tight on money and as much as I am interested in Spanish and enhancing my application, I do not want to do it if it is truly not beneficial.

If you really want to go, go.

If you don't, please please please don't go. When they ask you in an interview, "Why did you go on this trip?" the lame canned answer that you will give instead of the real reason (I thought it might be beneficial to my medical school application) will bore them to death, you won't get accepted, and you'll be left wondering what happened to your life while you were worrying about what looked good on a medical school application.

Sorry to jump all over you and your first post, but this is my biggest pet peeve.

 

[BabyKangaroo]

Do it do it do it do it. Even if you think you won't want to go, you will probably end up enjoying it and it will give you a whole new perspective nonetheless (if you haven't done something like that before, or have forgotten what it was like). I didn't want to play four years of college FB at some times, but am so glad that I did. Wouldn't change a thing. Go not with how you feel now, but what you know is right. Not a lot of people get to do something like this.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I agree with Bruce that you should go if you want to and don't go if you don't think it's worth the time/money, outside of your med school app. It will certainly bolster your application if you get a lot out of the experience, but if you're relying on this one thing to really give you an edge, I fear you'll be disappointed.

If you go, I bet it will be great though. 🙂

 

[2560hill]

Thanks for your help! I guess my first post was sort of misleading because this is something that i am DYING to do. I have always been passionate about Spanish and am so upset with myself for not continuing in college. I have also always wanted to study abroad, so this combines both of my goals into one. It is definitely not just to enhance my application, I was more wondering if people did think that it was something that would look good as well. Thanks again I appreciate your opinions! ---

 

[Chocolate Bear]

It will definitely look good and benefit you if you practice anywhere with Spanish speakers. Sounds like you should go for it!

 

[Tuckermans]

Hey,
I took a Spanish for the health professions class in Undergrad, and I was asked about it at several interviews. I have also lived in Spain and Argentina so it came up mostly in relation to that. I would absolutely do it. While I would not go just to enhance your application (because the experience is going to be very difficult if you are not there for the right reasons) having a medical knowledge of Spanish was very beneficial to my application. I have every expectation that it would look great on your application, and even more expectation you will get a lot out of it. Go and have fun!

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

If you're lucky, your trip will turn out to be something like this:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0U3dbVMHk[/YOUTUBE]

Minus the extreme ideologicalism/dying in a hailstorm of bullets in the backwoods of Bolivia 15 years later.

Man, do I love this movie.