Study Abroad Before Med School

[numberrronee]

has anyone studied abroad before medical school. i am almost ready to apply, im just missing organic chemistry which i was thinking about taking in europe during the fall, therefore i would get to travel as well. i love europe and would eventually come back to take mcat. is this a good idea

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[nu2004]

yes

 

[jelly476]

yes. always a great experience. do it!

 

[beachblonde]

where can you take organic chem in europe? I'm just curious-while studying abroad I had difficulty finding science courses (and, more importantly, science courses my school would accept-in that instance, I found zero).

One caveat: make sure you have easy access to the official transcript from the school where you're studying. AMCAS will want a transcript for any pre-reqs, so if you can't get a transcript sent to them you're shooting yourself in the foot. Also, just be aware that the course will vary a bit differently from what you're used to (depending on where you're going to school). If you're studying with an American university it won't vary too much, but if it's a European school the class might be a bit different that what you anticipated.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

Yes- best experience in college thus far- I went last summer and will be going again this summer (for May so it won't affect my applications)...

If you can do study abroad it is worth it! But I have also done 2 international missions trips and learned a lot from those too...

Good luck- as mentioned above doing a science course on study abroad is very difficult. My first trip was 9 hours of credit all in humanities classes- this next one is a 3 hour biology credit but it is through my schools biology department with faculty from my school.

 

[musashi]

Yes, I spent a year attending Kyoto University in Japan when I was 26. Without a doubt, it was the best year of my life. I was able to become near fluent in Japanese and got to experience an awesome culture. I've been told that adcoms love this and plan to capitalize on this experience in my personal statement. I think it should be mandatory for EVERYONE to have to do study at least one semester abroad as part of their degree. I have travelled to over 30 countries and have lived (for extended periods of at least a year) in 4 seperate countries. These expereinces have totally shaped who I am with respect understanding the world we live in that much better. GO FOR IT.

PS. I've also backpacked most of Europe so PM me if you have any questions.

 

[MossPoh]

Study abroad was less inspiring for me than others, but I had also spent about 8 months in the country BEFORE doing study abroad, so my viewpoint is different. I say you should do it, but don't bank on taking organic overseas. Too many things can go wrong with that scenario.

Contrary to what is said here, you won't be near fluent in a language after a year but you'll develop a fairly comfortable level of proficiency to handle most situations. If it is England or something then you won't have a problem anyway, but I personally don't see England or Australia as study abroad as much as a vacation with some classes. It is fun, but the challenge and learning always comes from struggling with the language of the region. It depends on the program. Many people I know did study abroad but as stated earlier, it was more of a party thing with a scattered easy class. My study abroad involved working my arse off. I was reading 6+ books a week in German...and not easy books. I never spent time with Americans, which others from the organization hated me for, but I thought it defeated the point. In the end I was not a tourist and more of a Berlin local. I went to apartment parties with Germans, helped my German friend DJ, debated politics in cafes in German and everything else. The same time other people in the program were traveling around and doing touristy crap that I had done a hundred times before with other americans, oftentimes from the same university they came from. While that is great, it never really seemed like the intention to me. They were not really going out of their comfort range much. So, my recommendation if you DO go ahead and do it is to push yourself out of that comfort range. I feel that my experiences left me with a greater connection to europe as a whole. I don't have the stupid photos standing outside every tourist attraction showing that I had been there to impress people, but I can watch/read european news and understand the viewpoint, understand subtle meanings in humor and word play in German (kind of gone down hill lately), and can actually blend in with european culture when need be. (Many did not know I was an american until it got to complicated topics or they asked.)

 

[njtarheel]

I took 2nd semester organic abroad-- I studied at University College Cork in Ireland during the spring of 2006. We didn't cover everything that I would have learned had I stayed in the States, but having to learn that extra stuff myself for the MCAT was worth it for how much I enjoyed my time abroad. It is extremely difficult to find a school where you can take organic, I looked at a lot course catalogues and e-mailed a lot of people to find this one. If you do end up finding a school that offers something comparable to what you would take at your school, see if you can get a syllabus for it beforehand by contacting the chemistry department at the school. Then ask your home university if they would be willing to accept the credits. Make sure you have it all ironed out before you leave!! Credits not transferring really sucks, as some friends of mine have discovered. If you have any other questions, PM me.