Studying abroad - what should I aim to accomplish during my time?

[wlt217]

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I'm currently halfway through a year-long study abroad in Beijing and would like to make the best use of my time. From an adcom's perspective, what's a good way to spend my time? I don't mean to sound as if I'm only aiming to please adcoms, but.. well, it's something to consider. I'll go ahead and include a bit about my experience and situation, although I think it's mostly irrelevant to my question.

My main reason for coming to China for a year is to be with my wife while we apply for her immigrant visa to the US. Beyond that, I wanted to learn the language in hopes of being bilingual and experience another culture. The first two months after I arrived, I was really excited and motivated to learn Mandarin, and my progress was pretty quick. After midterms, my motivation dropped and I filled my extra time investigating medical school. The semester ended and I was top of my class - there wasn't much competition. So, during the first semester I had little in the way of cultural experiences, but made what I thought was good progress with the language.

For Spring Festival, my wife and I traveled to her parents home to spend a month (we're still there now). I've had some fantastic experiences visiting all her various relatives and seeing a range of living conditions and people. I really had no idea what I was getting into, and it has been a wonderful opportunity all around. I did come down with some sort of enteritis in the midst of the celebrations, and had the chance to be treated by a retired traditional Chinese doctor. The bag of dried leaves and plants he prescribed worked wonders.

So, now I'll have another semester of classes; another 4.5 months before returning. We've got a wedding banquet planned in May (we were just legally married a few months ago - we'll be having a ceremony in China as well as a traditional Western wedding when we return), so that should be another notable cultural experience.

Any suggestions on particular activities I should engage in before my return? How much should I focus on learning the language? This is a big question in my mind. On the one hand, I've made quite a bit of progress and can have simple conversations with people who don't speak a word of English - pretty cool, in my opinion. Progress is pretty fast, if I choose to devote time to the language. On the other hand, after returning to the US, and particularly when pursuing such a demanding career path as medical school, my Chinese is going to deteriorate rapidly.

My other thought is investigating healthcare in China. I'm not sure how feasible this is, but I'm sure I can at least go and have a look around at a couple hospitals. I'm also not sure how valuable this experience is, really. What use is it to see another country's healthcare system? I guess if nothing else, it can add to conversation.

Thanks for your comments!

TL;DR, see thread title

 

[NickNaylor]

Just have fun and try and soak up as much as you can. You'll probably approach this experience from a "diversity" angle on your app, so really learning about and embracing the culture as much as possible is probably the best stuff you can do from an app perspective. Really, though, it'll come down more to your ability to reflect on and discuss the experience rather than doing specific things. When I ask applicants about study abroad experiences, I'm more interested in how the experience changed them (if at all) and how it might influence their ability to work with patients and colleagues in the future rather than any specific activities they did on their trip.

 

[BABSstudent]

Just have fun and try and soak up as much as you can. You'll probably approach this experience from a "diversity" angle on your app, so really learning about and embracing the culture as much as possible is probably the best stuff you can do from an app perspective. Really, though, it'll come down more to your ability to reflect on and discuss the experience rather than doing specific things. When I ask applicants about study abroad experiences, I'm more interested in how the experience changed them (if at all) and how it might influence their ability to work with patients and colleagues in the future rather than any specific activities they did on their trip.

Definitely this.

I would also aim to be bilingual or be at least advanced in speaking whatever language you study abroad for. I studied abroad and listened being advanced in Spanish. I had to speak Spanish in two if my interviews (only one interview had someone that actually spoke Spanish, the other just wanted to hear it). I got acceptance to both schools. The Spanish speaking adcom said that sometimes people put a language down and hope nobody questions their ability.

 

[wlt217]

Just have fun and try and soak up as much as you can. You'll probably approach this experience from a "diversity" angle on your app, so really learning about and embracing the culture as much as possible is probably the best stuff you can do from an app perspective. Really, though, it'll come down more to your ability to reflect on and discuss the experience rather than doing specific things. When I ask applicants about study abroad experiences, I'm more interested in how the experience changed them (if at all) and how it might influence their ability to work with patients and colleagues in the future rather than any specific activities they did on their trip.

Good point, I'll be sure to think about how I should portray my experience in my application and during interviews. Are there any common themes/experiences from accepted students who have studied abroad, or is it pretty much all over the board?

One of the most profound (although very general) impressions I've had so far is the rather stark difference between the environment and living conditions in a developing country when compared with that of the U.S. I'm definitely gaining a huge appreciation for many things I previously took for granted. I'm sure I can spin that into something, even though it's not the kind of realization that requires leaving the country. I imagine that poverty in many places in the U.S. is still similar in many ways to conditions in a developing country - can anyone verify/deny? Maybe I should look into a comparison when I return.

Definitely this.

I would also aim to be bilingual or be at least advanced in speaking whatever language you study abroad for. I studied abroad and listened being advanced in Spanish. I had to speak Spanish in two if my interviews (only one interview had someone that actually spoke Spanish, the other just wanted to hear it). I got acceptance to both schools. The Spanish speaking adcom said that sometimes people put a language down and hope nobody questions their ability.

I hadn't actually thought about speaking Chinese at an interview, but of course it's something to be ready for if I list the language on my application. It will have been a year and a half since being in China before my interview season, but I at least have the convenience of practicing with my wife anytime - no excuses for me. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[MedPR]

Have fun and get As.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[vbgal41]

I studied abroad for a semester and my experience ended up being something that I talked about most during my interviews. Definitely try to immerse yourself as much as possible and keep trying to learn the language. My experience learning a new language helped me to appreciate the challenges of those who immigrate to the US and attempt to assimilate themselves into our culture. It also made me more open-minded and appreciative of diversity. My advice to you would be to enjoy yourself as much as possible and make the experience what you want it to be. If you do end up talking about it in interviews, you want to make sure you're talking about an experience you truly loved, you want to be sincere, otherwise they will see right through you. Travel, eat, go out, and have a great time 🙂

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Convince the Chinese to stop committing state-sponsored economic espionage against us.

Pick up "China Road" and "Country Driving." Both are great introductions to the challenges and contradictions of modern China.

One of the best experiences I've had in China was accompanying someone to the village where they were "sent down" (下&#20065😉 during the Cultural Revolution. If they're in their 50s or so, ask your wife's parents and friends if they were sent down and willing to take you back to that place. The absurdity of that era only really comes alive when it's made personal.

Go to Xinjiang and Qinghai (and definitely Taiwan if your wife's visa situation allows). Get Pleco on your iPhone.

Regarding poverty in the US - recommend you do some exploring when you get back. Go walk around the "bad part" of any large city in the US. Ask people what they eat for dinner. Ask them how they get around. Go to Appalachia and do the same. 15% of the US population lives in poverty as defined by the US government. The realities of that standard of living is very difficult for the average med school applicant to comprehend. The percentage of people living in similar or worse conditions in China is far higher. But poor Americans have things like Medicaid, EMTALA, free public schools, and free lunches to fall back on. Most poor Chinese do not receive entitlements at similar standards.