Taking a year off and learning a language? How to do it?

[1health]

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As an undergrad, I switched to the Biology major in my sophomore year. I'm currently in my last quarter as a junior and I'm just about caught up with all the pre-med classes. I plan on applying to med school during my senior year, but I've always wanted to travel to Asia ...

The Japanese culture and respect system fascinates me as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine. I'm NOT asking if I should learn Chinese or Japanese, but what to do about my language craving 😀. Once I start med school, I feel like learning Chinese or Japanese will be overwhelming.

I was thinking about taking a language senior year (with my bio classes) and after graduating teaching English while I learn Chinese/Japanese in the respective country. My counselor said I would need to be in the US for my time off to deal with apps and interviews though 😡. Any ideas?? Other options/programs?

 

[LizzyM]

It is possible, but challenging to apply while living abroad. If you have the time, a valid credit card, a computer and a good internet connection, you should be able to complete the appolications and secondaries with little trouble. The difficulty wil be arranging interviews.

For the most part, interviews begin in September, taper off in late winter and finish up in April (some schools are finished much earlier, or begin a bit later).

If you are living abroad, you should make a note with every secondary application and follow up with an email to the medical school with a note stating that you are living and working in {place} and will be in the US for interviews between [date] and [date].

Now, you can't expect schools to have interviews the week of Thanksgiving (week that includes the last Thursday in November) or between December 21 and Jan 2. Ideally, you should plan to be in the US for at least 2 weeks. If you get an interview at one school, you can schedule it and then inform nearby schools that you will be traveling to the __ area for an interview on [date] and would be very grateful to be able to piggyback an interview at [name] given that you are coming in from Asia and will be in the area for only 2 weeks.

If you have superstar written all over you, schools may be a little more interested in bending over backward to accomodate you.

Maybe some people who have actually been successful with this strategy will chime in.

 

[kansaskid]

Hi! I'm applying this year from West Africa in the Peace Corps and I don't think it's going to be unduly difficult. I have relatively regular internet, a fiancé back home who has agreed to let me use his credit card (plus I qualify for the fee waiver so that helps), and a really supportive and involved advisory committee at my undergrad. It is going to be super important that I stay on top of deadlines and make sure that schools know when I'll be around for interviews. I'm planning on being in the states for the entire month of October to make things easier. It is still going to be frustrating, but definitely possible.

Taking these two years off is going to be so worthwhile, a break from school, the opportunity to do something I love and that is meaningful to the greater good of the world, and also I am almost already fluent in French (backwards African French, but hey) and am learning local language called Dendi. Despite the challenges of applying this year, this was a great experience and I encourage you to make something like this happen! Good luck!