Traveling During the Application Cycle?

[mwsapphire]

Hi everyone,

Before you come after me, please read my whole post.

So , God Willing, I'm applying to medical school during the 2019-2020 application cycle. I will be mostly focused on DO schools and some MD, based on my MCAT. My mom wants us to visit our home country during the winter of 2019 ( think Christmas/New Year's time), for 3 weeks.

She says I may not be able to go during medical school, or during the Summer of 2020 ( which would be hopefully when I matriculate) , so it would be far too long. She also thinks visiting my entire extended family ( literally everyone beyond my parents and brothers is not in the USA) would be a blessing before (potentially) going to medical school, and would be important because once I'm in school/residency , I would be seeing them much less. She's not wrong. She also doesn't like the idea of going there w/o me, so it's like, she wants to visit them , and won't do it without me, so she's trying to plan so I can go one last time before giving up my life for a few years, hehehe.

Her justification is that because it is the holiday season, I likely won't have interviews or such during that time, ( think Dec 20th-Jan 10th time space), because those who work in admissions also have lives.

Please can someone give m input about a similar situation. Please no lectures.

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[pommes]

I think a trip that time is definitely doable. Interviews don't usually take place over the holidays anyway. Some secondaries might even ask if you'll be out of a country during a certain time.

 

[beeboops]

I think this is entirely doable! As the previous poster said, schools basically shut down around the holidays and few interviews are conducted around then.

My advice to you would be to get your app in as early as possible so you can potentially interview during the fall (some places interview as early as August with many interviews taking place September-November).

Best of luck!

 

[capriccio]

Definitely doable. Try to finish your app as early as possible to get earlier interview slots in the fall. There will likely also be interview times after your Dec 20-Jan 10 time frame, if you end up getting IIs later in the cycle, so I wouldn't worry.

 

[Tenk]

You’re right. Interviews don’t happen much around the holidays. Perfect time to travel to see family and relax. Just be sure to have internet wherever you go so you can accept a late invite. Also, the chances of them only having a spot for you late Dec or early Jan is also slim to none. Regardless, if they don’t want to accommodate you for seeing your family in another country, you don’t want to go there anyways.

 

[LizzyM]

I’d say you’d be safe between Dec 17 and Jan 7 with regard to being unavailable for interviews

 

[lalalallala]

I was out of the country for the first 2.5 weeks of January and it was fine so I think your situation will be even easier. No way you'll be expected to interview between Dec 23 and Jan 3 for one thing because everyone will be in holiday mode and your trip (Dec 20 to Jan 10) is really right around then so it would be totally fine. And schools pretty much always give multiple dates for you to choose from so you just wouldn't pick a date that conflicted with your trip. I received 3 IIs the first week of January though, so having internet access is definitely necessary because if you do not confirm your IIs that would be a problem.

 

[mwsapphire]

Thank you everyone, I'll be sure to have internet access with me ( phone and computer...guess I'll have to buy a travel data plan). I'm especially glad @LizzyM gave me the okay....I really wanted both students' and ADCOMS' take on the situation.

I will talk to my campus pre health advising, just to confirm.

Also, did you guys use your student email for med school interview things? I'm thinking of making a separate gmail, especially since I have noticed I have trouble accessing my student email when I go traveling, sometimes.

 

[acciobutterbeer]

Also, did you guys use your student email for med school interview things? I'm thinking of making a separate gmail, especially since I have noticed I have trouble accessing my student email when I go traveling, sometimes.

It is so much easier to have a completely separate email! Easier to find/harder to miss things

 

[deleted967981]

It is so much easier to have a completely separate email! Easier to find/harder to miss things

I did this as well, set up a new gmail just for application stuff. Also, I’m not sure how long my UG University keeps our emails active after we graduate, and I didn’t want to risk missing anything.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

You're definitely safe between christmas and new years, plus probably a few days on either side. I will note though that I had an interview Jan 8th, so some schools start up again pretty quickly. If you really want to be safe, check the calendars for the schools you are applying to and see when their winter break is - I don't know of any schools that hold interviews while their students are on break, since they usually need students to lead tours etc.