Vacation plans before medical school

[Wahkoon]

Hey all,

Now that I am officially starting medical school next year, I’ve started looking into vacation options prior to matriculation. I’ve been considering hiking the southern portion of the Pacific Crest Trail – 1092 miles from Mexico border to Lake Tahoe. But that begs the question when is the best time to disappear for about 2 months prior to matriculating? Earliest possibility would be around March...

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[AnatomyGrey12]

It would be a terrible idea to be off the grid for 2 months without being able to check on things.

 

[nestiV]

It would be a terrible idea to be off the grid for 2 months without being able to check on things.

Except for the Sierras, thruhikers should have mobile network access once a day or so with Verizon/Sprint. Even in the Sierras, you only have a 200 mile stretch with limited connectivity (with the option to to get access on Mt. Whitney at 90 miles in, Independence/Kearsarge Pass 30 miles after, and VVR in the final stretch). As long as Beshwaji has a backup plan to get off the trail in case he needs to attend to something urgently, he should be okay.

Unfortunately I don't have much insight into how that would fit into the medical school application cycle. However on the thruhike side I would recommend entering the Sierras no earlier than June 1st, although the window depends on how much snow we receive this winter.

 

[Wahkoon]

1) do you have an acceptance?
2) are you sure which school you will attend?
3) have you established what prematriculation tasks such as health exam, final transcripts, etc, will need to be done?
4) have you established financial aid ?
5) much of prematriculation paperwork takes place between April and June

As I tell every applicant, applying to medical school is a full time job and remains so until you are matriculated. Being away for more that a few weeks is not advisable until you are sure everything is don

1. I've heard back from 1 school (acceptance), waiting for another 6, interviewing at another 5
2. Nope. About half of the schools are non-rolling as well.
3. I'm non-trad working at an academic medical center... grades and immunizations should be set
4. Negative
5. That was my concern. Everyone says to travel and go on vacation, but I don't know when and how big this gap is.

It would be a terrible idea to be off the grid for 2 months without being able to check on things.

Not off the grid per se. I would still have cell communication, but I wouldn't be physically available.

Except for the Sierras, thruhikers should have mobile network access once a day or so with Verizon/Sprint. Even in the Sierras, you only have a 200 mile stretch with limited connectivity (with the option to to get access on Mt. Whitney at 90 miles in, Independence/Kearsarge Pass 30 miles after, and VVR in the final stretch). As long as Beshwaji has a backup plan to get off the trail in case he needs to attend to something urgently, he should be okay.

Unfortunately I don't have much insight into how that would fit into the medical school application cycle. However on the thruhike side I would recommend entering the Sierras no earlier than June 1st, although the window depends on how much snow we receive this winter.

I have Verizon and an iPhone, so I could handle most emails, but might be out of luck if I need to be in-person. Snow is a hard one to predict, especially since permits are released next month...

 

[LizzyM]

What happens if you have another acceptance or a waitlist acceptance that can come anytime from March to August and have to suddenly do this at a new school? Your actual medical immunization isnt the issue but rather the paper work; some schools insist on titers. Your grades arent the actual issue but being approved for all prereqs. Lastly, I did a section of the PCT in 1995 in OR from Three Sisters to Mount Hood. We got snowed out at 7000' in August!

The solution to waitlists/acceptance is to withdraw from all waitlist schools before going away and to accept one offer as early as possible and check with the school to be sure that everything that is needed has been received (health forms, transcripts). I'd guess that May 1-June 30 would be the best time to disappear.

Watch out for wildfires. Those forced my nephew off the PCT a year or two ago. You just never know what can happen out there.

 

[MD-2022]

Think bigger, I went to Australia, South Africa, Dubai, and Japan during my gap year