Working/Volunteering Abroad - Helpful for Applicaton?

[Skan]

Is working in a 3rd world country to help others in a NON-medically related way helpful, or not beneficial towards a med school appl/getting an interview?

For example, teaching kids in a 3rd world country about proper hygiene, or the importance of higher level education... Is this something helpful, unique or typical from the adcoms' perspective?

For the purposes of standing out, I'm having trouble deciding whether to do the typical medical volunteering abroad, or just ANYTHING that helps PEOPLE in a 3rd world country.

I already know "I should do things I WANT to do whether for med school or not". We all do things we like, and hope it impresses adcoms. Any suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks!

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[123165]

Looks good to me. While not atypical, I would estimate that the average applicant does not have international experience.

Although, if possible, anything that involves helping African babies is $$$$

 

[J ROD]

It def is not something that everyone has and will help you stand out....

 

[Stratego]

Even if you are not working with patients, it is still volunteerism/community service.

Here are some other perspectives on international service trips: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=587185 Especially appreciate the dialogue started with post #21 by LizzyM, an adcomm poster here on SDN.

 

[mathgrl83]

I think it could definitely help you. I have had several questions on different secondary applications that ask about exposure to diversity/experiences that have made you more sensitive other cultures. In addition, your experience could give you good material for your personal statement, talking about how seeing the way people live/their access to medical care influenced your career goals, or something like that. And helping others, even in a non-medical setting, speaks to your compassion, which med school are definitely looking for. At the very least, it makes for a good conversation piece for interviews!

 

[Skan]

Thanks for your help guys!

I'm not sure if I can afford, or even understand why it's not equally respected to go to, say Latin America or India to help out the less fortunate..vs Africa? I'm not in it for the Nobel peace prize lol, I just want to help out.

 

[jla314]

go wherever you have an interest in going! you def don't need to go to africa.

it was interesting that my interviewer at washu actually talked about how international volunteerism is now in vogue and how it seemed (at least to him) that almost every applicant now had it. then he asked me why i hadn't done it.

 

[Web MD]

I spent a few weeks doing medical work in Honduras and other public health projects. Not only was it an awesome experience, but it definitely gives you something solid to talk about during interviews. If you go, it might be a good idea to bring a journal or something to keep track of what all you've done, illnesses you see and most common meds given out. Also, cuervo gold is only a couple bucks down there, gotta love that exchange rate

 

[MexicanDr]

It's a bit discouraging knowing everyone is doing it nowadays. Personally, I would love to go abroad (and not in the hopes of being another Paul Farmer or to lavish my app) but now I'm questioning whether or not adcomms might be looking at going abroad a bit negatively than in previous years.

 

[mexicochangedme]

i have done both the short term (1-3 week) trips as well as a whole year...and gone through professional school applications after each. i can't say whether or not they made the difference for my application (i have no way of knowing), but i do know that they have been a main topic of conversation in ALL of my interviews. the year i spent in mexico was pretty unique (i taught at a school for the deaf--taught mexican sign language to older kids who didn't have any language skills or concept of language in order to teach them spanish), so that's always a talking point. true, it doesn't have anything to do with medicine, per se, but it sure gave me amazing experience in communicating, problem solving, sensitivity to the human condition (in so many forms that can take!), sacrifice, and various other traits that are critical to becoming a good physician.

go for it. it'll change your life.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Is working in a 3rd world country to help others in a NON-medically related way helpful, or not beneficial towards a med school appl/getting an interview?

For example, teaching kids in a 3rd world country about proper hygiene, or the importance of higher level education... Is this something helpful, unique or typical from the adcoms' perspective?

For the purposes of standing out, I'm having trouble deciding whether to do the typical medical volunteering abroad, or just ANYTHING that helps PEOPLE in a 3rd world country.

I already know "I should do things I WANT to do whether for med school or not". We all do things we like, and hope it impresses adcoms. Any suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks!

I did an "internship" abroad in a similar capacity, and it definitely gave me plenty of material for my PS, came up twice in interviews.

That being said, you don't have to go to another country to help people living in the 'third world'.

Go downtown to a local shelter, and teach kids there about good hygiene and the importance of education/staying in school. (Going abroad and THEN coming to recognize health disparities "in your own backyard" and working to correct them = +++ awesome though, fyi)

Go abroad because you want to see the world. Go abroad because you want to experience other cultures. But don't go just expecting to beef up your application by 'helping' people you have no interest in or stake with.
It's called volun-tourism and it's a VERY lucrative industry.

 

[Skan]

Thanks again you guys.
I think just because a lot of students who get accepted to med schools have worked abroad, doesn't mean even half of applicants are doing it. But yea, any altruistic experience should be valued, domestic or international.

 

[LizzyM]

Because everyone's experience is different, and because novel experiences are more interesting than routine ones, experiences abroad are often fodder for interviewers. Don't confuse this with an important characteristic that will help get you into med school.

That said, a long-term experience such as Peace Corps is generally a plus. Short term trips, less impressive. I'd say that if you are putting in less than 100 hours of actual work (not sleeping,eating, shopping etc), the trip was too short to be a worthwhile volunteer activity in the Third World. A Spring Break project in the US is a different story.

 

[Skan]

Agreed, but although I'd like to stay longer, please remember that I'm paying to volunteer. The longer I stay, the more money it is for me to work, so if it doesn't seem as impressive then there's nothing more I could have done.

 

[Coffee Kid]

I've been hearing it's almost MORE effective to do something not so directly related to medicine because it shows you have a wide variety of interests in people and global issues.

If you pack your resume with ALL medical related ECs and work, they will suspect you're just statigically playing the game of "get into med school". Do stuff you are passionate and interested in, because those kinds of experiences will ultimately enrich you the most as an applicant.

 

[hasp]

I agree with everything, especially the 'keeping journal' which is vital on rural brigades. Do not much like Cuevo but beer at a buck aint bad either.

 

[ThaliaNox]

I interview for my school, and I'd estimate that somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the applicants have some sort of international service trip. I've always thought of them as application fodder. Week long trips especially are more like expensive vacations. I'd rather see an applicant do an alternative spring break in the US. Really, the only thing that international volunteering trips tell me is that you spent a lot of money to buy "an experience." It also pains me to think of what the 3-5 grand that people spend on these trips could do in the third world countries they visit.

 

[parafilm]

I did two months in africa doing hospital and volunteer work.


Regardless of how it looks on my application, it was an awesome experience. Even if it was totally worthless on an app, I'd do it again, 100%.

It was expensive--I worked and saved up to pay for it (and was totally broke after) but I also live in an expensive city so 2 months abroad cost just slightly over 2 months of rent+food at home.

 

[NickNaylor]

The cynicism regarding service trips abroad is somewhat disheartening. I'm sure much of it is earned, as some of the companies that "specialize" in this kind of trip seem to construct a wholly superficial experience, but even so, why does it matter? I'm sure SOME degree of service is being performed, which is perhaps better than nothing.

The argument about donating that money rather than going on the trip is silly. You could extrapolate this point to almost any activity that requires an economic investment. I understand where the sentiment comes from, but it's a somewhat ridiculous argument nonetheless.

I'll be going to Kenya for a short medical missions trip in May, and it's unfortunate that this class of experience seems to be viewed as a resume-boosting vacation rather than as an opportunity to serve abroad.

 

[LizzyM]

I'll be going to Kenya for a short medical missions trip in May, and it's unfortunate that this class of experience seems to be viewed as a resume-boosting vacation rather than as an opportunity to serve abroad.

If you want to serve, sign up for a long-term service program such as Peace Corps.

If you want to serve for a week or two, give your time close to home and save high cost of air travel.

 

[hasp]

I did an "internship" abroad in a similar capacity, and it definitely gave me plenty of material for my PS, came up twice in interviews.

That being said, you don't have to go to another country to help people living in the 'third world'.

Go downtown to a local shelter, and teach kids there about good hygiene and the importance of education/staying in school. (Going abroad and THEN coming to recognize health disparities "in your own backyard" and working to correct them = +++ awesome though, fyi)

Go abroad because you want to see the world. Go abroad because you want to experience other cultures. But don't go just expecting to beef up your application by 'helping' people you have no interest in or stake with.
It's called volun-tourism and it's a VERY lucrative industry.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I could not agree more, there are programs that cost $1000 to $1300 per week, I have lived in Honduras for 15 years and I can live for 3-4 months on that amount of cash. But if you need to be pampered and have your own guide/translator, well you are going to have to pay for that luxury. .


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]There are good programs here that are in the $250 to $350 range but they are best suited for those individuals and groups that have initiative, a 'get into it' personality and at least basic Spanish skills. There are few people in any of the many public & private health care facilities where I have volunteered that have time to lend you a pen, much less help you with your Spanish. .

 

[DrSmooth]

Is working in a 3rd world country to help others in a NON-medically related way helpful, or not beneficial towards a med school appl/getting an interview?

Yes, it's helpful. However, doing something medically related will be more helpful for your application and your future work as a physician.

Having lived overseas for a few years (after experiencing a spring break trip), I disagree about spending your spring break here to save money. The primary purpose of any trip/experience shorter than a few months is exposure. Any immediate (and small) net benefit to the people you are hoping to "serve" is a bonus. That is true whether you are here or overseas. As for saving money, if you want to save money then get a job instead of volunteering.

In terms of exposure you will see more new things the more different, and perhaps less developed, area you go to. This exposure will likely give you an interest, perhaps even passion, in working more in developing nations/underserved populations. That interest and passion will be what helps you stand out in your application and interview. In terms of where to go, the continent does not matter. Go somewhere that is underdeveloped and where you know someone (a professor, friend, or family member) who has connections and can set you up with a host family and maybe a clinic or hospital or something like that. Oh, and go for at least three weeks if you can. That's enough time to start experiencing a good amount of culture stress, which is a good thing.

 

[Dral]

"I'll be going to Kenya for a short medical missions trip in May, and it's unfortunate that this class of experience seems to be viewed as a resume-boosting vacation rather than as an opportunity to serve abroad."

Think about it...it's the same as dealing with the question "Why do you want to be a doctor?" It's so 'blase' now. Most everyone applying has 'attempted to save the world' in some respect. Just like answering the aforementioned question, proving that one went abroad for more altruistic reasons is what one has prove above just 'going abroad'.

 

[austinap]

I didn't bother to read the other posts because, frankly, there were too many of them. Here are my thoughts anyways.

I don't think it's really that unique, certainly not unique enough to stand out on an application on its own. A ton of people do volunteer work abroad. It probably doesn't help your chances unless you make it part of some larger trend, yadda yadda yadda. On the last interview I was on, everyone had done some international volunteer work at some point.

I do think it's helpful for your personal growth. It can be an amazing experience. If you're open to it, working in other places of the world can really challenge your assumptions about what people deserve, how things are, how things should be, etc. As a personal point of view, I think that volunteering in a third world country should be a required part of any undergraduate education. If you have the opportunity to do so, take it, as it becomes harder and harder to do things like that later on. Who cares about your application at this point, do what you think is difficult, and what you think will make you the more interesting person.

 

[Morsetlis]

The general advice is to put down anything that makes you look more similar to Gandhi/Mother Teresa.

It's not a substitute.. it's a complement. You got a few holes to fill in the ECs: research, volunteering, clinical, leadership, personal/passion. This has to fit one of them.

On the last interview I was on, everyone had done some international volunteer work at some point.

Think about how you'd be viewed if you didn't list the international volunteer work when everybody else had it...

 

[riverjib]

Is working in a 3rd world country to help others in a NON-medically related way helpful, or not beneficial towards a med school appl/getting an interview?

For example, teaching kids in a 3rd world country about proper hygiene, or the importance of higher level education... Is this something helpful, unique or typical from the adcoms' perspective?

For the purposes of standing out, I'm having trouble deciding whether to do the typical medical volunteering abroad, or just ANYTHING that helps PEOPLE in a 3rd world country.

I already know "I should do things I WANT to do whether for med school or not". We all do things we like, and hope it impresses adcoms. Any suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks!

My experience on medical missions was what made me decide to pursue medicine. The fact that doing this kind of humanitarian work is up for debate in terms of its "worth" in the admissions process is ridiculous. I need to stop reading posts in this forum, because it's really disheartening to know that most of the good things most pre-meds do are done solely to impress ADCOMs. Nothing I say or do will change that. At best, I can hope that I'll end up on an ADCOM someday and will have the unique ability to sense insincerity.

 

[Dannyw]

My experience on medical missions was what made me decide to pursue medicine. The fact that doing this kind of humanitarian work is up for debate in terms of its "worth" in the admissions process is ridiculous. I need to stop reading posts in this forum, because it's really disheartening to know that most of the good things most pre-meds do are done solely to impress ADCOMs. Nothing I say or do will change that. At best, I can hope that I'll end up on an ADCOM someday and will have the unique ability to sense insincerity.

It's up for debate because not everyone is christian and feels the same way about "missions". A purely humanitarian trip for the benefit of the people and not [insert St. blah blah church] sounds great. However, there are suffering people in your own communities who need your help too. If not in your community then in your state.

 

[medat101]

is working in a 3rd world country to help others in a non-medically related way helpful, or not beneficial towards a med school appl/getting an interview?

For example, teaching kids in a 3rd world country about proper hygiene, or the importance of higher level education... Is this something helpful, unique or typical from the adcoms' perspective?

For the purposes of standing out, i'm having trouble deciding whether to do the typical medical volunteering abroad, or just anything that helps people in a 3rd world country.

I already know "i should do things i want to do whether for med school or not". We all do things we like, and hope it impresses adcoms. Any suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks!

developing countries, not third world