<p>My S is currently a sophomore on the pre-med track. He has discussed studying abroad either next summer or his first term of junior year. My thought is that junior year is most critical for getting into medical school. Even though he will take the MCATS the end of junior year, I suspect there are many medical school related things he will need to start taking care of beginning his junior year ( e.g. volunteering, shadowing, getting prepped for application and completing resume, etc).</p>
<p>Anyone have any thoughts on this? Any student out there who has studied abroad first term junior year with no detrimental affects trying to get into medical school?</p>
<p>I don’t know, but as I have been touring schools recently, a lot of them tout their pre-med advising systems. Does he have a pre-med advisor who can answer these questions and help him plan out his classes and activities?</p>
<p>First of all, relatively few students apply to med school in their senior year – the average age for a first year med student is between 24 and 25. And, frankly, med schools like that: it gives students often a much-needed break, allows them to prepare for MCATs, work, travel, etc. So, no, doing a semester long program as a junior won’t have a “detrimental” effect on med school admissions. Likely, it might help, in fact.</p>
<p>I am a physician, have served on a medical school admissions committee for a state medical school, and spent a semester my junior year of college in the UK. I wouldn’t trade that semester for anything. The application process takes place in the senior year. Spending a semester abroad during his junior year will only help his application. Many of the students that I have interviewed have spent considerable time abroad. It would be an even greater bonus if he could get some exposure to the health care system in the country he visits. If he has the opportunity to study abroad for a semester, I would highly recommend that he take advantage of it.</p>
<p>I don’t think doing a semester abroad Fall of junior year would be detrimental at all. </p>
<p>He can start volunteering/shadowing NOW…he doesn’t need to wait til junior year. </p>
<p>Or, if you’re that concerned, then have him do a summer abroad between soph and jr year.</p>
<p>Katlia…there are still a large number of kids applying to med schools their senior year. The avg age really just reflects that there are a good number who apply much older than 24/25, which balances out those who are applying at 21/22 (and creates the avg. Many schools have 200+ students applying to med schools as seniors.</p>
<p>I don’t see why medical school admissions would be impressed by study abroad. My D is a scholarship student at a highly ranked school for life sciences. Not only would it be too expensive to study abroad but the bio classes with the top professors are at her school, not overseas.</p>
<p>Comment on age of applicants: Yes, maturity matters, but age does not necessarily equate with maturity. </p>
<p>D will be 20 when she begins the application process. Depending on what specialty she chooses by the time she completes medical school, residency, perhaps a fellowship, she could be 30 before she even begins practice.</p>
<p>I agree age doesn’t necessarily correlate with maturity but oftentimes experience does.
Travel can help to get out of the college bubble and get more practice in flexibility and seeing things from another point of view.</p>
<p>Pre-Med really only needs to mean taking the required courses for Medical School acceptance (typically 5 classes). Many people apply to medical school without even majoring in a science. Often the most compelling candidates are those who followed a passion outside of the norm and bring a true sense of self to the table. Also, students who study what they enjoy (science or otherwise) are the most likely to do well in their classes and, therefore, have the GPA necessary for Medical School acceptance. If studying abroad is how your child wishes to spend a semester then, by all means, encourage him to do so!</p>
<p>Five classes seems very light for pre-med requirements. That’s only about a semester. My D is interested in pre-med and the advisor at her college gave her a much longer list of recommended courses than five!</p>
<p>She also wants to go abroad, and was told that it’s doable as a pre-med but you have to plan ahead and plan carefully. Also, a whole year abroad can be tough to manage–a semester is easier to plan if you want to graduate in four years.</p>
<p>Requires lots of planning. Science classes required for MCAT prep/med school admission are often taken sequentially and course offering schedules, etc need to be considered. (If you’re gone in the fall, can you take the first class in the spring? Summer school is widely frowned upon…) MCAT prep class is another timing consideration, as is the MCAT test schedule. </p>
<p>OP is right about the importance of volunteering, shadowing, etc.–Often difficult/impossible while abroad, so he may need to get that done before and after (long-term is preferred as opposed to a summer, etc)</p>
<p>Application to medical school is a detailed process; an ordeal. Doable? Sure, but not for the faint-hearted. </p>
<p>Agree experience of studying abroad is an asset to med school admission, but a summer might suffice and make prospective med student’s life much simpler. Another consideration: an international experience following graduation. But, again, that would require planning and organization, too.</p>
<p>Most med schools require at minimum one year of physics, one year of biology, two years of chemistry (general and organic) all with labs, and some require a year of English and at least a semester of math (calculus). There may be other specific requirements as well. It usually takes someone with a non-science degree a full calendar year or more to complete a post-bacc pre-med program. (A lot more than 5 classes.)</p>
<p>I think study or volunteer work abroad–or any other experiences that increase the student’s understanding of other cultures/human nature in general would be a plus.</p>
<p>Your son really needs to talk to his premed and academic advisors; </p>
<p>Typically, premed requirements include:</p>
<pre><code>Two semesters of Biology with lab
Two semesters of Inorganic Chemistry with lab
Two semesters of Organic Chemistry, with lab
Two semesters of Calculus
Two semesters of Physics
Two semesters of English/humanities courses
</code></pre>
<p>All of the premed classes are expected to be completed by the end of junior year if your son intends to apply to medical school during his senior year. If your son takes a semester off junior year, that leaves only five semesters to complete all premed requirements in addition to whatever other requirements need to be met in his major as well as the various distribution requirements. Most of the time, these requirements can’t be met in a study abroad program and no premed requirements can be taken pass/fail. It is also unlikely students can expect to do any serious physician shadowing/hospital volunteering while abroad. Foreign countries have completely different medical education systems which generally start right after high school. </p>
<p>While it may be technically possible to manage a very busy schedule and take a semester abroad, it could force your son to take more classes per semester than is advisable. Medical schools admission is is all about GPA and MCAT scores and having to take organic chem on top of an otherwise loaded program sophomore year can be a recipe for disaster. </p>
<p>In virtually all colleges and universities, the number of students who apply to medical school senior year has declined considerably over the past few decades and now represent less than 25% of the med school applicants from a particular college with the vast majority taking one or more years off between college and medical school. If you then survey those that actually did apply senior year, you may be hard pressed to find any that took a semester off on a study abroad program. </p>
<p>my D was in exactly the same situation and had to make the choice between taking a semester abroad and a hellish sophomore year if she wanted to be ready to apply to medical school. That was despite the fact she was a science major and could fit most of the premed requirements as part of regular course of study. In the end, she skipped the study abroad program.</p>
<p>The only thing that would give me pause for doing a study abroad junior year would be studying for the MCAT and the availability of resources to help with that while abroad.</p>
<p>If the family can afford the cost of the study abroad program, I would vote for the study abroad, and for planning now to file those med school applications after graduating from college.</p>
<p>The pre-med requirements will be changing, more chem and bio (genetics, biochem) and soc/psyc. There is also a new MCAT for 2015 (format, content and time duration) to be released. Check with your pre-med adivisors about the coming changes. Might also wander over to the pre-med board and others can be more specific.</p>
<p>Racquetdad: Mom of 4th-year med student here. Please encourage your son to take his time in applying to med school. Enjoy the semester abroad if he can do it. There is no rush to take the MCAT (drop that S at the end, parents, that’s not what the kids say). It’s really an advantage to take a year or two off after college and work in the health care field with direct patient experience (or many do research or work in other medically related job). It gives you something to talk about at your interviews and in your essays. </p>
<p>Med schools like to see that commitment in working with patients and that extra year or two also allows for much more time in shadowing and preparing applications. going straight from undergrad into med school and then residency isn’t perhaps the best for mental health either.</p>
<p>Agree whole heartedly with Bookiemom. Middle son is also an MS2 and he took a year between first undergrad and med school. He was offered a year abroad as part of his financial aid package and having many APs or graduating a year early. He opted to stay at his undergrad for the additional year of courses and adding more time to his research for his senior thesis. He really wanted to enjoy his senior year and left the app med cycle for the following year. Med schools then would see his senior year grades, research results and his completed and published senior thesis.</p>
<p>Made a HUGE difference in his acceptances and ensuing scholarships for med school which are usually few and far between. It was a win-win situation, more time at his undergrad which he adored, more time to prep for med school apps and interviews, and a much more complete and competitve application for acceptances and funding.</p>
<p>So if the overseas experience is something that is truly wanted, taking an extra year to be more competitve and complete would be worth it.</p>