Currently D1 has discussed seeking a summer internship in Guatemala, Peru, or Costa Rica. My first thought is to weigh in on current costs for her Undergraduate degree. I am curious if anyone can give a current path for Pre professional Health students for each summer while in college
Many threads on CC indicate students being involved by volunteering, shadowing and making good grades.
I am encouraging her to develop a plan for each summer. I suggested summer school rather than an internship in order to lighten her load next semester. Physics 1 & 2 are offered this summer both are 4 weeks long. She would have 1 Organic Chem and 2 Biology classes her Sophomore year. Taking Physic’s early is out of the usual sequence.
Paying for an internship seems questionable to me. I would appreciate any information the CC community can provide. The cost for Summer school is triple the cost of the internship. But I believe a lighter course load will help her maintain the higher grade point average.
Suggestions for Summer’s 1,2,3 of undergraduate years?
If your daughter wants to work with medically underserved and needy communities there are so many places here in the US she can get involved with. (Living conditions on the Navajo, Sioux and other western Indian reservations are just as bad–and sometimes worse–than anything you’d see a third world country.) She doesn’t need to move to Rosebud, SD, or Tuba City, AZ, to work with poor and underserved, but she does need to get outside her comfort zone and find a way to help the needy/less fortunate near her home community.
Summer school would be better alternative than a overseas trip so long as it’s at her home school. (Otherwise it may look like she’s attempting to duck a tough course/teacher.)
However, summers are really for developing ECs–research, community service, physician shadowing, clinical volunteering.
I also recommend a full time summer job for pre-meds, particularly if they have never held a paid employment position. Reporting to a boss, dealing with co-workers, handling difficult customers/clients, and just plain getting up every morning and showing up on time to a job that may not thrill her–these are all valuable work skills for future physicians. Medicine is, at its heart, a customer-service oriented profession. I hear many current med school faculty complain that straight-out-of-undergrad med students are often lacking in these basic work skills and often come off as entitled “special snowflakes”.
Frankly, I am not sure about such a very expensive trip before Medical school.
My D. went to Peru with the group of Physicians / Residents / Medical students after the first year of Medical School. She had great experiences there. She was chosen out of many applicants because of her Spanish. She was taking Intermediate Medical Spanish (outside of medical school) in her first year of medical school. She was able to translate for physicians as well as having responsibilities as a medical team member. She actually was a valuable member in this group while gaining experiences that she would not gain otherwise and further developing her Medical Spanish, which she is using currently as a first year resident as about 25% of her patients speak only Spanish. D’s trip to Peru was frequently discussed during her residency interviews. I believe that it was about 6 weeks long, not sure though. I cannot imagine that a HS graduate would benefit much from such an expensive trip. There are plenty of organizations within the USA to volunteer. I would pursue this for now.
In regard to college, one step at a time is the best approach. The first priority is to figure our how you can accomplish the goal of the straight As. Once this is under the belt, check out the opportunities for volunteering, medical research internships at college as they are easier to obtain at college then any other place, including the hometown, unless you have great connections. Also, keep in mind that the junior / senior year will get much busier, with MCAT prep., and then Medical school interviews. It is a good idea to plan on heavier schedule in freshman / sophomore year and less credit hours in junior / senior year. However, my D. was able to have the summers off, no single summer class. Having this break seemed to be instrumental in her academic success during school year. She also did all of her medical ECs at college during school year, except for light shadowing and additional volunteering during summers.
Best wishes on this very challenging road!
If the internship is a form of medical volunteering, why not.
But my D - an undergrad - was accepted to one program abroad and has applied to another and neither one cost anything, one was funded completely including a stipend and the other will be funded by her college if she gets it. In her case, the choice to apply to these programs is because she wants to perfect her Spanish speaking skills while also getting some experience in a health clinic.
I’d think twice about paying to volunteer when it’s possible to volunteer closer to home.
We have placed trip on back burner. Daughter will have 6 hours in Spanish at University of ND come end of semester. With having 19 hours this semester her Chem grade is not where it needs to be. She will withdraw from Chem at this time and retake in summer school @ ND. 1 step at a time. As for Spanish she indicated she hopes to have 30 hours and be able to major in Spanish & Science Business at UND… The first year is flying by