Most universities tell their premed students that if they're interested in studying abroad, then by all means, they should go. Medical schools like to see that students have had a variety of college experiences. However, studying abroad for premed students is a sticky situation because of the Medical College Admissions Testing (MCAT), the medical school application process, and the amount of course work involved with finishing premed and major requirements.
Some schools allow you to take premed courses while abroad and others strictly advise against it. So you need to check with your home university's premed committee about completing premed requirements while abroad. Also keep in mind that it is always your responsibility to know what you need to do to apply to medical school before you go abroad.
Taking the MCAT: Timing it right
Most schools advise you to complete the science courses required for medical school (introductory chemistry, organic chemistry, and introductory physics) at a U.S. school if possible. This guarantees that you not only cover all topics on the MCAT but also have taken most (or all) prerequisite courses for any advanced level science courses you want to take when you get back.
Taking the MCAT the summer before or after you go abroad allows you to take an MCAT review course during the summer months before the exam. If you need to take the MCAT while you're abroad, get in touch with the premed committee or career service center at your home university to obtain a copy of the registration packet.
Study abroad students and AMCAS
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is the service you use to apply to most American medical schools. AMCAS is a non-profit, centralized application processing service for applicants entering first-year classes at participating U.S. medical schools. Find them on the web at www.aamc.org.
Yet another reason you may want to complete your premed classes in the U.S. has to do with credit transfer and grade reporting. You want your grades for coursework completed abroad to transfer on the American scale (A, B, C, D, F) so that they can be included in your AMCAS composite grade-point average (GPA). If your abroad school uses a grading system other than the American system, then your abroad grades won't be recorded in your AMCAS GPA; these courses will only appear as pass/fail semester hours. Discuss this issue with your home university study abroad director or study abroad program.
Preparing med school applications
Typically, students apply to medical school more than one year before they plan to matriculate, usually in the summer between their junior and senior years. If you want to study abroad during your undergraduate career, you need to carefully plan your classes (from your first day at college) in order to apply to medical school at the end of your junior year.
Most students planning to go abroad during their junior year can usually complete all the premed classes before they go if they take some premed classes during the summer months. If you can achieve this, then you may even be able to take the MCAT in August before going abroad. With these requirements out of the way, you can return from studying abroad in June of your junior year and fill out the online AMCAS.
If you choose to study abroad during your sophomore year, you may need to take summer classes after you get back in order to complete all premed class requirements before the start of your senior year.
Because medical school interviews are usually scheduled from September until February, senior year study abroad for premed students is not at all practical if you've applied to medical school.
Some students wait and apply to medical school after they've finished their senior year. Applying at the end of senior year may work better for students who are away during their junior year — you will not feel as rushed. However, this also means that you'll have to take a year off between finishing your undergraduate degree and starting medical school.
Gathering recommendations
Before going abroad, speak to the professors who will write your letters of recommendation for medical school. Make sure you give them waiver forms and any other materials they will need to complete your recommendation. You may want to check in with them again while you're abroad as a helpful reminder and to see whether they need any more information from you. If you anticipate requesting recommendations from faculty members at your abroad university or program, be sure to take additional waiver forms and materials with you.
Writing a personal statement
Your adviser and other faculty members writing recommendations usually need to have your personal statement and resume in front of them when they write their letters. Most medical school application forms give you plenty of freedom to write an essay in which you can discuss your achievements that aren't reflected in other parts of your application or talk about how events have shaped your attitude, focus, and desire to attend medical school. If you do not have your personal statement completed before going abroad, work on it while abroad and e-mail a draft to your adviser and other recommenders.
An added benefit of e-mailing your personal statement while abroad: It reminds your adviser and recommenders that you're expecting a letter from them.
Premed study abroad options
Here's a good list of premed programs abroad to give you a sampling of what's out there. I list them here with their Web site information to help you get started on your study abroad options and give you a sampling of what is out there.
The University of Bristol's premed program allows students to combine courses in Biomedical Studies (anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology) with courses from the Biological Sciences units (such as molecular genetics and cell biology). You can also take courses from the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences to prepare for the MCAT, which can be taken in the U.K. You can study at Bristol for the full year, or for just a fall or spring semester.
The University of Lancaster has both a premed program and a healthcare program. The university offers a range of science courses to study abroad students, including almost all of the core MCAT courses. All courses have laboratory and/or fieldwork available. Lancaster has made an effort to establish itself as a center for science and premedical studies in the U.K. The MCAT is given at a site in Lancashire, and a premed adviser facilitates contacts among premeds so that students can study together for the MCAT. You can study at Lancaster for the full year or for the spring semester only.
The University of Sussex offers a program specifically designed for the needs of premed students from North America. At Sussex, students have an opportunity to volunteer at places such as the Royal Sussex County Hospital, a drop-in center for people with HIV, a hospice, and in the campus rescue team. You can take the MCAT in Sussex at the same time as in the U.S., and MCAT review classes are available in the Spring Term (January-March). You can study at Sussex for the full year or for spring semester only.
- Denmark's International Studies (DIS) Medical Practice and Policy Program (www.disp.dk)
DIS offers a study abroad program for non-Danish speaking juniors and seniors who have a serious interest in medicine. Courses offered include: Human Health and Disease, Health Care in Scandinavia, Biomedical Ethics, Brain Functioning and the Experience of Self, Developmental Psychopathology, and the Impact of Epidemic Disease upon European History. Courses offer students privileged access to the National University Hospital, the National Science and Medical Library, and the Macroanatomical Laboratory at the Medical School of the University of Copenhagen. Field trips to the World Health Organization (WHO), whose European headquarters is located in Copenhagen, and the Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology also coincide with some courses.
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