Peace Corps?

[TheAmazingGrace]

I’m a senior biology major who wants to go into medicine, but I don’t feel like I have enough non-academic experiences to go right in after college. I’ve also been sick of studying for a while now (and that aspect only gets worse in medical school), and think I need some time to reinvigorate my brain in between graduation and this whole new stage of student life.

I’ve been tutoring biology and chemistry for well over a year, and really do enjoy it. I mention this because I was looking through a list of Peace Corps positions, and there was one for a secondary education science teacher in Tanzania, which I think might be right up my alley. I do like teaching, and I’ve always wanted to work in underprivileged communities overseas (I’m considering doing Doctors without Borders once I get my MD). I’m 21, and this might be the last chance I get to do something like this before I get tied down by all the components of adult life.

A Peace Corps rep is coming to speak at my school soon, and I do plan to talk to them.

What do you guys think? Are there any Peace Corps veterans here that might have some advice for this know-nothing college student?

 

[Speramus]

I took two years off between college and med school. Unfortunately, the time away from the books made my pre-clinical years harder. That’s a cost you should take into account when making your decision. With three months of training in addition to a two-year assignment, you’ll probably be out of school for three years. Maybe you could use some of the extra time when you get back for self-study, to try to get back up to speed.

Good luck and God bless you, whatever path you take.

 

[TheAmazingGrace]

Thanks. What did you do, and where did you go when you were in PC?

 

[Speramus]

I just posted because I was away from academia for a couple of years before medical school. I actually did apply for the Peace Corps but wasn’t accepted. You seem like a better fit for the PC; I bet they’ll take you. Not knowing what else to do with myself, I enlisted in the army for two years. I did get to spend a year and a half in Panama, and a month in Honduras, but my contact with the locals was much more limited than what you’ll get in the PC.