Beyond the Pre-Med Checklist: Finding Purpose Abroad

Written by Grace Crossley

As I approach graduation, I find myself reflecting on the experiences that shaped my time at Northeastern. Without hesitation, my semester abroad stands out as the most meaningful. During my 3rd year, I spent the Spring semester of 2024 abroad in Seville, Spain enrolled in a CIEE program. Before coming to college, studying abroad was a non-negotiable for me. While abroad, I traveled to 23 cities, saw snow-covered mountains and a desert for the first time, and made lifelong friends. All this sounds very picturesque, but it’s completely representative of my semester. Beyond all those incredible experiences, my passion and commitment to medicine and public health grew. Although my coursework focused on culture and language, all fulfilling credits for my major, I also pursued an independent research project (a comparative analysis of healthcare systems), which I am in the process of trying to publish. Through this work, I was exposed to different approaches to healthcare and accessibility that only furthered my desire to continue research in public health. Equally influential was becoming a part of the local community. I volunteered at a local elementary school teaching English and made efforts frequently to connect with local university students. A place and process that felt unfamiliar quickly started to feel like a second home.

As pre-health students, making time in our meticulous schedules can be next to impossible and the idea of studying abroad feels unrealistic. The mounting pressure we face to gain clinical, shadowing, volunteering, and research hours can take away from our enjoyment of college. As an older student looking down the barrel of medical school applications, I encourage you to live your life because it isn’t a sacrifice of hard work, but a way to shape yourself into a well-rounded person with unique experiences. You are more than a resume or accumulation of academic achievement. If you are even slightly considering studying abroad, it isn’t stepping away or putting you behind in your pursuit of a pre-health program. My experience demonstrated the opposite. Studying abroad allowed me to rediscover a sense of balance and joy; it didn’t detract from my goals, it strengthened them. Regardless of your major or minor, I cannot advocate enough to find the time to go abroad if not for a semester, at least for a summer. It is scary to leave behind your friends, campus, and home but being a healthcare provider can be uncomfortable. Time abroad helps cultivate stronger skills and can navigate and advocate for yourself in a foreign country.

If you have any interest at all in studying abroad, I encourage you to pursue it. Sit down with your schedule and advisor to map out where it could realistically fit into your academic plan. For me, going abroad after finishing my pre-med requisites and first co-op was ideal. It allowed me to be financially comfortable, and when I returned, I transitioned into studying for the MCAT feeling more motivated and focused than before. There are many programs that will fulfill courses you may need for your major or electives; I would highly encourage considering a language minor which allows you to take requirements abroad. If financials are a concern, there are numerous outside scholarships to apply to and strategically planning for a co-op beforehand will cover your spending needs while away. If scheduling and budgeting are your concerns, I promise there are so many ways to plan and get advice to make studying abroad a reality.

Studying abroad is more than a semester (or summer) away, it’s a period of personal and academic growth. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and challenges your perspectives. My final words are: do it. Go abroad, get uncomfortable, and maybe reinvigorate your passion not just for medicine but life. You may return not only with incredible memories, but a renewed sense of purpose. I definitely did.