Medical schools want 3 things: (1) healthcare exposure, (2) GPA/MCAT, and (3) AAMC competencies. When you shadow with Atlantis, you improve all 3. As a bonus, you get to do this while studying abroad during school breaks.
1. Best Healthcare Exposure
Compared to typical clinical experiences, Atlantis shadowing brings far greater depth, breadth, quantity, and intercultural perspective: the four traits medical schools value in any healthcare experience.
2. Focus More on Grades
Extracurriculars over breaks, better grades during your semester. Most students don’t prioritize GPA/MCAT enough; doing Atlantis shadowing over break accomplishes so much extracurricular-wise that you can cut out some activities during the year.
3. Show AAMC Competencies To Med Schools
Atlantis shadowing helps you refine and showcase most of the competencies on which medical schools assess applicants, creating powerful stories for your applications and interviews.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- BYU '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Elorm Yevudza
- Atlantis '16
- Amherst '19
- Columbia MD '24
Elorm Yevudza
Ciudad Real, Spain ’16 || Amherst College
Program:
Ciudad Real – Spain – 2016
Undergraduate:
Amherst College class of 2019
Major:
Neuroscience
Extracurricular Activities:
Track and Field, International Students Association, Charles Drew Health Professions Society
Describe Atlantis in three words:
A transformative experience.
Why did you choose the Atlantis program?
The opportunity to shadow doctors in a European country greatly appealed to me. As an international student from Ghana, I value the subtle differences in approach that doctors, depending on the country in which they are trained, use to achieve a common result: alleviating illness and improving the quality of lives.
How is Atlantis Unique?
In an increasingly globalized world, having first-hand experience with the subtleties of healthcare in different parts of the world is vital to a future health professional. Atlantis exposes participants to these nuances in healthcare approaches, and in effect helps aspiring health professionals gain a global perspective on healthcare.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Experiencing the city and culture of Ciudad Real was an experience that is etched in my memory. As I practiced my very elementary Spanish with the locals and discussed various health-related issues with the doctors I shadowed, I was reminded of the uniqueness of human life. I was also reminded of the role of a health professional in society: to preserve and improve the quality of human life.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
My discussions with doctors about their relations with patients was most meaningful to me. Our discussions highlighted a trend I had spotted when I shadowed doctors in Ghana: that the core of healthcare is about alleviating illness and improving the quality of life. My conversations with doctors in Ciudad Real underscored the importance of treating patients not just as cases, but as people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has given me a broader perspective on the field of healthcare. The program has also brought wonderful people into my life. The participants that I shadowed, explored, and conversed with impressed me with their passion for healthcare. The program has also taught me to be a lifelong leader, and the importance of fostering a curiosity that will help prepare me for my future in the medical field.
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- UMD College Park '17
- Michigan MPH '21 + MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
Watch a Video to Quickly Get a Visual Sense of the Experience
What’s an Atlantis Program?
- 50–200+ shadowing hours
- 1–10 weeks over academic breaks
- Multiple specialties (1 per week)
- U.S. & Europe (study abroad) programs
- Some programs are multi-country
- Clean group housing, several meals, insurance, excursions & more
- Some programs do a Service-Research Project
Keep in Mind
- Atlantis is a way to both study abroad and obtain great clinical experience
- Financial aid makes it possible
- Flexible dates work with your summer or winter break plans
- Foreign language skills are not required
- Some programs include the potential to earn a certificate from Harvard Medical School via an HMX online course
Featured Programs
We offer single and multi-country programs, taking place for a few weeks over breaks, in several countries.
Destination
Italy
Duration
1-3 Weeks
Pavia
Pavia is a mid-sized city, about 30 miles south of Milan, in the southern part of the Lombardy region – that is to say, deep in the heart of northern Italy’s rice-growing territory.
Destination
Spain
Duration
1-3 Weeks
Mérida
Rich in history and once one of the most important cities in the Roman empire, the city preserves more ancient Roman structures than any other city in Spain.
Destination
United States
Duration
1-3 Weeks
Washington D.C. Children's National Hospital Project
Washington is an extraordinary city, one with multiple personalities: a working federal city, an international metropolis, a picturesque tourist destination, and an unmatched treasury of the country’s history and artifacts.
Destination
Spain
Duration
1-3 Weeks
Calatayud
Calatayud is a municipality in Zaragoza within the autonomous community of Aragón. It lies on the Jalón River and among the Sistema Ibérico mountain range.
Destination
Switzerland
Duration
2 Weeks
Geneva UNICEF Project
Geneva is the second-largest city in Switzerland. It lies at the southern tip of the country, very close to the French border. The natural location is breathtaking: surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has amazing views of Mont Blanc.
Alternatively, See a More In-Depth Version of The Above Table
Compare A Typical Med School Applicant With an Atlantis Alum
Take The Quiz
We’ve built the “Shadowing and Extracurricular Readiness Score” calculator to allow you to look at several expert statements and track to what extent your current extracurriculars follow best practices. We believe this exercise to be very useful regardless of whether you end up considering Atlantis.
9.8
/10Go Overseas
9.7
/10Go Abroad
An Effective Investment
- Alumni went on to 40 of the top 50 medical schools, and also to DO/PA & more
- 93% of Atlantis alumni progress on the AAMC competencies on which medical schools assess applicants
- 1/10 of U.S. pre-health advisors has been to our programs
