Get outside of your comfort zone and become friends with everyone on your trip! You might make some of your best friends!

Aside from spending time and especially going on weekend trips with your fellow fellows, I would suggest exploring on your own at least once. Adventuring alone in a foreign country is a once in a life time experience.

I would also suggest you bring a notebook everyday to shadowing. You will have so much to learn from the doctors at the hospital you are shadowing at. The surgeries you will watch are incredible, and you should write down everything so that later in life you can refer back to your experience. I documented everything I saw so I would not forget and I am glad that I did. Also, ask your doctors as many questions as possible! They will enjoy answering them and you will learn tons. Pay attention to everything they do! Whatever specialty you shadow in, even if it is one you did not orignally "want" to shadow in, keep your eyes open and learn. Every specialty is a great specialty. It might even become your favorite.

Ask your friends questions as well! They may be closer to applying to medical school and could give you valuable advice.

For an Atlantis fellow, days are busy but SO fun. On Monday-Thursday, you'll wake up at about 6:30 am, eat breakfast and get ready for shadowing. You will be at the hospital by 8 am (at least this is what mornings were like in Genova), and be done with shadowing by around 1 pm.

Typically, if a surgery runs long you will stay at the hospital a bit later. After shadowing, you are free to explore unless there is a group dinner! On Friday there is typically a group excursion. We went on a hike to castles and on a beach trip. Saturday-Sunday are for you to travel, and I highly recommend you do so. Neighboring countries are easy to get to!

Before going on my fellowship, I had never travelled on my own, nor had I travelled overseas. I was afraid that I would get lost. And I did get lost! However, it turned out to be a good experience. Coming home to Genova from a weekend trip, my friends and I accidentally took a train that went in the opposite direction. We ended up in the Italian mountains, in a small commune town called Mondovi. It was 12am. There were no trains that ran until the morning, so we were stuck.

Although I definitely recommend triple checking to make sure you are on the correct train, getting lost was a learning experience and it turned out to be okay! Once you learn how to read the train and bus schedules in Europe or wherever you choose to go on a fellowship, getting around becomes easy!

If there is one thing I would have done differently, it would be to never come home from shadowing and revert to resting because I was tired. The cities that you will be in are beautiful, and you should explore and take in every sight. You could go on a waterfront run with a friend, or go out for lunch in the city center! Drink lots of coffee, and especially stay hydrated. The more awake you are, the more you can take in during surgeries and during your adventures.

Working for Atlantis has allowed me to see new parts of the world, learn about other cultures, and has given me a better vision for my future career. I have gained a much greater appreciation, understanding and interest in other cultures, and have an increased desire to travel because of my work with Atlantis. In my current role, I have grown in my problem solving, communication and time management skills.

Too many to pick one. I think one of the most amazing things to hear about is when students form relationships with doctors that go beyond just shadowing in the hospital. Atlantis is about building relationships in the medical world that go beyond country lines, and to see students and doctors making that happen is a wonderful thing.

I would love to go on one of our programs to Greece. To experience a country with such an important history both in medicine and in civilization would be an amazing learning and growth experience. Additionally, it would put me further outside of my comfort zone than most of Atlantis' other countries between having less familiarity with the language and less knowledge of the country's geography and culture.

Our team works incredibly hard to develop life changing programs and to ensure that students have the best experience possible both with Atlantis and in general while abroad. We enjoy working together and spending time together in and out of the office. From team outings to weekend gatherings, our team bonds and grows together, which shows in the way we work on our programs.

I think the biggest factor in the success of a company is the people. Having people makes room for innovation and makes a company more efficient. In the service and education world, the people are even more important to make sure every student feels cared for and valued. At Atlantis we focus on making sure students have a wonderful experience with us and that comes through our amazing people.