mathguy23

Hello, if people more familiar with the Fulbright process could give me some advice here, I would really appreciate it. In the fall I'll be starting my senior year at a very good US school, majoring in mathematics. My GPA is very high, and consequently I've been encouraged to apply for postgraduate fellowships. Here's the thing: my end goal is to go to medical school and become a surgeon -- a career that has almost nothing to do with math. At the same time, I absolutely love the subject of pure mathematics; I'm just not particularly interested in any of the careers which involve it. I would love to spend a year pursuing a Master's degree in math before entering medical school, and am considering applying for a Fulbright to do so. Is it a problem that my proposed project and studies would not really be relevant to my future career? I.e. I don't really have a good reason to study abroad for a year, except that I want to challenge myself and learn for the sake of learning. Additionally, the only place it's really feasible to go is the U.K., since Master's degrees in most other countries take more than a year. (For example I can speak German, but all German-speaking countries require 2 years.) However, the U.K. is the most competitive country for applicants… should I even bother applying?