Leave of Absence

[mmssjj]

I posted a few days ago wondering whether a leave of absence would impact my application. Today I am posting about whether a leave of absence would be smartest decision in this case. So I am a junior in spring semester. My gpa is 3.96. I plan to take two gap years after graduation and apply to matriculate on 2026 Fall.
I am in about two weeks into my spring semester. I signed up for Biochem, physics 2, a bio lab, and other writing class (total 17 credits). Last weekend my mom had a stroke. She lost some mobility on her right leg. I have a high schooler younger brother. Other than that we have no family or close friends in this country who might be able to take care of my mom. I am the one responsible of taking care of my sick mother to help her rehabilitate and as well as all the household chores.
I am very tight on credit so my options are to either take LOA for spring 2023 and push my graduation one semester later or take 12 credits this semester (biochem, writing, and biology lab) and take 18 credits next two semester to graduate on time. I don’t qualify for scholarships for summer so that’s not an option for me.
In this circumstance, I am very confused about what decision to take. My mom has been making some progress on walking with help of aid. But she would need someone to help her with physical therapy once she out of rehab for next few months. If I take 12 credits this semester, I will be out of house for pretty long hours and wouldn’t be able to help her as much as I want.
However I fear if I push back my graduation and if she has another stroke in near future, I might have to face same problem again.
I am very conflicted and mentally depressed about this situation. I don’t have any guidance other than advisors to help me decide.
I don’t know if this is the right place for this post. Still I would appreciate any advice you could give me. This sudden sickness of my mom is very new to me and I am not prepared. One moment everything was fine and next moment everything is messed up.
Please advise me what I should do. Take a LOA or take 12 credits. Thanks.

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[EthylMethylMan]

First of all, my sincerest condolences to your mother, you, and your family. I can't imagine how hard this is for you all.

Take the LOA. You are (very selflessly) going to be taking on responsibility for helping your mom recover and adjust to a new way of going about her daily life. This is a huge undertaking, and it would be hard for even the most talented and driven student to get a competitive GPA for a semester of upper-level science at the same time. I don't think it makes a lot of sense to risk a poor performance out of concern for future events further delaying you. God willing, your mother will do well with the post-stroke management, her risk factors will be well controlled, and once you and your family have things more under control, you can finish your degree. In the mean time, if you're so inclined and have the energy, you could do some side reading of old course material, MCAT books, etc to stay sharp. Also, in case you're concerned about the educational gap, I wouldn't worry about it. Any adcom is going to be very understanding of these circumstances.

 

[Goro]

I posted a few days ago wondering whether a leave of absence would impact my application. Today I am posting about whether a leave of absence would be smartest decision in this case. So I am a junior in spring semester. My gpa is 3.96. I plan to take two gap years after graduation and apply to matriculate on 2026 Fall.
I am in about two weeks into my spring semester. I signed up for Biochem, physics 2, a bio lab, and other writing class (total 17 credits). Last weekend my mom had a stroke. She lost some mobility on her right leg. I have a high schooler younger brother. Other than that we have no family or close friends in this country who might be able to take care of my mom. I am the one responsible of taking care of my sick mother to help her rehabilitate and as well as all the household chores.
I am very tight on credit so my options are to either take LOA for spring 2023 and push my graduation one semester later or take 12 credits this semester (biochem, writing, and biology lab) and take 18 credits next two semester to graduate on time. I don’t qualify for scholarships for summer so that’s not an option for me.
In this circumstance, I am very confused about what decision to take. My mom has been making some progress on walking with help of aid. But she would need someone to help her with physical therapy once she out of rehab for next few months. If I take 12 credits this semester, I will be out of house for pretty long hours and wouldn’t be able to help her as much as I want.
However I fear if I push back my graduation and if she has another stroke in near future, I might have to face same problem again.
I am very conflicted and mentally depressed about this situation. I don’t have any guidance other than advisors to help me decide.
I don’t know if this is the right place for this post. Still I would appreciate any advice you could give me. This sudden sickness of my mom is very new to me and I am not prepared. One moment everything was fine and next moment everything is messed up.
Please advise me what I should do. Take a LOA or take 12 credits. Thanks.

Take the LOA.

Med schools aren't going anywhere.

 

[LunaOri]

Take the LOA. Give yourself time to be with your mom (and take care of yourself too—I’m sure this has been a tough emotional time. Take time to process it).