MCAT studying and not working frowned upon by

[The_Juggernaut]

Nontrad, urm & licensed healthcare professional with years of direct patient care experience. Would medical schools frown upon or even care if I took a couple months or maybe a year off from work to solely focus on mcat studying? I could volunteer every now and then but my job is very mentally taxing and my brain is toast after work and weekends are the only time to spend with my family and catch up on stuff that needs to get done ( cleaning, cooking, spending time with spouse and kid).
I maybe able to work part-time or fit in some shifts here and there every week or two. Thoughts?

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[Bonne Nuit]

Nontrad, urm & licensed healthcare professional with years of direct patient care experience. Would medical schools frown upon or even care if I took a couple months or maybe a year off from work to solely focus on mcat studying? I could volunteer every now and then but my job is very mentally taxing and my brain is toast after work and weekends are the only time to spend with my family and catch up on stuff that needs to get done ( cleaning, cooking, spending time with spouse and kid).
I maybe able to work part-time or fit in some shifts here and there every week or two. Thoughts?

Definitely take some time off to study if you need to. A work gap of a few months may very well go entirely unnoticed, but if anyone even asks about it, just tell them the truth. Medical schools (for the time being, anyway) give students anywhere from 6-10 weeks off to study for Step 1, so they'll actually probably be very understanding about pausing work for a few months to immerse yourself in MCAT preparation.

A whole year away from work/activities might be harder to justify, as most students only study for the MCAT for a few months, but I really don't think you'll need a whole year to prepare for that exam. Now, if you want to take some extended time off work for personal reasons, that's fine too, but be prepared to discuss the ways you were filling your time (and don't say "I was studying for the MCAT all day every day for a year" because I don't think they'll buy it, lol).

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Definitely take some time off to study if you need to. A work gap of a few months may very well go entirely unnoticed, but if anyone even asks about it, just tell them the truth. Medical schools (for the time being, anyway) give students anywhere from 6-10 weeks off to study for Step 1, so they'll actually probably be very understanding about pausing work for a few months to immerse yourself in MCAT preparation.

A whole year away from work/activities might be harder to justify, as most students only study for the MCAT for a few months, but I really don't think you'll need a whole year to prepare for that exam. Now, if you want to take some extended time off work for personal reasons, that's fine too, but be prepared to discuss the ways you were filling your time (and don't say "I was studying for the MCAT all day every day for a year" because I don't think they'll buy it, lol).

Thanks, appreciate your input!