Research Programs/Fellowships for a gap year during undergrad (after junior year)

[redraincoat13]

I posted this in non-traditional, but then realized maybe it's not as non-traditional as I think?

I've read through a few of the threads on people taking a year off during undergrad and worrying about whether it looked good to med schools etc. People tended to reply yes, as long as you do something productive. But all the ones I read talked about taking the year off because of financial issues or sickness, etc.

I'm considering taking a year off after junior year just because I feel like I would appreciated more of my undergraduate education and have a better senior year if I took a year off in between to see if medicine/research is actually what I want.

The problem is I can't really seem to find any productive (research) programs to do during this gap year. The best option would be conducting research full-time for a while and then shadowing full-time for a while to see which lifestyle I like better. I know shadowing and volunteering programs are not that hard to find, but research for such gap years is almost impossible for me to find! Or am I just not looking in the right place?

Does anyone know any good programs/fellowships/grants that fund a half year or full year of research at their campus/facilities during a gap year having not graduated? Has anyone taken a year off during undergrad? What did you guys do?

All the programs/opportunities that I've looked through from premed sources are EITHER for summer programs or for after you've graduated and hold a degree (for instance internships from NIH, REUs, etc). It seems that they assume we only take gap years after we graduate!

Please help! Thanks everyone!

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[La Presse]

Yes I do.

The popular research program that you see on here is the NIH IRTA.

https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta

I am not gonna touch on the irta at all. You can look at the link above or do a search on SDN. There are tons of threads about it.

Another program is the PREP Program.

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/PREP/pages/PartInstPREP.aspx

The PREP Program is less popular among premeds because it generally caters to those who want to attend graduate school or apply to MD-PhD programs at the conclusion of the program. In fact, a lot of the programs make you sign an intent-to-enroll for PhD or MD-PhD programs. Of course, you can still use this program to gauge your interest in research, but keep in mind that those that are selected will be chosen for their interest in research and graduate school.

There are multiple institutions that participate in the PREP Program and you can see those in the link above. If you can get into a place like UPenn or Mayo and publish within a year, it would look great on a CV. In addition, programs will pay you a generous stipend for a year. Two years of funding is also common. I believe it is a larger stipend that what IRTA is giving, so you might want to take that into consideration.

Just write a decent statement and submit early to multiple programs with a strong intent to do research as a career and you should do fine. Look at those links above and best of luck.

 

[redraincoat13]

Yes I do.

The popular research program that you see on here is the NIH IRTA.

https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta

I am not gonna touch on the irta at all. You can look at the link above or do a search on SDN. There are tons of threads about it.

Another program is the PREP Program.

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/PREP/pages/PartInstPREP.aspx

The PREP Program is less popular among premeds because it generally caters to those who want to attend graduate school or apply to MD-PhD programs at the conclusion of the program. In fact, a lot of the programs make you sign an intent-to-enroll for PhD or MD-PhD programs. Of course, you can still use this program to gauge your interest in research, but keep in mind that those that are selected will be chosen for their interest in research and graduate school.

There are multiple institutions that participate in the PREP Program and you can see those in the link above. If you can get into a place like UPenn or Mayo and publish within a year, it would look great on a CV. In addition, programs will pay you a generous stipend for a year. Two years of funding is also common. I believe it is a larger stipend that what IRTA is giving, so you might want to take that into consideration.

Just write a decent statement and submit early to multiple programs with a strong intent to do research as a career and you should do fine. Look at those links above and best of luck.

Thanks! But aren't these for postbac students only?
I won't have graduated by my gap year because it will be after my junior year, which makes my situation different from most premeds.

 

[La Presse]

Thanks! But aren't these for postbac students only?
I won't have graduated by my gap year because it will be after my junior year, which makes my situation different from most premeds.

I see what you are saying. You will need to reach out and try to see if anyone will fund you for a year. Perhaps even write a grant.

What is your state of residence?

 

[redraincoat13]

I live in NY, but I would like to conduct research somewhere in the West, to get away for a change. Perhaps California?