advice on taking a year off...

[nycNerd]

I'm trying to decide whether or not to take a year off before med school. As of now i feel like I can go straight into med school from undergrad, but lots of people have been telling me that I am going to feel burned out by the time i finish undergrad.

Any advice from med students who have or have not taken a year off would be appreciated. Do you think your decision helped you stay focused? Do you regret it? What did you do with your time off?

Thanks

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[Dookter]

I'm trying to decide whether or not to take a year off before med school. As of now i feel like I can go straight into med school from undergrad, but lots of people have been telling me that I am going to feel burned out by the time i finish undergrad.

Any advice from med students who have or have not taken a year off would be appreciated. Do you think your decision helped you stay focused? Do you regret it? What did you do with your time off?

Thanks

I went straight through from undergrad, and I like it this way. But I think the real question is this: If you take a year off, what will you be doing? If it is travelling around the world or backpacking in Europe, then YES take a year off!!!!! If it's sitting at home, living with your parents, working at McDonalds, then no, don't take a year off. I would have been back at home working for my Dad's construction company [which I had to do last summer before starting medical school even though I wanted to relax]. So taking a year off would have sucked for me. If you have something cool to do, by all means do it!

 

[ilovehedgehogs]

Only take a year off if you need to do something to boost your app and you absolutely must, or like UT said, to do something AWESOME!! My job sucks and I wish I could have gone straight through. I would not have gotten burnt out, but thats something you need to figure out for yourself

 

[gaikokujin]

DO IT. take the year off. but only do it if you will have an ADVENTURE. don't sit around a lab all day for a year....this will not make you grow. it will be the best decision you will ever make. I always knew i wanted to take off a year before med school, but I never knew what i wanted to do (besides vaguely involving traveling). On a whim I applied for a job with the JET program, and I ended up teaching english in Japan for a year, backpacked all around Asia and had the best experience of my life. I am a very different (stronger and more independent) person than I would have been had I just went straight thru from undergrad to medical school. When you live your entire life under the protective bubble of school, there is a whole dimension of life you are missing out on. I'm not saying those of us who went straight thru will be bad doctors or anything, but I think one day when they're 36 and just beginning to practice, and are married with some kids, they will realize that they threw away their last opportunity to have a great adventure. Just my two cents...but i have never met anyone who regretted taking off time.

 

[78222]

All I can say is DO IT DO IT, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU DO IT.

 

[Genetics]

If you take a year off, you could lose a years worth of high income (100,000+). You might get burnt out, but you will get done sooner.

 

[78222]

If you take a year off, you could lose a years worth of high income (100,000+). You might get burnt out, but you will get done sooner.

If he doesn't take a year off he might miss out on a year of doing things he'll never have the chance to do again. I wouldn't trade my year off for a few years of income.

 

[Melanie]

If you're even considering taking a year off, then you definitely should do it! I'm an M2, and every second of this year I have been thankful that I did something other than med school for a year before getting into this mess. It's great to go from undergrad to med school as well, and that works for a lot of people. But, if you're feeling like you would like to do something different for a change, it's definitely worth it!

 

[relema]

I think it is a personal choice i know many people who went staright into med school from undergrad and were fine and some who got burned out. I took a year off before i started even though i was ready to apply during undergrad. I was really glad i did it not only did i get some extra cash and squeeze in some travelling but i confirmed that i didn't want to do research the rest of my life . I also was more than ready to go back to school. I know what i am missing out in the real world and it really doesn't bother me. So to each his own but i think it is a worthwhile experience if you are considering it.