decision to take a year off before applying

[sunnex3]

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hi everyone,
so i've been contemplating the idea of taking a year off (mainly to give myself a break) before applying. so far i feel like i've done a lot (as much as i can) to make myself a competitive applicant - i've worked my butt off in school and have a pretty high GPA, i've gotten a lot of different veterinary experiences and have most of my LORs lined up already - i pretty much just need to take my GRE. but lately i've been thinking about taking a break before applying, because schoolwork for the last 3 years has really made me mentally tired and i'd really enjoy a year off before entering school. plus, i'd like to get some more unique experiences in to make me a stronger applicant and save up some money before going to school.

my main concern is about how hard it is to get into applying/school mode after taking a break? how did you guys make the decision to take a year off? what considerations should i be taking into account before i make this big decision? if i don't take a year off, i'll be applying this summer (eek!)

thanks for everyone's advice in advance, this is something that has been on my mind for a while. i'm just scared that i'll end up REALLY regretting this later, if i do decide to take this path.

 

[cowgirla]

hi everyone,
so i've been contemplating the idea of taking a year off (mainly to give myself a break) before applying. so far i feel like i've done a lot (as much as i can) to make myself a competitive applicant - i've worked my butt off in school and have a pretty high GPA, i've gotten a lot of different veterinary experiences and have most of my LORs lined up already - i pretty much just need to take my GRE. but lately i've been thinking about taking a break before applying, because schoolwork for the last 3 years has really made me mentally tired and i'd really enjoy a year off before entering school. plus, i'd like to get some more unique experiences in to make me a stronger applicant and save up some money before going to school.

my main concern is about how hard it is to get into applying/school mode after taking a break? how did you guys make the decision to take a year off? what considerations should i be taking into account before i make this big decision? if i don't take a year off, i'll be applying this summer (eek!)

thanks for everyone's advice in advance, this is something that has been on my mind for a while. i'm just scared that i'll end up REALLY regretting this later, if i do decide to take this path.

Well, I can tell you that unwilling was forced to take a year off after school, simply due to not getting in my first time around.
And honestly, I'm worried about my study skills, or lack of. Granted, they really weren't the strongest to begin with, but now they're so rusty it's not even funny. It's definitely going to be an adjustment learning how to study and adapt to a tough curriculum all over again. I really wish I could have gone straight off to vet school. I suppose in a way it could be a good thing-- I can teach myself all new habits rather than the bad old ones!

At the same time, a part of me does appreciate having a mental break, so I can understand that desire as well.

 

[Tiktaalik]

My main concern is about how hard it is to get into applying/school mode after taking a break? how did you guys make the decision to take a year off? what considerations should i be taking into account before i make this big decision? if i don't take a year off, i'll be applying this summer (eek!)

thanks for everyone's advice in advance, this is something that has been on my mind for a while. i'm just scared that i'll end up REALLY regretting this later, if i do decide to take this path.

I was forced to take somewhat of a break - I still had some prereqs left, so I had classes, but on a drastically reduced schedule. It was good for me, I think.

That said, with how competitive admissions is, I'm not sure if I'd be able to let a cycle pass me by without applying if I had all the stuff together.

I guess what matters is what you'd do with the break. If you take it to go and do, say, a 6 month internship at a wildlife preserve in Africa, then hell yeah, take the break. If you do it out of a nebulous desire to just have "some time off", you're likely to be disappointed. Remember, you've been in school for like 13+ years now - when you step out, it's crucial that you know what you're going to fill that time with or you'll be hella bored.

 

[BlacKAT33]

i took 2 years off and did a postbacc fellowship 😀 i am SO happy i made this decision. i was about ready to punch school in the face my senior yr lol i hated school so much. it was just too much for me and i didnt even get a real break in between hs to college, i knew i needed a break in between college and grad school. I feel really refreshed and i'm really looking forward to going back to school. this break was exactly what i needed and it has made me miss school. I think i would have died in vet school if i didnt take any time off lol

In response to cowgirla's comment about feeling like you will be behind with study skills or just academic knowledge...i guess it just depends on the person. i think my study skills are fine, i took 1 class after i graduated and i kicked its butt lol i dont think the time gap hurt me at all. But i guess it just depends on the person! i also know that i forget everything i learn in class basically after the final exam haha so even if i went to vet school right after i graduated its not like i would be more prepared with previous academic knowledge.

IMO, if you feel burnt out now, its best to take a break. you dont want to start vet school burnt out!!! you may not make it through 🙁 or maybe you won't make it through with the grades you knew you could get...you dont want regrets when the time comes to decide if you want to specialize or get a competitive residency

 

[variegata]

I finished late, so I'm in the middle of two quarters of break from school before starting in the fall. It's been nice, and I think it's totally worth it (although I didn't intentionally take a break). As long as you work a job, get some experience and generally make good use of your time, you should be OK. At my undergrad, it's pretty common for people to take a year off before applying to any sort of medical school. Don't think the vet schools will bat an eye at it either, as long as you've got something to show for that year (i.e. vet experience, unique experiences, etc).

 

[dottoressa]

If you think you need a break, you probably do. Take some time and do something interesting and pertinent to your application... or even not so pertinent, as long as it's interesting. 🙂 You can do many things now that you may not have the flexibility, time, or funds for later. So, live it up!
I tend to doubt that you will 'lose' your study skills. I think it's kind of like riding a bike 😉 ... If you're a motivated, organized person, a year or 2 off is not going to change that.
I think the ad coms actually prefer to see applicants who took some time to do something other than school, things that shape you as an individual and give you broader perspective.
Good luck!

 

[BlacKAT33]

I think the ad coms actually prefer to see applicants who took some time to do something other than school, things that shape you as an individual and give you broader perspective.
Good luck!

👍 i think this is true too. i also think students are more prepared. there is a reason why the avg age of matriculation is 24-25

 

[Tco87]

If you're seriously considering taking a break, then you probably need it. I've decided to take a year off (of course the fact that I didn't get admitted anywhere helped that🙄) because after this last semester, I've realized that I really really want it. After spending the last two years with a full course load, working part time, volunteering on the side, and being involved in extra-curriculars, I feel burnt out.
I don't know you personally so I don't if this applies, but I really think if I went to vet school this fall (assuming I got off a waitlist) I would regret it when the school work got stressful/overwhelming and I would kick myself in the butt for not taking a year to relax when that was an option.

As for study skills getting rusty - the pre-medical adviser at my school told me that rarely is an issue. I'm personally not concerned because vet school is supposed to be so much more difficult than our undergrad programs that half our study skills wouldn't apply anyway 😉

 

[Tco87]

If you think you need a break, you probably do. Take some time and do something interesting and pertinent to your application... or even not so pertinent, as long as it's interesting. 🙂 You can do many things now that you may not have the flexibility, time, or funds for later. So, live it up!
I tend to doubt that you will 'lose' your study skills. I think it's kind of like riding a bike 😉 ... If you're a motivated, organized person, a year or 2 off is not going to change that.
I think the ad coms actually prefer to see applicants who took some time to do something other than school, things that shape you as an individual and give you broader perspective.
Good luck!

Darn my slow typing! I didn't see this when I hit "post reply" and I've repeated just about everything you said, lol.

But yeah, I've heard from several people including vets, professors, and my pre-medical adviser that schools do like to see applicants who have taken time off and gotten a taste of the real world, for the reasons you and BlackKat mentioned.

 

[Minnerbelle]

my main concern is about how hard it is to get into applying/school mode after taking a break?

not at all. actually it's much easier because you're not bogged down in school during the application cycle. i don't think i could have put together nearly as comprehensive and awesome an application package had i been a student full time.

 

[lalzi22]

I took an extra semester to graduate, so I haven't had a whole year off, but I have been living the good life (aka doing NOTHING substantial school wise, but working 2-3 days a week) since December. Before this semester I had been in school without break (minus summer) since pre-school at age 2, so I feel I deserved a longer break to recharge my batteries. Vet school is going to suuuuuuuck, and I needed to make sure I was going into vet school in a healthy, non-burnt out state of mind. Plus, I have used the time to be with my boyfriend a lot (he is about to become a Marine officer, so I wont see him for the next 5 years), travel around the country during interviews as well as for fun in and out of the country, and I am making and saving a teensy bit of money for vet school expenses. If I could go back and graduate on time and jump into vet school I would not do it. This semester has been so relaxing and good for my mental health that I feel I will be in a better place when I start vet school.

 

[rhinocerotidae]

Take a break!

If you feel you need to, you should. I ended up taking two years off between high school and University and I don't regret it at all. And I may take more time off between my undergrad and vet school.

My only piece of advice would be to enjoy life! Do something fun during your year off, volunteer, travel, see the world, what ever you want to do. Because once vet school comes you won't get many opportunities to do stuff like that!

 

[sirbuckie]

I agree with the majority. If you feel as if you might be burnt out, then you probably need a break. I've been out of school for a year now and for the first 7 months I had school withdrawals. However, I'm so glad I took time off because it gave me time to experience the "real world." I have never been more motivated to succeed than I am right now. I have worked with people who didn't pursue their dreams/are putting it off and they are pretty unhappy folks. But I still can't wait to go back to school! 😀

 

[absvet]

I took a two year break because I wasn't ready to apply, and honestly, if I could go back and do it again I wouldn't. Having a real job isn't exactly a "break" - I remember thinking I was so busy all the time during college, but the 9-5 (or 6 or 7 or 8) is a completely different type of busy that is exhausting in its own right. And I've gotten so used to being able to go home after work, cook dinner, play with my cat and veg out in front of the TV with my roommate most nights that I'm REALLY worried about having the motivation to stay up late studying hard. In college I worked very hard, and studying all night every night was the norm and I was always so motivated, but now I can barely find the motivation to do the bare minimum of work for the one class I have to pass so that I can go to Cornell next year! So, anyway, a "break" sounds nice, but think twice about breaking up your academic career and what you're going to be doing with it!

 

[ORvetgirl]

I took a year off, and am so glad that I did! I didn't use it to do anything spectacular (though 6 months in Africa sounds awesome), but I lived at home (which was hard, I'll admit) and worked and saved my money. I worked seasonal jobs, one of which was at a program I had volunteered at in high school and had always wanted to work at, but thought I'd never have time; none of them were vet related. The closest I got to animal-related was that I worked at my local zoo's day camp program during the summer. I met some awesome people that I still see on breaks from school, and got some great life/work experiences. I think that when it comes to the doctor-client and doctor-staff interactions aspect of vet med, those folks that took some time off, or are coming to vet med as a second career, are probably at an advantage compared to those folks who came straight our of undergrad. I spent my year working in jobs that all required I interact with people of various ages from all walks of life and had time to gain a perspective on the world other than that of a student.

I don't think my study skills suffered (though I did take a class the summer before entering) and I got a nice mental break from academia. Aside from all the other benefits, a big factor for me was that I was going to be taking a very demanding course load my senior year, and since I was doing my undergrad on the east coast, I really didn't want the stress of applying and then possibly having to miss lots of class for interviews on the west coast. Plus, I played softball for my college team, and would have left my team in a jam if I'd had to miss games to interview. I talked to lots of vets/vet students before I made the decision, and they were all either glad they'd taken time off, or wished they had.

Anyway, enough rambling from me...

 

[Roxysocks]

Hey Sunnex--I also waited to apply to vet school until the summer after I graduated and I truly think it is what helped me get in my first time around. I too was a little burnt out after 4 straight years of college and I decided to accept two research fellowships, which I really believed helped me stand out as an applicant. Think of it this way, you say that you have the grades and the experience, however everyone else who is applying also has these things. You need to find something that sets you apart from every other appealing applicant...taking a year off after college to specialize or try something new and/or just really find out what your niche is will help you become a better applicant, IMO. It may give you something to write about in your PS or experiences to pull from during your interview.

My only advice is to make sure that you spend that you spend your time off doing something productive that will strengthen your application.

As for the whole study skills thing, since you've been doing well in undergrad, you clearly have good study skills and know how to absorb information. I highly doubt that taking a break from studying will be detrimental to that. If anything, you'll be a little more mature and really know that being a vet is what you want...and this should help you stay focused academically while in vet school.

Hope this helps!

 

[canis13]

i've recently decided to take an additional year off before applying. i'm graduating now, but due to being behind in pre-reqs, i won't finish the classes i need until december (physics this summer, biochem + genetics in the fall). i was going to apply this fall, but i realized that that would only give me ~8 months off. i've been wanting to volunteer internationally for a long time (found a cool program where i can choose between helping out a vet in either mongolia, india, or ghana for 3 months), i have aspirations to go on a lengthy (several month) hiking and/or biking trip, and i want to work and save up money. i also want to get more vet experience (including large animal and public health experience, which has been hard for me to find so far). i was hoping to squeeze some or all of those things into an 8 month window, but i think that's not really realistic.

also, as i'm coming to the end of my 4 years of undergrad, i've been feeling extremely overwhelmed this semester; basically every single test i have to study for feels like a death sentence and turns me into a nervous/anxious wreck (taking ochem and doing a thesis at the same time = not so much fun). so i need to take some time away (although i want to finish my pre-reqs now while i still have some sort of academic momentum going...plus i'm going to be taking the pre-reqs at easier schools) to make sure i don't crash and burn once i start vet school.

finally, i feel like giving myself the extra year will only make me a stronger applicant, as i will have that much more time to gain vet experience. i was really set on applying this fall, just because i am really excited about going to vet school, and i only decided within the last couple of weeks that i want to take the extra year. but now that i've decided that, i feel much better; i feel like i'm not rushing into things, and i also will hopefully have less of a chance of getting rejected (something that i know will probably take a hit on my self-confidence) by taking another year off.

 

[sunnex3]

yeah i'd really like to take a year off and enjoy it - working more at the specialty clinic i work at right now and volunteer at a wild life refuge - maybe get an internship there, and get some more time to get more LA experiences.

plus if i take a year off it means i DON'T have to take upper level biochem at my school right now (which is one of the hardest classes of all here) and can just take it at my local state university for cheaper and it'll probably be easier too.

upper level biochem is really the one prereq right now that i really don't want to have to take at my school. and i'd like time to take microbio as well, to give myself more options when it comes to applying to schools. i just don't have time to fit it in right now.

my main concern is one of my LORs - i have a LOR lined up from my gen. chem II professor from spring of my sophomore year (spring '09) by the time i apply, it'll be summer of '11 - will it be a problem that my LOR is from a professor who taught me 2 years ago? i have a LOR lined up from a vet i work with in the department i work in at the specialty clinic, but if i continue working there when i take a break, i'm sure she'll have no problem still writing me a LOR since she already agreed to write me on for this summer.

there's just so many things i want to do before going to vet school, but i have no time! i'd like to visit europe and do interesting things that i normally wouldn't be able to do because of time constraints - such a big decision but such little time to make it, since i'm applying this summer!!!

 

[zeebra44]

I took a year off, and I'm SO glad I did. I had UNLIMITED time to work on my application. I was also able to raise my GPA significantly during my senior year, so all of that hard work was actually counted in my overall GPA on my apps. And I wouldn't worry too much about eLORS. I had no problems, and my evaluators were more than willing to write recommendations for me. I just made sure to fill them in on my plans.

 

[sunnex3]

another thing is that i'm afraid that i'll end up regretting my decision when i see all my other friends (med, law, vet, whatever) getting accepted to their schools and i know that i could've been one of them. i know that it shouldn't matter what my peers are doing, but i'm so scared that i'll end up regretting my decision when it's too late.

on the other hand, i would really like the extra time to just chill, live at home, get some crazy cool experiences in (as i mentioned before, there is this wildlife refuge where i would LOVE to get an internship), and just save up some money while maybe taking a couple classes here and there. plus i would get extra time to study for the GRE and get my personal statement/other essays in order. i also love the specalty clinic i work at right now during summers/winters, and would love to work there full time for a while.

it's not very usual at my school (UPenn) for people to take a year off between UG and wherever they are going, because everyone is so super ambitious. i'm extremely ambitious too, but i'm just ready for a break.

gahh so many things to think about!

 

[BlacKAT33]

who cares about your friends that apply right after school, they will have less money and be double stressed out! Yes, i have friends in med school right now. But what do i have? 20k savings, more experience, peace of mind, and freedom until i start school to travel where ever i want. No offense to people who took this route, but i'm sure they are regretting not taking a break...and no more breaks for another 4...6...8++ years. They will all be filled with externships or internships.

Maybe it's just me, but i want to "live my life" while i'm still young...for just a tiny bit of time. Do everything i want to do before I'm trapped in a library studying again. Once I get out of school, i'll be almost 30..then i gotta think about a family, a solid job, and digging myself out of debt. Fun! lol

 

[sunnex3]

who cares about your friends that apply right after school, they will have less money and be double stressed out! Yes, i have friends in med school right now. But what do i have? 20k savings, peace of mind, and freedom until i start school to travel where ever i want. No offense to people who took this route, but i'm sure they are regretting not taking a break...and no more breaks for another 4...6...8++ years. They will all be filled with externships or internships.

Maybe it's just me, but i want to "live my life" while i'm still young...for just a tiny bit of time. Do everything i want to do before I'm trapped in a library studying again. Once I get out of school, i'll be almost 30..then i gotta think about a family, a solid job, and digging myself out of debt. Fun! lol

yeah i know i shouldn't care about my friends...but you can't help but wonder if you could be like them and have your life pretty much set before you graduate. but the thought of going straight to studying all the time AGAIN after graduating UG is scary too!

since i want to specialize, i'll definitely be at least 30 by the time i'm done completely...it's going to be a long journey, but i'm so excited to start it! (whenever that'll be)

 

[Minnerbelle]

Yeah pretty much what BlacKAT said. And you know what, as a junior it might seem like EVERYONE goes to Med/Law/Grad school right away, but I'm pretty sure when push comes to shove, a good number of people will consider deferring right as the application cycle is approaching. You just don't hear as many seniors bragging about taking a year off.

And if your friends aren't envious or at least oooh and ahhhh of your possible internship at an amazing wildlife place and job at a specialty clinic... I'd reconsider your definition of a friend.

 

[rileydog]

I agree with the majority that a break is a good idea. I didn't get in the first time I applied and so was forced to take a break, but honestly it was for the best. I graduated in the summer, so if I did get in I would have been graduating and then starting vet school practically the next week. And I was definitely getting burned out by that time anyway. Taking the break allowed me to get some awesome vet experience including starting to volunteer in a wildlife hospital. It took me 6 months to find a job in a vet clinic, so I did have to put that on the VMCAS and I talked a little bit about it in my interviews, just saying that during that time, I was actively searching for a paid position while volunteering. As far as regretting your decision based on what your peers are doing, I have actually had the opposite experience. A friend from high school and undergrad is in the class of 2013 at the school I was accepted to. I like having someone at the school that I know. Someone I trust that can tell me things the school's website and other first years can't/won't. We are even going to be roommates. While it may have been nice to go through all the first year things together, having someone that has been through everything and can tell me about it, is great. Good luck making a decision, it's hard trying to figure out the rest of your life. 🙂

 

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