Deferring an acceptance?

[synapsis123]

If your school allowed you to defer acceptance for a year, no questions asked, would you? I ask this because after a stressful year, application cycle, and gap year job, I'm feeling burnt out. I 100% want to be a doctor, but I am also interested in pursuing other interests and traveling for some time before settling into the 4/8 years of med school/residency. The idea of starting school and embarking on this long journey without having fully explored the rest of the world and taken some time to really relax makes me feel anxious/stressed. What would you do?

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[Banco]

I think what you describe is a good reason to in fact defer. As long as you have a guaranteed spot in writing, I'd go for it. In fact a deferment gap year is likely even better, as you already have the acceptance and don't need to do any real work. It'll be a good opportunity to get rid of the impending feeling of burnout.

One of my few regrets is not taking a gap year prior to medical school to travel, live somewhere else, and just explore. It gets harder and harder to do something like that once you're in the medical school pipeline. And ultimately 1 year in your 20s is not long at all.

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

A gap year to improve your mental health? Hell yes. Burnout in med school is no joke.

 

[Deltasidearm]

I'm feeling burnt out.

I am interested in pursuing other interests and traveling for some time before settling into [medicine].

The idea of starting school and embarking on this long journey without having fully explored the rest of the world and taken some time to really relax makes me feel anxious/stressed.

It sounds like you have already decided and know what is best for you. Take a year and enjoy your time off. Your mind will thank you for it later and medicine will always be there waiting for you when you return in a year. Ultimately, you may even be a better doctor for it if you take the time to explore other interests.

 

[amzer-zo_hasta-buan]

If you defer, does a spot open in the coming class fro someone on the waitlist? I've always wondered.

 

[frosty42]

Do medical schools allow you to defer for something like this? I'm applying for the 2021-22 cycle and will have taken 2 gap years since undergrad if I start in 2022. I'm in the same boat, though, in that I want to travel and enjoy myself before getting locked into the medical school/residency timeline. COVID kind of ruined all of my original gap year plans so I haven't been able to do most of what I had planned on doing yet.

I was under the impression that most schools will only allow you to defer for reasons like a family or medical emergency, though.

 

[Deltasidearm]

Do medical schools allow you to defer for something like this? I'm applying for the 2021-22 cycle and will have taken 2 gap years since undergrad if I start in 2022. I'm in the same boat, though, in that I want to travel and enjoy myself before getting locked into the medical school/residency timeline. COVID kind of ruined all of my original gap year plans so I haven't been able to do most of what I had planned on doing yet.

I was under the impression that most schools will only allow you to defer for reasons like a family or medical emergency, though.

You are always able to request a deferral for any reason. It is up to the school to decide whether they will grant it or not. If you want to defer then reach out and ask sooner rather than later.

 

[YCAGA]

You’re going to travel the world during a global pandemic…?

 

[theendisnigh]

You’re going to travel the world during a global pandemic…?

This. I would consider the same if I would actually have the ability to see all these beautiful places and monuments, enjoy local food and dance with the rest of them, but with COVID still ongoing there's no real chance to travel to other major parts of the world and get that impact.

 

[KnightDoc]

Most people ask for a deferral because something unexpected comes up, not because they were planning on not attending all along. If you want to travel in 2022-23, why not just apply for the 2023-24 cycle?

As the adcoms, repeatedly tell us, the cycle is to fill the next class, not to build a pipeline for the future. In general, I am pretty sure deferrals are the exception, not the rule, and you need a pretty good reason other than you want a year to clear your head before starting the grind. Honestly, that's one of the things gap years are for, not deferral years.

JMHO, but I wouldn't invest a year applying with the risk that, at the end, I'd either be forced to start when I wasn't ready OR have to give up an A and have to deal with that on future applications.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

If your school allowed you to defer acceptance for a year, no questions asked, would you? I ask this because after a stressful year, application cycle, and gap year job, I'm feeling burnt out. I 100% want to be a doctor, but I am also interested in pursuing other interests and traveling for some time before settling into the 4/8 years of med school/residency. The idea of starting school and embarking on this long journey without having fully explored the rest of the world and taken some time to really relax makes me feel anxious/stressed. What would you do?

A deferment Gap year with a guaranteed acceptance if you are feeling burned out sounds like the absolute dream.

Take this time and do all the things you want to do and get yourself ready. Go to a therapist, climb a mountain, make sure you are absolutely ready to go go for the next decade because med school and residency tears one down over time and will expose an exacerbate any mental health or resilience weaknesses one they have. if you go in already burned out, it will eat you up.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors