Explanation of time off

[Little Etoile]

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Hey everyone. 🙂

I started applying last year, then withdrew a few months later when I decided I wanted to take a break for a year to pursue other interests. I seem to recall a section of the application last year in which you could discuss how you spent your time off if you took a break in between undergrad and applying. I can't seem to find it now. Am I imagining it was on there last time? If not, did they remove it or am I just not seeing it on this year's application for some reason? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[sehnsucht]

Hey everyone. 🙂

I started applying last year, then withdrew a few months later when I decided I wanted to take a break for a year to pursue other interests. I seem to recall a section of the application last year in which you could discuss how you spent your time off if you took a break in between undergrad and applying. I can't seem to find it now. Am I imagining it was on there last time? If not, did they remove it or am I just not seeing it on this year's application for some reason? Thanks in advance for the help!

I think that an explanation of that nature would be found on some part of the secondary. If not, then maybe putting it in your personal statement on your AMCAS applicantion is more appropriate?

 

[RxnMan]

I my PS, I just included a line: "Since applying last year I have done X with Dr. Y and this has strengthened my resolve to become a physician for reason Z" and so on. There's no specific spot (depending on the school, there may be secondary essays, as suggested).

 

[medguy83]

I think you can word almost any experience to sound beneficial in some way. aka, Spending 6 months eating cheetos and playing xbox = time spent developing personal growth and introspection. Basically, I don't think spending some time off is necessarily a bad thing. Just make sure you don't appear undetermined or reluctant entering medicine. For a lot of schools they like to see that you've had some time spent in the real world and have pursued other interests. I talked with some on the admissions committees at local instituions about this fact. It seems the trend is to admit those who are more well rounded and have "life experience".

I think it's nice that you actually are taking some time off. I mean think about it, for the rest of your life you're going to be studying, working endless hours, handling armloads of work. That's why a lot of students going straight from college to med school are so fried by the end of the first year.
However, aside from that I would definitely spend time shadowing some more docs, volunteering somewhere, clinical experience, research if you can, etc. This way your time won't be spent pursuing things entirely different from your goal.

 

[sunset823]

Spending 6 months eating cheetos and playing xbox = time spent developing personal growth and introspection.

Haha, I like that...anyway, I agree with medguy that time off is good, that's why I'm doing it (even after a masters degree) - I had a heart-to-heart with a classmate who is in UCSF right now, and he had taken almost four years off just to do random things, including Americorps but also just bumming around, road tripping the US, etc., but these experiences are priceless, particularly separating you from the rest of the gunner pre-med pack; really, how are you supposed to be a good doctor when the only thing you've seen are biochemistry journals and physiology textbooks in the library, at least on a more long-term basis?

Hey everyone. 🙂

I started applying last year, then withdrew a few months later when I decided I wanted to take a break for a year to pursue other interests. I seem to recall a section of the application last year in which you could discuss how you spent your time off if you took a break in between undergrad and applying. I can't seem to find it now. Am I imagining it was on there last time? If not, did they remove it or am I just not seeing it on this year's application for some reason? Thanks in advance for the help!

However, while I'm no expert on this, one thing I found that surprised me is that you are considered a 'reapplicant' even if you withdrew before turning out any secondaries, according to AMCAS - while it may not be a big deal, you may have to have a really good explanation why you started applying and suddenly stopped - I'm sparing myself this by just not turning in a primary in the first place