for those who appied/are applying following SENIOR year...

[drslc134]

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I'm just wondering...

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?

-would you do it again? why?

-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year?

thanks!

 

[kevster2001]

The people I know that took a year off usually had a low GPA or MCAT and needed to pad their EC list with something. I also had a friend that got accepted then deferred a year to do volunteer work.

 

[Law2Doc]

The people I know that took a year off usually had a low GPA or MCAT and needed to pad their EC list with something. I also had a friend that got accepted then deferred a year to do volunteer work.

Also, lots of people decide they want to go to med school a year (or more) too late to be on the traditional schedule.

 

[OrganLibrarian]

Also, lots of people decide they want to go to med school a year (or more) too late to be on the traditional schedule.

This describes me. I didn't tackle all of the appropriate coursework for the MCAT until my senior year, so I decided to wait and take the test during April of my senior year, when I was most prepared. I've loved my year off (too much, maybe) and would do it again in a second. In addition, I think if you do something cool during your time off, it can only boost your resume and desirability.

 

[Bluntman]

I'm just wondering...

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?
1) I was doing research abroad during the summer after my Junior year (when you're traditionally supposed to apply). 2) I didn't decide on med until pretty late and it gave me more time to boost ECs, etc. 3) I wanted a year off to make some $$$, do everything (or buy everything) I've been meaning to do but haven't been able to due to cash or time constrictions of undergrad, and basically just enjoy life.

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?
I got a bioengineering research job in industry. Traveled around a bunch. Partied a lot.

-would you do it again? why?
Absolutely. I'd recommend taking a year off to everyone. I always ask people this: Would you rather enjoy this extra year now, during the prime of your life, or have it stuck at the end of your career when you're 60 and already get to look forward to decades of chilling? I'll give you a hint...the answer is NOW.

-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year?
I'd recommend applying at the end of your Senior year. It'll be one of the best decisions of your life.

thanks!

.

 

[TinyFish]

I took two years off after undergrad before going to medical school (graduated 2004, applied for the entering class of 2006).

My GPA, MCAT, and ECs were fine. I decided to take time off because I wanted experience in the real world. Not for a second have I ever regretted it. My job was a research job in a large pharm lab at a medical school, and the atmosphere was totally, totally different than it was at my undergrad.

My undergrad college was not in any sense easy. But there were a lot of experiences that I missed out on... we had to take responsibility for our education and our lives, but the responsibilities I had after graduation were more numerous and of a different nature. I had to deal with the people in my lab (23 people) on a daily basis, be responsible for department equipment, maintenance of the lab, several research projects, etc. etc. etc. I encountered attitudes toward me that I never had before, I had to deal with tough confrontations, people of different ages and backgrounds, etc. etc.

In my opinion, the past couple of years have taught me a number of very valuable lessons that many of my friends who went straight to medical school never learned.

Also, I made money to PAY for medical school.

Think about taking time off. There are advantages and disadvantages to it, I suppose, but I don't really think it can hurt.

One thing I often hear from people is that they don't want to take time off because they might get "unused" to schooling. I don't really buy this. To an extent, it may be true, but I doubt it is impossible for anyone to buckle down and get used to school work again. One or two years off is not going to undo 12 years of preparation, and the advantages of taking time off can be tremendous.

 

[Thundrstorm]

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?
I didn't feel ready. I felt really rushed. I wanted to retake the MCAT. I needed a break.

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?
worked at a law firm over the summer while looking for a research job, and since September, I've been at the NIH in the postbacc IRTA program. I also took several vacations, and found a new volunteer position.

-would you do it again? why?
yes Yes YES

1. I've enjoyed the break/foray into the "real" world
2. I was able to retake the MCAT and raise my score 5 points
3. I feel ready to being school now, and am rested and excited.
4. Because I was working full time, I was able to afford my apps and interview flights; I never would have been able to do that just working part time during shcool. I have also been able to save money, which I needed to secure an apartment this summer.
5. I was able to take off time from work for interviews easily, whereas students who miss class have to study during their trips, make up labs, etc., and can fall behind.
6. I had more research and volunteering accomplished at app time, as well as a higher MCAT and GPA (I did well senior year).
7. I wouldn't have enjoyed my senior year if I'd applied then. I was already busy with class, work, lots of research time, volunteering, and writing a thesis. I literally did not have time to apply as well. Plus, I managed to have lots of fun senior year.
8. I don't believe I'd be attending the school I'm going to if I'd applied after my junior year.


-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year?
Go with your gut. Waitng a year is common, and will not be detrimental to your app. My parents thought I was crazy at first, but now they see that I made the right choice for me.

 

[45408]

if college stressed you out, it'd be better to relax now. No reason to enter med school already burnt out.

 

[Law2Doc]

if college stressed you out, it'd be better to relax now. No reason to enter med school already burnt out.

Agree. The folks who took time out to do other things tend to be among the few who are actually excited about their med school classes and being back in school. You will notice this by looking at who attends all the lectures that won't appear on the exams.

 

[EZMcFlo]

I'm gonna mix things up a little and say that I wish I didn't take a year off. I had to wait to take the MCAT senior April because of when I could take certain courses, etc. I spent this past year doing structural bio research, which was okay, but given my current situation, I wish I had done something more medically related. I haven't been accepted anywhere and may be stuck re-applying. I am on 4 waitlists. I quit my job, and cannot make any future plans because I may get off a waitlist this year. My whole life is in limbo right now, and it is really stressful. I also don't think I got anything out of taking a year off. I was ready for med school a year ago.

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

Also, lots of people decide they want to go to med school a year (or more) too late to be on the traditional schedule.

This is also why I took a year off. I would have applied on time if I could, but I decided I HATE Bioengineering with a passion and the only stuff I enjoyed had to do with medicine.

I am planning on working in a hospital full time (transferring patients or something blue collar) I want to be at the bottom of the totem pole before I give orders to people like nurses and aids who have been working there for 30+ years. This is only a personal preference of mine.

I like the way taking a year off has worked out so far

 

[Tiger76]

For people who did take a year off, do you think its better to apply and then if you get in, apply for a deferral? Since at that point you will at least have an acceptance in hand.

 

[45408]

For people who did take a year off, do you think its better to apply and then if you get in, apply for a deferral? Since at that point you will at least have an acceptance in hand.

Depends on what you're going to do. If you're going to be doing research/clinical work, then it would boost your application, and you might want to apply with that under your belt. If you plan on backpacking Europe and drinking a lot, you'd be better off with the deferral (although you should probably do something a little productive so you have a good reason to request the deferral).

 

[Bluntman]

For people who did take a year off, do you think its better to apply and then if you get in, apply for a deferral? Since at that point you will at least have an acceptance in hand.

Tough question. This would obviously be the best way to go if your app is ready to go, since you could truly enjoy your year off without having to worry about apps/interviews/etc.. But since getting a deferal is a big IF, it's definitely a pretty large gamble. Some schools are more stingy about them than others, some only give them out for Rhodes/Goldwater/etc., and some schools don't allow them at all (UCLA as an example). One thing you definitely don't want to do, however, is get an acceptance and then turn it down if they don't agree to let you defer. This would be a big red flag when you reapply the following year. But yea, that'd be a tough call. For what it's worth, I think I probably would have waited just cause it would make my app even stronger with the extra years worth of stuff that I could add.

 

[Sondra]

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied? Too scared to take the MCAT at first, then I got too busy trying to graduate.

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying? I am traveling the country working for a family company. Seeing things that I may never have gotten to see if I didn't take the year off.

-would you do it again? why? In a hearbeat. The year is flying by. I only have 9 weeks left, and I wish I had another whole year. I realize that I have my whole life to complete medical school. I like to slow down and enjoy some things. Although when I talk to people who are 3 years younger than I am that I will be going to school with, I sometimes (very rarely) wish that I hadn't taken so long to get to it.

-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year? Don't stress. If you have a legitimate reason to wait a year, consider it. Everything will be waiting for you when you are ready to apply. If you are a procrastinator who may never get around to applying if you take a year off, then don't do it. If you plan on working at some two bit job and don't really, really need a break from school, then don't.

 

[red dot]

I'm just wondering...

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?

-would you do it again? why?

-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year?

thanks!

i wanted to have a lot of "me" time. going the pre-medical route was kinda hectic in college, so i wanted time to be an adult and get to know myself as someone other than a student. (think about it, if you didn't do that, then you'd be short-changed in life, only knowing yourself as a student, then as a doctor, then as a retired elderly person).

in my year off, i spent a lot of time effing around, getting a job, going to the beach, doing everything on the list of things i wanted to do but never had the time to do while i was in college, hit up every bar in the city, made new friends, rode a motorcycle, (going to go to europe since i won't be able to until another 15 years later probably), did non-clinical volunteering (post-amcas submission), spending more time with family and my dog, etc. plus i didn't have to be in school while applying and interviewing at the same time.

and yes, i would definitely do it all over again -- people need a break from school at least once, sometime in the first 20-30 years of their lives.

 

[Mistress S]

I'm just wondering...

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?

-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?

-would you do it again? why?

-any "when to apply" advice to a rising junior who is thinking about whether I should apply at the end of next year ("traditional"- though perhaps not so traditional any more) or the following year?

thanks!

I'll answer your questions in order:

1.) I applied the summer after I graduated so I could work to save money for applications and travel, and to retake the MCAT that Aug.

2.) As stated above, I worked full-time in my year off, retook the MCAT, and applied to med school--those things kept me pretty busy. The summer before I started school I spent a month backpacking around Spain and Italy.

3.) Yes, the only thing I might do differently is wait another year to apply so I truly had time away from school and its stresses. I was so wrapped up in the MCAT and the application process during my year "off" that I don't really feel like I got a break from academics. Also, from my experience I do think taking the Aug MCAT the year you apply really has a detrimental effect. On the other hand, I probably would have ended up at the school I'm at now anyway, and if I'd taken another year I just would have had to work and support myself during that time, it's not like I'd have had the money to travel much more. I was kind of bored with my job and ready to move on with my life, so I guess everything worked out!

 

[OwnageMobile]

-why did you wait a year after you could have applied?
Wanted to work on another language. Wanted to get more life experience outside of school. Wanted to travel. Wanted to become a bit wiser before interviews (for don't you too notice that stuff you said a year ago, isn't quite what you would say now?). Wanted to have fun and less stress (then, enter AMCAS). Wanted to do something unique and remarkable.


-what did you do/what are you doing in that year off while applying?
Found a position at a research center in China as a foreign expert (in English, that is). Learning this beast of a language. Getting hella experience and connections. Traveling around on my spare time.


-would you do it again? why?
In a heartbeat. Though I could see many other avenues as significant possibilities. I highly recommend taking a year off, granted I'm not in med school yet. Echoing what others have said, why tag an extra non-school/free year of life onto your retirement time, when it could be placed right now, where you are a totally different person, with ambition, life, health, and a tabla rassa future? I can't fathom why people would want to hit college/HS as hard as they possibly can, save a year or two, and start med school as a 20 year-old. You are just giving away your good times, IMHO.

 

[Law2Doc]

For people who did take a year off, do you think its better to apply and then if you get in, apply for a deferral? Since at that point you will at least have an acceptance in hand.

No - because many (perhaps most) schools do not allow deferral as a matter of right. Med schoold differ from colleges, grad schools etc in this respect. Some only allow a deferral in cases of health and other similar emergencies. Thus you can put yourself into the reapplicant pile (with a blemish on your record to need to explain because you already turned down an acceptance) or force yourself to go to med school before you are ready. Only apply if you anticipate going in the year of acceptance - line your ducks in a row and only then pull the trigger - just once.
Bad idea.