Gap Essay as a Super Non-Trad

[Emh_omega-323]

Hello! I am not sure how to handle the gap year essays as a very non-traditional applicant. Many are just referencing this coming year, and that is no problem. However, some seem to want everything you've done since graduating in a few hundred words.

I graduated in 2014, so only included things after graduating on my app. It feels silly to recap everything I've told them on my app, and I'm physically not sure I can say it all under the word limit. Take for example this from Northwestern:

"POST-UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCES (if applicable): If you have a year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe both your completed activities and future plans during the gap period. (200 word max) (Northwestern)"

It is definitely not possible for me to include everything I've done since graduation and my plans this year in 200 words...

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[Moko]

"POST-UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCES (if applicable): If you have a year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe both your completed activities and future plans during the gap period. (200 word max) (Northwestern)"

"Since graduating from DOGE College, I worked in multiple roles including as a professional taste tester for Royal Canin, then taste engineer for Wellness, and most recently, chief quality officer for Chewy, where my keen nose for details was recognized with the "Best Boi" award. I volunteer as a guide dog for the blind and as a hospital therapy dog for pediatric patients and staff members, where I never passed on the opportunity to give someone a cold boop with my nose to cheer them up (while always adhering to hospital infection control policies by using Purell between boops!). Academically, I performed research under Dr. Pettington using A.I. to identify novel antimicrobial agents to treat tick-borne diseases, with our results being published in multiple journals including Canine and Veterinary Research. I also started a prison dog program, pairing human inmates with doggos in need, and worked closely with elected leaders to advocate for ethics changes for the use of animals in research, which culminated in the Senate Bill H.R. 594. I plan to continue these activities during the gap period, with hopes of expanding the prison dog program to multiple neighboring states, cause I'm a good boi *woof*!" (200 words)

You don't need to include everything you've done, just highlight the main activities / high notes.