Gap Year?

Started by SXCoronado
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Well, how do you feel? Do you think you will feel burnt out? Plenty of people go straight into school from undergrad and do just fine. I would be thinking about the loans to be honest. I believe you have six months after graduation before interest kicks in.

Those three things he listed can be done in what, a month? I don't know about the backpacking through Europe but that sounds expensive. What will you do with the other 11 months? I ended up having a gap year and a half before I started my master's program (not really by choice, I graduated in January so that put me in a weird spot) and I spent time doing things important to me BUT I also wanted to stay in the school mode and didn't want to lose focus so I took two classes at a Community College while working to save money. I am actually finishing up another gap year since I graduated my master's program in August and will be starting school this August and spent time hanging out but I also started working in a dental office not only because I wanted to but I wanted to have something to talk about should I be granted with interviews. I didn't want dental schools to say "so you did WHAT in this year and a half?". Take a break for sure if that's what you want, but maybe also do things that will help your app and are things you like. Volunteer, work somewhere dental related, etc in addition. Just my opinions.
 
You shouldn't really need someone to tell you if you should take a gap year or not. Forget dental schools and applications for a minute. Is there something you want to do while you are still young? And it doesn't have to be a whole year; it could even be just six months (graduate a semester early and take the summer off). Adcom understands that their applicants aren't robots that just churns out dental procedures; it is perfectly fine that you have other passions in life.
 
Tons of people take a gap year(s) and were successful this cycle, myself included. I needed to take a gap year to afford the interview process.
 
Most of the people that I know that were advised to take gap years were advised to due to weaknesses in their application. They used that year to work/make money/do research in an attempt to bolster their app. what disressstudent says also makes a lot of sense. Don't feel compelled to take a gap year just b/c someone else did. Do you feel that you would genuinely get something positive out of it?
 
I have been off since January due to graduating early and there are definitely pro's and con's to having time off before school. For one, it's nice to recharge but the free time isn't all it's cracked up to be, at least in my case because a lot of my friends are still in school and it's hard to find people to do stuff with during the week. That being said, I have had a lot of fun in my time off and I've traveled a ton throughout the US so far and have gone to NBA/MLB games all over the country since I graduated and I actually just landed in Indianapolis for game 5 vs. Miami tomorrow night! The extended time off has also re-focused me and I'm itching to start school again in the fall! It's really a personal call about what you want to do.
 
I took a gap year. I spent some time working as a private tutor, landed myself an oral health internship, took classes at a community college that weren't offered at my university (like sculpture! It's such an awesome class). I even put together my own oral health trip to the small town in Honduras that my mom is from. I have no regrets and feel that it made me a stronger applicant. I had lots to talk about during my interviews.
 
IsaacYankem said:
Treat yo self! Pop some bubbly with LeBron tomorrow night, especially after Stephenson embarrasses himself again. Only question is, how long you staying in Pawnee?
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I'm a HUGE LeBron fan......As delusional as it sounds if they 3 peat I'll be close to as happy as when I got into DS ! I also cannot stand Indiana, in particular Stephenson and Hibbert. What kind of 7'2'' player averages fewer Rebounds per game for his career than Lebron?

And it's not THAT much of a treat...... I have tons of free airfare from interviews that I scheduled and cancelled after I heard back from UCLA because I booked the cheap "wanna get away" fares that don't refund your money - they just give you credit. My family is also elite marriott members so I have tons of free hotel nights they've accumulated over the years so the trip is costing me almost nothing because I got a great deal on tickets for just $60!! Praise the stubhub gods!
 
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