Gap year?

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My two gap years were unplanned but a blessing. I got to volunteer a lot more, shadow a breadth of specialties, play a sport I love, have some fun, and grow up a bit. I feel much more prepared for medical school and sure of my decision. Try looking for a job at a nonprofit or clinic that will hopefully serve a lot of reasons you are choosing to go to medical school. Even if you can't do that and end up in a lab position, you'll find that the flexibility research gives you is great for interview season, shadowing, and volunteering.
 
altblue said:
The more I think about it, the more I realize that taking fewer than 2 gap years is looking unrealistic (in part because of poor planning and unexpected things happening). I'm frustrated, and I'll probably be in my mid 20s by the time I apply but it is what is is.

What have you guys done for it? I prefer to work, maybe tutor, but not work as a lab tech. Just not looking forward to it, but maybe there's a way I can make it more tolerable
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I'm going on a humanitarian trip for 8 months in October. 😉

Mostly non-violent resistance/activism, organizing workshops on social issues and teaching. I needed a break from academia and my little cozy life.
 
Think about it like this: two more years to mature. Two more years to feel prepared. Two more years of doing things you might never get to do. Two more years of spending time outside of medicine. Do not take this time for granted. I'm taking at least two years to do a DIY post-bac, work full time as an engineer, and get a masters degree. It wasn't planned but when I'm in class with people three to four years younger than me, I see how far I've personally come. It has been eye opening how little I feel pressured by school as opposed to my younger self/classmates (all they do is complain about school, and I'm like, you spend more time complaining than actually learning LOL). Now I actually enjoy learning and can appreciate the material because it really is SUPER AWESOME.

My two cents: I will be around 26 when I apply to medical school. The time after my undergrad has been incredible and I've truly grown into myself. Now I have an absolute KILLER why medicine answer because IVE LIVED LONG ENOUGH IN THE REAL WORLD TO UNDERSTAND MY MOTIVATIONS. I hope you spend time figuring out all the things like I unexpectedly did.

Edit: sorry for the caps, I got excited.
 
Enginerd2016 said:
Think about it like this: two more years to mature. Two more years to feel prepared. Two more years of doing things you might never get to do. Two more years of spending time outside of medicine. Do not take this time for granted. I'm taking at least two years to do a DIY post-bac, work full time as an engineer, and get a masters degree. It wasn't planned but when I'm in class with people three to four years younger than me, I see how far I've personally come. It has been eye opening how little I feel pressured by school as opposed to my younger self/classmates (all they do is complain about school, and I'm like, you spend more time complaining than actually learning LOL). Now I actually enjoy learning and can appreciate the material because it really is SUPER AWESOME.

My two cents: I will be around 26 when I apply to medical school. The time after my undergrad has been incredible and I've truly grown into myself. Now I have an absolute KILLER why medicine answer because IVE LIVED LONG ENOUGH IN THE REAL WORLD TO UNDERSTAND MY MOTIVATIONS. I hope you spend time figuring out all the things like I unexpectedly did.

Edit: sorry for the caps, I got excited.
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This guy clearly likes the gap year kool-aid.

2 years is whatever. It might make you less of an ass compared to your med student classmates who went straight through but it's not really a period of such profundity.

Chances are it will mostly suck (my 2 years did). The flip side is you'll be able to tolerate more BS after doing so. Plus, drinking beer helps.
 
CatFactorial said:
This guy clearly likes the gap year kool-aid.

2 years is whatever. It might make you less of an ass compared to your med student classmates who went straight through but it's not really a period of such profundity.

Chances are it will mostly suck (my 2 years did). The flip side is you'll be able to tolerate more BS after doing so. Plus, drinking beer helps.
Click to expand...
Lol, well I'll be 24 by the time I graduate, so my rate of maturing will decrease by then anyway
 
altblue said:
The more I think about it, the more I realize that taking fewer than 2 gap years is looking unrealistic (in part because of poor planning and unexpected things happening). I'm frustrated, and I'll probably be in my mid 20s by the time I apply but it is what is is.

What have you guys done for it? I prefer to work, maybe tutor, but not work as a lab tech. Just not looking forward to it, but maybe there's a way I can make it more tolerable
Click to expand...
kind of in the same boat as you. I am working but not enjoying life. The more days I spend working the more I think about other places where I would be happy. The plan looks like 1 year atleast at current employment and then possibly somewhere else and better hours. The more tone down my life the better it will be hopefully. I just don't like having to study for mcat, another exam, and work 2 full time positions all week.
 
I say, if you want to do something clinically relevant and money isn't a huge factor, get a certificate in something clinical, such as EKG tech, Surgical Assistant (2 years), and so on. There's a website (http://www . caahep . org / default . aspx) (remove the spaces) that gives a lot of information on certifications, job outlook, position description, etc. That's something a few of my classmates did when they wanted to work before medical school.

If that's something you don't wanna do, you can try the Peace Corps., TFA, Americorps, and so on. There are a bunch of opportunities out there for people like you trying to take time off, but at the same time be proactive in gaining admission to medical school.
 
You guys are nuts. The only thing I'm not enjoying about my gap year is the stress of waiting to hear back from schools, and hopefully soon the stress of interviewing. Apart from that I'm going to enjoy life, drink a lot of beer and relish the free time that I won't have in med school.
 
You'll have plenty of free time in medical school (no joke). But yes, beer and chasing skirts is a good way to spend the time. I'm not sure what all this nonspecific enjoy-life kumbayah entails.
 
Exactly.

Although, the older you get before med school the more likely you are to develop medical issues that impact performance in med school or residency. Also can affect family planning.

From a psychological standpoint gap year and being an older med student rocks. From a physical one, less so.

Starting med school at any point in your mid 20s is nothing to cry about though as far as how old should you feel.

Gap year is great unless money is an issue or you're finding it hard to make your gap year look good on your apps. I had enough low key fluff to keep it looking good and to have enough to talk about on interviews but still enjoy the high life.

The other issue is how much money you earn, that changes your EFC on FAFSA and can affect the quality of financial aid and loans you can get. That's usually not a huge deal but something to think about.
 
And no, you won't necessarily have tons of free time in med school. maybe. Definitely won't have as much travel or family holiday time.
 
FutureOncologist said:
I say, if you want to do something clinically relevant and money isn't a huge factor, get a certificate in something clinical, such as EKG tech, Surgical Assistant (2 years), and so on. There's a website (http://www . caahep . org / default . aspx) (remove the spaces) that gives a lot of information on certifications, job outlook, position description, etc. That's something a few of my classmates did when they wanted to work before medical school.

If that's something you don't wanna do, you can try the Peace Corps., TFA, Americorps, and so on. There are a bunch of opportunities out there for people like you trying to take time off, but at the same time be proactive in gaining admission to medical school.
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Those sound awesome tbh. Better than being some up-and-coming postdoc's grunt for 2 years.
 
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The real problem is a lack of caring or a lack of prioritizing human life, not caring and not loving. It is possible to love both money and patients.
 
Kiss all the girls. :banana:Im 26 now and won't be applying till next cycle. Don't let it stress you too much you won't be the only one thats in their mid 20s when you get into school.
 
CatFactorial said:
This guy clearly likes the gap year kool-aid.

2 years is whatever. It might make you less of an ass compared to your med student classmates who went straight through but it's not really a period of such profundity.

Chances are it will mostly suck (my 2 years did). The flip side is you'll be able to tolerate more BS after doing so. Plus, drinking beer helps.
Click to expand...

Possibly. I wouldn't have chosen to take 2 gap years but oh well. That's life. I've tried to make the best of it by looking at the positives 🙂
 
Enginerd2016 said:
Possibly. I wouldn't have chosen to take 2 gap years but oh well. That's life. I've tried to make the best of it by looking at the positives 🙂
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That is a good attitude! I apologize for giving you a hard time.
 
Crayola227 said:
And no, you won't necessarily have tons of free time in med school. maybe. Definitely won't have as much travel or family holiday time.
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I have never watched as much netflix/television or played as many video games as 1st year, particularly when anatomy was done. USMLEs were brutal but also quite interesting to study for. YMMV.
 
Average age for matriculants is only going up. Adcoms love life experience.
 
I wouldn't fret about your age. The main thing I think is how you spend your time during that year. Others have already made suggestions in that regard. However, it's not that big a deal to be a little older than everyone else. You are still young enough to be able to do the work and have a long and fruitful career. It might be tough to prioritize other things like family and relationships the older you get while still in intense training but that's a more personal element here. If starting your career and earning money later bothers you then that is a legitimate concern but it still puts you in a more fortunate spot than many others. When we came to the USA my parents restarted their careers from zero at 40 and 41. Our life was still pretty awesome. It's all about enjoying what you do and who you do it with, those things are still well within your control even if needing to take two years to put together your strongest app isn't.
 
I'll have taken three years off by the time I matriculate (applying now) and I can't even imagine what it would have been like going to med school straight through.

These are the years for you to experience life outside of the classroom. Understand what that's like, for the benefit of your future patients. I took a couple classes, have been volunteering at a great organization for almost two years now, and work in a clinical research setting that has taught me SO much about medicine / working with patients / the daily ins and outs of being a doctor / etc. There are days I go into work and I just feel happy. Plus having a full-time, paying job makes the cost of applications a little more bearable (though it still hurts my bank account.. but what can you do, eh?).

My advice to you is to find a job you'll love and one that offers you the opportunity to work in a clinical setting. I found that it's made me look forward to the future with a sense of deep-seated conviction that I definitely did not have as a senior in college (was I certain I wanted to go into medicine back then? was I also passionate and motivated at that point? yes, but I've never wanted it as badly as I do now, and that's a direct result of waiting these extra years for it).

And don't do TFA (someone mentioned it above). I have a lot of strong feelings about this but unless you've already had years of teaching experience working with disadvantaged students or come from a similar background.. you should NOT use that program as a way to "challenge yourself" and "make a difference." Just don't.

But yeah. Gap years = 👍👍👍
 
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