Gap year?

[tincan123]

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Hi, I am a upcoming senior in college majoring in biochemistry who is considering a gap year. The reason I am trying to have a gap year or two is because I want to work abroad as an intern or for peace corps. I have a 3.78 GPA, decent MCAT score, my research published, around 500 hours of shadowing and clinical volunteering combined, and 2 years of work experience as a pharmacy technician. I feel like I could be ready for medical school as a traditional student which is why it is making the decision of a gap year more difficult. I been talking with my friends and family about this but since there is no one in my family who has been a doctor or in the medical field (unfortunately) I really do not have any insight to what would be the best decision. I have already studied abroad as an undergraduate and loved it which is why I want to go abroad.

I am thinking about working for a pharmaceutical company, or teach math or physics in the peace corps. Both options are very appealing but since peace corps is a longer commitment (1 year vs 27 months), it worries me if I would be taking too much time before I go into medical school. I understand there are now increasing number of nontraditional students but does the age gap make it weird between students? Would it be worth the time to learn another language since I am already a polyglot? Would the gap year be worth it boosting my resume? Do I have more or better opportunities to go abroad and help people during medical school? Is going abroad for the same reason (internship or to help people with an organization) good enough reason to take a year off during medical school? (ex between MS-2 and MS-3)

I apologize for the bombardment of questions and thank you in advance or responding 🙂

 

[Sardinia]

@tincan123 Have you submitted your application for this cycle.

 

[tincan123]

@tincan123 Have you submitted your application for this cycle.

I am thinking about it. Since I am self supporting student, if I decide to go through with applying then its really hard for me to back out with all the application money. I have most things ready to apply

 

[Crayola227]

best to get med school and residency over with sooner before any disaster can strike

 

[Jersanta]

This is honestly a personal question for yourself. If you want to intern/work abroad, travel a little, or just want time to grow and explore the world prior to med school, then do it. If you wanna save all of that after going through the hardships medschool and/or residency (possibly fellowship if specializing) years, then do it. Both will have pros and cons, it's whichever appeals best for you.

If you choose to apply, do it within the next 2-3 days so that your app won't be delayed from the verification process. If you choose a gap year, then just make sure not to be a couch potatoe during majority of the year. You have all the time in the world to decide bruh, that's just my opinion.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using SDN mobile

 

[cbrons]

Hi, I am a upcoming senior in college majoring in biochemistry who is considering a gap year. The reason I am trying to have a gap year or two is because I want to work abroad as an intern or for peace corps. I have a 3.78 GPA, decent MCAT score, my research published, around 500 hours of shadowing and clinical volunteering combined, and 2 years of work experience as a pharmacy technician. I feel like I could be ready for medical school as a traditional student which is why it is making the decision of a gap year more difficult. I been talking with my friends and family about this but since there is no one in my family who has been a doctor or in the medical field (unfortunately) I really do not have any insight to what would be the best decision. I have already studied abroad as an undergraduate and loved it which is why I want to go abroad.

I am thinking about working for a pharmaceutical company, or teach math or physics in the peace corps. Both options are very appealing but since peace corps is a longer commitment (1 year vs 27 months), it worries me if I would be taking too much time before I go into medical school. I understand there are now increasing number of nontraditional students but does the age gap make it weird between students? Would it be worth the time to learn another language since I am already a polyglot? Would the gap year be worth it boosting my resume? Do I have more or better opportunities to go abroad and help people during medical school? Is going abroad for the same reason (internship or to help people with an organization) good enough reason to take a year off during medical school? (ex between MS-2 and MS-3)

I apologize for the bombardment of questions and thank you in advance or responding 🙂

Dont take a gap year. You do not need to "find yourself." Damn this hippy generation. You lose a huge amount of money by taking an entire year, and you delay a lot of non-sense that just plain needs getting over with.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

 

[Inspector JacquesClouseau]

I think taking a gap year is good for perspective, and gives you something to think back on when things get tough in med school. Working a year in a pharmaceutical company would be a boost for your application, especially with an LOR from your boss. The Peace Corps may be more rewarding long-term, and you may even find you don't want to go to medical school in the first place! That's not a bad thing, as it's better to know early where your passions lie. Either way, taking time off from school can make you more mature and that real-world experience can make you a better medical school student and doctor.

 

[MaxPlancker]

In the grand scheme of things, 1-2-3 years won't make a difference to your lifestyle, etc. If you enjoy the prospects of traveling and exploring the world before med school, then go for it. I think it provides maturity and perspective; you get what you put into it though.

 

[tincan123]

Dont take a gap year. You do not need to "find yourself." Damn this hippy generation. You lose a huge amount of money by taking an entire year, and you delay a lot of non-sense that just plain needs getting over with.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

What do you mean by losing on money?
I will be working on the time abroad and will be compensated (probably not that much though haha)

 

[Sardinia]

@tincan123 If you're not going to submit an application for this cycle, then you will be forced to take a gap year. You can wax philosophical about it, however the question is whether or not you're going to submit a completed application by the end of this cycle. Don't submit your app, take a gap year. Submit your app, potentially no gap year. Also you can be accepted and defer your acceptance to another year if you have solid extenuating circumstances for why you are taking the year off.

 

[aldol16]

I am thinking about working for a pharmaceutical company, or teach math or physics in the peace corps. Both options are very appealing but since peace corps is a longer commitment (1 year vs 27 months), it worries me if I would be taking too much time before I go into medical school. I understand there are now increasing number of nontraditional students but does the age gap make it weird between students? Would it be worth the time to learn another language since I am already a polyglot? Would the gap year be worth it boosting my resume? Do I have more or better opportunities to go abroad and help people during medical school? Is going abroad for the same reason (internship or to help people with an organization) good enough reason to take a year off during medical school? (ex between MS-2 and MS-3)

Do you already have an offer from the company? I'll tell you that it's not very easy to get a well-paying job at a pharmaceutical company nowadays with a bachelor's degree (it's hard even for PhDs) and to get a job for one year is even harder unless you don't tell them initially and tiptoe around during interview season. It'll also be difficult because of your workload if you're working in any R&D since you'll have months where you're literally working your ass off.

 

[cbrons]

I think the only people who are reasonably going to tell you "Ah it doesnt matter, take the year off" will be those who havent been through med school/residency yet. Trust me, you just want to get this stuff over with, and it is NOT getting cheaper as the years wear on. There's also the fact that you would be much more useful to the peace corps as a physician, and you can do that in the future, not necessarily right now.

 

[Above&Beyond]

I was forced to take a gap year when I didn't get into medical school the first time around, and I am very happy with how my gap year turned out. I got a job in a hospital and learned a ton about medicine, and I can't believe now that I almost went to medical school before getting all of this experience. You don't necessarily need to learn about medicine in your gap year, but if you think you will be doing something that makes you happy in your year off, and if you think you can better yourself even a little bit as a person in that time, you should take the gap year. With that being said, make sure your application is super solid once you end up applying, because you don't want to end up not getting in and thinking "would I have gotten in if I didn't take the gap year?"

 

[TMC07]

I'm a huge fan of Peace Corps and highly suggest you do it if you have the opportunity and are truly committed to it. However, it does not seem like the best option for you because your MCAT will expire. By the time you apply, get invited, and serve your full 27 months, you're looking at 3.5+ years. It would be a shame to waste a good score and a pain in the *** to study and retake after so long away from the subject matter.

If you really want to do a stint with Peace Corps, I suggest you apply this year and also apply to Peace Corps. I know for a fact that you can defer matriculation in order to do PC at a few schools and I imagine a couple of others may allow this. After you are accepted, you can email the dean and ask about deferment citing PC as your reason. If none of your schools will allow it, then you buckle down and go to med school right away. But I imagine you'll find approval somewhere. Good luck!

 

[OGLoc23]

What do you mean by losing on money?
I will be working on the time abroad and will be compensated (probably not that much though haha)

Proponents of completing med school+residency ASAP instead of taking potentially formative gap years will often claim that it's not worthwhile to lose a year's worth of a physician's salary for a gap year in pursuit of other endeavors.

If we say you take a gap year and later have a 30 year-long career as a physician, the gap year's impact will amount to ~3% loss in career income (assuming a stable salary throughout). Less if your career is longer and more if you take more gap years.

But of course, there's more to consider than merely future income.

 

[Crayola227]

I propose it because the sooner you are making an attending's salary with a disability insurance in place, the better off you'll be.

If something happens before then you'll be thinking the end of a gun tastes pretty sweet.