Have You guys considered a gap year after high school?

[AcademicTerror]

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Gap year as in after graduating high school you spend 1 yr before going to college.

Pros- save money, decide what you want to do, travel the world, volunteer in charities

cons- wasting time= adding more time to the already long process of be coming a dr

 

[Shinobiz11]

Yeah I thought about it, but I don't have time to do it. It seems like it would be nice to take a year off, but I'm going to add another year onto 8, so it seems stupid. Go ahead and do it if you want but think more about the time you are wasting.

 

[FuturaDocta]

how would that be saving money?

Why not just basically be on vacation by taking a few classes (at a community college) and volunteering (or something to build up the resume)?

Community college is easy and cost effective. Plus, you wouldn't be really wasting time. If you still decide to go all four years at a university, you still have those classes out of the way and can focus more on the science classes without being overloaded by so many requirements at once.

You probably shouldn't take any science classes though. Take the other requirements like English and calculus. save chem, bio, and physics for the university/college so you can do better on the mcat.

gl

 

[sunshinevet]

Yeah I thought about it, but I don't have time to do it.

Yes you do. You're what, 17? All you have is time 🙂

I'm doing undergrad vet med in Australia, so I'm in my second year of 6, and in 19. I'll be like, just under 24 when I graduate. I want to go on a working holiday, but I'll need atleast 2 years experience to locum. Suddenly, im 26, I haven't seen any of the world, I'll be looking at having kids soon.... (I want atleast 4 kids...). Srsly, if your thinking about it, do it now 😀. I honestly don't think you'll regret it, but I think you'll regret NOT doing it.

 

[Shinobiz11]

Yes you do. You're what, 17? All you have is time 🙂

I'm doing undergrad vet med in Australia, so I'm in my second year of 6, and in 19. I'll be like, just under 24 when I graduate. I want to go on a working holiday, but I'll need atleast 2 years experience to locum. Suddenly, im 26, I haven't seen any of the world, I'll be looking at having kids soon.... (I want atleast 4 kids...). Srsly, if your thinking about it, do it now 😀. I honestly don't think you'll regret it, but I think you'll regret NOT doing it.

Nah, seeing the world is a lot better when you actually have money to spend. At the moment I have none, and my "boss" hasn't called me into work yet lol. It all depends on your situation, I can't, but hell, you can, and that's great!😀

 

[DearSky]

My psych teacher advised us not to do it. Her friends and students she knew regretted taking a gap year. Everyone is in school while they're stuck at home doing nothing*

* Traveling the world? Volunteering in charities? Working part-time? Well, given the economy, it'll be hard to find a job to work at during your gap year. And you can always volunteer while going to school - unless it's something significant such as going out of the country and helping with a huge organization, that'll make the college go Ohh[i/i] and Ahh. I'm sure her students tried to travel/volunteer/work.

 

[Gallix23]

I was sort of forced to take a "gap semester" which is what I'm doing now. I got accepted into my #1 in the Spring 2010 semester, so it was either that I could take classes at another school during this semester, or just wait it out. I didn't want to deal with the credit transfer issues that were arising, so I decided it sit it out this semester.

So far, I am enjoying it. I'm working full time at my university, so I'm there anyways and saving good money for when I get there. I got Scuba Certified recently, which has been a goal of mine since I was 10. I started a band with a few friends and we're beginning to play shows, I got some new hobbies like astronomy, started writing some original music and recording it and mixing it on my computer, and I bought some review books related to my major to look over to keep me fresh. Many of these things I wouldn't have had time for had I been going to school and had to worry about homework and tests.

So all in all, I'm definitely making the most of it, and it's been a good experience. Would I recommend a whole year of it? Not at all, I can't wait to start school in January. However, if you really want to get a glimpse of it, just defer until the next semester and take the first semester off. Again, definitely look into what you're getting into before doing this: I'm down four classes, which I will still have to make up (I got to a five year school that runs two half semesters in the summer though, so I have it a bit easier).

 

[sgtbrushes]

Gap years after high school are bad, in my humble opinion. The work available to you with a high school diploma is very limited. Gap years in between college and med school? Not a bad idea. College is very different from high school. If you're lucky enough to not have to work during college, I promise you, your first year of college is going to be like going on vacation anyway. Go to college, study hard, get As, and I promise you will have a lot of free time (if you don't have to work).

 

[BlitzSleep]

I was forced to take a semester off after high school before I started college (was in a bad car wreck) I hate how it has set me back, but this was when I decided to go into medicine so, if it wasn't for the wreck I wouldn't be here right now. What i'm saying is, I would never willingly take a year off.

 

[strv04]

save money, decide what you want to do, travel the world, volunteer in charities

more likely you will be sitting at home in your underwear playing video games, traveling to visit grandma, "volunteering" to run earn eds for your parents and after a year you will poorer, with nothing accomplished and clawing at the walls trying to get away from your parents. Most people figure out what they want to do by experiencing things during college and starting to act as an independent adult.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

A gap year can be great, depending on what you do. Sitting at home on the couch, watching tv, not so good. Volunteering, experiencing new cultures and seeing the world can be great. Princeton has a program for this http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/americas/19iht-princeton.1.10175351.html it all depends on what you do and how you use it. Of course there is the risk of electing not to go back to school.

 

[Cogito ergo es]

cons- wasting time= adding more time to the already long process of be coming a dr

Not only is it adding time to the process, it's "taking you off the train" pace-wise and sometimes a good study-pace is hard to recuperate.

Of course it all depends on what you spend the gap year on, but right after highschool I hardly see anything worth it. :S

 

[loveoforganic]

Gap years after high school are bad, in my humble opinion. The work available to you with a high school diploma is very limited. Gap years in between college and med school? Not a bad idea. College is very different from high school. If you're lucky enough to not have to work during college, I promise you, your first year of college is going to be like going on vacation anyway. Go to college, study hard, get As, and I promise you will have a lot of free time (if you don't have to work).

👍

 

[MilkmanAl]

Here's another voice in support of what sgtbrushes said. I'd add that the difference between college and med school is substantially different than that between college and high school. In a lot of ways, college can be much more relaxed than high school where your schedule is concerned. You can count on med school obliterating all of your free time, and you don't get long summers to recoup except after 1st year. That is, I can understand wanting to gear up for med school with some relaxation and downtime, but doing so for college is unnecessary and basically a waste of a year, in my opinion.

 

[avatarftw]

a

 

[c5212]

It sounds like a great idea, but I would much rather wait until after college to take a year off before entering med school and volunteer overseas, for instance with the Peace Corps 😎

 

[wwuthenuwmed]

I was sort of forced to take a "gap semester" which is what I'm doing now. I got accepted into my #1 in the Spring 2010 semester, so it was either that I could take classes at another school during this semester, or just wait it out. I didn't want to deal with the credit transfer issues that were arising, so I decided it sit it out this semester.

So far, I am enjoying it. I'm working full time at my university, so I'm there anyways and saving good money for when I get there. I got Scuba Certified recently, which has been a goal of mine since I was 10. I started a band with a few friends and we're beginning to play shows, I got some new hobbies like astronomy, started writing some original music and recording it and mixing it on my computer, and I bought some review books related to my major to look over to keep me fresh. Many of these things I wouldn't have had time for had I been going to school and had to worry about homework and tests.

So all in all, I'm definitely making the most of it, and it's been a good experience. Would I recommend a whole year of it? Not at all, I can't wait to start school in January. However, if you really want to get a glimpse of it, just defer until the next semester and take the first semester off. Again, definitely look into what you're getting into before doing this: I'm down four classes, which I will still have to make up (I got to a five year school that runs two half semesters in the summer though, so I have it a bit easier).

Hey just curious, are you talking about Northeastern? I applied there and was accepted for the Spring 2010 semester 😀, but decided (not completely on my own....) to stay in-state because of a lack of financial aid...🙁

 

[yanorglu]

^Hah, do you go to Western? Hot hipster chicks everywhere.

 

[Gallix23]

Hey just curious, are you talking about Northeastern? I applied there and was accepted for the Spring 2010 semester 😀, but decided (not completely on my own....) to stay in-state because of a lack of financial aid...🙁

Hahah wow yes I am, good guess! 👍

Yeah they didn't give me much aid either. If it wasn't for my teachers pushing me to go there, I probably would have backed out and went state school or a small liberal arts school in Boston where I got some money from.

You could always try to apply as a transfer student if you really want to go there, I hear it's not nearly as hard getting in as a transfer student and they could possibly offer more money depending on how you're doing at school (and the fact that you're out of state appeals to them, I'm from Mass so that worked against me a bit).

 

[KingstonPre]

Yeah my friend took a year gap after HS.






...and now he's in his mid-twenties with a child and no degree.



One thing I learned as an adult is... never stop momentum... ever.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The problem with a gap year after HS is that you really aren't equipped to do much. You'll also lack some of the maturity and knowledge that you'll gain during your time in college. The best place for a gap year is after college. You'll be young enough to enjoy it, but old enough to be able to have some experiences that you can't at 17-18 and/or won't appreciate. Quite a few of my friends took this route, and they all said it was beneficial. Friend #1 traveled the US like Jack Kerouac and then went to eastern europe for a year before starting her Ph.D. program. Friend #2 taught in Japan for a few years before coming back to the States to get an advanced degree. Friend #3 went to a couple of 3rd world countries and did women's rights work before she started law school. Friend #4 moved to an island for a year...err...6+ years....and never came back for law school. I guess you should watch out for Island Life, as it can be quite the mistress.

 

[Tizoc]

I did it. It turned out that I needed to get away from academia and spend some time in the world before returned. Returning to school was a bit tough trying to remember how to study and what I learned in high school, but the confidence I had in myself and the social skills I learned all benefited me greatly in college.

Granted, I don't think the gap year is for everyone. It was for me. If any of you are considering doing it, my recommendation is finding a gap year program that interests you and puts you in a part of the world you'd like to see.

 

[wwuthenuwmed]

Hahah wow yes I am, good guess! 👍

Yeah they didn't give me much aid either. If it wasn't for my teachers pushing me to go there, I probably would have backed out and went state school or a small liberal arts school in Boston where I got some money from.

You could always try to apply as a transfer student if you really want to go there, I hear it's not nearly as hard getting in as a transfer student and they could possibly offer more money depending on how you're doing at school (and the fact that you're out of state appeals to them, I'm from Mass so that worked against me a bit).

I am considering that. I just feel like I'm missing out on so much of college life and opportunities going to a state school that is, IMO, really easy to get into. It was my last choice behind NEU, Union, Drexel, UCSC, etc. I got into all my schools, but didn't get any freaking financial aid!! Pissed me off. When I visited, I totally fell in love. My friend and I were just walking around and I said, I am going to go here, I love this school! Sad... And I only applied to one in state school, and I didn't apply to our main state school, which is a fantastic school, and that was really stupid of me. PS to all you high-schoolers out there, no matter how much you want it, never count on going out of state 😉 😳
On the other side of the spectrum though, I'm working on getting into leadership and shadowing stuff here, so I don't want to get into it and then just ditch...aargh.

 

[bananaface]

You will never in your life get the opportunity to be an 18 year old college freshman.

In terms of money, you are not saving anything long term. A year's delay in schooling means that you finish later, which means you set back your post-graduation earnings by 1 year. So, if school and residency take you 11 years to finish, 20 years from now you'll have earned 1*low wage+ 8*Dr wage instead of 9*Dr wage.