How do schools view gaps in volunteering?

[Konkey]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I've done a considerable amount of what I believe to be substantive non-clinical volunteering (military, americorps, coaching sports for people with disabilities, etc.), but a lot of this was done before I went back to school or even decided to pursue medicine and with a year or two between each activity. The main reason for these gaps is that it takes time to find opportunities I'm truly passionate about. That, and it's nice to decompress a little between working and going to school full time.

My most recent volunteer experience ended January of this year and was about 250 hours across six months. I don't think schools would accuse me of not doing enough, but would it look like an attempt to rest on my laurels if I do no (or little) more volunteering before applying next year? I intend to do a lot more between now and then, but was curious: how are gaps like these generally viewed (in more-standard cases)?

 

[HomeSkool]

It depends on what else is going on. Everyone has to pay the bills and very few people are machines who can function at a high level indefinitely without time to recharge. If you have a gap in volunteering and I see it's because of a major life event, crisis, increase in other employment, etc., I won't think anything of it. If the gap is "my batteries were low and I needed to recharge," that's less great but still acceptable. If you follow that up with "so I recharged with a six-month bender and now I'm wanted in twelve states," that could potentially be a problem for me.

 

[907914]

I've done a considerable amount of what I believe to be substantive non-clinical volunteering (military, americorps, coaching sports for people with disabilities, etc.), but a lot of this was done before I went back to school or even decided to pursue medicine and with a year or two between each activity. The main reason for these gaps is that it takes time to find opportunities I'm truly passionate about. That, and it's nice to decompress a little between working and going to school full time.

My most recent volunteer experience ended January of this year and was about 250 hours across six months. I don't think schools would accuse me of not doing enough, but would it look like an attempt to rest on my laurels if I do no (or little) more volunteering before applying next year? I intend to do a lot more between now and then, but was curious: how are gaps like these generally viewed (in more-standard cases)?

If it helps you, I literally have no clinical volunteering for the last 4 years (clinical employment still, but barely), no volunteering outside of some peer tutoring for the last 8 months, and at that all of my volunteering was in military positions (in the reserves, at that). All that, and I still have 8 interviews. I am sure the stats help me a bunch, but the fact that you already have military service and Americorps....you are gonna be just fine and your commitment to service will not be questioned.

 

[907914]

but would it look like an attempt to rest on my laurels if I do no (or little) more volunteering before applying next year?

I missed this part - this has been my exact reasoning. I have only been asked once out of 4 interviews thus far and it was by a student interviewer with a closed file just trying to catch up on timeline.

“After six years giving my all to the military, I have decided that these last months before medical school would be better off spent with my family, so my daughter knows her daddy is still there for her.”

Ie. A sympathetic way of saying I just want to be home more.