Is It OK to not have ECs during gap year?

[deleted953743]

Hi! The pressure is on now that I have my first interview this week! I was wondering how it would look to admissions to hardly have any volunteering done during my gap year. I had some volunteering (~ 40 hrs Sept - Nov) until personal circumstances led me to move somewhere else. I've just spent my time working since then, and I don't really foresee myself having the time or travel means to have volunteering hours.

How would my utilization of my gap year look to my interviewer? Also, if my interviewer questions why I stopped volunteering, is saying, "Personal circumstances did not allow me to continue volunteering there as much as I'd like" too vague/a red-flag? Thanks so much!

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[Magus5454]

Hi! The pressure is on now that I have my first interview this week! I was wondering how it would look to admissions to hardly have any volunteering done during my gap year. I had some volunteering (~ 40 hrs Sept - Nov) until personal circumstances led me to move somewhere else. I've just spent my time working since then, and I don't really foresee myself having the time or travel means to have volunteering hours.

How would my utilization of my gap year look to my interviewer? Also, if my interviewer questions why I stopped volunteering, is saying, "Personal circumstances did not allow me to continue volunteering there as much as I'd like" too vague/a red-flag? Thanks so much!

I had to work a full time since I graduated from college, and I didn't get in till try 4. I kept up my tutoring side job when I could but all my volunteering was done prior.

 

[allantois]

You volunteer hours are pretty lacking, so you really need to get more volunteering in

 

[deleted953743]

You volunteer hours are pretty lacking, so you really need to get more volunteering in

I had to work a full time since I graduated from college, and I didn't get in till try 4. I kept up my tutoring side job when I could but all my volunteering was done prior.

Thanks! I mean, I have plenty of volunteer hours through undergrad & have paused volunteering now to work. So work would not be an acceptable excuse to pause volunteering during my gap year? I should definitely find SOMETHING? If so, what's an acceptable amount of volunteering hrs I should have during gap year, keeping in mind that I'm also working 2 jobs?

 

[DokterMom]

Thanks! I mean, I have plenty of volunteer hours through undergrad & have paused volunteering now to work. So work would not be an acceptable excuse to pause volunteering during my gap year? I should definitely find SOMETHING? If so, what's an acceptable amount of volunteering hrs I should have during gap year, keeping in mind that I'm also working 2 jobs?

You said you were volunteering up through November. Then you moved. Then holidays. It's only January. If you can line something up (or even just locate a suitable opportunity) you could do a quick pivot spin redirect to the effect of "Had to stop this while I moved but will be starting that next week."

 

[Scrubb]

Thanks! I mean, I have plenty of volunteer hours through undergrad & have paused volunteering now to work. So work would not be an acceptable excuse to pause volunteering during my gap year? I should definitely find SOMETHING? If so, what's an acceptable amount of volunteering hrs I should have during gap year, keeping in mind that I'm also working 2 jobs?

Don't worry about it, you're already interviewing. It's as easy as saying you've moved recently and have been focused on that and work, which is totally honest and fine. Relax and good luck on interviews.

 

[Mr. Babe]

Yea, definitely a smart thing to be actively engaged in healthcare and your community during your gap year. Many interviewers will ask what you have been doing since you graduated, and you better have a good answer for them. You want to make a difference and be productive.

 

[indiRanger]

I didn't do any EC's this year (my gap year) and just worked and I was accepted to 2 schools.

 

[ortnakas]

It’s okay to not have typical premed extracurriculars during your gap year as long as you’re doing something productive, which includes being gainfully employed. Obviously, it’s better if that something productive is related to healthcare or science in someway.

 

[puahate]

You should be employed at least

 

[chemdoctor]

Depends what you’re considering to be an EC. If you’re working a job or something then that’s fine. If you’re just sitting around then idk how that looooks

 

[deleted953743]

Thanks everyone! I was asked about changes to my activities, so I'm glad I found an opportunity to be a texter for a suicide hotline! Despite this, I think it would have been fine if I didn't (Though I'm glad to be able to help others despite my situation being remote yay!!!). My interviewer liked discussing my jobs even though they didn't pertain to healthcare/science, so I guess I had nothing to worry about for this interview in particular