Is this a valid way to spend a gap year?

[deleted1001544]

Currently deciding whether or not I want to take a gap year. If I did, I would be looking to study full time at a religious institute for about a year. The plan would be, work on med school applications for the first part of summer, then during interview season go to an institution in New York to study. After interview season I would travel overseas and continue education there until I knew where I was going for medical school. During this time I'd still be doing some clinical volunteering. There are a concerns I have regarding this.

1) Would this be a good way of differentiating an application and would medical schools consider it a valuable use of my time? (Especially considering I'm skimping on the humanities courses offered by my college because I don't like them. This isn't why I'm considering doing this, but it would help if it was looked upon favorably.)
2) I understand GPA isn't everything, but I kind of like how medical schools would see my GPA right now and I don't know how I feel about adding an extra year of liability with senior year courses.
3) I like learning things, but at some point I'd like to get a career started so I can support a family. Throw in that I'm considering MD/PhD and you can understand why I'm concerned about adding more time pressure with a gap year.
4) How does this sort of travel/study abroad affect in-state status, if at all?

Any thoughts?

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[Traveler2016]

What are your reasons for considering taking a gap year in the first place?

Traveling will not effect your state residency.

 

[deleted1001544]

What are your reasons for considering taking a gap year in the first place?

Traveling will not effect your state residency.

This sort of education is something people in my community typically do. I've been considering it, so I went on a program to New York for about one week and definitely found the education interesting as it given me the chance to think more deeply about my philosophy. Travel overseas also appealed to me, but I apparently underestimated how intense the application process is. Ultimately, I'm weighing the value of doing something interesting and a bit different for a year against the reality that I can't just go to school forever.