Looking For Support on Decision

[Rising_Sagicorn]

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I was thinking about applying to a fellowship as an aide to those suffering from mental illness. At this point, I am 90% positive that I want to apply but its a 2 year requirement rather than my intended 1 year. I feel like my parents won't be open to the idea of taking the 2 years even though I think it would make my app stronger. Not really a question but would love any words of affirmation or similar stories to know that I'm making the right decision for myself!

 

[Seihai]

What is this in relation to? Are you asking for this as an opportunity for a gap year or as a career path?

 

[Rising_Sagicorn]

@Seihai for my gap year but I think I would want to specialize in psychiatry potentially as well

 

[imbesrs]

This is your life, not your parents. The fellowship will without question help you in med school admissions experience wise on your app, will be a talking point in interviews im sure, and will be a great experience for you to gather examples to use when answering anecdotally. Besides looking at the fellowship from a med school app aspect, the fellowship will obviously be a maturing, sobering, and educational look into what you see as your potential career path. I see no downsides besides 1 year extra, but the benefits can be very rewarding and worthwhile

 

[Rachapkis]

The key to getting into medical school is to have an excellent application (60% of those who apply do not get in), not to apply as early in life as possible. A two year fellowship will give you added experience, allow time for other ECs, and allow you to further evaluate whether you like this aspect of medicine. Unless your parents have control over you (e.g., they will only pay for medical school if you apply this year), I would listen to your inner voice rather than your parents.

 

[Cornfed101]

So your plan is to apply during the second year of the fellowship?

 

[NYmed24]

I was in a similar place when I was applying for gap year jobs - I wanted one-year positions at the beginning, but most of the positions I was interested in required two years, and I ended up accepting an offer that was two years. I'm in the middle of my second year now (and in the middle of the application cycle) and definitely don't regret it. Having a year of experience under my belt before I even started applying gave me tons to talk about on my applications and during interviews. Outside of applications, I also think that having two years off from school is going to have been really beneficial for me in the long run in a lot of different ways. There's pros/cons for sure, but if this is something you're really interested in, I would definitely say to go for it!