Nontrads... how did they do it?

[derma12]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Alright. So this is one of many threads I am going to start posting here on SD. I am still a freshman in college, but I have been planning my medical career for as long as I can remember. Thing is, I am now beginning to look at taking a year off to volunteer and travel. Instead of taking the MCAT junior year and doing secondaries/interviews my last, how do I go about all of this?

I know there are many different ways, but once again, I am completely new so I don't know where to begin.

Can I interview first and defer my acceptance? Do schools even do this (except for undergrad. of course).

Thanks guys.

 

[bkz]

Hi, welcome to sdn. You are absolutely able to defer your acceptance for a year if you wish to travel, volunteer, or do other things--but be sure to talk it over with the med school. Before you start more threads please do a search, as this board is >10 years old and there are thousands of threads on pre-med questions, even for seemingly unique situations.
Good luck with your app!

 

[LaTortuga]

Welcome to SDN.

Yep, you can definitely apply to medical schools and then ask for a deferral. Some schools offer 2 types of deferrals: medical or personal (research, travel, etc). Be sure to read up on each school's deferral policies ... some may not entertain deferrals unless its a serious illness, or some amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Also deferrals often come with strings ... i.e. you sign a contract that requires you to enroll at that school the following year.

The other option is to take the MCAT during your senior year, graduate, travel, work in research, and apply before 3 years elapses and your MCAT scores expire. There's no need to apply first, then defer. Sometimes even taking the non-trad route ... and working/traveling can make your application stronger by adding unique experiences to your list of EC's ... and allowing you time to mature, explore your interest in medicine, etc.

There are plenty of other options before you too. Heck, you could even do some wild and crazy career, come back 10 years later, finish your pre-requisites and apply to medical school then.

There's no "correct" route for going from freshman year in college to M1 year in medical school. We all take winding paths; some will surely be more scenic than others but alas, hopefully, most of them will end in MD.

Good luck with the journey.

 

[dw2158]

Welcome to SDN.

Yep, you can definitely apply to medical schools and then ask for a deferral. Some schools offer 2 types of deferrals: medical or personal (research, travel, etc). Be sure to read up on each school's deferral policies ... some may not entertain deferrals unless its a serious illness, or some amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Also deferrals often come with strings ... i.e. you sign a contract that requires you to enroll at that school the following year.

The other option is to take the MCAT during your senior year, graduate, travel, work in research, and apply before 3 years elapses and your MCAT scores expire. There's no need to apply first, then defer. Sometimes even taking the non-trad route ... and working/traveling can make your application stronger by adding unique experiences to your list of EC's ... and allowing you time to mature, explore your interest in medicine, etc.

this.

definitely look out for deferral policies-- this is something i've actually spent some time researching, and i can tell you that of the 18 schools i'm applying to, none seem very happy to offer deferrals for things like travel or volunteering. research or personal illness, sure.

i also second the idea of NOT applying and deferring. i decided to take 2 years off after college. i'm in #1 of those 2 years right now, and i'm working on app stuff as i work full-time in a job that is for sure making my application look better. i think it's better to do this in a way that does not involve deferring. use the experiences of your time off to make your app better and more interesting.

lastly... i don't think taking a year or two off before you reach your lifelong goal of med school makes you a non-trad. 😉 check out the non-trad forum to get a real idea of the winding routes some people take to medicine; you'll feel very traditional indeed!

 

[atomi]

-

 

[schizosquirrel]

If you're already planning to travel, volunteer, etc. for a year, there's no reason really to apply early and defer. Just apply after your senior year of college...your app will undoubtedly be stronger anyway (better ECs, more grades---senior grades, which are usually higher), and you'll probably get into a better medical school (or at least, have a smoother ride). I know, at least me personally, I was busy enough as an undergrad to have to worry about applying to medical school while I was working 20 hours/week on my thesis on top of a ton of ECs and 4 other classes. You'll probably be more sane for it too. It's pretty common nowadays to take a year or two off after you get your first degree (and often encouraged), so I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[pietachok]

To state two of the obvious...

1) You should apply after doing your time off b/c whatever you do will help make your app more interesting (hopefully...don't take a year off to investigate being a couch potato or drunk).

2) I would like to kindly recommend expecting a little less rigidity in your life 🙂. It makes it less stressful to deal with things that unexpectedly happen. I expected to start med school 3 yrs ago, instead I'm starting this fall. I used to think it was awful being even one year "off track" but now I'm 6 yrs out and in many ways wish I had more time! There's a lot to be said for gaining a little post-college maturation before applying.

 

[dw2158]

2) I would like to kindly recommend expecting a little less rigidity in your life 🙂. It makes it less stressful to deal with things that unexpectedly happen. I expected to start med school 3 yrs ago, instead I'm starting this fall. I used to think it was awful being even one year "off track" but now I'm 6 yrs out and in many ways wish I had more time! There's a lot to be said for gaining a little post-college maturation before applying.

👍👍👍

 

[flip26]

Hi, welcome to sdn. You are absolutely able to defer your acceptance for a year if you wish to travel, volunteer, or do other things--but be sure to talk it over with the med school. Before you start more threads please do a search, as this board is >10 years old and there are thousands of threads on pre-med questions, even for seemingly unique situations.
Good luck with your app!

Umm, this is a vast overstatement. First, policies for deferment vary from school to school, but in general, for schools that do allow deferments, it is for something akin to doing a Fulbright or Rhodes scholarship, not for "travel" or anything like that.

The best advice: don't apply until you are ready to commit to attending. If something unique comes up (like a Fulbright), know that some schools will work with you, and some won't.