Not going to med school directly after undergrad... need help explaining WHY?

[jcheun62]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm Canadian and I've previously applied to Ontario med schools but this is my first time applying to American med schools.

For Boston U, they ask whether applicants are going to med school directly after completing undergraduate work. My answer is no (since I just graduated in June) and I was wondering which answer sounds better:

1) I previously wrote the MCAT and only got an 8 on verbal. So I chose to rewrite this summer and scored a little better (got a 9), which is why I didn't apply during my 4th year and will have this year off before the 2011 cycle. Does this just sound like an excuse?

2) Should I say that I wanted to gain more volunteer, clinical, and research experience prior to enrolling in med school (these are activities that I am potentially doing this upcoming year to add to my applications as relevant experiences for med school).

Thanks for your help!

 

[bananaz]

I'm no expert but I don't think most adcoms have a problem with students taking a gap year, especially if it means they're coming in more well-rounded and better prepared for the rigors of medical school. Of the reasons you mentioned the one about gaining more volunteering/research/clinical experience probably sounds the best (as long as it's true and you will be gaining that additional experience), but the fact that you retook the MCAT will speak for itself when they review your application. Adcoms are smart, they can put the pieces together whether or not you explicitly state "I put off med school so I could take the test again."

 

[111111111111111]

How about the truth?

 

[longwhorn]

Unless the answer was "to spend a year in jail" I'm sure the truth is probably your best bet. 😛

 

[LossForWords]

I took a year off before I applied and worked a research job. No one ever asked why I took the time off, they just asked what I did with it.

 

[ai009]

oh, I took that question as more "explain what you're doing in your year off" than "explain why you took a year off"... I think it's fine just to say that you wanted to take some time to address weaknesses in/strengthen your application, and then explain what you're doing in this year off.