Not Working During Gap Year and Part-time Prereqs

[lorian99]

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Hey guys,

I took a gap year after I graduated from college to help my mom deal with the aftermath of my dad's passing. I spent a lot of time addressing the most urgent issues, like helping my illiterate mother with job applications because my dad was our only source of income. After things settled down, I started working on a few long-term projects, like sorting through my dad's possessions and renovating our house in preparation for selling it to ultimately get out of the mortgage.

I didn't work during the gap year because we didn't need the money and I was needed more at home. I had already worked a few part-time jobs in college, so I figured I didn't need the experience. I did take 1 or 2 prereqs here and there as a postbacc, shadowed now and then, and volunteered on the weekends, so my time during the gap year wasn't entirely unofficial.

Do you guys think this will be an issue, especially taking the prereqs on a part-time basis while not working? I know that adcoms will likely understand my situation, but there's just a lot of uncertainty because much of what I did was unofficial.

 

[GreenDuck12]

If you are concerned about it you can submit a statement explaining the context and what you did during that period of time. If you decide to submit a statement, I would encourage you to be objective. Alternatively, you could wait to see if it is brought up during an interview.

 

[esob]

You have a legitimate reason, but it also wouldn't hurt if you had some areas of your app that showed you can handle good grades under normal strain such as full time hrs.

 

[lorian99]

If you are concerned about it you can submit a statement explaining the context and what you did during that period of time. If you decide to submit a statement, I would encourage you to be objective. Alternatively, you could wait to see if it is brought up during an interview.

Thanks for you thoughts. If I do submit a statement, I imagine it'd be brief, perhaps "While completing pre-medical coursework and volunteering after college, my father's passing required me to take significant responsibility with supporting my family." Do you think this would be good? Or would you recommend that I not bring it up?

 

[lorian99]

You have a legitimate reason, but it also wouldn't hurt if you had some areas of your app that showed you can handle good grades under normal strain such as full time hrs.

Sure, I attended college full-time while working part-time and did well, with a few terms that included science coursework.

 

[esob]

Sure, I attended college full-time while working part-time and did well, with a few terms that included science coursework.

Then I wouldn't be too concerned, but that's just my 2 cents 🙂

 

[wholeheartedly]

Do you really think OP needs to submit a statement or just be prepared to answer if asked about it? Obviously it's a perfectly fine answer.

Not really sure where such a statement would go.

@gyngyn ?

 

[gyngyn]

Be prepared to answer, if asked.

 

[backside_attack]

If I remember correctly, on most of my secondaries (or was it the primary??) there was a little prompt like "If there were any gaps in your education, please explain them here," and it gave you a short character limit. Might be a good place to address it?