taking a year off

[sunnex3]

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so i'm currently a sophomore, but i'm slowly becoming more attracted to the idea of taking a year off after graduating.

i'm thinking of taking a year off to get a great deal of work experience in, as well as taking time to finish any other couple prerequisites I might need.

i was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on taking a year off.

one of my concerns is that i'll lose my academic motivation, but i'm also afraid that after 4 years of pretty much hell at penn, i might get burned out going through 4 more years of academic work.

 

[canis13]

i'm a junior and planning to take a year off, perhaps two, after i graduate. take o-chem and biochem (can't fit it into undergrad schedule), maybe try to get a job at new bolton center (i'm from the philly area and will probably move back home to save money), and i definitely want to work in some international volunteering (finances permitting...).

even if i was able to apply during my senior year of undergrad, i'd want to take at least a year off anyway...i've been going to school full time since i was 6, so i really want to experience what it's like to have room to breathe. and i go to a school with an equally ridiculous work load as at penn, so i hear you on the potential burn out.

so yeah, my final thought: vet school isn't going anywhere, and your application will only be strengthened by time off.

 

[Pandacinny]

I don't think taking a year off is a bad thing at all. I took a couple years off, though mine was because I didn't get in at first. Anyways, I'm glad I did. It allowed me to spend time with my family, pursue other interests beyond schooling, do some volunteering, and hang out with my friends more than I'd had time to do during college. I don't regret it at all and am almost glad it worked out this way for me. If you're feeling burned out, a year off to explore your interests and breathe a little is definitely not a bad idea!

 

[NittanyKitty]

I'm a senior this year, and I'll be taking next year off of school. I'm moving back home at the end of the semester and searching high and low for a job related to the field - vet tech, lab animal stuff, pet store, whatever! Unfortunately, with the economy it's not the time to be picky, so we'll see where I end up. Even if I end up working in retail or something, I plan on being an active volunteer at the local shelter and shadow area vets to keep involved.

I made this choice late last spring, and I thought I would have some regrets about it this year as everyone else is applying and getting their acceptance letters. Not ONCE have I wished I could take back that choice. I'm still SO busy this year with SO many things that my applications would have suffered because of it. Plus, I'm incredibly excited to have a year of hard work without any school stuff attached to it. I'm a little sick of school right now, and a year to refresh sounds better and better all the time. At this point, I don't know if I could bear the idea of doing 4 (or more!) solid years of school beginning in August. I figure once next summer rolls around, I'll be 110% ready to start vet school after having had a little break from the academic world. The vets that I've talked to are in complete support of the "year off" idea. My main mentor wishes that she'd done the same and thinks it gives you a lot of time to mature and really become certain of your career goals.

Go for it!

 

[eatpinkpenguins]

I strongly recommend taking a year off (I've taken 2), although getting a job at New Bolton might be tricky with the hiring freeze at Penn right now. I think adcoms really look on it favorably, its a good way to keep from burning out and to get reeally excited to going back to school after working the 9-5. I think it's really important to get a feel for the working world after being in school your whole life for perspective. Plus, you will be in debt after graduation and working tons, so I totally support your international endeavors! I think there is a big shift of schools like Penn and Tufts valuing time off and the median age of applicants moving up. Go for it! 👍👍

 

[DocDVMD]

I ended up graduating a semester early, and I personally think it's the perfect amount of time off between college & vet school. Obviously, not everyone will be able to graduate early (or want to), but I'm very happy with my choice. I'm currently working full time doing research and able to experience college without the work, tests, and stress! I love being in school and learning, so I think I would be unhappy and restless if I took a full year off. Plus, I've waited years to go to vet school and I can't wait! Just something to think about.

 

[sumstorm]

I think a year off is a great thing, but one caveat...some schools expire pre-reqs at 6 years....meaning that if you don't get in the next year, you risk pre-reqs expiring from your freshman year.

I actually think if schools pushed for students to take a year off and get a lot of real life experience it would help the students while making decisions about vet school (ie is an addition 20k a year realistic to go out of state when it means paying huge student loans and do I like the actual repeptitive aspects of vet medicine or do I like learning challenging material that will be present in atmospheres like vet school), while attending vet school (life/school/work balance, financial balance) and upon graduation. I have met too many vets who regret something about becoming a veterinarian (whether it was wasted opportunities in school, amount of debt after graduating, or the actual decision to become a vet.)

 

[smm482]

I too have heard that many schools look more favorably at applicants that have taken some time off before applying. I think it shows that you are more likely to be pursuing vet school for the right reasons and making a fully informed decision. That's not to say that there aren't a lot of people who go straight from undergrad to vet school, do really well, and never look back. I'm thankful for the time I've had though (I graduated Dec 2007 and will be applying this Summer) and feel much more confident in my decision to pursue vet school having had real world experience. That said, the economy is horrible right now and jobs are hard to come by. I wouldn't expect things to turn around for a while so I am hugely envious of people who are in vet school now actually working towards getting their DVM. Hopefully by the time we're out of school things will be on the up and up. You've got plenty of time to think about that though! 🙂

 

[sunnex3]

yeah i would really like to just take a year off and get some experience in some areas that i maybe was not able to do before (i.e. zoo experience, travelling to south american countries to help with spay/neuter blitzes, volunteering at the humane society, etc) while maybe taking a couple pre-reqs that i need.

it'd be nice to just take a break from school to really enjoy the veterinary experiences.

 

[Konfetkette]

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking a year off. I took a semester off after my freshman year and went to live in florida for 8 months. But I came back. It was hard to study for the first month or so but then it was fine 🙂

I'm taking a year off after college because I think it will take about a year for my burn out to settle down lol. Plus, experience!