Taking Time Off After Graduation - What Should I Do For A Year?

[Thaitanium]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am taking a year off after I grad this summer..I was wondering, is there anything I can do to make myself a more competitive applicant before I apply in the Fall? I am looking to do a fellowship. Should I get started doing research for one year? Should I try finding a job in a path lab? Any suggestions would be appreciated guys and gals. Not sure what opportunities are out there for a MD grad who has a year off. I am a USIMG, so I will do whatever I can to get into the best program possible.

Thanks.

 

[yaah]

The answer kind of depends on what you want to do and why you are taking the year off. You're kind of asking lots of questions that are basically individualized questions that you need to figure out on your own. You say you want to do a fellowship (in what?) but you are taking a year off with no set goals it seems other than to make your application more competitive. To be honest, that is unlikely to happen in a year, especially since you don't know what you're doing.

A lot of times when people take a year off they do it for specific reasons, and have already lined up a plan. I would think a lot of programs would ask you why you are taking the year off and what you did with it, and why. You shouldn't do research just to do research. If you have no experience in path but want to do path it would obviously be best to get some kind of experience in the field. Why do you want to get into the most competitive program? Is your goal to just get into a path training program? Do you want to do academics? Or is it just to get into the best program so you can get the best fellowship and make money? Things change based on goals. For many people who want to go into private practice, the choice of program is not hugely important.

As a foreign grad, your best factors in your favor will include board scores, letters of reference, and experience within the field. Research is unlikely to help unless it is significant.

 

[Thaitanium]

As a foreign grad, your best factors in your favor will include board scores, letters of reference, and experience within the field.

Should I apply to work in a path lab? What is the best way I can get experience in the field as a recent graduate who will have a few electives under his belt?

 

[sequela]

Should I apply to work in a path lab? What is the best way I can get experience in the field as a recent graduate who will have a few electives under his belt?

from reading prior posts, it seems as though you only very recently discovered path ( or more accurately, dermpath)...in other words, you missed the opportunity to apply to path during this match. so there you go, there's your reason "why" take time off. this is not going to be difficult for programs to understand and it would not be held against you as many people find themselves as interns in another field and wanting to switch.

i think what yaah is saying is that what you do w this time will depend on why your going into path and what your career goals are (academia vs pp).

the only one who can answer these questions is you.

there is no magic formula from what i have seen. if your primary concern is getting into "any" program then i think you won't have to stress about your application too much. as you may have noticed, many programs didn't fill this year.

again, a more thoughtful response to your question requires answers to some of yaah's questions.

if your major concern regarding your application is your usimg status, i would do a search because i think this topic has been covered by those most qualified to speak to it.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Thaitanium, whatever you do...do something that allows you to network with pathologists. If you want to do dermpath (like everyone else it seems) then go work in a dermpath lab. Hell, work in the lab of the head dermpath guy in your department. Otherwise, perhaps do a mini postdoc in a pathology lab were the PI is well known in the department. He/she can then get you in contact with people within your department. Building connections can make life much easier for you when it comes down to applications. It's amazing how easy and comfortable the interview is when the interviewer starts off by saying, "so you work with so and so...he's said so many great things about you...so what's up dude? whattaya wanna know about the program?"

Many pathology applicants don't have connections except for the brief ones they've made during their one month path rotations. Since path apparently still isn't that competitive, people with good grades and numbers can basically coast through the application season (it hasn't gotten to the point where the majority of the applicants don't have ridiculously strong track records and programs can be all that picky...lots of spots at quite a few strong programs to go around). But if you have connections, and you demonstrate potential, that could set you apart from other candidates.