taking time off?

[Athena25]

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Hey guys,
i've been debating this for some time . . . would any of you or have any of you taken time off between undergrad and medical school? I figure I should probably expose myself to other areas of life before i completely devote myself to science. what do you all think? I especially want to hear from those who are planning on raising a family.

 

[missbonnie]

Hi Athena-

I don't like calling it "taking time off", but I graduated in '99, applying for fall 2004. Most ppl in college have been in school their whole life - life outside of school, making your own money, living on your own is totally different and an experience that no schooling can instill. Peoppe do different things and have different reasons for not going directly to med school.

For me, I didn't want to spend my early 20's in school. I was dying to get out and make some money ( was a poor college student) so that I could travel and do all the stuff I felt that I could not in college. Of course, having a nice job offer in hand at graduation that started out in London, England helped me make that decision 🙂

2 years later, I was like "why am I still working? why haven't I taken the mcat?", and that's when I got the ball rolling again.

-bonnie

 

[lake show]

i have to agree with missbonnie. same situation too, 99 grad, worked in corporate finance for 3 years, and will be going to med school this fall.

i think i could've enjoyed med school straight out of school, and many people go that route without any problems. BUT, there are many people who i know that are in med school or residencies (and went straight from college) that question whether or not they made the right decision. it's not that they don't like medicine, but they can see themselves happier in other professions like ibanking, doing law or maybe helping others out in public health, etc.

as for me, having gone that different route as well as consulting work in college, i know med school is for me. there's no turning back in the middle of residency thinking "what if". some people never have that, and that's cool, but i think most people will find out that medicine isn't exactly what it's hyped up to be or doesn't meet their expectations.

 

[nezlab99]

I decided about two weeks ago that I was going to take a year off. I decided to do this because I realized that I had never really considered any other career. I am pretty sure I want to be a physician, but I don't feel like I can be totally sure until I doubt it. It's like the saying about "if you love something set it free, if it comes back then it was meant to be." Something like that. I just found myself writing essays about how sure I wanted to be a doctor, and realized that I didn't know what to write. If anything, I think adcoms will respect me more for this.

As for a family, my girlfriend (who'll I'll probably end up marrying) supports this decision. I'm only 21, but she is 24, and I still have one year of undergrad left. Whenever we talk about kids, we generally talk about doing it when I'm well into my residency. That would make her about 31 when we start to have kids. Most people like to spread kids about two years apart, so that would mean a second one at 33. I guess this may be beginning to press our luck. It's sounds so crazy when you lay it all out. It ends up being something you have to consider, though.

 

[Raptor]

I am a junior and plan on taking a year off doing other things. I want to see if medicine is really what I want to do. Right now I am 19 y/o and at this age I feel that I have a lot of choices to choose from. I mean medicine is all my life because I always wanted to do it. I am almost 100% sure that I want to pursue medicine but like the previous post suggest that you should explore the world first. I mean once you are in medical school there isn't any turning back. I want to see what the world is like first because my head has been in the books forever (but thats what I like doing 🙂 ).

 

[simpleG]

if you're thinking about taking the time off, i'd say to go for it. i took a year off, and it was an amazing year. i learned a lot that i wouldn't have learned in medical school. i took time off to do all those things i always wanted to do, at the same time supplementing my application. I volunteered in Tanzania for a few months, I'm taking classes learning how to ride a motorcycle, volunteering on a crisis hotline, and working as an RA in a great lab. I'm planning on traveling again before med school starts, and I'm so glad that I took the time off.

go for it.

 

[Crazy Carl]

I've decided to take time off also, but for very different reasons than those described above. I'm a rising senior and have only been set on medicine since my sophomore year, so it's not like I need a break from the medical world to see if being a doctor is right for me (though I think that's a great reason to take time off). It's just that I think I want to be a specialist and professor, so I literally have the rest of my life to stay in academia. I just want to go out in the world and get little non-scholastic break for a year. I really decided this was the right decision for me last summer, when I moved a few hundred miles away and lived in an apartment doing full-time research. I realized I wanted to experience the more grown-up, real world side of things before the second leg of my schooling.

As a sidenote, my friend's sister took time off and says it was easily the best decision she ever made in your life. She was a decent student at a decent college who went to her state medical school mostly by default. She took a year off before matriculating, and came back totally refreshed and motivated. She kicked ass every minute of med school, graduated at the very top of her class, and went on to match at an extremely competitive residency. So taking time off can be a great way to recharge your batteries, even if you're sure medicine is for you.

 

[hpitup]

I graduated in 95 with a BA in psych. I took a couple of years exploring interests. Then I decided to pursue medicine, and I knew it was the right decision for me because I really had time to think things over. It took me a couple of years to do prereqs and advanced science courses. Now, at 30 I'll be starting med school. If you are at all unsure, I recommend taking some time off to think about your future.

 

[FU....CMS]

i took a "forced" year off. b/c i did not get into med schools.

it was the best year i've had, and i'm so glad i did it....(tho' my parents weren't so thrilled). i'd rather have a year "off" at 22, than start medschool early and retire early...only to have a year "off" at age 65 or something!

and i got to surf, play ball, work out, read books, and work minimally at fun places, and got lucky with a semi-clinical job and even saved up enough to go to Europe.

i actually feel bad for people that go straight from undergrad, to med school. especially if you have a really short summer b/c of that. the avg incoming age is like...25? so there really is no rush. as the speaker at EVMS told us. you have 40yrs to practice medicine. take your time. don't be discouraged if you don't get in. and enjoy it while you can. "youth is wasted on the young".

 

[Sweet Tea]

I'm in the middle of 2 years off (assuming I start med school in 2003), and it's wonderful-- made even more wonderful by no longer having to worry about the mcat. 🙂 My best friends went straight from undergrad into med school, and they are tired now. They're doing well in med school and enjoying it, but they're not excited about it anymore and are already approaching academic burnout. I've gotten to do a bit of travelling, a lot of volunteer work, and for the first time ever I'm actually saving money by working full-time. I'm so glad I didn't go straight through-- now I'm actually excited about the application process ( crazytalk, i know) and I'm itching to go back to school. If you're thinking that you might want to take time off, then take time off. Escape from the academic bubble-- you'll be glad you did!!

 

[Zoobaby]

I'm not sure if I "took time off" or was too lazy as an undergrad to do all the science and study for the MCAT. Becoming a doc has always been in the back of my mind, but my 4 years off have shown me that it's not just a possible path for me, it is THE path. I have leared so much that will help me in med school. I know what it's like to work an 80 hour week (not studying, but working in a results-driven environment.) I know where my limits are, and how much **** I'm really prepared to take, from people and from responsibilities. I've had time to play, ride my motorcycle (represent, simpleG) read, find a wonderful girlfriend, buy a house, grow a garden, enjoy the sunny days, and SAVE MONEY.)

I know for now that I want to be a doc. More importantly, I have more confidence in myself that I could even imagine at 22.

Take the time. You'll be better off. Once you start med school you're in for a Looooooonnnggg time. Make sure you really want it.

-Zoo

 

[Zoobaby]

Make that - "I know for SURE now that I want to be a doc."

 

[NineSixteen]

I think there's only a very few people who actually should go straight from undergrad to med school...those types that were born to be a doctor, you all know the type. Lots of people THINK that they're that type, but I've only known maybe a few.

Taking a year off does NOT mean that you still need to make up your mind about being a doctor, doesn't mean you're less committed or any of that. I took 3 years off and the whole time I was planning on med school, just came to the conclusion that at no other time in my life would I be so free to experience whatever I wanted to! I moved clear across the country and taught high school, after med school this kind of adventure will not be feasable.

Now I can't wait to go back to school, my enthusiasm level is so much higher than it would have been if I started school in the Fall of 99 (although when I talk to my friends who just finished their third years, I feel a TINY bit jealous) Take at least a year off, I think. Even if it's just a tiny part of you that says, "Wonder if I should wait a year" I would definately say yes.

 

[merlin]

For sure take time off. As a matter of fact, I am currently in Guatemala and am completing my year off between undergrad and medical school. In a trip that I had planned on only being two months in Costa Rica has now turned into a five month trip from Panama City back up to my home in California by bus. This experience has been the greatest thing in my life so far, well except for getting married, and I cannot even imagine how much I would have missed out on if I had just gone straight through. I know I might get a lot of complaints about saying this, but then again, I most likely wont read these replies, but I feel that the reason that there are so many socially incompetent doctors out there is because so many have become so focased on medicine that they go straight through without realizing to take time out for life and themselves. Just my opinion. Anyway, I think some time off is an invaluble option that you should seriously consider pursuing. Good luck. And now, back into semi retirement.

 

[TroutBum]

Hello everyone. This is my first post, but I've been following this forum for awhile now. Good luck to everybody who just submitted (mine went out today)!

Like pretty much everyone else, I say DEFINITELY go for the time off, if you have even just an inkling that you might want to do so. I took a year off after my sophomore year of college and it was probably one of the greatest growing experiences of my life. I graduated last year and hope to enroll in 2003, so that will be another two years off before med school--just working now, but enjoying the change and the lifestyle, and if anything I will be so itching to get back to school by then. I also hope to spend the summer beforehand travelling--how can you beat that? When else will you have a chance like that? Just my humble opinion.