Taking year off during med school

[sagsea]

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i have a friend, who finished her 1st yr of med school, now she wants to take a yr off and travel to diff country 😱 is it possible can she do that??

 

[tremulousNeedle]

Anything is possible. It all depends on whether or not the school will allow this. Many require a good reason for a LOA and usually travel doesn't count.

There is another concern, if your friend has borrowed money for school. While she is away from school her grace period will pass and she will be expected to make payments sometime during that year off. While the payments will stop when your friend becomes a student again, as soon as she graduates the payments are due again, immediately (there is only one grace period for a borrowed amount).

 

[twilightdoc]

i have a friend, who finished her 1st yr of med school, now she wants to take a yr off and travel to diff country 😱 is it possible can she do that??

"Interrupting" your medical education is done at your peril. There is actually a spot on the ERAS form that specifically asks if there has been an interruption. I don't agree that this should necessarily be a "red flag" for residency selection committees, but am just stating the facts. If you interrupt to do research, medically-related travel and study, etc., that can be presented in a very positive light. And some students have taken a year off because of family crises (to care for a sick parent, for instance). But taking time off "to find yourself" or to decide if you really want to be a doctor will be viewed negatively at many programs. I strongly suggest that any student planning to take a year off should talk this over with his/her advisor or with someone in the medical student affairs office. And you should expect that you will need to explain the absence during the residency interview process.

 

[vr123]

The only thing I could add here is that I know of people who have taken a year off to pursue other degrees, like an M.P.H.