Unique gap year experiences?

[Rachel&Ross5evr]

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Hey! I'm taking a few years off between graduating and applying to medical school (again) so I'm looking for things to do. I have heard the obvious answers: EMT, CNA, scribe, volunteering, etc. But I am interested if people know of cool, perhaps lesser-known opportunities? A quick Google search resulted in something called Health for America, in which you engineer solutions to common health problems. I'm just looking for unique things like that that most people don't know about. Thanks!!

 

[AlfonsTheGuru]

Volunteer for the American Red Cross.

 

[carpediem22]

Fulbright! Admittedly the research Fulbright grant is pretty competitive to win, but it is easier to get an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant (some countries have as many as 100 ETAs per year!). You can teach English in nearly any country in the world, and there is nothing stopping you from doing more inventive things in your spare time, like teaching a health education class if your school will allow it.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

I did a Fulbright ETA and it was soo worth it 😉!

 

[ofthesaints]

I farmed in the Patagonian region of Argentina for awhile through WWOOF. Loved it.

 

[mcatjelly]

I'm definitely biased, but I work at a state hospital with individuals who have been adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. Forensic psychiatry is cool.

 

[Goro]

Habitat for Humanity...Teach for America...hospice care...nursing homes.

Hey! I'm taking a few years off between graduating and applying to medical school (again) so I'm looking for things to do. I have heard the obvious answers: EMT, CNA, scribe, volunteering, etc. But I am interested if people know of cool, perhaps lesser-known opportunities? A quick Google search resulted in something called Health for America, in which you engineer solutions to common health problems. I'm just looking for unique things like that that most people don't know about. Thanks!!

 

[kitkat13]

I did a Fulbright ETA and it was soo worth it 😉!

Sorry for pulling up an old thread, but just wondering, how did you manage to schedule interviews and such? It seems like it would be difficult to fly back

 

[Nalsjewels]

I've been teaching in the Middle East region during this application season. It's definitely tricky/super stressful to be abroad during app season, but it is possible. I managed to make arrangements at my job to let me take a month off from mid January-mid February to do all my interviews (so I only had to fly back once). To make this possible I emailed all the schools I applied to multiple times throughout the season explaining my situation and when I was available. I found the most luck when I emailed admissions deans directly. Most schools were really open to working with my schedule.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

Sorry for pulling up an old thread, but just wondering, how did you manage to schedule interviews and such? It seems like it would be difficult to fly back

I didn't apply to med school when I was in Fulbright.
It is all program specific. Some have more time off for vacay