What are my fellow gap year applicants currently doing?

[AcceptableKale]

Hi everyone.

Currently finishing my secondaries and waiting for and preparing for interviews.

Not sure what else I should be doing with my time. I don't have a job planned and volunteering options are curbed. I'm kind of bored tbh. What are my fellow gap year applicants currently doing?




Also how is everyone in my situation filling out the secondary question that asks: what are you doing from now until your possible matriculation to med school? I'm just saying that I'm finishing my applications, preparing for interviews, reading books, and devoting more time to my hobbies in music.

Is that okay to put? I guess I don't want to sound like I'm doing nothing, but at the same time, I'm taking this year rather lax.

Should I be taking classes for the sake of keeping myself occupied? I really have no interest in taking anymore classes. After working so hard in school for so many years, it just feels weird to be in such a lax situation and I feel like I'm mindlessly waiting.

Feedback from people in my current situation would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Tennisgirl92]

A whole year off with nothing but hobbies and interviews? How are you paying bills? What if you don’t get in this cycle?

 

[paveldatsyuk]

A whole year off with nothing but hobbies and interviews? How are you paying bills? What if you don’t get in this cycle?

Bit of a snarky answer if you ask me. Is it really your business how OP pays the bills? Maybe they were laid off due to COVID? And why wouldn’t they get in? If they don’t I’m sure they’ll get a gap year job and then get in next cycle.

 

[patnic511]

Bit of a snarky answer if you ask me. Is it really your business how OP pays the bills? Maybe they were laid off due to COVID? And why wouldn’t they get in? If they don’t I’m sure they’ll get a gap year job and then get in next cycle.

I think tennisgirl was just trying to pass along realistic advice. Adcoms always say that you should be preparing for another app cycle since until you're accepted, you're rejected. Therefore, it's wise to continue improving and building your activities, especially because if you take a break for a year and then don't get in, you will not have anything new to work with for your re-app, aka you shouldn't be applying in back-to-back cycles

 

[Tennisgirl92]

Bit of a snarky answer if you ask me. Is it really your business how OP pays the bills? Maybe they were laid off due to COVID? And why wouldn’t they get in? If they don’t I’m sure they’ll get a gap year job and then get in next cycle.

Didn’t mean to be snarky. Just genuine questions and concerns. If OP doesn’t need money, all the power to them! And he/she might very well get in! However, if not, and they want to apply again in June 2021, that is not a lot of time to improve the application. And many applications ask what you are doing during gap years. Adcoms do not like to see stagnancy.

I think it’s a great idea to take it easy this year. Enjoy life. If you don’t need a job, find something you’re passionate about and pursue it! Volunteer in anyway you can. Find school kids to help tutor. Help serve meals. Help mentor young people. There is a lot of need right now due to Covid and ways to help in a safe way.

 

[spottedcory]

In the same boat! I meant to take my gap year for myself and work but I'm living with my family and they don't feel safe having me work in person so here I am unemployed. Trying to find a remote job or something but I'm keeping pretty busy doing 2 classes on the side for fun. I definitely agree with keeping this year lax. I spent so much time away from home I don't want to fill up my year so that I'm so busy I can't spend time with my family. Turned down a research position for this reason

 

[paveldatsyuk]

In the same boat! I meant to take my gap year for myself and work but I'm living with my family and they don't feel safe having me work in person so here I am unemployed. Trying to find a remote job or something but I'm keeping pretty busy doing 2 classes on the side for fun. I definitely agree with keeping this year lax. I spent so much time away from home I don't want to fill up my year so that I'm so busy I can't spend time with my family. Turned down a research position for this reason

are you taking classes from your UG institution or somewhere else? I was looking at some online classes as well

 

[spottedcory]

are you taking classes from your UG institution or somewhere else? I was looking at some online classes as well

Community college! I think ug classes at this point would be too expensive. I'm auditing a language class that isn't offered locally from my ug to save money on that class too

 

[Justapremedguy]

Working in a research lab and praying for those lovely IIs

 

[TabbyTuxy]

I was laid off and have been looking for a job for several months -- may need to bite the bullet soon and get a service job rather than the more meaningful ones I've been applying to/am qualified for. Unfortunately literally every hospital and university near me is on a hiring freeze. It's getting difficult to pay the bills.

I am volunteering remotely and work part-time (very few hours) doing some things I genuinely love and talked about a lot in my application. I am taking one online course.

Otherwise, I have way too much time on my hands to ruminate about the application cycle. I am very fortunate to have 4 II's as a reapplicant (only 1 last time I applied!) so I crammed them into the next few weeks to keep me occupied. Since I have time, I've also been using some networking to schedule meetings with students at the schools where I'm interviewing. The goal is to get a sense of the program from an unbiased source who has no bearing on my admissions, since I can't physically visit each school.