What exactly is called a "gap year"?

[Haloreach]

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To my understanding, the traditional route is to apply in the summer of junior year. This means that for the most part the adcoms would only see EC's and activities up to the junior year. It seems to me that there is just so little time to build up a decent resume. Secondaries would arrive during the fall of senior year and interview invites, etc.

So, if one was to apply the summer of senior year, would this mean that he is taking a gap year. Since he would be receiving secondaries in the fall after the spring graduating semester.

Please correct me if I misunderstood any details in the application process.
Thanks!

 

[Myro]

You're right. If you apply after you graduate and will be out of school during the application cycle, then you are considered to be doing a gap year!

 

[MedPR]

To my understanding, the traditional route is to apply in the summer of junior year. This means that for the most part the adcoms would only see EC's and activities up to the junior year. It seems to me that there is just so little time to build up a decent resume. Secondaries would arrive during the fall of senior year and interview invites, etc.

So, if one was to apply the summer of senior year, would this mean that he is taking a gap year. Since he would be receiving secondaries in the fall after the spring graduating semester.

Please correct me if I misunderstood any details in the application process.
Thanks!

Correct about the timing and what a gap year is.

 

[Haloreach]

Thanks for the quick answers.

 

[deleted407021]

Sorry for dredging up an old thread, but I think it's better than starting a new one.

I know many take a "gap year" to improve their applications before actually applying. Wouldn't that lead to a second year out of school after UG?:
UG Graduation=>Gap Year=>Apply in Summer=>Start August of following year
Is this timeline correct?

Also, it makes sense to apply the Summer after graduation in order to have an extra year of coursework and ECs on your application, as opposed to the standard junior year app route. I assume that would generate a single gap year? However, anything done during the wait after graduation and med school matriculation would not impact your acceptance, so the benefit of applying after you graduate undergrad is a year of extra stuff to put on your application, correct? Pros and cons?

Thanks!

 

[kyamh]

Sorry for dredging up an old thread, but I think it's better than starting a new one.

I know many take a "gap year" to improve their applications before actually applying. Wouldn't that lead to a second year out of school after UG?:
UG Graduation=>Gap Year=>Apply in Summer=>Start August of following year
Is this timeline correct?

Also, it makes sense to apply the Summer after graduation in order to have an extra year of coursework and ECs on your application, as opposed to the standard junior year app route. I assume that would generate a single gap year? However, anything done during the wait after graduation and med school matriculation would not impact your acceptance, so the benefit of applying after you graduate undergrad is a year of extra stuff to put on your application, correct? Pros and cons?

Thanks!

The timeline is correct. As for pros and cons. Cons: you take more time off. Pros: you take more time off 🙂 Roughly, if you take one year off then you add your senior year stuff, if you take two years off then you add what you did during your gap time - you can certainly talk about future plans, but future stuff doesn't affect applications as much as current or past stuff does.

This application year has been pretty crazy with traveling and writing endless essays etc for me. I do research full time and my work has definitely slowed down this year - it was nice to have non-UG, non-application time before this year to do the things I really wanted to do.

 

[deleted407021]

The timeline is correct. As for pros and cons. Cons: you take more time off. Pros: you take more time off 🙂 Roughly, if you take one year off then you add your senior year stuff, if you take two years off then you add what you did during your gap time - you can certainly talk about future plans, but future stuff doesn't affect applications as much as current or past stuff does.

This application year has been pretty crazy with traveling and writing endless essays etc for me. I do research full time and my work has definitely slowed down this year - it was nice to have non-UG, non-application time before this year to do the things I really wanted to do.

You took a gap year? A whole year before starting med school sounds a bit daunting. It would certainly require careful planning and hopefully finding a short term job which made use of a degree.

 

[kyamh]

You took a gap year? A whole year before starting med school sounds a bit daunting. It would certainly require careful planning and hopefully finding a short term job which made use of a degree.

I did, I took a gap two years and currently work in a research lab. I had a full year with zero medical school concerns (except asking for LORs) and did some great research, including a publication. I applied during this last summer and am in the middle of my interview season while still working in the lab. Honestly, these last 1.5 years have flows by incredibly quickly because I'm doing 100% stuff I want to be. Then at the end of the day I hang out with my co workers/friends (we have 2 weekly beer hours....beer evenings 🙂). I have kept up with college friends who are in the area, I host dinners once a week for my friends in my apartment. I have a membership with the Boston Ballet society and get cheap tickets to the shows. On weekends I run experiments with my PI, travel to NYC, travel to Vermont to go skiing all throughout winter, travel to Maine with my girlfriend and dog...

Now, the thing I miss most of all is the chance to sit down with a nice text book and do some studying! You think I'm kidding, but I really do miss going to lectures and staying up late to study with my friends at college...all that stuff I got sick of. MCAT prep was a refreshing change of pace for me last Spring 😀

Not everyone will want the things I do, and that's cool. It's hard to see as a college student, however, how 1, 2, even 5 years is not such a huge chapter of your life after all. Not if you don't waste that time.

 

[deleted407021]

I did, I took a gap two years and currently work in a research lab. I had a full year with zero medical school concerns (except asking for LORs) and did some great research, including a publication. I applied during this last summer and am in the middle of my interview season while still working in the lab. Honestly, these last 1.5 years have flows by incredibly quickly because I'm doing 100% stuff I want to be. Then at the end of the day I hang out with my co workers/friends (we have 2 weekly beer hours....beer evenings 🙂). I have kept up with college friends who are in the area, I host dinners once a week for my friends in my apartment. I have a membership with the Boston Ballet society and get cheap tickets to the shows. On weekends I run experiments with my PI, travel to NYC, travel to Vermont to go skiing all throughout winter, travel to Maine with my girlfriend and dog...

Now, the thing I miss most of all is the chance to sit down with a nice text book and do some studying! You think I'm kidding, but I really do miss going to lectures and staying up late to study with my friends at college...all that stuff I got sick of. MCAT prep was a refreshing change of pace for me last Spring 😀

Not everyone will want the things I do, and that's cool. It's hard to see as a college student, however, how 1, 2, even 5 years is not such a huge chapter of your life after all. Not if you don't waste that time.

That's really cool. How much planning did you have going into it (your gap years)?

 

[kyamh]

That's really cool. How much planning did you have going into it (your gap years)?

Well, I've been involved in research since I was a sophomore in college - I did research with the same PI for all 3 last years of undergrad as well as summers, January terms, etc. I stayed on working in the same lab full time after graduating - in part because I asked in part because the position was offered to me (it's a little hazy about who started the conversation). I always knew that I wanted to be involved in research full time for a bit because I truly believe it's the only way to really know what you are getting into (for example, my first year working full time was way different than full time for a summer in the same lab).

One of my lab members who will be applying to medical school next year chose to leave and do research in another lab because she wanted to try out molecular research (which my lab is not). Basically there are two ways to get lab jobs: nepotism and 100s of applications. I went the easy route, she went the hard route - sent an application to every lab posting for a tech job in clinical research in the country - especially because she was happy to move to whereever after college. Now, she is at Columbia studying something to do with cancer.

I think most students need to start applying to jobs/internships during the fall before they graduate to secure a job by the summer...though spring is okay too. The most important thing is to not get too judgy and to give all opportunities a chance.

 

[mvenus929]

You took a gap year? A whole year before starting med school sounds a bit daunting. It would certainly require careful planning and hopefully finding a short term job which made use of a degree.

It's not as daunting as you make it out to be. I was jobless for a couple months following the completion of my coursework, but everything worked out in the end, and my gap years were the highlight of my application. And I was much less stressed out when I started med school, and really appreciated being a student again. Plus, you really can tell who went straight through vs who took some time off.