What should I do with a year off?

[PsxDcSquall]

Hey, so I am graduating in May 2009 and I plan to take a year off and apply for medical school entry in fall 2010. I took the MCAT in September so after being really behind with my applications and just not as motivated as I should have been I decided to hold off a year on applying (which is something I had been considering before anyway). So basically I was just wondering what I could do with my extra year. It kind of sucks because our pre-med advisor just retired so our school is now trying to find someone to take her place (she was amazing) and the dean is currently staning in and she doesnt seem to know as much as she is a PhD and comes from a research background.

I have been looking at research jobs but research has never really been my thing I just found it kind of boring when i took part in research. I would like to do something clinically relevant next year but I really have no idea where to even begin looking. I suppose I also need a job that would allow me time off for medical school interviews.

Thanks to anyone with some good ideas, let me know if you need any more information about me!

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[HeatherMD]

leave the country!!

If I had a year to spare, I'd be back-packing Europe without a second thought.. or even adequate planning.

Go live! It might be your only chance to be this free!!

 

[PsxDcSquall]

Yeah that would be nice to do and I do plan to travel at some point but I do not have the money to just up and leave for Europe, at least not right away. If I did travel it would probably be summer 2010 before I (hopefully) enter medical school.

 

[HeatherMD]

I don't have money either, but I have student loans..

 

[Twiigg]

I don't have money either, but I have student loans..

 

[PsxDcSquall]

haha well luckily I have been able to minimize my student loans and I would like to keep it that way, at least until I (hopefully) enter medical school.

 

[NicoDuval]

Peacecorp or something where you can get medical experience overseas is nice and often won't cost you much. If you are just looking to get a job locally, you can become a Certified Nurse Assistant fairly quickly, but you have to spend some money on the classes. I got a job as a unit clerk in an ER. They said I'm overqualified but they understand why I would want the job for a year.

 

[DrYoda]

Party it up.

 

[PsxDcSquall]

Is it possible to do the peace corp for a year? It is my understanding that it is a minimum 2 year commitment...

 

[katarina90]

You could be a TA for a lab class, or you could be a substitute teacher for the school district (at least here in NV--you only need to pass some fairly easy tests, but I'm not sure about other states).

What are your hobbies? Perhaps there is something you can do that would be both a fun experience, and give you some good anecdotes to tell during interviews.

 

[Twiigg]

Teach for America!

 

[linguini]

Teach for America!

Peacecorps and TFA are 2 year commitments. I think Americorps can be a 1 year commitment?

I understand not everyone enjoys research, but I think you should look around a bit before you discount it. I was pretty bored in my basic science research labs but I really enjoy clinical research (which I am doing now in my year off). So not all research experiences are the same.

I've also heard of people volunteering at hospitals/free clinics and then getting an additional job to pay the bills.

 

[diosa428]

Yeah, I would seriously consider looking further into research. I work in a purely clinical research lab, and our research assistants work directly with patients and then do a lot of entering data into spread sheets, which is a very different experience than my previous work in a basic science lab. I actually enjoy both, but if you have previous experience in one and didn't like it, consider the other. You might be able to find "research" that you would totally enjoy and get your name on some papers.

 

[Kevin911]

Volunteer with international volunteer HQ. It's crazy cheap. There are some medical-related volunteer positions

 

[murfettie]

go somewhere cheaper.
S.E asia
Tibet-India-Nepal: you can drive from tibet into nepal .. ooo sooo cool...
..... okay... i know there is a bombing and all in india, but i think the security will be even better.

 

[tdittyx2x3]

DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.

We are going to have SO much less time to ourselves starting Day 1 in school. Now is the time to enjoy yourself.

Also consider this.. there isn't quite as much time as you think. You'll have an application/personal statement to develop, a laundry list of secondary essays, and plenty of other hoops to jump through. I found that apps + 20 hours/week of paid work + fun during the summer was the best stress-relieving combo.

Once you are complete at schools (September at the latest, be a smart applicant), then you can go out and literally do whatever you want with two rules:

1. Be available to interview at a school - traveling abroad is a bad idea unless very carefully planned out. Save this for post-acceptance.

2. You should probably keep up some small level of volunteering and/or clinical activity as part of your response to "So tell us what you are doing now?" Buuuuuut don't go too crazy if you don't want to. I'm holding three acceptances with my latest clinical work in May.

I'm doing a really cool volunteer project right now with Habitat. We're building a house four days a week. It's unpaid but its a blast. Check out all possibilities, they're limitless.

BOTTOM LINE: ENJOY YOURSELF

 

[premedrod]

Hey, so I am graduating in May 2009 and I plan to take a year off and apply for medical school entry in fall 2010. I took the MCAT in September so after being really behind with my applications and just not as motivated as I should have been I decided to hold off a year on applying (which is something I had been considering before anyway). So basically I was just wondering what I could do with my extra year. It kind of sucks because our pre-med advisor just retired so our school is now trying to find someone to take her place (she was amazing) and the dean is currently staning in and she doesnt seem to know as much as she is a PhD and comes from a research background.

I have been looking at research jobs but research has never really been my thing I just found it kind of boring when i took part in research. I would like to do something clinically relevant next year but I really have no idea where to even begin looking. I suppose I also need a job that would allow me time off for medical school interviews.

Thanks to anyone with some good ideas, let me know if you need any more information about me!

i think the best thing that you could do is get involved in your community. find something that you would have never pictured yourself doing. do it and see how it goes. it can be a rewarding experience. i never thought i would graduate school and spend some time tutoring kindergarten chlidren...but it worked out that way and it has been a rewarding and educational experience.

the best thing you can do if you plan on going into medicine is do something that connects you to those that you will serve. i like to think of medicine as a business and in business the highest priority on a businessman/womans mind should be its customers....learn to be good at customer service.

 

[Docere]

Yeah, pretty much do whatever you want. BUT your year off might come up in interviews, so it might look good if there was a reason for your year off rather than a I-didn't-feel-like-doing-applications-at-the-time.

The international volunteering idea sounds pretty good. I'd do it if I had the time/money.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

You should get a monkey, and train it, then it will be an awesome EC, and you can bring it to interviews, and show them, and I bet they will accept you on the spot!

 

[Chemist0157]

You should get a monkey, and train it, then it will be an awesome EC, and you can bring it to interviews, and show them, and I bet they will accept you on the spot!

Just make sure the crafty monkey doesn't outperform you, or it will take your medical school seat, and you'll have to dance!