Year off

[Sababa]

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Is anyone else here taking a year off between schooling? What are you doing with yourself?
I work in a biotech company and am private tutoring high school kids.
I had the idea that I would have time to apply and then leave the country... seems like I'll be stuck in America until February or so when interviews are over.

 

[Sonya]

hi,

welcome to SDN 🙂

Yeah, i'll be taking a year off, probably two. and i'll be working in a company or lab. and doing applications, mcats, etc.
I heard from our pre-med advisor ~1/2 the a pplicants took time off.

but first i need to graduate in may. 😀

 

[amonkeybutt]

i'm taking a year off also. i went to china and taught English for a few months during the whole AMCAS fiasco then came back and applied. right now i'm working in a neuroscience lab and a adult care home. i'll probably start traveling again after april or may.

 

[none]

66% of applicants take a year off after UCSD, granted that may not always be willingly. Personally, I have NO idea what I would do with myself for a full year out of school! I even try to avoid summer breaks with classes.

 

[jdub]

i am taking a year off and i'm working and going to be a ski bum.

it is the first year that i haven't been in school since i was five, so i am going to take advantage of it. i might start volunteering in a clinic or something once ski season starts and my schedule is set, but i will have to see how i feel.

for all you folks who haven't traveled abroad yet, i highly recommend it, it really opens your eyes.

btw, if you are going to volunteer or work, do it cause you want to, not just because you think that it will help out your application.

life is just to short to be so serious all of the time.

 

[Original]

I'm midway through my year off. I'm getting an M.S in math and doing a whole lot of teaching.

 

[leorl]

I echo JDub. You might need money, but TRAVEL...it will really enhance you as a person. And I don't mean touristy traveling. I mean spending an extensive amount of time living in a particular city and really getting to know the people/lifestyle/culture. There are numerous programs in the US that give you a working visa to work abroad...and not only for summers. I met this girl at the TGIF in Dublin who'd just kept reapplying for working visas for about a year and a half and living in different cities for 3 months or so at a time. THAT's cool 🙂

 

[UCMonkey]

I too am part-way through my year off, and I'm working in a neuroscience lab at UC Davis, where I did my undergrad. Unlike some of the above posters, I am rather enjoying being free from school work and homework, although secondaries were pretty close to homework at times.

 

[UCMonkey]

I too am part-way through my year off, and I'm working in a neuroscience lab at UC Davis, where I did my undergrad. Unlike some of the above posters, I am rather enjoying being free from school work and homework, although secondaries were pretty close to homework at times.

 

[Ditwee]

Hello all...
I'm taking a year off as well. I just graduated in August (B.S. Microbiology/Cell Science) and I am currently training to be a phlebotomist. I love my work and the constant patient interaction it provides. I agree with the above post about secondaries feeling like homework....but I'm all finished with them now! Yippee! Now I am just praying for an interview. 🙂

 

[Ditwee]

Hello all...
I'm taking a year off as well. I just graduated in August (B.S. Microbiology/Cell Science) and I am currently training to be a phlebotomist. I love my work and the constant patient interaction it provides. I agree with the above post about secondaries feeling like homework....but I'm all finished with them now! Yippee! Now I am just praying for an interview. 🙂

 

[Ditwee]

Hello all...
I'm taking a year off as well. I just graduated in August (B.S. Microbiology/Cell Science) and I am currently training to be a phlebotomist. I love my work and the constant patient interaction it provides. I agree with the above post about secondaries feeling like homework....but I'm all finished with them now! Yippee! Now I am just praying for an interview. 🙂

 

[bostongirl22]

I too am taking a year off...I'm working as a clinical research assistant. I basically interview patients all day for the study and keep track of all the data. It's actually pretty fun, I really had no desire to work in a lab all year!

 

[The Fly]

Like Bostongirl I also am taking a year off and working in Boston. I am taking some time to do research in molecular pathology and I am also working as a Paramedic in the ED at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Personally, I couldn't imagine going straight to med school without a bit of a pause to catch my breath.

None--No offense, but your attitude seems to be one that will take you right down the road to burn out. . . you need to know how to *relax*, otherwise you're going to go INSANE during medical school. Its okay to do other things besides school. Some might even call it healthy... 😉

Bostongirl--Where do you work?? There aren't too many Boston people on SDN!

 

[bostongirl22]

GG16--I work for Beth Israel too! I'm working for the Center for Alternative Medicine on a study on low back pain, and am screening patients at Harvard Vanguard in Cambridge. Where did you do your undergrad? How's the new ED?

 

[E'01]

Hey GG16 and bostongirl - I worked at Children's Hospital, right around the corner from you guys. Are you both planning to work right up until med school begins?

 

[CoffeeCat]

I'm taking a few years off without regrets so far!

 

[DesperatelySeekingMD]

Sababa-
I am in the middle of my second year off and have absolutely no regrets. I have loved taking a little to time sit back and really concentrate on what I wanted to do for a little while. I felt like I had constantly been in motion through college and was ready to get to know myself better when I wasn't defined by my major or my friends or my activities.
I think that everyone should take time off. The perspective that you gain is so valuable.
Good Luck!

 

[lake show]

wow, lots of bio lab or hospital volunteering people here. i'm actually working in a fortune 500 company in the finance/purchasing dept. totally unique and awesome experience...pay doesn't hurt either, but obviously, medicine is the way to go. time off, whether you get accepted or not, should be mandatory, imo.

 

[The Fly]

E'01-- Nice to see other Longwood alumni here! To answer your Q, I'll probably work through July and then move to wherever I'm going and take it easy for a couple of weeks. Where are you now??