2 gap years just to travel?

[deleted980811]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a 4th year undergraduate student who switched from pre-dental to pre-medical this past summer! I have been debating on taking 1 vs 2 gap years for a while as I have not had the chance to take the MCAT yet due to switching to pre-medical so late in the game.

If I were to take one gap year, I would have to study for the MCAT next quarter while working 16 hours a week as a scribe, volunteering at 2 different places totaling about 6 hours a week, and take a 2 unit seminar class to keep me enrolled in school. In addition, the following quarter I will be doing the same activities plus an 8 hour a week surgery shadowing program and applying to medical school.

This sounds extremely difficult to pull off well, making me want to take 2 gap years so I have more time to study for the MCAT and pull my application together. Despite this, I believe that aside from the MCAT my application is pretty solid for medical school, which makes me want to stick with just one gap year. I have a 3.85, 250+ hours of volunteering with disadvantaged children, elderly, and Ill homeless people, I have been the president of a dental club that did a mission trip in panama, have served 1 year as VP of the pre-dental club and 1 year as treasurer, will have worked 1 year as an ER scribe by the time I would apply, will have shadowed general surgeons for about 100 hours, and will have completed an honors thesis in a psychology lab in addition to working in it for two quarters and doing a poster presentation on a different project in it last year.

All that being said, I genuinely don’t know what I would do in the two gap years that could serve to boost my application. I really would like the travel for months on end in the first gap year and maybe get a job and volunteer some more during secondaries and interviews the next year, but I feel like it wouldn’t reflect well on me to take the whole year off without doing anything medically related. I really would like to travel extensively and learn Spanish to mature and learn more about different people, myself, and the world, but I’m hesitant to do so if it would hinder my application at all.

I’m sorry for the super long post, but any input into the matter would be greatly appreciated!

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[deleted987519]

Couple gap years just to vibe

 

[Tennisgirl92]

How would you pay for a full year of travel without working?

 

[LizzyM]

One hundred hours of shadowing surgeons is overkill. Having a more active role in a clinical activity is better than just standing around watching for that length of time.

Would you consider a year of service with an organization that serves a Spanish speaking population either here or abroad?

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

Consider something like Peace Corps or Fulbright, which allow you have to international experience but are more structured in what you do. And they at least will supply living stipend.

But also note, if you are abroad during the application cycle, it will be hard and perhaps impossible to fly back and forth to the US for interviews. Most people who do an experience abroad will spend an additional gap year in the US to apply.

 

[candbgirl]

I have friends who did City Year and loved it. It was also a great talking point during interviews. Traveling is great but a year just roaming around is ...
But you do need to put some time between you and your dental school plans. Shadow a primary care doc for a bit. Work with the sick, injured and dying. These patients have very different needs when compared to what you’ve seen in pre dent.

 

[deleted1011020]

How would you pay for a full year of travel without working?

People have families with the means to do this. Nothing wrong with that, more power to them.

 

[deleted980811]

I appreciate all of the responses!

 

[kimmy1994]

In my experience at interviews, actually MOVING to a foreign country generally looks better than traveling. I've lived aboard for gaps years and traveled extensively since my first year of college (30 before 30 wooooo!). No one cares where i've backpacked/couch surfed/hitch hiked because truthfully when you're a tourist you don't have an eye opening cultural experience. You really have to live somewhere to be immersed in a culture and have something insightful to say about it that doesn't sound childish. Having said that, finding a job abroad and legally becoming an ex pat is really hard. Do you know about WWOOFing? Its where you basically go volunteer to work on a small farm in any number of countries throughout the world. They usually give you room and board in exchange for your help. I think being able to say you learned about sustainability and a totally new culture and way of life in that regard is way more powerful than just like backpacking. It would definitely set your application apart and give you a chance to learn Spanish. I mean how many other applicants could say they helped a family in Chile get their organic farm started and off the ground?

Last thing I'll say, moving abroad by yourself is the scariest thing ever and it is AMAZING. You're never going to get the chance to do it during or after med school and it was such a wonderful decision (for me at least). Jam packed with personal growth, soul searching, and crazy amounts of fun and I really really recommend it if you can figure out a way to pull it off!

 

[deleted980811]

In my experience at interviews, actually MOVING to a foreign country generally looks better than traveling. I've lived aboard for gaps years and traveled extensively since my first year of college (30 before 30 wooooo!). No one cares where i've backpacked/couch surfed/hitch hiked because truthfully when you're a tourist you don't have an eye opening cultural experience. You really have to live somewhere to be immersed in a culture and have something insightful to say about it that doesn't sound childish. Having said that, finding a job abroad and legally becoming an ex pat is really hard. Do you know about WWOOFing? Its where you basically go volunteer to work on a small farm in any number of countries throughout the world. They usually give you room and board in exchange for your help. I think being able to say you learned about sustainability and a totally new culture and way of life in that regard is way more powerful than just like backpacking. It would definitely set your application apart and give you a chance to learn Spanish. I mean how many other applicants could say they helped a family in Chile get their organic farm started and off the ground?

Last thing I'll say, moving abroad by yourself is the scariest thing ever and it is AMAZING. You're never going to get the chance to do it during or after med school and it was such a wonderful decision (for me at least). Jam packed with personal growth, soul searching, and crazy amounts of fun and I really really recommend it if you can figure out a way to pull it off!

Thank you so much for that response! I’m glad to hear you had such an awesome experience. I’m definitely going to look into some long term volunteer abroad programs as well as WWOOfing.

 

[popcorn1096]

I took 2 gap years (currently in my 2nd) and really enjoy it. I worked a year full time before applying (I had ample time to prepare my app) and now since I’ve been accepted, I’m still working but super chilling. Planning a trip to Australia next spring before matriculation. Also I’ve noticed med schools appreciate older applicants (all interviewers have asked me about my job and I think a gap year is a great talking point)- just my two cents. At the end of the day, it’s your decision but I think only benefits can come from taking two years

 

[deleted980811]

I took 2 gap years (currently in my 2nd) and really enjoy it. I worked a year full time before applying (I had ample time to prepare my app) and now since I’ve been accepted, I’m still working but super chilling. Planning a trip to Australia next spring before matriculation. Also I’ve noticed med schools appreciate older applicants (all interviewers have asked me about my job and I think a gap year is a great talking point)- just my two cents. At the end of the day, it’s your decision but I think only benefits can come from taking two years

Thanks! Appreciate the insight.

 

[VioletAdventuring]

I second what folks are saying above. If you find a position abroad (english teaching, research, fellowships, volunteer service, etc.) you'll be able to interact more meaningfully with your surroundings. You are likely to have time to travel and explore the surrounding region as part of a formal fellowship/volunteer program and before/after your position starts. If you're supported by a program or receiving a paycheck, you can save more money for the application process. Based on your language learning interests, a Spanish-speaking country seems like it could be a good fit. Maybe look at Fulbright, Peace Corps, Princeton in Latin America, Watson Fellowships, or research positions relevant to your medical interests? In the U.S., PULSE, City Year, Teach for America, and AmeriCorps positions are also options to consider.

I took a gap year to live abroad after graduation and am currently applying to MD/PhD programs. I had a similar sense of wanderlust and a desire to recharge and refocus after my time in school. I think my experience demonstrated maturity, cultural competence, independence, etc. and helped my application. I've become functionally fluent in another language and was exposed to a third. I was in the country for long enough to make contacts in medicine and gain exposure to an entirely different health care system. I can't speak for everyone, but it seems to be working out well for me.

 

[deleted980811]

I second what folks are saying above. If you find a position abroad (english teaching, research, fellowships, volunteer service, etc.) you'll be able to interact more meaningfully with your surroundings. You are likely to have time to travel and explore the surrounding region as part of a formal fellowship/volunteer program and before/after your position starts. If you're supported by a program or receiving a paycheck, you can save more money for the application process. Based on your language learning interests, a Spanish-speaking country seems like it could be a good fit. Maybe look at Fulbright, Peace Corps, Princeton in Latin America, Watson Fellowships, or research positions relevant to your medical interests? In the U.S., PULSE, City Year, Teach for America, and AmeriCorps positions are also options to consider.

I took a gap year to live abroad after graduation and am currently applying to MD/PhD programs. I had a similar sense of wanderlust and a desire to recharge and refocus after my time in school. I think my experience demonstrated maturity, cultural competence, independence, etc. and helped my application. I've become functionally fluent in another language and was exposed to a third. I was in the country for long enough to make contacts in medicine and gain exposure to an entirely different health care system. I can't speak for everyone, but it seems to be working out well for me.

Awesome, thanks for the suggestions! I’ll look into all those options. What exactly did you do while you were abroad?

 

[VioletAdventuring]

Awesome, thanks for the suggestions! I’ll look into all those options. What exactly did you do while you were abroad?

I’ll message you


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