Welcome!
Hello and welcome! This is Part 5 of my six-part “Navigating Pre-med” series that I will be publishing on my blog. It’s been… a little while since part 4. it’s funny because this was absolutely supposed to be a 6-week series but then stretched out on and on and on until it became… a series that stretched for >2 years.
So, yes–part of it is on me (oops to my own inconsistent blogging! But I also didn’t want to blog about the experience in the middle of the experience). Since the last part, I’ve applied to, and gotten into med school (haven’t started though, so I’m not that late).
As usual, if you are new here, be sure to check out Part 0: My Background to learn more about my motivations for publishing this series, and information that would give a LOT more context to the information that I will be discussing!
And if you missed it: Part 0 – Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4
Why I Took a Gap Year (two, actually!)
Previously on my blog, I’ve made a case for gap years (and why you shouldn’t be afraid of it), as well as how to find a gap year position. In this post, I will talk more about my personal experiences and elaborate more on the content and advice I have written about in the past.
My main reason for taking a gap year was simply that I did not feel ready to apply to med school during my junior year. I wasn’t done with my pre-reqs yet, haven’t taken the MCAT, but even if I was able to do both of those things before my application cycle, I felt that it would have felt too rushed for me. I wasn’t sure if I would be a competitive applicant.
As I mentioned previously, I spent my summers working in consulting, and my research opportunities were business-related. Even though I probably have still taken all my prereqs on time, took the MCAT, applied, and got in somewhere, I don’t think I would have felt prepared to go into the application cycle?
In truth, nobody feels 100% prepared, but I definitely would have been a weaker applicant without my gap years.
Here are a few of my other reasons:
- I wanted some time off from school before starting school (and that additional time to write my application while not in school was nice too!)
- I was on the fence about whether I should do an MD or an MD-PhD
- I wanted more clinical experience/exposure
- I wanted to make sure my senior year grades made it onto my application since my freshman year grades weren’t stellar
How I Found My Gap Year Position
I applied very broadly, and I was specifically looking for gap year positions that were either: 1) heavily clinically focused, 2) research focused (but not wet-lab, I’m more of a computational lab kinda gal), or 3) both!
I kept an eye out for Cornell’s pre-health list-serv for any interesting opportunities (there were lots!), and actually applied to jobs outside of my 3 criteria too. I mostly looked for institutions that had lab openings. Eventually, I came across the Yale listing, which is where I work now.
The Yale listing was actually a clinical research associate position: the position involved consenting and enrolling patients for trials, doing follow-ups, and maintaining a database of patient data. I was drawn to this position because I wanted more clinical exposure for my gap years. When I interviewed for the job, my interviewer mentioned to me that there were lab openings for individual PIs and that my computational background would be a good fit for them. So, my application was forwarded, I interviewed with my now-PI, and the rest was history.
My Gap Year Experience
My gap year position actually didn’t end up being clinically focused (or at all, actually). Though there were plans for that at some point, it was scrapped when COVID happened. My position was computationally focused and I spent most of my pre-COVID days in the office, and most of my COVID days working from home. Still, what I gained from my gap year experience was invaluable.
I was very fortunate to meet my research mentor during my gap years. If I had never met her, I don’t think I would’ve applied for MD-PhD. She also gave me a lot of autonomy over my projects, encouraged me, and was a key advocate in my journey to med school. She was open and willing to write me a recommendation letter, genuinely invested in my career, and even read through my essays and offered to help me with interviews.
In addition to the mentorship I got, I had the opportunity to submit to several different national conferences, and am working on 2 papers. I also had the opportunity to hold interviews to hire for my lab–it’s a pretty random experience, but it helped me in my own interviews for med school because I knew what I (and probably other interviewers) are watching out for during interviews.
The last thing I’d like to address is why I decided to take 2 gap years instead of 1. In my opinion, there’s simply more time to do things in 2 years. For example, I was able to get enough results to start working on my first paper so that this paper appeared on my AMCAS submission and I was able to discuss it on the interview trail. One might be too soon (because you will apply to med school the summer after you graduate from college) to forge meaningful relationships with who you’re working with during your gap year and truly gain the full benefits of taking it.
A bonus was that I met lots of wonderful, like-minded people here at Yale that I now call some of my best friends!
The Case For the Gap Year
As I mentioned, I’ve blogged about this before, but here are just a few “good reasons” for taking a gap year:
- Opportunity to meet new mentors/Rec Letter writers: I will admit that my experience is probably better than most, but this mentor relationship is one I will cherish for the rest of my life!
- An opportunity to “raise” your GPA, if you’re like me and did not have the best run during freshman year of college: I’m not going to lie, I got a C+ in introductory biology (it’s not the end of the world!). The truth is, the further out you’re from undergrad, the less your grades are going to matter. Especially if it’s just 1 or 2 deviant grades early on in your college career. Plus, because your senior year grades end up on your application, you get that added boost too if you have an upward trend.
- A chance to stand out: A gap year (or years) is just another opportunity to potentially stand out from other applicants. Whether that be another clinical experience, publications, or just a special experience that occurred during your gap year, taking more time to get the app ready means that there’s simply more ~material~ that is possible for you to include.
I talked a lot about how the gap year might boost your med school application, but outside of the app process/being premed, I found it to be a wonderful time to find MYSELF.
We all know that experience in undergrad where you’re just stressed all the time. Running from class to class, meeting to meeting. The homework, research, and exams seemed endless. In undergrad, I had no time to pause and no time to simply BE. I prioritized school above all else. During my gap years, I got to breathe and just enjoy life! (what a concept!) It’s not that I didn’t work hard, it’s just that there’s a difference between the vibe of the gap year vs the constant work and high-stress environment of undergrad.
My gap years also allowed me to try new things: I started incorporating fitness into my daily life (something I had never done before because gyms were always intimidating to me), even tried climbing (I have a massive fear of heights), and fell in love with spinning (who would’ve thought!). I spent a LOT of time with the new friends I met in my lab. I remember nights (pre-covid of course) where we’d all hang out, play board games, or even do 6-way push-ups (don’t ask). I visited old friends around the area, and my weekend trips to New York City and Boston were some of the highlights of these past two years. And in between those “adventures,” I found time to take naps on a picnic blanket outside on a nice spring day.
How To Find a Gap Year Position… & Other Gap Year Ideas
Academic (for those wanting to finish taking prereqs or get a higher GPA):
- Post-Bacs, or DIY Post-Bacs
- Masters Programs
Research/Clinical Research Focused Postings: there are a few places that you can find these postings. If you’re like me, you might find postings from your school’s Pre-health listserv (Cornell has a great one!). Other places that I perused while applying were:
There’s also nothing stopping you from browsing institutions’ individual labs! It’s always worth asking about open positions if there is a PI you are especially interested in working with.
Other gap year positions people might choose to take on include scribing jobs, service opportunities (AmeriCorp, Fullbright, etc), or even just a “normal” (i.e. industry) job (though I do not necessarily recommend that since it’s likely they’ll ask you why you chose to do that instead of something medically related during your interview–but then again as long as you know your reasons, you’ll be fine!).
As for the timeline, I personally started looking for and applying to jobs during December before I graduated. I applied to about ~25, got 5 interviews, attended 3 (because 2 of the interviews came to me after I had already got an offer), and got offered 2 positions. I would highly recommend applying sooner rather than later, because premeds positions tend to fill quickly, by around February and March. I would say the November-January dates are good times to start looking.
Closing Thoughts
In my opinion, the gap year can only help (and not hurt!) you. I think the majority (>60%) of applicants actually take at least 1 year off school before med school matriculation, so it’s not even that strange anymore to take a gap year or two.
As you can see, I am a strong proponent of the gap year. Despite what I’ve been told my freshman year by some concerned upperclassmen (“oh no! you have to take a gap year because you didn’t take gen chem! you’re screwed!”), I personally loved my experience.
I’m excited to be moving on to med school, but I will miss this pace of life so, so much haha!
Let me know in your comments if you’ve taken a gap year and if it was a positive (or negative??) experience :)
