Choosing to take a gap year was a no-brainer for me. I wanted my senior year GPA to factor into my cumulative GPA for medical school applications. I also knew a gap year was an opportunity to gain additional experiences that I could not pursue while enrolled in undergraduate college coursework. The idea of applying to medical school and traveling for interviews while still taking classes was overwhelming.
I have never met someone who regretted taking a gap year before starting medical school. I do not think everyone needs to take a gap year; many classmates did not, but it is worth contemplating. Gap years are not just for students who retake the MCAT or need to accumulate more clinical hours to apply. It can also be for competitive applicants who want time to recharge before jumping into the unprecedented challenge of medical school. Take any time off to prioritize your wellness and develop stress management techniques that you can carry into your life as a medical student.
Whether you are deciding what experiences to pursue during your undergraduate journey or choosing what to do during your gap year, do not let yourself get into this mindset that, as a pre-medical student, you have to check all these boxes and that everything you do has to fit into a requirement for medical school. I encourage you to keep doing what you love, which will be a massive asset. Medical schools, of course, want students committed to becoming physicians but also students with other interests. They want to know who you are, which should be easy to decipher since you should continue pursuing your interests. Sometimes, this is hard to do because we think we need to change ourselves into this idea of the perfect pre-med student. It is easy to compare yourself to the pre-med influencers on Instagram and believe you must mold yourself to be just like them. However, to truly stand out, you want to tap into what makes you unique! This principle is relevant not only to your personal statement but also to your interviews.
If you want to do something, you can do it. You can get into your dream school. Keep being yourself. Keep pursuing your interests. Do not pursue activities just to talk about them during your interview. And never make decisions that prevent you from being present with your family and friends. Becoming a doctor requires sacrifices, but you have to practice a balance with your personal life starting now, including your closest relationships and your mental health, both of which should never compromised.
When deciding where to apply, take stock of what is most important to you. Factor this into writing your list of schools to apply to. Think harder about this when deciding which schools to interview and which program to enroll at. Think about what is best for you (not just which schools have the most prestigious, not which schools have the lowest tuition). Do not compromise on what is important to you. If you have non-negotiables, hold onto those. For more advice on choosing where to apply, check out this episode of First Line.
Listen to the related episode of First Line to hear more about my experience of taking a gap year and applying to medical school.