Preparing for a Gap Year

Written by: Aditi Sharma, Pre-Health Peer Advisor

Gap years, or time away from school before starting a health professional program, are becoming more common. Perhaps you’re considering a gap year (in which case you should first understand how it may affect your application timeline), or maybe you’ve already decided to take a gap year or two. In either scenario, it’s important to be aware of the various things you could be doing in that time away from school to truly maximize your time. Below are some tips and ideas on the different gap year opportunities you may consider. They are meant to serve as a starting point for options to explore!

Boost your competitiveness
As most know, gaining admission to a health professional program is highly competitive. There are several components of an applicant that programs take into consideration. It’s best to familiarize yourself with the criteria that the programs you’re applying to have, which can be done by exploring their website, reaching out to the admissions office, or making an appointment with a pre-health advisor. Once these criteria are identified, compare them to your accomplishments. If there are parts of your application that appear weak or you would like to improve upon, then place a focus on strengthening that area during your gap year. This will help you filter out and prioritize your gap year activities.

Seek clinical opportunities
Many pre-health tracks require or emphasize clinical experience, which depending on your specific track (please check!), can be completed through paid or volunteer work. If looking for a job, you may consider completing a medical certification at a local community college/facility to become a CNA, phlebotomist, EMT, etc.; or you can search for jobs that don’t require certifications, like at a private practice or urgent care. Some ideas for gaining clinical volunteering hours include hospitals, vaccine clinics, blood drives, or Red Cross, but the volunteering should have direct patient contact (try to avoid gift shop or hospital lobby positions if seeking clinical hours).

Consider a service year
Demonstrating the commitment to helping others and bettering the community is a valuable part of applying to health professional programs. While grades and clinical experience are important, being committed to social or equity causes should be equally prioritized. It’s always best to support a cause that you personally feel connected to or are passionate about in some way. Not only will that make the service more enjoyable and build a stronger community for you, but it will also reflect well on an application that you participated in something you truly value. If looking for a one or two year commitment to community service, you can consider joining programs like the AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, National Health Corps, MSU College Advising Corps, Teach for America, etc. These programs each have different goals and requirements, so please do some personal research if you are interested!

Get more shadowing experiences 
Knocking out some job shadowing hours is also a great opportunity during your gap year. Again, it is super important to health professional programs that you have researched this career and are familiar with what it entails. Take some time to build strong relationships with the people you shadow, journal your experiences, and widen the scope of who you shadow (explore healthcare professionals in different clinical settings, specialties, or educational backgrounds).

Prepare and take the entrance exam
If your pre-health track requires an entrance exam, like the MCAT or DAT, then a gap year can also be used to study and take it. With no college courses to worry about, you may have more study time dedicated toward the entrance exam. If you choose to do this, it might mean that you end up taking two gap years, depending on your application timeline and how fast test scores are released. Please be careful when planning this or be sure to make an advising appointment if you are unsure about how to approach it.

Research programs and finances
If you are planning to apply for your health professional program one year after finishing your undergraduate degree, then you will have ample time to research the programs you may be interested in. You can think about location, cost, class size, curriculum, mission statements, or special opportunities they may offer. It may help to make a spreadsheet to narrow down your search. You can also take the chance to learn about how your finances may be impacted during your gap year (this could be especially important if you have student loans) and the different options available for financing your education.

Take time for yourself
While there are several parts of the application you can focus on during a gap year, please do not lose your own personal interests and well-being! Plan some time for things you enjoy, like hobbies, being with family and friends, traveling, and even establishing/maintaining healthy routines. The journey to becoming a health professional is a long haul, so it’s important to make time for yourself to avoid burnout and set healthy boundaries.

I want to mention that there is truly no “one size fits all” for what a gap year entails. While many of the things covered in this blog are a good starting point and cover a variety of ways you can spend your time, it is always recommended to meet with a pre-health advisor to discuss your specific situation. Advisors can further guide you on what may work best for you and give you more resources related to those recommendations. Start planning early to make the most out of your gap year and alleviate stress down the road!

Additional Resources

• Considering Gap Years
• What to Do During Your Gap Year(s) | Students & Residents
• Making the Most of Your Gap Year | Students & Residents
• 4 Reasons to Take a Service Year Before Medical School | Students & Residents
• Apply | NHC