The Gap After the Cap

Transcription

1 The Gap After the Cap Or what to do after graduation???

2 What is a gap year? It can be Time away from your academic studies Time away from structured classes Time away from grades Time away from faculty Keep in mind, you are taking a year off from your academic career. you are not taking a year off from life and learning!

3 Top Ten Reasons to take a gap year because 1. you might never get the same freedom to travel or do for you again 2. it's an opportunity to gain a bigger world view.and learn about you 3. you can meet new people and make new friends and build a future network 4. it's a chance to try something new, build new skills and it could earn you money and will surely earn you experience 5. You can strengthen a GPA or test score 6. you can move away from the people who've known you for years and begin building your own identity 7. you could really make a difference in people's lives 8. it's a great time to confirm your future career choice 9. admissions committees will be impressed you had the guts to step out of your comfort zone and grow in maturity 10. you need a break you will have at least 30, probably 40 years to work as a future health professional!

4 Am I at a disadvantage if I take a gap year? No No No Well maybe it depends on what you do with your gap year

5 A gap year should. Make you a stronger applicant Provide you with new skills Give you a larger world view Allow you an opportunity to grow in maturity Teach you about yourself Clarify your future goals and ambitions for the future

6 Years ago, if a premedical student wanted to wait a year before applying to medical school, there was concern on the part of the medical schools that this delay reflected a lack of motivation on the student s part that attitude has changed dramatically and med schools now often prefer the older applicant. Lee Ann Michelson, Director, Premedical and Health Care Advising, Harvard

7 24 Average age of matriculation nation-wide and at the UMTC

8 19-36 Age range of matriculates at UMTC

9 30% Percent of incoming class going straight from undergrad

10 70% Came one or more years later

11 Were 26 or older 21%

12 How to Plan for a Gap Year Start early - a gap year takes a lot of careful thought and planning; it should not be last resort when all else fails. Create a Plan the plan should address the reasons you are choosing to take a gap year Your plan should reflect YOU

13 Personal Growth and Maturity Know your areas of growth that are needed and build your year to help you grow If you are responding to a rejection know what they say Choose something outside your comfort zone Choose something that challenges your skill base Choose something that forces you to think differently Review the professional qualifications and qualities of the health profession in which you are interested Take a self assessment (Meyers Briggs, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, Values inventory, Emotional Intelligence, Learning style)

14 Research Experience Search using words: research, post baccalaureate, premed, clinical, translational Samples: Intramural Post baccalaureate Fellowship Program run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Post baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) (Mayo)

15 Want to Strengthen GPA Formal Post Baccalaureate program Informal University (CCE) Retaking classes vs. taking higher level courses How to talk about your GPA in your personal statement What is your grade trajectory? Where are you weak and why?

16 Need to Confirm a Career Choice or gain more experience Get into a health setting Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes What about CNA, EMT, PCA, CPR, Scribe. These are good because they can help you get into health settings Shadow/Interviews Ask the hard questions about those things that concern you (balance, rigor, career growth) Talk to more than one person Talk to people from different perspectives

17 Want to Improve Test Scores MCAT How do you generally perform on standardized tests? How long has it been since you took a related class? What the MCAT score means Sample MCAT - Kaplan Review, Princeton Review, and Berkeley Review, Examcrackers? Kahn Academy

18 Formal Gap Year Programs Choose a program there are many options some domestic, some international some with specific time commitment Complete an application some programs have a significant and competitive application processes Create a gap year timeline especially if you are going to apply for a health profession program during the year off, how will you complete application requirements, tests, interviews? Consider Location- where will you be? Will you have ability to apply during the year off? Does your program provide housing, or will you need to find safe housing on your own? Financial support and planning- some of the gap year programs are expensive and may not provide money for living costs. How much money will you need to save? Will you be able to find scholarships or other funding sources for your trip? Will you need to start paying back loans?

19 Formal Programs Child Family Health International Ecuador, India, South Africa, Mexico 4-8 weeks; Some preparation in the local language preferred CFHI is an NGO providing global health education experiences for health sciences students Cross-cultural Solutions Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand 2-12 weeks Volunteer placements observing and assisting health professionals; working with people affected by HIV/AIDS

20 Formal Programs Global Volunteers Special scholarships available for students who do a health-related placement in certain countries World Endeavors Brazil, Ghana, Tanzania, Thailand Health-related volunteer opportunities available including shadowing health care professionals and public health education

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22 Traveling Abroad As an untrained pre-med student you must remember If you can t do it here, you shouldn t do it there. Always keep the welfare of the patient foremost in your mind, not the perceived opportunity for proving yourself. Ask yourself how you would feel if you were in the place of a patient and a person with limited skills and preparation was about to perform a procedure on you. GAPS online workshop

23 University of Minnesota student responsible for patient death in Kenya University of Minnesota student contracts HIV in Tanzania University of Minnesota student in Bolivian jail for practicing medicine without a license

24 Formal Programs Research Use the advising information at The online database and other web search sites listed at

25 Questions you should ask What is the organizations mission? Where does the money go? What relationship does the organization have in the community? How does the organization support the community? What will I be allowed to do? What level of training does the organization provide related to culture?

26 How to Plan for your gap year abroad Visas and Passports- If traveling abroad, you will need the proper documentation to live and work in the host country. Vaccinations- Do you have the recommended shots for the country you are traveling to? Cell phone/internet- Check with your cell phone provider to find out about affordable options for communicating overseas. Find out if you will have internet access nearby. Current events- Is there anything of particular concern going to the locations you are choosing? Are there any conditions or other issues you should be aware of before committing your choice? Comparative health care What can you do to learn about the health system of the country you are visiting? Travel/medical insurance- Do you have health insurance?

27 Advice from gap year students Do not waste your year! Look objectively at your program application, and decide what your weakest point is, then focus on it. If you don't have clinical experience, go work in a hospital, doctor's office, or on an ambulance. If your MCAT is weak, study and retake it. If you don't have a good GPA, take classes, and ace them. Do something you will enjoy, as you'll then be refreshed to jump into med school. Use the time to make sure you really want to do medicine. If, in that year your interest in medicine goes down, that's a good indication that you may want to find something else to do.

28 Advice from gap year students If you plan to do a post baccalaureate or graduate program, make sure that the program you attend offers upper-level science or even medical school course work. Retaking basic introductory science courses (unless you received a D or F grade) is not as impressive as excelling in classes geared specifically toward the practice of medicine (i.e., physiology, histology, biochemistry, immunology).

29 Advice from gap year students Keep a journal. As a non-traditional student, you are given the opportunity to demonstrate maturity and development. Make that point in your application and interview keep a journal so you remember all the things you learned! More and more, medical schools are placing a premium on how much real world exposure you have had and the nonacademic skills you have fostered. During your gap year develop those non-tangible strengths such as leadership, motivation, dedication, and compassion attributes admissions committees are looking for in their applicants.

30 Parting thoughts Taking a gap year to engage in unique experiences can improve one's standing in the admissions process. Medical schools find that students who take a gap year are more mature and more confident of their choice of medicine as a career" Daniel Scheirer, director of the Office of Health Professions Advising and associate dean of Trinity College

31 Parting Thoughts "The time away allows students to mature, have some real world life experience before they get to medicine," she said. "Our experience is that the older students are much better prepared for the challenges of health care, having taken some time to grow up themselves." Dr. Brenda Armstrong, director of admissions Duke School of Medicine.

32 Contact Information Tricia Todd, MPH Health Careers Center Moos Tower