Gap Year Question

[aspiringdoctor14]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this website and this is my very first post here. 

I would just like to ask if anyone has taken a Gap year before they applied to Medical School (more specifically, the University of Manitoba).

 

I'm currently a sophomore student and my GPA is not very strong at the moment and I have yet to take the MCAT but I figured that I could just do it during my Gap year if I do decide to take it. I know that they do adjusted gpa but even if my gpa is adjusted, I am really not confident that it will be competitive enough... In fact, I think that by the time I graduate, I might just reach the bare minimum required.

I plan on taking two years off just so I can work, volunteer more, improve my CV and also help out my parents a bit. I really want to work on a hospital during my gap years with really any responsibility. I really am not picky.

 

What is the average age for people who goes to medical school and start their journey? I understand that it varies from school to school but I'm just really curious and kinda just want a rough "guess-timate"

 

And does anyone have any suggestions and advice on what else I should so during my gap year to help me stand out a little bit more?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated, Thank you all and Have a great day! 

[LPsavage]

Specifically for the UofM, I have heard the average age is around 22-24 when people get in. In terms of the gap year, the UofM doesn't look at extracurriculars or work experience when comparing students, in fact it's not even in the application. In an extension to that, the references are nothing more than a red flag check; they hold no weight.

 

In saying this, more experiences in whatever setting is useful in terms of having more to talk about during the interview, so do as much as you can and that you enjoy and don't worry too much about when you get in as long as it's something you want to do!

[medic77]

GPA and age really should be the least of your worries when looking to get into U of M. Many of us that got in last year took numerous gap years, came in from other careers or restarted university from scratch later on in life (myself).

 

The two key things I would say are of particular importance are MCAT and your experiences. Because of the MCATs heavy weight at U of M it's unfortunately an unavoidable monster you have to work your ass off for and tackle head on. Your GPA can almost always be salvaged with enough extra courses and the adjustment they allow.

 

Experiences are of critical importance when you do get that interview. It helps an enormous amount being able to backup your MMI scenarious with real events that are personal to you. This is why 'working in a hospital' really isn't necessary (unless you absolutely have to) - you should pursue things that interest you as they'll reflect more passionately when you talk about them later. Also, you'll have plenty of time to be in a hospital throughout med school, enjoy other things for now.

 

Additionally, dig deep and find out what it really is that draws you to medicine and if it's actually what you want. Get in touch with an actual physician/resident (if you haven't already - you can interview one through a process career services on campus sets you up with) and ask them what exactly to expect throughout training and during a typical day.

 

Honestly don't worry about being too old or too long out of university. Everyone at U of M med is so collegial and supportive no one cares how old you are. What matters is whether you want to be there bad enough to get through it all and being actually qualified to handle the work load which are what they're really assessing in the application. Hope this helps - please message me if you have any other questions!

[aspiringdoctor14]

Specifically for the UofM, I have heard the average age is around 22-24 when people get in. In terms of the gap year, the UofM doesn't look at extracurriculars or work experience when comparing students, in fact it's not even in the application. In an extension to that, the references are nothing more than a red flag check; they hold no weight.

 

In saying this, more experiences in whatever setting is useful in terms of having more to talk about during the interview, so do as much as you can and that you enjoy and don't worry too much about when you get in as long as it's something you want to do!

Hi there, thank you for replying back to me. In my opinion, it's definitely quite unfortunate that the UofM doesn't look at extracurriculars or work experience during their application process. I think that looking into these may help other students who wanted to pursue Medicine but are too afraid that they are too old to do so (I know a couple of people who are in this situation at the moment).

But anyways, I agree that having experience will most certainly help you out in your interview process. 

Thank you again!

[aspiringdoctor14]

GPA and age really should be the least of your worries when looking to get into U of M. Many of us that got in last year took numerous gap years, came in from other careers or restarted university from scratch later on in life (myself).

 

The two key things I would say are of particular importance are MCAT and your experiences. Because of the MCATs heavy weight at U of M it's unfortunately an unavoidable monster you have to work your ass off for and tackle head on. Your GPA can almost always be salvaged with enough extra courses and the adjustment they allow.

 

Experiences are of critical importance when you do get that interview. It helps an enormous amount being able to backup your MMI scenarious with real events that are personal to you. This is why 'working in a hospital' really isn't necessary (unless you absolutely have to) - you should pursue things that interest you as they'll reflect more passionately when you talk about them later. Also, you'll have plenty of time to be in a hospital throughout med school, enjoy other things for now.

 

Additionally, dig deep and find out what it really is that draws you to medicine and if it's actually what you want. Get in touch with an actual physician/resident (if you haven't already - you can interview one through a process career services on campus sets you up with) and ask them what exactly to expect throughout training and during a typical day.

 

Honestly don't worry about being too old or too long out of university. Everyone at U of M med is so collegial and supportive no one cares how old you are. What matters is whether you want to be there bad enough to get through it all and being actually qualified to handle the work load which are what they're really assessing in the application. Hope this helps - please message me if you have any other questions!

Hi there,

Thank you very very much for replying back to me and sharing your experience with me! These are the type of things that I really love reading.

Being able to chase after your dreams and making your dreams into a reality through hard work really gets me fired up! 

 

Its actually quite interesting that you've mentioned getting in touch with an actual physician because I just finished shadowing a physician for the very first time in the Emergency Department and I was able to see what they do, how they ask questions and interact with their patients and why they love doing Medicine. I really want to shadow more and more physicians now just so I can have an experience and see a wide range of their practice.

 

As for the MCAT, I plan on taking the MCAT during my Gap year just so I can solely focus on it and really do well the first time. I also really value what you said about digging deep down what draws me into medicine. I think that I will use that as a question that I always ask myself whenever I have doubts about my abilities and capabilities. 

 

Thank you again for your great advice and I wish you all the best in your future career!