keepontruckin Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm finishing my 4th year of undergrad at UWO this year and will be applying to meds in the states this summer and to Canada this October. This will leave me with a year off between the time I apply and (hopefully) get accepted. My current situation is that I will have a competitive GPA upon completion of this year, I'm rewriting the MCAT this summer (so hopefully that takes care of that issue), and so I will be using the year off to get myself involved in some EC's and take a break away from the school setting. I've considered grad school but I've decided not to go down this route for many reasons (ie: 2 year commitment, I'm not passionate about research etc). ANYWAYS, the reason I'm writing is to get some ideas to determine what I might do with my time next academic year. Do you have any ideas/experiences that you might recommend to someone in my position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da5id Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Go volunteer abroad. If you go to Haiti you will discover some seriously disturbing things that the news would never touch. When I went last year, it was common knowledge amongst the locals that the UN and IOM were embezzling large amounts of money. If you go to Jacmel, Haiti, you'll find even more disturbing things. Anyways, Haiti needs volunteers because a lot of organizations pulled out after the media attention ended + corruption. And you can help Or you could always do something crazy like break a world record in skydiving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 apply for a work visa and work abroad, or do a year of school in another country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Find a job in a hospital it will give you great experience and you can start paying for school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 If your GPA is competitive, then yay no more undergrad work for you I was in a similar situation as you and I spent my time off gaining tons if clinical research experience. It's a blast, you can get published, get great references, more exposure to a specialty. Others have mentioned great ideas as well, and if I weren't to do more undergrad courses next year I would love to volunteer abroad with organizations I am passionate about, like IDA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedDream Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I would spend some time traveling. I know a number of people who backpacked through Europe for 6 weeks between high school and university and I regret not doing that (although I did need to work). If you can spare the cash, this is probably one of the best times for you to get out there and see other parts of the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontruckin Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Go volunteer abroad. If you go to Haiti you will discover some seriously disturbing things that the news would never touch. When I went last year, it was common knowledge amongst the locals that the UN and IOM were embezzling large amounts of money. If you go to Jacmel, Haiti, you'll find even more disturbing things. Anyways, Haiti needs volunteers because a lot of organizations pulled out after the media attention ended + corruption. And you can help Or you could always do something crazy like break a world record in skydiving. Isn't going away to place like Haiti or any other 3rd world expensive or is there compensation for travel and accommodations etc given to volunteers? To be perfectly honest, I never really considered doing something as drastic as this, but if it isn't pricey and if it's a good experience, then I'd consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontruckin Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 If your GPA is competitive, then yay no more undergrad work for you I was in a similar situation as you and I spent my time off gaining tons if clinical research experience. It's a blast, you can get published, get great references, more exposure to a specialty. Others have mentioned great ideas as well, and if I weren't to do more undergrad courses next year I would love to volunteer abroad with organizations I am passionate about, like IDA. How did you find a clinical research job? Did you have some sort of connection or did you look doctors up and email/phone them? I'm considering finding clinical research experience myself, but I'm afraid if the job simply entailed a bunch of data entry, then I'd immediately regret it. What kind of stuff were you responsible for:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontruckin Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm in the same situation as you. Decided to move to Alberta and work/live at a hotel. I'll get IP status for the Alberta schools AND have an awesome year! Where are you going to be working and are you doing it solo or with anyone you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 How did you find a clinical research job? Did you have some sort of connection or did you look doctors up and email/phone them? I'm considering finding clinical research experience myself, but I'm afraid if the job simply entailed a bunch of data entry, then I'd immediately regret it. What kind of stuff were you responsible for:confused: Check ur inbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontruckin Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I don't want to get too specific on here (will PM you more details if you'd like to know), but I'm going to be working at a resort where all the employees live at the hotel, and from what I've heard its basically like residence and tons of fun, plus the money is great. Am going solo- I figure I'll meet lots of people! I did consider getting a full-time clinical research position, however I've done a ton of research already (should have 1-2 pubs coming out in the next year) and would like to move on to something else. Might be a good option for you though, if you haven't done research before. Just look at postings on hospital websites. I've got basic research experience with 2 possible publications, but I haven't got any clinical research experience. So you're saying to look at hospital website postings for these types of positions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Or you can email individual researchers - connecting with past professors is great too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clever Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I would like to travel.. Realistically though, I would just end up playing video games and drinking beer, complaining about how bored I am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da5id Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Isn't going away to place like Haiti or any other 3rd world expensive or is there compensation for travel and accommodations etc given to volunteers? To be perfectly honest, I never really considered doing something as drastic as this, but if it isn't pricey and if it's a good experience, then I'd consider it. I had to pay $1500 b/c there was only one plane that could go to port au prince at the time (should be less now). Anyways, you can get scholarships for it. Last year it was easier to get scholarships/stuff since there was a lot of media attention. Apart from plane tickets, it should take you 100-200$ to survive. (fairly cheap) If you decide to go, bring american currency (you can use this anywhere in haiti). And yes its a good experience, but you'll get frustrated with the rest of the world and yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadaanon Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 I am from UWO as well and in a similar situation. I have myself been exploring things to do for next year, its almost an opportunity to do something interesting for 365 days. I am planning on volunteering at a small charitable organization in India and then travel through Europe during the summer. Not sure about what I will do for the remainder of the year : likely some sort of employment and volunteering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastalslacker Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 I taught English in Asia and did some travelling. Good money, interesting experience, helped me pay off my debt and also let me travel some more. Medicine is a long road once you get on it (up to a decade for some specialties). I've met many people along the way who have been disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to get out and see the world before getting locked in. Or you could work at a lab. That would be exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontruckin Posted March 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 I had to pay $1500 b/c there was only one plane that could go to port au prince at the time (should be less now). Anyways, you can get scholarships for it. Last year it was easier to get scholarships/stuff since there was a lot of media attention. Apart from plane tickets, it should take you 100-200$ to survive. (fairly cheap) If you decide to go, bring american currency (you can use this anywhere in haiti). And yes its a good experience, but you'll get frustrated with the rest of the world and yourself. I don't know if its worth paying $1500 for getting frustrated with the rest of the world and myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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