If you want to spend your summer why not consider making sure it useful and beneficial to your career. The worst thing you can do, especially if the reason for taking one is rejections from medical school, is to stagnate, not improving your chances of entry the following year.
As med school places become even more at a premium you may just find yourself joining the ranks of the growing number of impromptu medical gap year students, relish the opportunity to fill your year with medical experience, your application will look too good to overlook next year and it might just be the best thing you ever do.
1. Get some medical work experience
Show the medical school admissions staff that you used your summer break wisely, get some valuable experience in your chosen field either in the UK or abroad to show a willingness to learn and a commitment to medicine. There are lots of internships for students, medical volunteer work experience abroad or short gap year programs which are perfect way to enhance your skills.
2. Go traveling
See the world, enjoy different cultures, you will come back a more mature person for exploring the world and can help you prepare for living away during university. There are lots of adventure tours available all around the world for all budgets and interests.
3. Polish that personal statement and your interview skills
You have time off so practise practise and practise some more for those all important medical school interviews and applications.
4. Work & Earn some money!
Medical school certainly isn’t cheap and working abroad will certainly help you combat these costs and allow you to do more when at university! There are lots of flexible summer jobs available.
5. Combine all four!
Work for a few months, volunteer abroad, save up, go traveling, turn it into a medical worthwile experience and when you come back you’ll find the UCAS form isn’t big enough to list all you have done in your summer!
