How to include gap year plans?

[icecream]

Advice please

Due to an unsuccesful round of applications last year, i'm stuck with an unintentional gap year, and have little time to plan what to do with it.

I have an offer to do a MRes at ic, but i feel that my year will now be better spent gaining work experience as i already meet the academic requirements. Luckily i have been offered a HCA post at a local hospital, and i intend to work their full time until april/may/june next year, followed by some travelling or teaching english abroad, before hopefully starting medical school.

I know medical schools like to read about our gap year plans in our personal statements, and i was hoping i could get some advice into how much detail i need to go into... will a sentence or two be enough, or will i need to dedicate an entire paragraph?

As i am not entirely sure whether i will be teaching abroad and/or travelling next summer... or as to where in the world i will be travelling to for definate, will it work against me to mention these plans on my personal statement if they were then to change?

[Kinkerz]

Originally Posted by icecream

I know medical schools like to read about our gap year plans in our personal statements, and i was hoping i could get some advice into how much detail i need to go into... will a sentence or two be enough, or will i need to dedicate an entire paragraph?

I'm applying for deferred entry to take a gap year and have written about three lines on my plans... If that helps.
I don't think a whole paragraph is necessary, but a few lines would be useful... They might ask you in more depth about it at interview.

Originally Posted by icecream

As i am not entirely sure whether i will be teaching abroad and/or travelling next summer... or as to where in the world i will be travelling to for definate, will it work against me to mention these plans on my personal statement if they were then to change?

Well if you say that you're "planning" to travel etc, then it shows that you're thinking about doing something productive - but it's not definitive, so might actually work against you.
I'd just say that you're planning to work for a year to earn some money for university. But if you make a solid plan on travelling, by all means include it in!

[Dimple001]

Originally Posted by icecream

Advice please

Due to an unsuccesful round of applications last year, i'm stuck with an unintentional gap year, and have little time to plan what to do with it.

I have an offer to do a MRes at ic, but i feel that my year will now be better spent gaining work experience as i already meet the academic requirements. Luckily i have been offered a HCA post at a local hospital, and i intend to work their full time until april/may/june next year, followed by some travelling or teaching english abroad, before hopefully starting medical school.

I know medical schools like to read about our gap year plans in our personal statements, and i was hoping i could get some advice into how much detail i need to go into... will a sentence or two be enough, or will i need to dedicate an entire paragraph?

As i am not entirely sure whether i will be teaching abroad and/or travelling next summer... or as to where in the world i will be travelling to for definate, will it work against me to mention these plans on my personal statement if they were then to change?

I took deferred and I only did 3 sentences. But its how those plans will help you in your medical career that counts.

[icecream]

Thank you both so much for the advice, its definately given me an idea as to how im going to go about including my gap year plans. i almost forgot te importance of including how the experience would help in my future medical career, until you mentioned it!!

Originally Posted by Dimple001

its how those plans will help you in your medical career that counts.

[Medical Addict]

Im a forced gap year student and was just wondering how much detail we have to wirte in our personal statement as im stuggling for space.

[Darren A..]

Ive devoted a whole paragraph on how i hope that being an HCA will give me good experience etc.

Also, how much are you guys talking about your work exp/voluntary wrk from last year's application? I havent done any since about november 07, and Im worried that unis will think I havent done enough this yr...but being an HCA for a year will make up for that...i hope??

[bcres]

hey everyone
im a forced gap year student too woopee
and im writing my ps right now.
Darren, I think being an HCA for a year will be fine, as long as youve done other voluntary work particularly in a caring role.
Im having trouble with space too and have only dedicated 3 lines to my gap year plans so far.
does anyone know what med schools think about creative personal statements or are they normally frowned upon?
thanks

[DMXX]

I'd say dedicate an entire paragraph. Start by naming the activities you'd be doing, state how you'll really enjoy doing them, and explain what you hope to be gaining out of it. That last part should make up half of the paragraph.

[beetle]

im on a gap year too, and iv dedicated a whole paragraph to it, its my first paragraph (after my intro) I know, that if you write a whole paragraph on your gap year, your gunna have less space to write about the other things, but iv just about managed to get mine to the right number of lines and characters, so im sure youl be able to fit it all in too!!

also, just wondering, who has left lines between there paragraphs?

[DMXX]

Nope, I never leave lines in-between my paragraphs.

And, I had a problem with exceeding lines after I put in the gap year paragraph; I had to go back, fiddle around with the sentences, cut out and condense and then re-arrange quite a few things to make up for the extra lines.