Medicine Gap Year Stories!

OP

Original post by KA_P

Okay I think I've finished editing now hehe

Thank you so much! I’ll edit the OP :smile:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 41

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

It's nice to have a place to reflect on my gap year while helping others! I hope you're well :hugs:

Yeah it's such a great opportunity, thank you and @TCL

Reply 42

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

Thank you so much! I’ll edit the OP :smile:

Thank you!! :jumphug:

Reply 43

I wanted to add colour too but then I was like let's not 🙈😂😂

Reply 44

OP

Original post by KA_P

I wanted to add colour too but then I was like let's not 🙈😂😂

You two are putting me to shame! I’m gonna have to expand mine now lol. I’ll have a go later tonight :smile:

Reply 45

OP

Ahaha I’ll try not to bore everyone to death

Reply 46

Good idea!!

Reply 47

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

You two are putting me to shame! I’m gonna have to expand mine now lol. I’ll have a go later tonight :smile:

Omg ahaha good luck :jumphug:

Reply 48

rads123

8

Hi, I’ve been following some of your stories for a while now since I’ve been on TSR and I just wanted to ask, how did u guys find the experience of seeing everybody around u go to uni but u weren’t starting for another year if that makes sense?? It’s just Im starting to plan for a year in case I need to take one and tbh that’s what’s scaring me the most. I’ve had such a hard year mentally with so much friends drama and dealing with rejections and uni was going to be the time when I made good friends and just enjoyed my life but now I feel so sad seeing others get offers and I don’t have any. Is there any advice u have?? I’m just trying to focus on my a levels atm but it’s still kinda hard. Ps love the idea of this thread, it’s super helpful!!

Reply 49

Ria_xx2022

11

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

Hello and Welcome!

In this thread, us re-applicants of 2022 will share our gap year experiences to remind you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. From UCAT and interview prep to joining the workforce, we've got you covered!

Get to know the people who were in your shoes last cycle alongside your fellow 2023 entry re-applicants.

About me (Incoming first year at KCL):

Spoiler

@KA_P (Incoming first year at ARU):

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@Vanqueef (Soon to be second gap year student):

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@CoochieMan (Incoming first year):

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@Clintt15 (Incoming 1st Year at Lancaster University):

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Reply below if you'd like to be tagged!
Tags:

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My fellow re-applicants (please write your own introductions and I'll link them here :smile:

)

Spoiler

Hey, fellow reapplicant here! Going to Bristol this September! Just thought I'd add my own personal experience in case it helps anyone!

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Sorry if this is too long! I'll shorten it if need be! :grin:

I'm happy to be tagged too! :h:

Reply 50

OP

Original post by Ria_xx2022

Hey, fellow reapplicant here! Going to Bristol this September! Just thought I'd add my own personal experience in case it helps anyone!

Spoiler

Sorry if this is too long! I'll shorten it if need be! :grin:

I'm happy to be tagged too! :h:

Thank you so much for this! I’ll add it into the OP after dinner :smile:

Reply 51

Ria_xx2022

11

Original post by rads123

Hi, I’ve been following some of your stories for a while now since I’ve been on TSR and I just wanted to ask, how did u guys find the experience of seeing everybody around u go to uni but u weren’t starting for another year if that makes sense?? It’s just Im starting to plan for a year in case I need to take one and tbh that’s what’s scaring me the most. I’ve had such a hard year mentally with so much friends drama and dealing with rejections and uni was going to be the time when I made good friends and just enjoyed my life but now I feel so sad seeing others get offers and I don’t have any. Is there any advice u have?? I’m just trying to focus on my a levels atm but it’s still kinda hard. Ps love the idea of this thread, it’s super helpful!!

I was so disheartened to see my friends going to uni, especially since the majority of my friendship group got med offers and I was still waiting. But I knew doing well in my A-levels was the one thing which I had to do so I really tried to throw myself into it, obviously focusing on my mental health too. At the start, taking a gap year was really hard, seeing everyone at uni having fun while I was unsure whether I'd even get an offer was so taxing mentally but I kept telling myself that this was going to be my year, I started focusing on hobbies, found a job I loved and met new people and made friends. So don't feel as if uni is the only place where you'll make friends! And if you've had a tough year in Yr 13., then taking some time to focus on yourself can be so much better (speaking from personal experience). Literally my advice: throw yourself into things you want to do, like a bucket list and work towards mini-goals. Believe me, you'll come out of a gap year feeling like you're actually prepared to take on university! But focus on A-levels, smash the exams and enjoy summer! Good luck :hugs:

Reply 52

Ria_xx2022

11

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

Thank you so much for this! I’ll add it into the OP after dinner :smile:

No problem! :smile:

Reply 53

OP

Original post by rads123

Hi, I’ve been following some of your stories for a while now since I’ve been on TSR and I just wanted to ask, how did u guys find the experience of seeing everybody around u go to uni but u weren’t starting for another year if that makes sense?? It’s just Im starting to plan for a year in case I need to take one and tbh that’s what’s scaring me the most. I’ve had such a hard year mentally with so much friends drama and dealing with rejections and uni was going to be the time when I made good friends and just enjoyed my life but now I feel so sad seeing others get offers and I don’t have any. Is there any advice u have?? I’m just trying to focus on my a levels atm but it’s still kinda hard. Ps love the idea of this thread, it’s super helpful!!

Hey! I definitely found this one of the hardest aspects of reapplying. My friends back home in New Zealand are already in their second year and there I was, eighteen months behind them without a single university offer. To their credit, none of my friends here or in NZ judged me at all; they were all either lovely or indifferent, but I didn’t know any other med applicants and hadn’t discovered this section of TSR yet so felt very much alone.

At first I just kinda gave up on everything; it was a struggle just to drag myself out of bed each day towards the end of my diploma because I couldn’t see the point of trying when in my mind, 13 years of school had gone to waste. I completely withdrew socially for quite a while as well. I was, however, lucky enough to have the most amazing biology teacher who kept reaching out to me and helped me to see that my gap year would give me both the opportunity to study medicine (she wouldn’t listen to my protests that I might not get in) and the chance to save up for uni and pursue my hobbies. I found it really helpful to have someone to talk to as my discussions with my parents weren’t always very productive.

I also coped by absorbing myself in UCAT revision and university research. I had no idea about all these threads and as they say, knowledge is power. I found breaking my gap year into ‘stages’ helpful as well as it showed me the light of the end of the tunnel in a way. This is a bit of a word vomit lol, but I hope this helps in some way!

Reply 54

OP

Original post by Ria_xx2022

I was so disheartened to see my friends going to uni, especially since the majority of my friendship group got med offers and I was still waiting. But I knew doing well in my A-levels was the one thing which I had to do so I really tried to throw myself into it, obviously focusing on my mental health too. At the start, taking a gap year was really hard, seeing everyone at uni having fun while I was unsure whether I'd even get an offer was so taxing mentally but I kept telling myself that this was going to be my year, I started focusing on hobbies, found a job I loved and met new people and made friends. So don't feel as if uni is the only place where you'll make friends! And if you've had a tough year in Yr 13., then taking some time to focus on yourself can be so much better (speaking from personal experience). Literally my advice: throw yourself into things you want to do, like a bucket list and work towards mini-goals. Believe me, you'll come out of a gap year feeling like you're actually prepared to take on university! But focus on A-levels, smash the exams and enjoy summer! Good luck :hugs:

This. And it’s said far more eloquently than mine ahaha. I too found the opportunity to focus on my mental health has been really beneficial; I’m back to a healthy weight and feeling stronger both mentally and physically than ever before... although I’m still physically pretty pathetic lmao but hey it’s a start 😂

Reply 55

GANFYD

18

Wouldn't recognise my life without the stress! Have just learned ways to manage it by now :biggrin:

Original post by IBkidinthecorner

It's nice to have a place to reflect on my gap year while helping others! I hope you're well :hugs:

I had a great week off, so let's ignore the hassle since I returned :lol:

Thanks for asking :smile:

Reply 56

OP

Original post by GANFYD

I had a great week off, so let's ignore the hassle since I returned :lol:

Thanks for asking :smile:

I’m glad you had a lovely week off; you really deserved it. I hope things get less busy soon! :smile:

Reply 57

GANFYD

18

This is the absolute key. I know I sound like a boring old fogey (because I am!), but you are going to be doing a job for a lot longer than you are going to be at uni, so think about where you want to be and what you want to be doing for the next 20+ years, not the next 3-5!
Really, really, really a year out is a good thing, not a bad thing, and I hope everyone reading this thread can see things in a different light and change their mindset and approach to a gap year, see it as a positive and use it to gain some useful life experience and have some fun - not always a lot of time for the latter for a while!

Reply 58

OP