Did you know that about 70% of Tufts students who go on to medical school take time after college prior to beginning their medical education? If that idea scares you – what would I do, how can I get a job without experience, won’t med schools wonder if I am really motivated? – join the club. Many undergraduates are anxious about taking “time off.”
But there are many different opportunities out there for personal growth as well as the enrichment of your medical school candidacy. That is why I like to refer to the time as a Growth Year rather than Gap Year which implies hollow, empty waste. 
I have rarely seen a student waste their time after college and most have amazing experiences that teach them more about the world, often the healthcare system, and certainly themselves. They bring this experience, awareness and new competencies to their appli
cation process. It shows up in their essays and in their interviews. We have enjoyed talking with alums about the things they have done during their growth years and sometimes can refer current students to those same opportunities.
Would you like to hear some of them? Join us Wednesday, October 12th in the Milmore Room (740) in Dowling Hall at 6:30PM. Five Tufts alums who are currently applying to medical school will be with us to share their experiences and answer your questions. Hope to see you there.
Growth Year Alumni Panel – 2016
Rachel Weinstock
B.A. in Anthropology and Community Health
Spring 2015 Graduate
Princeton in Latin America Fellow 2015-16
Carolina Villalba
B.S. in Biology
Spring 2016 Graduate
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Scholar
Shaunt Fereshetian
B.S. in Biopsychology
Spring 2014 Graduate
Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard Research Associate
Ashley Siegel
B.S. in Biopsychology
Spring 2015 Graduate
Tufts Medical Center, Mother Infant Research Institute, Research Assistant
Geetha Mahendran
B.A. in Biochemistry
May 2016 Graduate
Medical Assistant at Harvard Vanguard
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