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. couchPotatoI 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 appliPuzzlePiececation 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