 Taking a gap year is only beneficial if it's going to be beneficial. Oh man, that's deep What's up you guys, it's Adana. I am back with another video for you guys. Thank you guys so much for joining me on this journey I just want to say a really quick thank you to all of you who've joined me thus far We are growing so fast and I'm really grateful for all of you So thank you so much for that. This video is gonna be about should I take a gap year or not, okay? So you guys have always been like, oh, you know, like I saw that you didn't go straight into PA school How was that or like should I take a gap year? I don't know Adana and I mean like my gap year wasn't completely by choice, right? So I mean I literally I wanted to be in med school I got into a couple med schools and then I decided that now med school is not for me So my gap year was kind of like by happenstance with respect to life and just how you know I was navigating life and you know getting married and having babies and all that stuff But I really really really appreciate my gap year. I mean obviously and it was like gap years So obviously when I was going through it, I didn't necessarily appreciate it Which happens with pretty much everything that we're going through in life I don't think we ever really sit down and we're like man, I'm so appreciative for this moment A lot of times we look back and we're like dang that was a good time in my life Man, what was going on? How come I didn't like actually appreciate when I was going through it And and that's like that's just kind of life and that's kind of what happened with me I didn't necessarily appreciate it. I was like, man, I want to be in school right now I should be in school. I think you know, I'm smart enough to be in school I think I'll do well in PA school and obviously I don't think that I was ready I don't think it was the time for me to be in school, especially with my kids being the age that they were I just don't think I would have thrived as well as I did this, you know, currently as I am in PA school I don't think I would have just been mature enough and handle some of the situations that I've gone through With tact as I did had I've gone to PA school, you know, two years ago So with respect to that, should you take a gap year or not? For me, I do suggest you take a gap year Now it comes with some contingencies, okay? So you can take a gap year absolutely, but taking a gap year is only beneficial if it's going to be beneficial Oh man, that's deep Right? You know, so like if you're sitting up here and you don't have the number of health care hours that they require So, you know, the majority of schools are requiring 500 and you have like 200 Then take a gap year, find a job and work your behind off so that you can meet those hours, right? And it's the same thing with your GPA, it's your same thing with your volunteering It's the same thing with just your prerequisites If your grades aren't where they need to be, if you don't have all the prerequisites that you need to have If they're getting a little old for the non-traditional student, then definitely take a gap year The gap year is only going to be a benefit Don't sit up here and try to apply and do this like haphazard, mediocre application And expect that you're going to get into PA school because that's not going to happen PA school is getting more and more and more competitive to get into And therefore you just need to make yourself a better candidate So that is like, that's the beauty of a gap year You kind of get to find yourself as a person, you get to mature a lot You get to see a lot if you are just continuing to gain that healthcare experience As you add more shadowing hours, you get to see the profession as it kind of develops and grows And morphs into just what it can be in the future As you see these different PAs and physicians collaborating together So it's important for you to actually take that time If you don't have the best application currently To kind of mature that application and just be a better wholehearted round applicant And so that to me is the only reason why you should take a gap year Now, I mean if you meet all the requirements, you're just like a bomb candidate Like straight out the gate, you know, you killed it in undergrad You were working two jobs and you still was pulling straight A's Your GPA is on point, your GRE is on point Then absolutely, why would you take a gap year? No, don't do that. Why would you? Why would you? There's no need for you to take a gap year because you already meet the requirements You're already a great candidate, therefore apply So, you know, the gap year is for those students and those individuals who feel like, you know what? Actually, I think I'll benefit from this gap year I think, you know, let me actually take some time for myself Because I've been killing it in undergrad And therefore I just kind of want to take a little bit of time for myself Spend some time for my family before I get back into the swing of things Because just as how there is burnout in the healthcare field, there's burnout as a student You can sit up here and you can just be in school all day every day And PA school is long So you're in there for hours on time, like seven to eight hours for some programs Therefore, you know, you could get tired and burnt out from studying and learning And all this information, especially after you just came from an undergraduate degree Therefore, those are the times that you take a gap year But if you feel ready, if you feel motivated, if you're a great candidate, then don't take a gap year Right? I mean, that just makes sense So that is my suggestion for the gap year or not You know, you can take a gap year If absolutely feel that it will make you a better candidate in the future But if it's not necessary, then don't take the gap year So I hope this answers you guys' questions If you have any further questions on just the gap year and the whole process in navigating that Just leave that in the comment section below and I'll be sure to get to it Thank you guys so much for watching If you have not already done so, go ahead Follow me on Instagram, edadonnathepa and subscribe to my channel right now And I will talk to you guys next time Bye