Medical School: How my gap year helped secure me a place
Author: Amina Khatun
Becoming a gap-year tutor with Yipiyap helped me develop in so many ways.
Not only did the opportunity provide me with the knowledge and experience of what professional working life is like, it enhanced my UCAS application, personal statement and ultimately aided me in receiving an offer to study Medicine. Here’s how…
Interpersonal skills for medicine
Each Yipiyap’s gap year is unique.
For me, I worked two days per week at a college providing GCSE maths and English support. I tutored students of all ages and abilities - this may sound daunting, but the diverse and differing cohort enhanced the year with many unique experiences!
Before I began, I thought that being a tutor just meant to teach students and plan lessons, but that is not the case. Part of the role consists of being aware of when students are facing hardship, adapting to changes within your placement and receiving/giving feedback.
2. Adaptability and resilience
Facing all these extra responsibilities (alongside the tutoring) allowed me to practise my time management, communication and efficiency; all of which are desirable qualities in a Medicine candidate.
For example, when I started tutoring, I used to make lesson plans and think that I could use the same ones for all students. That couldn’t have been further from the truth!
Instead, I had to alter these plans considerably for different students and teach in various ways. This was either based on student feedback, or sensitive information that I had been given to understand their individual needs. I knew that learning how to alter my teaching methods and embracing the unpredictability would not only help me as a tutor, but as a future Medic.
I would also have frequent conversations with members of staff so I could be aware of any changes occurring within the college or the students’ progress. This did come with a challenge, being an external member of staff, but again it pushed me out of my comfort zone (which is the best place to grow) and these conversations lead to strong relationships that actually made my gap year even more memorable!
3. It’s amazing work experience for medical interviews!
From my own research and experience, tutoring is very advantageous for numerous degree apprenticeships and university courses. Skills like teaching and communicating with people of different ages and backgrounds play a big part in the career of Medicine, making the tutoring role very desirable to Medical schools. This was demonstrated perfectly within my interviews.
When answering questions and dealing with difficult scenarios, I was able to easily reflect on my own experiences at my placement. And due to my newly enhanced communication skills and confidence, I was also able to articulate myself effectively and clearly elaborate on the skills I had developed!
“Taking a gap year helped me to develop in so many ways, and it was all down to tutoring with Yipiyap.”
Should you take a gap year as an aspiring medic?
I definitely recommend taking a gap year to anyone who is unsure of what they want to do, or anyone who doesn’t have a promised place at university after college.
For me, tutoring helped me achieve my personal goal of studying Medicine, as a lot of the skills you develop align with that of a Medic. So if this is your goal too, then Yipiyap could be a great choice for you.
Regardless, whatever you choose to do during your year out, as long as it’s constructive and you have a goal of what you’re aiming for, I believe it will be a successful year. Good luck!
If you would like to develop your skills and boost your chance of studying Medicine, read more about becoming a Yipiyap tutor.