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So, I need some unsolicited advice, probably just someone to knock some sense into me and assuring me that my plans indeed won't work out and I'm making the right decision. Buckle up, this is a bit longer.
Since starting my apprenticeship as a doctors assistant three years ago, I've been considering going further and getting into medical school. My grades from regular school haven't been the best, but there is a university in my country who takes medical students based on their grades during an apprenticeship in the medical field. My grades are really good and I think I have a serious chance getting accepted at this one medical school.
Now I run into multiple problems.
To even further enhance my chances, I planned to do a voluntary social gap year. If you're German, the term FSJ might ring a bell, if not, let me explain it quickly. Basically you work in a social job for one year, that can range from kindergarden, social work to hospital ward. You support the staff there, and based on that don't get paid a lot, as it's voluntary. As a medical student, you have to work at a medical ward for three months before finishing your first year of medical school. I thought it would be a great idea to do a voluntary year at a hospital ward so I can check that of while writing our MCAT/ UCAT equivalent. The FSJ only pays 330 € which really isn't anything. Most people doing this voluntary year are fresh out of school and still live with their parents, they use it when they don't know what to do with themselves after graduating. I already moved out of my parents and moving in again is not an option. I could barely afford a small place with that, but no food. It's hard to find a place in the city where I already got an offer at the hospital. At this point, I considered to apply for social housing, but I wouldn't be able to tell when I would get an offer, agencies work extremely slow. I currently don't have any money for a deposit if I were to rent a place which is usually around 1.000€. I could go and apply to pay the deposit as mothly installments, and I could also apply for money by the state, but it's hard to tell when all of this would kick in. Thing with the gap year is also, that the university I see to have good chances with doesn't take the voluntary year into account like many other universities, so I would just do it for the three months ward service and to write the admissions test. To add up on this pile, I just got a surgery scheduled, which would take place two weeks after starting my voluntary year. Nothing life-threatening, just something that really needs to be taken care of and can't reschedule. In Germany you get paid 70 percent of your gross income when sick for a longer period of time, so getting money at all while healing is nothing I'm worrying about. I just don't know how that would look like during the voluntary gap year. I've been working a year to get this surgery covered by my health insurance, so it really was just bad luck of timing getting it approved and being scheduled by the hospital.
But getting this surgery scheduled was the tipping point of me realizing that my plans of doing a voluntary year definitely won't work out. I had my doubt when thinking about finances, but I thought I would somehow manage by applying for support through the state. Now I'm here. Totally distraught because I already have the offer for this gap year at an amazing hospital I told I wouldn't back out of, and standing at point zero again of how to make my dreams as achievable as possible. Well, not entirely point zero. The hospital I'm currently doing my apprenticeship at would take me after I'm finished, and the university does take two years of work experience into account. I would still be able to write the admission test during it. So I might just postpone my dream for one more year than originally planed. No matter what I'll do, the surgery will take place during my employment probation period and I'm scared I might end up unemployed.
Please tell me that my plans as of now are indeed not working out and I have to cancel the voluntary gap year.
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All of this is too much for me so I will let someone else advise you.
ReplyContinued: in the second paragraph you say your grades from regular school are not the best and then further on in the same paragraph you say your grades are really good so that is confusing. I find the whole post confusing as well.
ReplyYeah, it just looks like you’ll have to put off the voluntary gap year. But? That could give you time to put some money away to sustain yourself for when you are ready to go and take part in that year. Just be honest with them, and let them know what’s going on. Keep your grades the same or better, and they will likely extend you another invitation for taking part in another gap year when you’re more financially prepared and have the surgery out of the way. I wasn’t confused by this post.
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