A Year Well Spent

I have been working at the Clinical Research Center at the School of Optometry for almost 3 years now and in my time here, I have developed close friendships with my co-workers, a couple of which are now first year optometry students at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry! I would be lying if I said I didn't wish I could be them. I see them drop by between lectures to squeeze in a couple hours of journal reading or office work and then head off to pre-clinic. Seeing them together and sharing their first year experience with one another has definitely made me think about whether or not I should have taken a year off between graduation and the start of optometry school. Was I just being lazy or did I really need this year off to strengthen my life experiences and application?

Now, almost an entire year after graduating, I can confidently say that taking a gap year was one of the best decisions I have ever made. :) I wanted to take the year off to focus on myself for once and try new things that I never had time to try during undergrad. This past year was all about personal and professional growth, stepping out of my comfort zone, and making new memories. 

Why I Decided to Take a Gap Year

For Berkeley students, its pretty typical to take a gap year before plunging into a health professional school. I think its becoming more and more common, as people begin to realize the amount of debt they will be in as soon as they finish med/dental/opto/whatever school, and see that there's significantly less room for simply enjoying life. Plus, Berkeley kids are usually burned out from 4 years (or more) or camping out at the library, being constantly caffeinated, and just getting too little sleep.

So why take a gap year? Here were my reasons:

Sleep, play, and learn.