How to deal with the study gap?

First off, what is a study gap? A study gap is a kind of break that you take between your study period that might be six months or a year-long or sometimes even longer depending on different situations of every individual. The study gap mostly occurs after 12th grade when you have to opt for a career and here your academics matter a lot since they act as an important element for your admission to a university.

In my case, as I told you all in the previous post that my mind was jumbled like a jigsaw puzzle to somehow fit the right pieces in and get admission to a medical college. Amidst that, I didn't apply to any other university so I had to deal with a study gap of about 6 months. The trauma of not being able to make up to any of the medical colleges, coupled with all the questions from relatives about my admission and stuff, and the bragging that how their children got admissions acted as factors for me to go deep into sadness. I used to cry all day and night, I stopped talking to my friends, even though many of them were in the same position like me but you know that phase where you just want to be on your own. So yeah! That was my condition. The thing that added more to my depression was that I used to think that I was left with no other option because as a medical student I had a persona or I don’t know if all the medical students have this same thinking or this belief that if they don’t end up in a medical college they would have no other option left for their career. And you know what? I even used to search for alternatives that would keep me connected to this field or any career that would fit in the criteria of a medical student. Might feel stupid? But trust me, when you're going through such times, the only feeling you are left with is like being trapped in a cage where you are unable to find an escape after so many struggles. And in those times everything seems to make sense.

So this was a bit of insight into my story so that you may know that you are not alone in this. But now let's come to the main issue, that how you should deal with the study gap? Since I'm one of those who wasted my study gap in crying and depressing over stuff that wasn't even in my control so I would say that the first thing you should do is to clear your mind. You might be thinking how to do that? So first of all, wipe off all the negativity from your mind that you aren’t capable to achieve anything in your life. One failure doesn’t mean that you have completely failed at life. Life goes on. You shouldn’t stop working hard just because one of your efforts wasn’t recognized and it didn’t procure the kind of result you wished.

Remind yourself that you are capable of achieving and doing anything. Tell this to yourself daily until you feel the energy and motivation back in you to work hard. One bad thing can never defeat you. You must acknowledge that no one in this world gets everything. Think of the fact that you might have all the blessings except you didn't get the admission while the person who got the admission would be having only this blessing. Plus, this is not the end of your life and leave this thinking that you are out of choices. You have now plenty of time to figure out what else interests you other than medical. And I kid you not! There are going to be so many things, you just have to sit and think about it.

While you think about your interests and hobbies, don't forget to write them on a piece of paper. Why? Because that will help you later in deciding for a career to pursue. There would be soo many things like you might love art and crafts, or you love to take pictures, or you are good at communicating with people. Now when you're done writing these things, they will give you a rough sketch for the career options that you can go for. For example, in the case you are interested in arts and crafts, polish your skill, and make your interest as a basis to excel in that field. Go for a degree in the field of arts so that your talent gets all the appreciation and encouragement it deserves. The same goes for communication and management that if you're someone who loves to build social relationships and manages different events and tasks skillfully, go for fields like BBA or mass communication that would provide you better exposure for learning in that field.

Lastly, the most important thing that when you are done with writing all your interests and hobbies and arranging them in terms of their priority and what you like the most. Ask for advice and suggestions from some trustworthy people related to respective fields or ask from your teacher who you think will best guide you. This guidance is important because it will give you a more clear picture of what you should do and what would be in your best interest. Keep in your mind that you don’t have to blindly follow the suggestions of others, the final decision must be yours as you're going to spend 4 important years of your life on a degree so think thoroughly about it.

I hope that it was helpful if you need any kind of help just drop a comment and I’ll try my best to answer your queries as soon as possible. Also, if you think that I miss out on something important or you want to share some of your tips and suggestions you are most welcome. I would love to hear from you!