Taking the Gap Year: How Joxery Mezen Camacho Found Clarity on the Road to Medical School

Ask any pre-med student what they are doing to prepare for medical school and you will receive an extensive list of activities, considerations, and accomplishments. But between the pressure to build the perfect resume, maintain a strong GPA, score well on the MCAT, and gain clinical experience, applying between your junior and senior year doesn’t make sense for every student. That’s why a growing number of applicants are deciding to take a gap year between undergraduate and medical school. 

For Joxery Mezen Camacho (CLA ‘25), an alum of the Health Profession Pathways program, taking a gap year became one of the most meaningful decisions in her journey from the University of Minnesota to the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Finding Her “Why”

Originally, Joxery had not planned on taking a gap year at all.

“I was so motivated and passionate about becoming a physician that I wanted to do it as soon as possible,” she shared.

But as graduation approached, she realized she wanted more clinical experience beyond the volunteering and leadership roles she had already explored. Throughout undergrad, she had built a strong foundation through experiences like volunteering at Regions Hospital and serving as a teaching assistant for a local dance group. She also volunteered with hospice care through Allina Health after discovering the opportunity at a Health Careers Fair during her sophomore year. While those experiences confirmed her passion for healthcare, Joxery wanted more direct patient interaction before applying to medical school. 

Rather than slowing her down, the gap year gave Joxery the opportunity to solidify her “why” for pursuing medicine. It helped her better understand not only why she wanted to become a physician, but also what kind of physician she hoped to become.

The additional time also allowed her to strengthen her academic profile, including boosting her GPA during her senior year. More importantly, though, the experience helped her develop a clearer story about her motivations, values, and goals.

“Taking a gap year solidified my story and my desires,” she explained. “It helped me know what I wanted from medical school.”

One of the most important factors for her was finding a school committed to diversity and serving urban communities.

Meaningful Clinical Experiences

During her senior year, Joxery volunteered and shadowed at the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, an interprofessional clinic run primarily by health professional students at the University of Minnesota. There, she saw firsthand how collaborative healthcare could positively impact underserved communities.

Her gap year also led her to a role that became deeply influential: working as a Spanish interpreter in healthcare settings.

After completing a 40-hour certification course in community interpretating, Joxery spent two years interpreting for Spanish-speaking patients, half through volunteer work and half in paid healthcare roles. Working as an interpreter reinforced her desire to become a physician while also exposing her to the communication barriers many patients face in healthcare systems. The experience strengthened both her medical Spanish skills and her understanding of patient care.

“I loved interacting with patients,” she said. “But I realized I wanted to have a more direct impact by being their care provider.”

Choosing Where to Apply

When it came time to decide where to apply, Joxery approached the process strategically.

She applied to 25 medical schools — 20 M.D. programs and 5 D.O. programs. Through the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Fee Assistance Program, she received support that covered applications to 20 schools, reduced MCAT costs, and provided free AAMC preparation resources.

Because she felt her academic metrics were “on the lower end” compared to average applicants, she carefully researched schools using the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database. She looked closely at MCAT averages, admissions requirements, and school mission statements.

“I wasn’t going to apply to a school that didn’t at least mention diversity in their mission,” she said.

She specifically sought programs located in urban areas with diverse patient populations and avoided schools with MCAT cutoffs that did not align with her application profile. She also tailored her school list based on additional requirements, choosing not to apply to schools requiring the Casper exam since she had taken the PREview assessment instead.

Navigating the Medical School Application Process

Like many applicants, Joxery found the medical school application process overwhelming.

“The whole thing is so complex,” she admitted.

Although she initially hoped to submit her application as soon as the cycle opened, she realized she needed more time to refine her personal statement and experiences section. Looking back, she encourages students to keep detailed notes or journals about their activities throughout college.

“Write down what you did, what you learned, and how it impacted you,” she advised. “It’s hard to remember everything later.”

For Joxery, one of the biggest challenges was learning how to connect her experiences and competencies into a cohesive narrative. She realized that successful applications are not simply lists of accomplishments, they tell a meaningful story.

“What sticks with people is the story you tell,” she said. “It has to be coherent and show your heart.”

Advice for Future Students

As a first-generation college student, Joxery credits the Pathways program with giving her a support system during her pre-med journey.

“It was nice to have people backing me up,” she said. “My advisors truly believed in me and had my best interests at heart.”

Through mentorship, encouragement, and exposure to new opportunities, the program helped her develop greater confidence in herself and her abilities.

Today, one of her biggest messages to students is not to fear taking a gap year.

“One year doesn’t mean you’re behind,” she emphasized.

Although she occasionally encountered comments from people who doubted her decision, she stayed grounded in her long-term goals.

“If you know what you want and are willing to do whatever it takes to get there, you can achieve your goals,” she said. “Don’t let the doubters get to you.”

She also encourages students to remember that everyone’s journey into medicine is different.

“You can look at what everyone else is doing, but you don’t need to do exactly the same thing,” she explained. “Hear people’s advice, reflect on it, and decide whether it actually benefits you.”

Joxery believes self-awareness is equally important. By recognizing both privileges and barriers she’s experienced while remaining open to learning from others’ perspectives, she’s been able to take what serves her and leave the rest. 

Her story reflects a growing reality in medical education: gap years are increasingly common. In fact, roughly 70% of incoming medical students now take at least one gap year before matriculating. For Joxery, those years were not time lost. They were time spent growing into the physician she is on track to become.

Written by Whitney Oachs