Posted 3/6/2011 11:16 AM (GMT -5)
Hi Evey, your friend's opportunities are not lost because she did not get into grad school or medical school this time around. It is really ok to work for awhile and see what she wants to do. If she is not sure, then she would be wasting her time and money on grad school and medical school. She probably knows that, and that is a very good reason to stall moving forward in any one direction. Some things she can do are to volunteer to help out in a lab or office where she thinks she might be interested. She might be able to start out doing small things like making copies, but if she shows initiative and interest and is dependable, she could assume bigger responsibilities so she can see what the work is really like and if she wants to do it.
It sounds like your friend is discouraged because she is not "moving forward" in her life at the pace she thinks you and all of her friends doing. She might need assurance that where she is now is ok and that she is being smart to stop and look around and think about what she wants to do next.
If it helps, I applied to my current grad school 5 times (twice to one dept. and three times to another). I got a MA somewhere else after the first try, volunteered, then worked there for almost a year after the second try, and the third time, I was accepted to both departments and had to choose!
Best wishes to your friend,
Sue