This guide will help you make the right choice and maximize your chances of getting admission.
This blog is divided into three sections: the Introduction, the Pros and Cons of a gap year, and available gap year choices. You can either go for a Special Master’s Program, a post-baccalaureate program, study for MCAT, carry out medical research, have professional medical experience, or get a Master’s in Public Health. In addition, you can acquire some experience working as a medical sales representative, grow your nonprofit or even join a startup. These are great options to explore during your gap year.
It takes a lot of years and planning to get into a medical school. Sometimes, the delay could be because your MCAT score or GPA is lower and did not meet the requirements of the top schools you have in mind. Sometimes, the issue could be that you have not had enough shadowing experience, you have fewer research hours, or you have not done enough volunteering or community service. These could be reasons you have not gotten admission into medical school.
On the other hand, you may have decided to just take some time off to pursue a passion or obtain a real-world experience you may not have time to pursue once you enter a medical school, even if your extracurricular activities and grades are outstanding. Perhaps, your grades and extracurricular activities are great, but you cannot pursue medical school at the moment due to a personal problem such as sickness.
Irrespective of where you find yourself now, you don’t have to worry because there are many people in the same boat as you. Nowadays, most people get into medical school at an average age of 24. Research has also shown that up to 60% of applicants looking to get into medical school are denied admission. As a result, it is not uncommon for aspiring physicians to be at a crossroads when it comes to taking a gap year, and how to use that time judiciously if they do take a gap year.
If a lot of premed students find themselves in this dilemma, the decision about whether to take a gap year or not isn’t that easy. We all know that getting admission into medical school is difficult and very competitive, so you have to decide how to best use your time before you apply or reapply to medical school.
With this guide, you will be able to know if you should take a gap year or not, the options for how to make the best use of your gap year, as well as the pros and cons, and who each option suits more will be discussed. Of course, we may not be able to exhaust all gap year options, but we will give you the criteria with which you can evaluate some of these popular options, including if that option suits you the best.