Should You Take a Gap Year Before Applying to Medical School?

As college students studying pre-med progress towards the end of their junior year, they may start to wonder if they should begin applying to medical school. If you happen to be one of these pre-med juniors, it may feel like all of your peers are on track to do just that. The data shows a different story: many students choose to take a gap year, or even multiple gap years, before matriculating at US medical schools. AAMC’s data shows that the average age of medical school matriculants is 24 and that almost 64% reported waiting a year or more after graduating from college to attend medical school. There are many good reasons to consider taking a gap year:

• Lack of experience: What are the gaps in your application? Maybe your exposure to research or clinical work is not as strong as it could be.
• Mediocre or low GPA: Could you use additional time to improve or show continued academic success in your senior year?
• Lacking letters of recommendation: How long have you known the individuals writing your recommendations? Do you have enough recommendations?
• Advice from a pre-med advisor: Is your advisor recommending additional time to strengthen your application?
• Uncertainty: Are you wavering on your commitment to medical school? That’s ok! The additional time can provide more targeted medical exposure and help you decide.
• A chance to step off the treadmill: Healthcare burnout is real. A year or two away from school can help you be an even more successful medical school student – and doctor.

Did you read all of that and think, “Yes! I want to take at least one gap year”? If so, a plan is key. Let’s now focus on what you can do during that gap year. As an applicant, you will need to meet The Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. This is a great time to have an honest conversation with your pre-med advisor and, more importantly, with yourself about how you can improve your application during a gap year. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do but be sure to focus on building experiences that fill any holes in your application – and that you choose something you enjoy doing. Some of the more popular experiences include:

• Medical scribe
• Research assistant
• Medical translator
• Public health policy
• Certified Nursing Assistant
• Patient advocate
• Contact tracer
• Master’s programs
• Volunteer service (Teach for America, City Year, Peace Corps, etc.)

Your college’s career counseling and pre-med advising offices will be great starting points to explore opportunities for your gap year.