Better Residency Match Chances in Gap Year?

[batman25]

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Hi guys, I graduated from undergrad in 3 years and will be taking 2 gap years (one being my 4th year and the other 5th) because I still have not taken the MCAT and will have to apply in later 2019-2020 cycle.

I definitely will use this time off to relax/spend time with friends and family, but since 2 years is a long time, I was wondering if there is anything I could do in this time to best prepare me for success in medical school and be a top candidate for residency programs. FYI I have done a lot of research, clinical work, EMT during undergrad and am committed to a career as physician/surgeon and developed an early interest in orthopedics.

 

[Smurfette]

Your performance in med school is what will be the biggest factor in your residency match. Other than research, very little pre-med stuff will be of interest to a residency program.

Moving to PreAllo where this is more appropriate.

 

[GoSpursGo]

2 years is not a long time, nobody will think it's "weird" that you did two gap years if that's what you're asking. As Smurfette said, unless you get a research job you are unlikely to put anything from these two years on your residency app, so doing literally anything that pays the bills and affords you time to do the usual pre-med things (like, say, taking the MCAT) will be fine.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Your performance in med school is what will be the biggest factor in your residency match. Other than research, very little pre-med stuff will be of interest to a residency program.

^^^
This

 

[effectedtag]

I also plan to graduate in 3 years from undergrad. Is it okay to then take one or two classes during the remaining gap years, such as O-Chem 2, for the schools that may require it, before applying? I am not able to fit in o-chem 2 in the 3-year time frame, and it really makes no sense to take it senior year with a bunch of electives, as I then have to pay full tuition.

 

[trobinsonmd]

I would not say there is anything you can do right now to directly prepare you for matching, but one thing you could do to ease off some of the stress would be to get a few publications under your belt if you can. Especially if you are trying to match into something competitive, you will need a lot of research experience, so it is never too early to dive into that.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Getting into medical school would be a good start. I hear residency programs care quite a bit about that