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Do most people finish their 4 years before applying to med school or apply after junior year ? Sorry if this was posted before.
Degree?
- Thread starter Futuredoctor193
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It's normal to apply at the start of your senior year in college. A lot of students take the MCAT near the end of their junior year. Hope that helps!
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I guess the most prevalent route is still to apply your junior year and go straight in? But its becoming less common.
A gap year, applying at the end of your senior year is very normal. It can be difficult to time all your pre-reqs, taking the MCAT and applying early so many people just wait. Also gives a little school breather.
A gap year, applying at the end of your senior year is very normal. It can be difficult to time all your pre-reqs, taking the MCAT and applying early so many people just wait. Also gives a little school breather.
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Okay thanks guys ! I'm going to finish all 4 years just in case.
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The vast majority of people do not take gap years or extra time. There is a significant minority that do, but this is still by no means the norm.
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Is that really the case now?
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I literally only know one person who was applying to medical school the same year as me (no gap year). Everyone else waited until they graduated first
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Just in case what? Nothing wrong with taking a gap year of course, but your "just in case" comment makes it sound like there is something you are worried about spurring you to take a gap year.....
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Just in case I don't get in med school Ill have a degree in something
My MCAT date is in 2 weeks im going to be a senior...my AAMCAS wont be verified until all my stuff is in, Ill have my PS and LOR's done along with the transcript but how do my changes look...getting interviews and all, I have a highly competitive GPA but haven't taken the MCAT yet
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You'll have a bachelor's degree no matter what. 🙂
I took a gap year between undergrad and law school, and I'm glad I did. I needed a year away from school to relax a little bit, and I was able to work and save money before starting school again. By the time law school rolled around, I missed being in class and was excited to go back.
It sounds like this is all pretty far away for you, though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you're ready to apply by the end of your junior year, go ahead. If you aren't quite ready or if you want a year to work, travel, research, etc, then wait a year.
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More than half of the class of 2017 at my school took at least one year off. My class (2014) also had a significant amount of people who took 1-2 years off... maybe a large minority (not sure if we hit 50% or not), but the trend is definitely moving towards taking time off.
Regardless of when you apply, you should keep working towards a degree. Med schools don't like it when you don't finish a program that you were in the process of completing when you applied. It takes a full year to apply, so many people apply after their junior year for matriculation after they graduate. If you don't complete your degree program and get accepted, the school has a right to rescind your acceptance.
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If you applying after junior year, you still go on to complete your undergraduate degree. You don't drop out of undergrad to apply to medical school :what:
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deleted407021
Generally, you must complete your degree program before you matriculate.
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I think you are a little confused.
Your choices are:
1. Apply after Junior year, go to interviews and such during your senior year, graduate from undergrad, and start med school that fall.
2. Graduate from undergrad, apply that summer, go to interviews and such during your off year, start med school the following fall.
In both cases you get an undergrad degree
I'm sure the majority of applicants do not take a gap year, but I do know it's becoming more common. I think a big reason why so many are taking gap years is that they were uninformed about the application process during undergrad. They realize their application is weak so they take a gap year. At the hospital where I work, there are 40 scribes. A little over 20 are applying to med school, and all of them but 2 have already graduated.
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487806
My previous post was cut off, so I'll make my case here. Sure, majority of applicants apply with no gap years, but how many of those actually get in? Probably far less than 40%. Of course, my argument is biased, because many med schools have a class size consisting of a larger group of students that did take a gap year. The gap year is becoming the norm and most rockstar applicants usually do take a gap year or two to become far stronger applicants and destroy the competition.
Anyone can be an applicant. Very few can be a matriculant.
