Graduating a year early from undergrad

[Psyched*Out]

Is it still considered a gap year if you graduate in 3 years from an undergrad and then take what would be your senior year to beef up ECs instead of going straight from undergrad to med school?

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[wabbit]

I believe yes. A "gap" year is the year(s) you do not go to school(s) and since you would graduate in 3 years, if you skip the year after (which would have been your true senior year), its considered a gap year.

I am not sure why you are concerned about that however. It is almost encouraged to take a gap year and beef up ECs and in the grand scheme of things, it does not matter if you had one, two or three or even more "gap" years. People in multiple cycles have those and that hasn't caused any issues per say.

 

[Psyched*Out]

I'm in a position where I've come into college with a years worth of AP/dual enrollment credit and I could end up graduating in 5 semesters if I wanted, granted I take the usual 15 credits a semester. Spreading the classes out isn't an option since I need to take 15 credits a semester to keep scholarship funding, and if I do graduate early, I save $5000 making my total cost of undergrad $1k instead of $6k. It seems like a no brainer, but I worry that graduating early would cause concerns of immaturity since I'd only be 20 at the time of graduating.

If those of you seeing this post were in my position, would you choose to graduate early, or would you add extra classes into the mix to stretch out undergrad to the usual 4 years? The money factor is a non-issue since I am fortunate enough to have family cover the extra costs after scholarships, but I mentioned it because I feel guilty having my parents spend money on me.

 

[chilly_md]

I have moved your question to the post you already made about graduating early. The other poster gave a good explanation about what a gap year is and the benefits of it. There are also some past threads you can explore as this is a common question that comes up.

One of the ones suggested included this great summary by LizzyM and it has become even more true as the years have passed by (no need to bump that thread though):

Graduate undergrad a year early?

Im currently a sophomore at UNC and i need a little advice. Im way ahead on my graduation requirements and only need 5 classes to graduate which seems like a bit of a waste of time to spend 2 years taking... I need to take organic chem 1&2, physics 2 and 2upper level biology classes (for my...

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For an incoming freshmen, I advise worrying a lot less about all this stuff.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Read

Starting Strong: Tips For Your First Year of Medical School - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

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Look at the student debt you would accrue when you graduate from medical school. A difference of $5000 debt will look like peanuts. Yes, do what you can to keep your undergrad debt low, but don't make $5k the reason why you rush an application. You can easily spend another $5k each application cycle so make sure you do this once with your best application profile and preparation to get the most cost savings.

 

[Psyched*Out]

Read

Starting Strong: Tips For Your First Year of Medical School - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Look at the student debt you would accrue when you graduate from medical school. A difference of $5000 debt will look like peanuts. Yes, do what you can to keep your undergrad debt low, but don't make $5k the reason why you rush an application. You can easily spend another $5k each application cycle so make sure you do this once with your best application profile and preparation to get the most cost savings.

I understand that my application if I matriculated right after early graduating would be weak, but in the case that I do graduate early, I intend to use what would be my senior year as a gap year to do ECs and study for the mcat.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I understand that my application if I matriculated right after early graduating would be weak, but in the case that I do graduate early, I intend to use what would be my senior year as a gap year to do ECs and study for the mcat.

Well, you are the captain of your ship. I don't know if your application would be weak... I don't predict the future. Just know that the goal is to prepare for a lifetime as a physician, and that slow and steady gets you pretty far, especially if you have a good team to get you there.

 

[deleted1163682]

I agree with the other poster about GPA. Assuming your GPA is good, I would consider applying for prestigious fellowships, especially those that enable study within the UK, since it takes 1-2 years to complete them anyways. These scholarships are well respected and can make up for a seemingly lack of maturity at 20 (assuming you will apply in 2 years). If you have enough clinical hours, you can simultaneously pursue non-clinical and shadowing abroad too for depth and diversity of experience.

I know someone from my T20 UG who graduated in 2.5 years and is a rising MS2 at Duke Med. The top schools love unique students, but you have to show that you are just as mature and skilled in experience as the rest of the class.

 

[Psyched*Out]

I agree with the other poster about GPA. Assuming your GPA is good, I would consider applying for prestigious fellowships, especially those that enable study within the UK, since it takes 1-2 years to complete them anyways. These scholarships are well respected and can make up for a seemingly lack of maturity at 20 (assuming you will apply in 2 years). If you have enough clinical hours, you can simultaneously pursue non-clinical and shadowing abroad too for depth and diversity of experience.

I know someone from my T20 UG who graduated in 2.5 years and is a rising MS2 at Duke Med. The top schools love unique students, but you have to show that you are just as mature and skilled in experience as the rest of the class.

Do you have any examples of such fellowships? I only know of a Fulbright but I'm sure there are more.

 

[deleted1163682]

Do you have any examples of such fellowships? I only know of a Fulbright but I'm sure there are more.

Any US-UK Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, Mitchell, etc.

I know someone who is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford who pursued a ETA Fulbright in the Canary Islands, so that's another possibility.

 

[chilly_md]

The above are all good opportunities that are also noteworthy awards for AMCAS.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Alternatively, Teach for America/City Year, Peace Corps, Americorps, if you haven't aleady been groomed to go for the nationally competitive fellowships from your institutional office.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Do you have any examples of such fellowships? I only know of a Fulbright but I'm sure there are more.

Check out Princeton in Asia teaching fellowships.

They’re open to non-Princetonians too.

 

[Psyched*Out]

Any US-UK Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, Mitchell, etc.

I know someone who is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford who pursued a ETA Fulbright in the Canary Islands, so that's another possibility.

Sounds interesting. Having never really left the area I live in, going abroad would be a really drastic switch up. What things generally make up a good applicant for those scholarships? High GPA and research experience?

 

[deleted1163682]

Strong academic record (>3.95 GPA), high research productivity (at least 1-2 publications/posters), some sort of compelling narrative that requires or bolsters you to study abroad in the specific area. I would look into the specifics of each award on their respective websites and also see if your school has some sort of mentor office that helps with such applications.

 

[Psyched*Out]

Strong academic record (>3.95 GPA), high research productivity (at least 1-2 publications/posters), some sort of compelling narrative that requires or bolsters you to study abroad in the specific area. I would look into the specifics of each award on their respective websites and also see if your school has some sort of mentor office that helps with such applications.

I already meet that research threshold coming into undergrad, so its just a matter of keeping a high GPA which is a goal regardless. Are these fellowships really something you need for T20 schools though? Before anyone asks, I'm aiming for a T20 because first I want to obviously aim as high as I can and two I feel like it will keep all doors open for me and make it easier to get into those doors if I decide to pursue more competitive specialities.

 

[AveragePerson.Psych]

I'm in a position where I've come into college with a years worth of AP/dual enrollment credit and I could end up graduating in 5 semesters if I wanted, granted I take the usual 15 credits a semester. Spreading the classes out isn't an option since I need to take 15 credits a semester to keep scholarship funding, and if I do graduate early, I save $5000 making my total cost of undergrad $1k instead of $6k. It seems like a no brainer, but I worry that graduating early would cause concerns of immaturity since I'd only be 20 at the time of graduating.

If those of you seeing this post were in my position, would you choose to graduate early, or would you add extra classes into the mix to stretch out undergrad to the usual 4 years? The money factor is a non-issue since I am fortunate enough to have family cover the extra costs after scholarships, but I mentioned it because I feel guilty having my parents spend money on me.

Hi, I was in a similar boat as you. I graduated a year and a half ahead of schedule. I decided to pursue my MS degree in clinical psychology which has provided me with volunteer opportunities and conferences to attend. I was a student clinician in my college's psych clinic so I was able to give psychological assessmemts and therapy to students and community members of my college and neighboring towns under a licensed psychologist. My clinical psychology experience doesn't count in the medical sense as clinical experience, but I was provided with great opportunities to grow. In addition, I have lots of stories to write about for my applications and essays.

To state my thoughts simply, I think pursing extra classes is great if you need it or feel it would benefit you rather than hurt you. Finances are important to consider as well. If you do decided to take classes, definitely aim for aim to be in a lab or graduate assistant researcher (if you go grad route).

Wishing you all the best!!!