Graduating in 3 years + year off?

[hookem5]

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After reading as many threads about this as I could find, the general consensus seems to be that graduating early and heading straight to med school isn't recommended due to having to take the MCAT in one's second year, probable lack of maturity, weaker EC's, etc.

I'm totally fine with this school of thought. I was fortunate enough to start out with 38 credits, so I feel it would be somewhat of a shame if I didn't graduate early (assuming EC's and GPA are going solid; I'm still just a first year).

Does anybody have any suggestions for how to structure my gap year after graduation to best poise myself for acceptances? I'll be taking the MCAT/applying as if I were graduating in 4 years, I'll just have an extra year of whatever.

Edit: Planning on applying primarily to Texas schools, if that changes things.

 

[alexrgross]

Well, you have four major options; paid, clinical volunteer, or non-clinical volunteers, or reserach...

I suggest thinking of those things over the next three years, and fixing your gap year schedule the year prior, based on where you need the most work out of those 4 categories.

 

[mvenus929]

Realistically speaking, if you're applying during your gap year, what you do during that year (so long as you're doing SOMETHING) isn't really going to help your application, just because you won't really be able to talk about it. So you should be focusing your energy on getting as much experience and whatnot as you can before you turn in your application.

 

[hookem5]

Thank you Alex. That sounds good. I'm assuming there's a standard means by which I inform my schools what I'm planning on doing. Would that come up in the applications or interviews?

Anybody out there who has done something similar to this?

 

[hookem5]

Realistically speaking, if you're applying during your gap year, what you do during that year (so long as you're doing SOMETHING) isn't really going to help your application, just because you won't really be able to talk about it. So you should be focusing your energy on getting as much experience and whatnot as you can before you turn in your application.

Thanks. Ok, so really I need to have all of my ducks in a row by the end of my junior year and just make some use of myself until my first semester.

 

[alexrgross]

Thank you Alex. That sounds good. I'm assuming there's a standard means by which I inform my schools what I'm planning on doing. Would that come up in the applications or interviews?

Anybody out there who has done something similar to this?

Typically schools that are receptive to updates accept that in e-mail form, or postal mail.

This might come up in an interview though, if the activity is happening by the time you interview - and they receive an update about it.

 

[lolcat]

Are there any disadvantages for taking a year off (for example less scholarships?)

 

[StoicJosher]

Are there any disadvantages for taking a year off (for example less scholarships?)

No. But adcoms like to see you do something productive in the year off.

 

[iamahippo]

Realistically speaking, if you're applying during your gap year, what you do during that year (so long as you're doing SOMETHING) isn't really going to help your application, just because you won't really be able to talk about it. So you should be focusing your energy on getting as much experience and whatnot as you can before you turn in your application.

I don't entirely agree with this. I started as a scribe in June and applied in July; by the time I started interviewing in October I had plenty to say about it in interviews, and it helped out immensely, especially for all my interviews all the way out to March.

Also, I have experience w/ what is discussed in this thread; I graduated last June in 3 years but did apply early the summer after my second year. Didn't get in, reapplied last summer after graduating and am now on gap year. Yes, I was immature the first time around and I believe that's why I didn't get in the first time even though I had 4 interviews. But it helped a lot the second time around b/c I learned from my mistakes from the first round, and knew how to work the system the second time around. My mdapps explains further.

 

[TAWS]

You're going to have interviews in the fall of your "year off". Med schools won't care what you will be doing. At my interviews, many med schools didn't even ask about what my senior year classes or grades were. You would be fine just doing nothing in that extra year.

 

[iamahippo]

You're going to have interviews in the fall of your "year off". Med schools won't care what you are doing.

I don't know about your interview experience, but from my experience, "what have you been doing in your year off" has been a *major* question in all of my 9 interviews, and is usually discussed for 10 minutes of each interview, usually toward the beginning. My impression is that you need to be doing *something* or they won't like it. My friend is a reapplicant this year also, chose to "do nothing" and at this point is beginning to consider a third application (of course, there are other factors as well).

 

[Morsetlis]

I regretted doing that.

 

[iamahippo]

I regretted doing that.

Regretted what, doing nothing in your gap year? Or graduating in 3 years with a gap year

 

[mvenus929]

Are there any disadvantages for taking a year off (for example less scholarships?)

Well, if you took out loans during undergrad, you'd have to start paying those back because your 6 month grace period would expire during that gap year.

Other than that, no, not really.

You're going to have interviews in the fall of your "year off". Med schools won't care what you will be doing. At my interviews, many med schools didn't even ask about what my senior year classes or grades were. You would be fine just doing nothing in that extra year.

Eh... all the schools that I interviewed at cared what I was doing, and several schools have a place to put what you've been doing since graduation on the application. So, I strongly disagree with the idea that you can do nothing during that extra year.

That said, I'll echo what I already said above... you should not be using your gap year to bolster your application unless you plan on taking more than one. If you don't start a job until September, and interview in October, the adcoms aren't going to be terribly impressed with your experience. Granted, if you start as soon as school ends in the spring, then you can have something to talk about, but, again, you should not require that activity to improve your application, because there's no guarantee that it will.

 

[hookem5]

I regretted doing that.

why's that?

 

[Ub3rmensch]

I'm in the exact same situation as you, UT and everything. What I'm not sure about is actually taking the year off to do whatever or staying another year to possibly get a double major completed. I need a serious backup if I don't get in. There's also the option of pursuing a masters and applying 1 year later.

 

[hookem5]

I'm in the exact same situation as you, UT and everything. What I'm not sure about is actually taking the year off to do whatever or staying another year to possibly get a double major completed. I need a serious backup if I don't get in. There's also the option of pursuing a masters and applying 1 year later.

Haha wow, that's great. What's your major?

I think for me, it'll depend on how I think I'll be perceived as an applicant with the 3 years of UG, and just like you said, if things are shaky possibly go get a masters or some post bacc.

 

[deleted261193]

i did this.

no one ever asked me anything to suggest that i was less mature because i graduated in three years. i've been working in a lab full-time during my year off.

on MOST of your secondaries, they'll ask you if you are still in school in the app year, and if not, what you plan on doing. of course they have no way of checking this, but you can at least plant a seed in their head about what you're doing. send update letters. then remind them at interviews.

 

[imymemine]

Thank you Alex. That sounds good. I'm assuming there's a standard means by which I inform my schools what I'm planning on doing. Would that come up in the applications or interviews?

Anybody out there who has done something similar to this?

The 2011-2012 TMDSAS activities & work experience section allowed me to put in future/planned activities, although AMCAS did not. Many AMCAS schools asked about gap-year activities and plans in secondary applications. Most schools are also receptive to update letters, especially after they have granted you an interview. Some schools have personal status pages that allow you to upload these updates into your file, others require you to email them to the office of admissions.