How common is it to get into medical school straight out of undergrad?

[I am the Walrus]

I mean back in the 80s/90/s most docs went to college then medical school right away.

Recently I've seen a lot of people on the non trad forms who get into medical school in their 30's

I rarely see any traditional students..

can someone give me some statistics on the traditional/nontraditional student ratio.

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[darkjedi]

My current class is about a 40/60 split of people who went straight though/people who took at least a year off

 

[Loveless]

Kinda offhand comment, but it's so much better to take a year off. Recharging the batteries is worth graduating a year later than the gunners. 😉

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Aamc data has average ages. Google msq.

 

[chillaxbro]

From what I remember, a lot of the schools I looked at had an average matriculating age of 23 or 24 so it seems most people take at least a year off.

 

[Ismet]

I don't know exact numbers for my school, but I'd agree with darkjedi that it's around 40/60 straight through/at least a year off.

However, "traditional" applicants typically include people who only take one gap year as well, and my class has quite a few of those people, so the ratio would probably be 50/50 or 60/40 traditional vs. "non-traditional"

Trad students are not rare.

 

[Lamel]

Weird. I've always assumed that most people start right after college. So they apply right after junior year ends and matriculate after senior year.

At least that's my plan.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Weird. I've always assumed that most people start right after college. So they apply right after junior year ends and matriculate after senior year.

At least that's my plan.

Good luck.

 

[pathologyDO]

^^ MSQ 2010, 2011, 2012, AAMC

Looks like it's pretty common to get in right after college

 

[pachewisc]

^^ MSQ 2010, 2011, 2012, AAMC

Looks like it's pretty common to get in right after college

I see a pretty clear trend here. 22 and under group has decreased by 10% in 2 years (by that I mean 43.7% to 39.4% is a 4.3% drop, aka 10% less students in that age group in 2012 as compared to 2010).

Each of the three oldest age groups have been on the rise. Obviously we'd need more years of data to see if this trend towards older students is legitimate.

While traditional students are still common, this supports OP's original statements that "...back in the 80s/90/s most docs went to college then medical school right away. Recently I've seen a lot [more] people ... in their 30's".

 

[jm192]

Kinda offhand comment, but it's so much better to take a year off. Recharging the batteries is worth graduating a year later than the gunners. 😉

I can't stress this enough.

I didn't do it, and I constantly felt burnt out during 1st and 2nd year.

The people who took that year off had that good student since Kindergarten fire.

 

[Vitals]

Here are the facts instead of the questionnaires:
https://www.aamc.org/download/321468/data/2012factstable6.pdf

 

[NickNaylor]

I can't stress this enough.

I didn't do it, and I constantly felt burnt out during 1st and 2nd year.

The people who took that year off had that good student since Kindergarten fire.

Depends. I went straight through and sure, times sucked occasionally, but I don't feel as if my soul has been destroyed. If you have something to do for a year or two then I think it would be a good idea to explore those opportunities before you start med school, but I think it's a little extreme to suggest that you won't do well or won't work hard if you go straight through.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[jm192]

Depends. I went straight through and sure, times sucked occasionally, but I don't feel as if my soul has been destroyed. If you have something to do for a year or two then I think it would be a good idea to explore those opportunities before you start med school, but I think it's a little extreme to suggest that you won't do well or won't work hard if you go straight through.

Sent from my Nexus 7

I dont mean to suggest that at all. I worked hard and did very well. I'd say the bull are still traditional students--and they still excel. But it's hard to keep yourself excited about it.

And I disagree about needing something to do.

You'll be 30 instead of 29 when you finish residency. Take a year off and do anything.

 

[Orchid723]

Also note that some schools, to my knowledge at least, only consider ages 27+ as non-trad... so you could still take several years off and not be considered non-trad by their definition, but by your classmates' definitions.

 

[mimelim]

I certainly would not consider someone a non-traditional student unless they did something productive in between undergrad and medical school. If you are spending most of your non-recreational time doing things to prepare for medical school, taking classes, preparing for MCAT, etc. you are a traditional student.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

It's probably getting more common to take a year or two off since it means your app is a lot more complete. You get all of your college experience to show off, not just your first three years. You get four years of ECs and LORs. You also get to use the summer in between your junior and senior year to study for the MCAT (or if you take two years off you can use your gap year) which helps your grades and MCAT score immensely.

That and it's just nice to take a break from school after being in it for 17+ years straight. I know that when my last semester of college rolled around I was so glad I hadn't applied for grad school yet since I was totally burned out on academics at the time. It feels great to not have to worry about exams and papers when all your friends still in college are freaking out.

Personally I'd recommend taking a year or two off as long as you have a plan beforehand since the last thing you want is to have to explain to med schools that you did nothing productive with your time off.

 

[Mountaineer12]

Kinda offhand comment, but it's so much better to take a year off. Recharging the batteries is worth graduating a year later than the gunners. 😉

👍 Although I've complained about being bored during my gap year, I can't imagine going straight through. This way I've had over a year to get excited and prepared for med school. I feel recharged and my bank account enjoyed the extra year of working.

 

[Lamel]

Good luck.

Lol thanks.

I think that's everybody's plan at first.

Where would you say people ultimately fall short with this plan?

 

[Espadaleader]

Go to US News. They give Non-Trad percentages at each school. They consider Non-Trad taking at least one year.

 

[Flashfan]

I always thought this was the norm, but with all the advice on SDN about not studying for the MCAT while in class, I am worried that the year off will be necessary.

 

[Bluto385]

While I am literally going straight through (my med school starts May 28), I would not know what to do with myself if I even had another semester of off time. This spring semester has been nothing but BS courses like Stretch & Relaxation and International Ales & Lagers, and every day I have felt like the hypnotized Peter Gibbons in Office Space. Any more recharging for me would just feel more like brain atrophy.

 

[I am the Walrus]

Thanks for the input guys. My plan is to take a year off between college and high school. Then starting college with a major in medical laboratory science. Then i plan on working for a year as a MT. Then i'll plan on applying to med or PA schools.

Does this sound like a good plan 😀

 

[darkjedi]

Thanks for the input guys. My plan is to take a year off between college and high school. Then starting college with a major in medical laboratory science. Then i plan on working for a year as a MT. Then i'll plan on applying to med or PA schools.

Does this sound like a good plan 😀

Throw some travelling in there if you can! Some of my most memorable and enjoyable experiences are of exploring different places, whether it's domestic or abroad.

 

[I am the Walrus]

Well I'm Canadian =D. More specifically from Toronto and starting medical school in the states is already an adventure =P

 

[somefun]

.

 

[I am the Walrus]

Well for some med schools they accept Canadians i think...

 

[Alejandro]

I think something that has to be said is that while school is fun as a student, you cannot put a price on youth, or the opportunities you will have when you don't have with school always on the back of your mind. It was definitely nice not having to worry about studying or homework, etc. I feel while it's fun being a student where my "job" is just to study, I do miss making money and spending the money on fun things, without any guilt. 😛

 

[I am the Walrus]

Why is this moved to Hsdn =(

 

[nysegop]

I mean back in the 80s/90/s most docs went to college then medical school right away.

Recently I've seen a lot of people on the non trad forms who get into medical school in their 30's

I rarely see any traditional students..

can someone give me some statistics on the traditional/nontraditional student ratio.

My pops often advises his students to focus on school and such for all 4 years and then take a full year off for life experience, MCAT, and applications.

 

[Medstart108]

.

 

[survivordo]

I went straight through and have no regrets. Many people took a year or two off, some came later. Moral of the story, both are common and acceptable.

Survivor DO

 

[PTPoeny]

My starting class was ~50% straight through, ~25% 1-2 years off, ~25% with significant time off.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I would say that the majority still go straight through, but that number shrinks especially at the higher ranked schools where a lot of people did other things.

 

[ComradeDoktor]

I went straight through (well almost, I had a gap half-year), but it seems like a risky proposition. If you have time between undergrad and med school, you have time to sort out any issues that may have come up with your undergrad degree, for example, retaking a required class that you were forced to drop for some reason your last semester. If you have to start medical school immediately after finishing college, there's no room for error with graduating from college.

 

[Pasmal]

I think that for most, the summer between graduating and MS1 is long enough to take trips, recharge, work a bit, or whatever you'd like.

If you have a fellowship or some other program that you're really interested in that requires more of a time commitment, it just comes down to what you really want to do more... can you live without that experience, or do you need to pursue it even if it means putting a hold on med school?