Is it bad to be multiple years out of school?

[LiteralLungs]

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My cycle failed. I plan on reapplying next year, and at that point, I will be 5 years out of undergrad. My GPA in undergrad was fine, and I did fine on the MCAT last summer (MCAT will be 2 years old when I apply). Do schools look negatively on someone who is multiple years out of school? One of the schools who gave me feedback did make a comment about how they might want to see a dedicated interest to the pursuit of knowledge since I am multiple years out of undergrad. Is this generally true across the board? I don't really want to waste money on classes when I don't need the GPA repair.

 

[KnightDoc]

There are plenty of ways to pursue knowledge, such as in a lab, travel, independent intellectual pursuits, hobbies, etc. I doubt anyone meant to suggest you just take random classes for no particular reason in order to demonstrate a dedicated interest in knowledge.

 

[LiteralLungs]

There are plenty of ways to pursue knowledge, such as in a lab, travel, independent intellectual pursuits, hobbies, etc. I doubt anyone meant to suggest you just take random classes for no particular reason in order to demonstrate a dedicated interest in knowledge.

Maybe I misunderstood what the person meant. They explicitly noted the fact that I am coming up on being 5 years out, my academics might be old, and I might benefit from taking a class. This was one school's opinion

 

[KnightDoc]

Maybe I misunderstood what the person meant. They explicitly noted the fact that I am coming up on being 5 years out, my academics might be old, and I might benefit from taking a class. This was one school's opinion

In that case, they are probably talking about prereqs getting stale (some schools have a 5 year timer on them). If that's what they mean, they are looking for an indication that you can still handle med school academics more than demonstrating a thirst for knowledge. Your MCAT is also bordering on the edge, because, while it will only be 2 years old when you apply, it will be 3 years old when you matriculate, which is right at the deadline for some schools.

Since your GPA and MCAT are fine, my advice would be to invest in MSAR, and avoid schools that are going to expect you to refresh classwork that honestly doesn't need refreshing. Also try to find additional schools where you will be a good fit and where you won't be a reapplicant. Of course, you also need to focus on whatever your feedback indicated needed attention in order to achieve a better result next cycle. Good luck!!

 

[Moko]

My cycle failed. I plan on reapplying next year, and at that point, I will be 5 years out of undergrad. ... Do schools look negatively on someone who is multiple years out of school?

No, we get plenty of non-traditional applicants. Multiple gap years are looked upon negatively only if that time was poorly spent. Just my thoughts.

 

[LiteralLungs]

In that case, they are probably talking about prereqs getting stale (some schools have a 5 year timer on them). If that's what they mean, they are looking for an indication that you can still handle med school academics more than demonstrating a thirst for knowledge. Your MCAT is also bordering on the edge, because, while it will only be 2 years old when you apply, it will be 3 years old when you matriculate, which is right at the deadline for some schools.

Since your GPA and MCAT are fine, my advice would be to invest in MSAR, and avoid schools that are going to expect you to refresh classwork that honestly doesn't need refreshing. Also try to find additional schools where you will be a good fit and where you won't be a reapplicant. Of course, you also need to focus on whatever your feedback indicated needed attention in order to achieve a better result next cycle. Good luck!!

Let's say I waited an additional year to apply. I retake my MCAT and do fine on it again. For those schools that have the 5 year deadline, what do they expect? Would they want to see me retake a couple random pre reqs? This may be a question better suited for those individual schools

 

[KnightDoc]

Let's say I waited an additional year to apply. I retake my MCAT and do fine on it again. For those schools that have the 5 year deadline, what do they expect? Would they want to see me retake a couple random pre reqs? This may be a question better suited for those individual schools

Exactly! I certainly can't speak for any particular school, but I think most reasonable schools are fine with coursework up to 10 years old, since the MCAT will usually be less than 3 years old. You mentioned that at least one school brought the age of your coursework up, and I know that MSAR mentions 5 years for prereqs at at least a few schools.

TBH, unless there is a specific school you are madly in love with, I'd just avoid schools that expect you to complete additional gratuitous coursework in order to demonstrate continued proficiency above and beyond that demonstrated by the MCAT. Definitely check with any school you are interested in before crossing it off your list for this reason, especially if you do well on a MCAT retake. You might just have an issue at the one school that gave you the feedback.

 

[LiteralLungs]

Exactly! I certainly can't speak for any particular school, but I think most reasonable schools are fine with coursework up to 10 years old, since the MCAT will usually be less than 3 years old. You mentioned that at least one school brought the age of your coursework up, and I know that MSAR mentions 5 years for prereqs at at least a few schools.

TBH, unless there is a specific school you are madly in love with, I'd just avoid schools that expect you to complete additional gratuitous coursework in order to demonstrate continued proficiency above and beyond that demonstrated by the MCAT. Definitely check with any school you are interested in before crossing it off your list for this reason, especially if you do well on a MCAT retake. You might just have an issue at the one school that gave you the feedback.

Thanks