Percentage of med students who take a gap year?

[dizzyorange]

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Has there ever been any study done of the percentage of med students who take one or more years off before med school?

Just curious if it is like 15% or more like 30%.

 

[armybound]

what do they say, 50% of all applicants don't get in each application cycle?

so I'd say around 50% take a year off.

 

[Deac27]

Maybe even more than that, as some of us consciously decide to take a year off. I didn't apply at all last cycle knowing that I'd have this gap year.

 

[wjustice]

Here's some info from the AAMC on age of applicants and matriculants: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2007/age0307.htm

The average age of matriculants is 23. I'm not sure what the distribuition looks like, but my guess is that there aren't too many matriculants older than 25 or so who skew the mean. So maybe between 1/3 to a half of maticulants took a year or more off? That's assuming 22 is the mean for people who go straight to med school from college. It also seems like there are more older matriculants at the top twenty schools.

 

[April16MCAT]

that doesnt even count people (like myself) who plan a year off and dont even apply while still in school

 

[dizzyorange]

That's more than I expected. I was feeling kind of old compared to my classmates (since most of the class of '12 students I know are 2 years younger than me). It's kind of cool to see that I am right at the average age of matriculation according to AAMC.

 

[Tensyle]

We can find out what cross section of SDNers took a gap year off...

Tensyle: 1 year

edit: feel free to add your name

 

[bodonid]

that doesnt even count people (like myself) who plan a year off and dont even apply while still in school

There are a bunch of us, too.

 

[majik1213]

what do they say, 50% of all applicants don't get in each application cycle?

so I'd say around 50% take a year off.

that's a good way to estimate it, but I think the figure is higher due to deferring a year upon acceptance for whatever reason