Should I take one or two years off before entering medical school?

[kydactar]

---

Members don't see this ad.

.

 

[DrHart]

At 20, and given the situation you describe, I would take at least two years. Med schools are looking for applicants with a variety of unique experiences. Give yourself at the necessary time to buff up the parts of your app that could be improved. It has always been my impression that medical schools prefer mature candidates with experience (even with lower grades or scores) to younger applicants with bare minimum cookie cutter experiences with a slight edge on the GPA or MCAT.

Keep in mind that you want to be able to write about your experiences from your year off, which would mean you really need to take 2 full years (1 year of doing things, and the following year being the application cycle)

Look at it this way, even if you take 2 gap years, you'll still be on the younger side of the average age when you start 😛

 

[FutureDoctorX-men]

I forgot to click the reply button. ignore this message!

 

[FutureDoctorX-men]

Hm, what about LORs, how would I handle that when I've been out of college for a year and don't live near the unviersity? Would I still be able to go back to get a committee letter or will I be at a disadvantage since I won't be able to get letters from my science profs?

IMO, I think that before you graduate, you should keep a VERY tight bond and relationships with some of your professors. Even a quick chat through email here and there, whether personal or educational. If LORs are your main concern then I really believe that you need to keep a close bond with your profs even if you don't live near the University anymore.
I'm also in pretty much the same situation as you, although I will not be graduating early, I plan on taking 2 years off after graduation just so I can work and also improve my CV. I also live very very far away from my University so I think that keeping in contact with your profs can be very beneficial. Even if you visit them once a month or so, just having a personal one-to-one talk with them in person will show them that you really like them as a person and that you are genuinely interested and is willing to take the time off your schedule to meet with them.
Now heres a word of caution, DO NOT do any of these if you plan on just using your profs for your own selfish benefit!! You must genuinely like them as a person, find something of common interest and just be genuine. They're human too you know, using them for solely your own benefit is not a good idea IMO.

That's just my thought process though...

 

[FutureDoctorX-men]

That would be difficult considering I don't really have that much of a bond with any of my professors, and I feel like with only a few more weeks of school it would be odd to start now? What is the opinion on LORs from employers, shadowed physicians, and other professional relationships? I know schools think it's shady to not use a Pre-Med Committee letter if you have the opportunity to, but does that apply to those who took x years off?

If I were put in your situation, I honestly wouldn't really care if its a few more weeks of school! It's never too late to get to know someone, and that includes professors! Just go to their office hours and introduced yourself, if you did well on their class then go ahead and say "Good morning/afternoon Professor X, my name is Y and I was in your [insert course and class and term]. I would just like to ask if I can get to know you better..."
I know it may sound lame, but you never know! It's like your trying to interview them to be your friend, that's all!
Something like that, just insert a catalyst and your reaction will become faster (Ha! Chemistry joke...)

Anyways, I think that having LORs from other people aside from your prof is not a bad idea as long as you like them and they like you! And why would schools think that it's "shady" if you didn't use a Pre-med committee letter. Not everyone who applies to med school uses a Pre-med committee letter even if they had the chance to use one. Most use these letters just as a "leg up".

In addition, remind yourself that you are taking a GAP YEAR! It's not like you are applying as soon as possible. Take the time to network and get to know people. Asking for LORs from employers, shadowed physicians, and other professional relationships may seem like a good idea but again, just be careful and make sure that the QUALITY of your LORs trumps everything else (aside from you GPA and MCAT).

Good luck!

 

[bannie22]

get in as quickly as possible. i dont think you can change much of the important parts such as your gpa and mcat. and it doesnt seem like your research is really going anywhere.

 

[solitarius]

only getting more competitive each year...

 

[aprilfools]

Your MCAT is fine. The odds of getting a significantly higher score on a retake are low, and even if you were gunning for top schools, you basically have to have a great MCAT the first try, as they will average your two MCAT scores. So suffice it to say, you are not going to be competitive for top tier schools.

You NEED more volunteering to get into any school, period. Research is overrated and is only of "Medium" importance for private schools, and of "low" importance for public schools, as per an official AAMC survey.

You should be able to do well as in applicant for the next cycle (take one year off before applying) if you add to your volunteering, as it is nowhere near sufficient as-is.

 

[citykid92]

I honestly think taking off two years sounds like a great plan (I'm a little biased... it's what I did). I fully agree that gap years are the perfect chance to improve your application and to pursue some things you want to pursue before starting school (like the City Year you described). There's absolutely no need to rush and it sounds like you are excited about some of the things you can do during your gap years. I 100% recommend taking them, it will make you more competitive. I also strongly disagree about not being able to improve your MCAT score. If you really didn't study as much as you should've and got a 513, some more intense studying should definitely be able to push your score up, especially CARS (you really want everything 127+ ideally.

 

[aprilfools]

I honestly think taking off two years sounds like a great plan (I'm a little biased... it's what I did). I fully agree that gap years are the perfect chance to improve your application and to pursue some things you want to pursue before starting school (like the City Year you described). There's absolutely no need to rush and it sounds like you are excited about some of the things you can do during your gap years. I 100% recommend taking them, it will make you more competitive. I also strongly disagree about not being able to improve your MCAT score. If you really didn't study as much as you should've and got a 513, some more intense studying should definitely be able to push your score up, especially CARS (you really want everything 127+ ideally.

"I didn't really study as much as I should have" is bull**** 99% of the time. Use that as an excuse and see what adcoms think.

There is absolutely no purpose in retaking a 90th percentile score. If you do that, I suspect many schools will wonder why you did it in the first place, and if you don't score SUBSTANTIALLY higher it will make that decision look even worse. a 513 will not keep you out of anything except "top-tier" schools, which you will not be competitive for with multiple MCATs in the first place (schools average MCAT scores), so again, what is the point of retaking a 90th percentile MCAT?

 

[citykid92]

Well a 124 in a section leaves lots of room for improvement + can definitely hurt you more than a balanced 513 would. I have no clue how much OP studied but if it's true that he/she didn't study enough, I don't see how retaking is a bad idea. Plus a 513 with a 124 will definitely hurt you at high mid-tier to top tiers.

edit: plus OP lists lots of reasons besides retaking MCAT for wanting to take a gap year.

 

[aprilfools]

Well a 124 in a section leaves lots of room for improvement + can definitely hurt you more than a balanced 513 would. I have no clue how much OP studied but if it's true that he/she didn't study enough, I don't see how retaking is a bad idea. Plus a 513 with a 124 will definitely hurt you at high mid-tier to top tiers.

You are missing the point. If you get a 513 once you are no longer competitive for top tier schools, barring some incredible super star status in your application.

 

[citykid92]

I would disagree with that. A 513 retaken into a 520 with a strong application otherwise (which would also be helped by gap years) should at least have a shot for top tiers. Definitely have a better shot at t20 or t30.

 

[aprilfools]

I would disagree with that. A 513 retaken into a 520 with a strong application otherwise (which would also be helped by gap years) should at least have a shot for top tiers. Definitely have a better shot at t20 or t30.

So if OP can increase from a 90%ile to 99%ile they will end up with a ~516-517 average which is still below the median of most of the so called "top 20" schools. Thinking its likely to jump up from a 513 to a 520 on a retake is poor advice.

 

[citykid92]

Ok haha. Agree to disagree. I still think a gap year is an excellent idea for OP even if he/she doesn't retake.

edit: you're also completely ignoring that a 124 on a section is not good and can definitely hold you back. if you're just gonna operate under the assumption that it's impossible to improve then obviously retaking is a bad idea. i personally disagree with that assumption.

 

[aprilfools]

Ok haha. Agree to disagree. I still think a gap year is an excellent idea for OP even if he/she doesn't retake.

Lol I said that. A gap year is necessary as OP has no where near sufficient volunteering hours. But advising an MCAT retake is poor advice.

 

[Tenk]

If I had the option I'd be a doctor sooner than later. I was 24 when I started medical school which is 2 years behind the "norm." Life is just so much cooler as an attending than as a premed, med student or resident that I would trade those two years in a heartbeat.

Just my opinion so take it for what it's worth. Good luck.

 

[cactusman]

If I had the option I'd be a doctor sooner than later. I was 24 when I started medical school which is 2 years behind the "norm." Life is just so much cooler as an attending than as a premed, med student or resident that I would trade those two years in a heartbeat.

Just my opinion so take it for what it's worth. Good luck.

Although if we're going just by average numbers, 24 is the norm.

 

[McDreamy123]

What is your GPA? I missed that. You have this concern about mid to top tier...just so you know any US allopathic school can get you to where you want to be. Maybe at some schools it will be more work, but either way it's on you to a large part. Also, as someone who took two gap years before med school I would highly recommend just starting school. Yes, I was able to do some cool research in my time off at big academic center, but I would've likely gotten in if I just applied last year---so was definitely not worth it. I say this as someone who lives on their own and pays all their bills, thus I had to work extensively to support myself. I could have lived at home with family but would've hated that even more..lol. And I had to work jobs that I loath...would've way rather been in medical school studying something I am passionate about thAn working a crap job I hate 50 hours a week. Also every year put off is a year of lost income at the attending level in theory. ($250+K)

If you have a state school you should be going there to save $$! You say you will likely get in there now--so than do it!! I think waiting around when you could likely get in is crazy. Wish I started sooner. Again, getting into into US allo school is huge feat these days...MSAR reports average GPA for accepted students is 3.8 , and MCAT 32. Getting that MD at 24 or 25 will be priceless. The big part is getting into medical school---THAT is the bottleneck that stops most from ever being doctor....if you can get in now than go!!! Bang out some volunteering now from time to applying.

 

[Tenk]

Although if we're going just by average numbers, 24 is the norm.

Meant straight through no gap years.