What is a gap year/finishing school late?

[Parklife]

First of all, what is a "gap year" exactly? Do med and dental students really take a whole YEAR of school before going into med and dent school? Or do only a small percentage of people who need it?

A lot of the threads I see are outdated regarding gap years. Is a gap year beneficial? Is it really worth being a year older than everyone else in D school? From what I understand, volunteering and EC can't do much if your numbers aren't good. So what do people do during the gap year? Does it look bad?

Sorry for all the questiosn! Thanks

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[ataha]

It's a waste of time, unless you have a 4.0 with a perfect DAT score then I can understand. But even then I'm a firm believer in there's always room for improvement and you should always be learning!

 

[yellowishbluish]

some of us get suckered into taking one 'cause we didn't know those January February application deadlines were just for show.

the only scenario i can think of a gap year being beneficial is if you had a really high gpa (so you don't need a postbac) but other parts of your app needed time intensive work, eg. your extracurriculars, dats.

but the average age of matriculation is like 25 or something, so you wouldn't be older than EVERYone.

 

[GobBluth]

but the average age of matriculation is like 25 or something, so you wouldn't be older than EVERYone.

That would be the average age of current students (from D1 to D4), not the average age of matriculation. It would be absurd if the average age of a D1 was 25.

 

[yellowishbluish]

That would be the average age of current students (from D1 to D4), not the average age of matriculation. It would be absurd if the average age of a D1 was 25.

nope

that's a pretty common number being tossed around for matriculation

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-290290.html

i did a quick google, didn't find numbers on all schools, but tufts lists last year's entering class was on average 24 years old

http://dental.tufts.edu/1176295338385/TUSDM-Page-dental2w_1186496760237.html

the median's probably lower but meh

 

[Parklife]

Ok I think I understand. I will do my best to avoid the gap year scenario. Wouldn't it be nice if all pre-health majors got to take a year off to do volunteering/one class abroad? Med/pharm/dent schools should do that.

 

[Seahawk]

That would be the average age of current students (from D1 to D4), not the average age of matriculation. It would be absurd if the average age of a D1 was 25.

25 is the average age of D1's.

 

[GobBluth]

Mind blown. Now I'm gonna feel super young.

 

[Parklife]

That can't be right. 4 years of under grad 18+1+1+1+1=22 OR 19+1+1+1+1=23

I can't imagine the majority of pre-dental students failed at getting in the first time as a D1.

But if that's true then I feel young which is a good thing! I'm 18 still finishing my first year of undergrad

 

[jeffity]

That can't be right. 4 years of under grad 18+1+1+1+1=22 OR 19+1+1+1+1=23

I can't imagine the majority of pre-dental students failed at getting in the first time as a D1.

But if that's true then I feel young which is a good thing! I'm 18 still finishing my first year of undergrad

There are a million scenarios that can add a year (or many) to that ideal 4-year plan of yours. And failing has nothing I do with it.

 

[tothepark]

Here are some common reasons:
1. Need to work and make money.
2. Late decision that dentistry is the chosen career path, deciding during junior/senior year or later.
3. Personal circumstances (marriage, kids, family, death, sickness, tired of school)
4. Want to include grades, ECs, test scores from all of senior year on applications.
5. Need to complete pre-requirements.


List goes on..

 

[Bereno]

That can't be right. 4 years of under grad 18+1+1+1+1=22 OR 19+1+1+1+1=23

I can't imagine the majority of pre-dental students failed at getting in the first time as a D1.

But if that's true then I feel young which is a good thing! I'm 18 still finishing my first year of undergrad

Nobody said the majority of D1s failed their first time around lol. The mode is probably 22 or 23 as you have shown. But since people can only get older from there, the mean is closer to 24/25 because a select few people are far older than every one else. Just think, if you have a few 40 year olds in your class, that alone could bump up the average age by one whole year. 24/25 seems about right to me.

 

[Parklife]

I should hope the mode is 22 lol

 

[jeffity]

I should hope the mode is 22 lol

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Age has nothing to do with anything at that point. You're all D1s and they're your peers for 4 years. Don't go in with the attitude that all these old people are failures and question how in the world they went so astray on their path. It's professional school and for the most part, that's how we are all expected to behave. I'm sure the old guys will be lame sometimes and the young kids will be immature sometimes. But I promise you're going to survive if you start at 22.