year off between 3rd and 4th year

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

otouser4790

New Member
10+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I am considering taking a year off to do a top-5 MPH program (between 3rd and 4th year), and I am wondering if there is a possibility that this could hurt me when I apply for ENT. I think my application for residency would be solid if I applied now (step 1 >260, jr AOA, strong extracurriculars, some research although mostly not in ENT)...in other words, I am not doing this year off to boost my resume, although I do plan on working on some ENT research simultaneously. If anyone has taken a year off for an MPH and feels like it helped vs hurt them when it came time to apply, please comment. I just don't want to create a red flag in my application (especially since I can always do an MPH later on) and am hoping that if anything, the year off will actually help my chances as I will gain some great experiences and skills during the year off. Thank you
 
Last edited:
Won't hurt, and will likely help.

Good luck.

Work on some ENT research during your MPH year as well. I had some friends who did MD/MPH and they said the MPH year was a joke compared to med school. So you should have plenty of free time.
 
I am considering taking a year off to do a top-5 MPH program (between 3rd and 4th year), and I am wondering if there is a possibility that this could hurt me when I apply for ENT. I think my application for residency would be solid if I applied now (step 1 >260, jr AOA, strong extracurriculars, some research although mostly not in ENT)...in other words, I am not doing this year off to boost my resume, although I do plan on working on some ENT research simultaneously. If anyone has taken a year off for an MPH and feels like it helped vs hurt them when it came time to apply, please comment. I just don't want to create a red flag in my application (especially since I can always do an MPH later on) and am hoping that if anything, the year off will actually help my chances as I will gain some great experiences and skills during the year off. Thank you

Why do you want it? How will it help you? What will it cost?