During the Pre-health@Penn Presentation of New Student Orientation a few years ago, a freshman asked, “How does a ‘gap year’ happen?” as if talking about a nasty virus against which we should all be vaccinated.
We all laughed, of course, but it is not unusual to be confused about this notion. Nevertheless, it is not something you should try to avoid at all costs but rather keep an open mind about to see if and how it fits along the pre-health journey of a student. Gap years can often be a good thing to strengthen one’s application for health professions programs. Some work experience can equip applicants with life skills that can be crucial for their success in the grad programs. It is also not so uncommon. For example, during the last medical school application cycle, more than 70% of our students were applying with one or more gap year(s).
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It is important to remember that the “gap” or “glide” year that we are talking about here does not delay one’s graduation from college. Rather it refers to the period between graduating and starting medical school. For instance, because the application cycle is almost a year long, students taking a single gap year typically apply in May or June after graduation and start medical/dental school in July or August the following year. The length of time increases by another year or more depending on the application cycle being targeted.
Different students can have different motives for taking a gap year. Some common reasons include:
- Preparing for and taking the MCAT the summer after junior year, which makes it difficult to catch the application cycle starting in May/June of that year
- Spreading out the pre-requisite courses over 4 years of undergraduate study
- Wanting to showcase more than 3 years of grades on the application
- Aiming to gain more clinical/research experience
- Pursuing a fellowship or another degree before medical school
- Trying to earn money and save up before starting medical school
- Addressing personal or family matters
- Engaging in unique service or work opportunities, either domestically or internationally
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) suggests making the most of one’s gap year by avoiding multiple short-term engagements and rather focusing on activities that might strengthen the application and/or bring personal satisfaction. That too might look different for different people. For some, it might mean taking additional coursework to boost their GPA, while for others it might entail engaging in a relevant role to get more clinical/research experience. For pre-meds wondering about what to do during the gap year, our website has lists of experiences that previous cohorts of applicant have engaged in. It might not be a bad idea to meet with one of the pre-health advisors to discuss whether it might make sense for you to take a gap year and what you might do with the time.
But what if it is not the plan? – We know that it is sometimes hard to change the plans of wanting to go straight through to the next step of your career, but it can definitely help. We are more than happy to help you in your decision making.
