Work between Undergrad and Med school?

[Guest Future MSFer]

I'm going to apply to med school in 4th year but let say I don't get in. I would rather work than do a masters. My question is, can I apply to med school from the "work force"? or must I be in school to apply. I was also thinking to take 1 or 2 courses while working (that is, after I graduate), just for fun and to bring up my GPA, if need be. Because I will not be going to school full time (becasue I'll be working!) how will that be looked upon by medschools, knowing that some require that you take a full course load every year of school?

[Guest Madz25]

Yes, you can apply to med school from the "work force." If you take time off between undergrad and med school, the adcoms usually want to know how you spent your time during that period.

 

Provided that you have already completed your degree, I don't think that you need to keep a full course load in your extra year. Some schools only consider years in which you have taken a full course load, so it may not even count. I'm not sure about this - its best to check with the schools.

[Guest moxiekat]

I agree with Madz.. it is no problem to apply from the work force. I would suggest to try to make the work experience relevant in some manner. By this, I don't mean working in a lab or a hospital only. For myself, I have worked in a restaurant after undergrad and while appying for medicine. I became a part-time manager and developed skills (such as leadership and communication) that I ended up talking about at every school I interviewed. I acutally think my experience in the work force is what helped me to get into 5 schools.

[Guest Future MSFer]

cool, thank you for your input