2 gap years?

[tenesseewrites]

Hey guys,

 

I wonder if you could help me out with some advice!

 

I have signed a 2 year job contract and I'm planning on applying to medical school after my contract is up. I graduated from my undergrad program this April. My MCAT and GPA are competitive, I don't have any worries on that front.

 

My worry is, would 2 gap years be a negative thing when I try to apply? I know that most people only take 1 gap year, so will they judge me negatively for working for 2 years instead of doing a Master's?

 

Thanks so much!

[KMMD]

Hey guys,

 

I wonder if you could help me out with some advice!

 

I have signed a 2 year job contract and I'm planning on applying to medical school after my contract is up. I graduated from my undergrad program this April. My MCAT and GPA are competitive, I don't have any worries on that front.

 

My worry is, would 2 gap years be a negative thing when I try to apply? I know that most people only take 1 gap year, so will they judge me negatively for working for 2 years instead of doing a Master's?

 

Thanks so much!

 

I don't know much about this but one thing is to make sure your MCAT will still be valid - some schools only accept scores written within 5 years of applying (don't know the specifics off the top of my head). Otherwise I don't think this could be viewed negatively, but as I said I don't know much about it.

 

Good luck!

[larva]

Definitely not! If anything, the experience you gain in the next few years working will only strengthen your application.

[tenesseewrites]

Thanks guys! I was getting nervous, seeing as a lot of the non-traditional applicants on here have Master's Degrees and PhDs (especially in the "success stories" thread).

 

I have checked and my MCAT score would still be valid.

[dds2do]

Took 10 gap years! LOL Actually, I worked as a DDS before applying to DO. Mediocre MCAT did make one ADCOM question if I could still do well in sciences because my Prereqs were taken in 1994. Anyway, I did get accepted at another school. Two years to work shouldn't be a problem.

[rmorelan]

Took 10 gap years! LOL Actually, I worked as a DDS before applying to DO. Mediocre MCAT did make one ADCOM question if I could still do well in sciences because my Prereqs were taken in 1994. Anyway, I did get accepted at another school. Two years to work shouldn't be a problem.

 

Just to add my two cents - as others have said it shouldn't matter at all. You aren't wasting the time after all Many people in my class have similar "gaps" - some much longer.

[future_doc]

so will they judge me negatively for working for 2 years instead of doing a Master's?

 

No. You will be judged on your merits and I assume your work experience will only make you a stronger candidate than you would be today.

[therese13]

quick question how did u prepare if ur pre-reqs were that old, in the same situation, did prereqs in 03/04 and i want to apply but i cannot remember nada from those courses, i do not want to retake them entirely because i got a/a+ on those courses...question is, is there an excellent course that would give me a comprehensive review without being graded

[rmorelan]

quick question how did u prepare if ur pre-reqs were that old, in the same situation, did prereqs in 03/04 and i want to apply but i cannot remember nada from those courses, i do not want to retake them entirely because i got a/a+ on those courses...question is, is there an excellent course that would give me a comprehensive review without being graded

 

Hi there! Prepare for what?

 

Most of the prereqs are actually not that directly useful in medical school. They are primarily a way of verifying you can learn various subjects reasonably well.