Other FAQs

For a lot of people, gap years are EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL.

Sure, if you enter medical school straight away, there are a lot of benefits, including: reaching the terminal career at an earlier age, long-term financial stability, no need to find a job/apply to things for gap years, etc.

However, for most people, we are not ready for medical schools by the age of 21/22 for various reasons. For example, some of us couldn’t take the MCAT because school is busy. Some others want to make money first and save up for applications and tuitions. And some want to take a few years off to grow as a person and/or a researcher.

Whatever the reason is, there is one common theme: people need more time to be ready for medical schools, and that is okay. Figure out what you and your application need, have a plan to get what you need, and execute that plan. Better be a few years late than wasting all your time and money to applying and reapplying [on top of having to explain how your candidacy has changed]. Also, it is pretty good to mature a little more [personally and/or professionally] so you can handle all the stress that medicine will throw at you.

Please note that the programs/companies listed below are merely examples that I am aware of for that particular category of activity. This is in no way a form of endorsement for the programs/companies mentioned. Some gap years activities include:

• M.S. Program:
  • Classes-based, e.g., UCSF Master of Science in Global Health
  • Thesis-based, e.g., UCLA Master of Science in Physiological Science
  • Translational Programs, e.g., UC Berkeley – UCSF Master of Translational Medicine or JHU Master of Science in Bioengineering Innovation and Design
• Post-Baccalaureate Program (common among those who need to fulfill courses requirements and/or improve their GPA), e.g., UCLA Extension Pre-Medical and General Science Studies Certificate or UCSD Post Baccalaureate Premedical Program or AAMC Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs
• Post-Baccalaureate Program with Linkage with Medical School (i.e., will be guaranteed interviews if you meet specific criteria), e.g., Case Western Reverse University Post-baccalaureate Readiness Instruction for bioMedical Education (PRIME) Program
• Post-Baccalaureate Research Program, e.g., NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award
• Working as a Front Desk Receptionist at a Clinic
• Working as a Research Assistant, e.g., in a laboratory or at a medical center
• Working as a Scribe (e.g., ScribeAmerica), a Medical Assistant, or an Emergency Technician Assistant (e.g., PRN Ambulance)
• Working in Industry, e.g., at a biotech company such as Genentech
• Job opportunities by John Hopkins Pre-Professional Advising Office here
• Etc.

The list is way too long for us to go through it in details. You should spend sometimes checking them out on your own and formulating an idea of what you want to do.

Examples of Special Programs:

• UCLA/PRIME: 5-year dual degree program focusing on developing leaders in medicine addressing policy, care and research in healthcare for the underserved
• UCLA/Charles R. Drew Medical Education Program: focusing on transforming the health of diverse and underserved communities
• UC Davis Rural-PRIME: focusing on producing future physicians dedicated to serving California’s underserved rural community

Example of Dual Degrees: M.D./J.D., M.D./M.B.A., M.D./M.P.H., M.D./Ph.D., Etc.

For some schools, you may be able to apply to a dual degree program AFTER you are admitted. For example, a DGSOM student may apply to the M.D./M.B.A. Program during their 3rd year in medical school. However, for some others, you MUST apply to the dual degree program right at the start. One example includes the M.D./M.B.A. in Health Management at Tufts University. As a result, please be sure to check out the specifics/guidelines for EACH school that you are interested in applying to.