The Pre-Health Gap Year: More Than Just a Break
Gap years help pre-health students gain critical experience
—By Muneer Hasso and Nicole Denha
Britanny Hamama is a senior studying Biomolecular Sciences and Medical Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Like many pre-med students, Hamama assumed she would go on to medical school after her four years of undergraduate work. But she soon became hesitant of the “traditional” pre-medical path. “Once I realized how competitive the medical school admission process was, I realized I did not have enough medically-related experiences to make me the strongest applicant, so I ended up deciding to take a gap year to decompress and enrich my resume.” She is not alone. These so-called “gap years” have become more commonplace amongst pre-health undergraduates, especially as professional school applications have grown more competitive.
Indeed, at a recent Kaplan MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) preparatory course in Ann Arbor, Michigan, eight of the ten students present noted their intent to take time between their undergraduate and medical studies to pursue other opportunities; only two were planning to apply directly to medical or graduate school. For these University of Michigan students, it seems as if the phrase “traditional pre-health student” has become outdated in recent years; “traditional” in this sense implies matriculation to a graduate program with no time off after undergraduate studies. Hamama and other pre-health undergraduates, however, have realized how difficult it is to have all of their prerequisite courses, volunteering, research, clinical work, and admission exam completed, all while maintaining a rigorous course load, by the end of their junior year, when students must apply in order to matriculate traditionally. These students therefore opt to avoid the “traditional” label and apply after their undergraduate work has been completed, which provides them with additional time to complete all of these important requirements. From additional student testimonies and expert knowledge, it will become apparent why gap years have become such a frequent and ultimately beneficial choice made by pre-health students.
Dr. David Brawn, a prominent pre-health advisor at the University of Michigan, has been advising students in the Newnan Academic Advising Center for the past twelve years. He can testify that Hamama’s experiences are not uncommon. Brawn notes that the inability to complete prerequisite coursework, admission exams, and sufficient extracurricular activities in three years is one of driving forces of gap years. In addition, “schools have exhibited an increasingly pronounced preference for applicants with high levels of experience and the maturity, self-awareness, and sense of purpose that experience engenders.” Because of this, Brawn explains that medical schools like the University of Michigan have begun to skew heavily toward older applicants, with last year’s admitted class consisting of more than 80 percent of individuals who had taken one or more gap years. This is also demonstrated by the increase in the average age of medical school matriculation. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average age of medical student matriculation for the 2017-2018 application cycle is 24 for both male and female matriculants. With most undergraduate students graduating at the age of 21 or 22, it is apparent that these students are typically taking some time off after completing their undergraduate studies.
Gap years, if used meaningfully, can provide an opportunity for prospective health students to enhance their resume and mature as an applicant before going off to medical school. Many pre-health students use their gap years to bolster their application to help themselves stand out in the competitive world of professional school applications. The low acceptance rates are especially daunting. For instance, AAMC reported that during the 2018-2019 medical school admission cycle, only 21,622 students matriculated into U.S. medical schools out of the 52,777 applicants, meaning approximately 60% of students were denied. In order to secure a position in the limited number of spots, pre-health students will therefore spend their gap year(s) taking additional courses to meet prerequisites and improve their GPA, as well as clinical shadowing and research to show a continued interest in their respective fields. More unique engagements, such as mission trips and overseas fellowships, have also attracted the interest of non-traditional students taking gap years. In what is becoming an increasingly cutthroat application cycle that features many medical schools with single digit acceptance rates, gap year(s) are becoming more common for pre-health students due to their ability to help applicants create a more robust resume that is more likely to catch the admission committee’s eye.
What are pre-health students at U-M doing during their gap years?
Several students shared their experiences about their upcoming gap years, including why they decided to take a gap year and what they plan on doing during this time.
Austin Qasawa:
A surprising reality for many pre-health undergraduate students who intend to take a nontraditional route to medical school is that they often pursue a master’s degree during their gap year(s). While the notion that one’s gap year being spent studying and working toward another degree may seem paradoxical, graduate programs offer the ability to strengthen resumes and help students stand out amongst the mass of applications that medical schools receive yearly. Austin Qasawa, a senior at the University of Michigan who is currently studying Biochemistry with a minor in Medical Anthropology, plans on pursuing a Masters of Science degree in the Basic Medical Sciences program at Wayne State University during his gap year. He feels that pursuing a M.S. at a university close to home would allow him to strengthen his application and also recuperate before starting medical school. “After the stress of taking the MCAT and going through three and a half years of hard work at Michigan, I felt like I needed a break, and I also wanted to do something to improve my application,” explained Qasawa. Qasawa is not alone; many programs, such as Wayne State’s M.S. and the University of Michigan’s masters program in molecular and integrative physiology, are oriented toward pre-health students. These programs offer a chance to showcase an ability to perform well in advanced science courses, which medical schools consider very favorable. Many pre-health students take gap years due to an insufficiency in their application, and these masters programs successfully completed during gap years help students gain a competitive edge for the application process.
Britanny Hamama:
Other pre-med students, such as Britanny Hamama, pursue non-science graduate degrees during their gap years. According to Dr. Brawn, many medical schools like to see diversity in their applicant’s backgrounds, including unique aspects and experiences that help distinguish them from other applicants. One way to achieve this is to pursue a graduate degree in a field not explicitly related to medicine. Hamama, for example, was recently accepted and intends to enroll in the Michigan Ross Master of Management program, which focuses on business fundamentals, leadership development, and career preparation. “One career path that has always interested me is hospital administration, so when deciding what to do with my gap year, I knew that a business degree would be beneficial in the future,” explains Hamama. In addition to this, obtaining a graduate degree from one of the top-ranked business schools in the country will inevitably make Hamama a more competitive applicant for medical school. By using gap years to diversify themselves, pre-health students like Hamama are able to better their chances of getting into medical school while simultaneously broadening their potential career scope.
Katrina Mansour:
For Katrina Mansour, a senior at the University of Michigan studying Public Health Sciences, a gap year was necessary because of her late decision to pursue a career in Physician Assistant studies. Like many students at the University, Mansour enrolled with the intention of pursuing a medical degree. After her third year of undergraduate studies, however, she decided that she no longer wanted to apply to medical school, but rather wished to apply to PA school. In addition to the fact that PA schools have up to eight prerequisite courses that medical schools do not require, these programs are unique in that each school has a specific set of prerequisites. For instance, the eight PA schools located in Michigan all have different prerequisite requirements that stretch across multiple fields and concentrations. PA schools also require a certain amount of direct patient care hours, while medical schools do not. Because of these circumstances, Mansour knew that a gap year was necessary to finish taking her prerequisite courses and work to gain over 1,000 patient care hours. Dr. Brawn notes that the most competitive applicants to PA schools have the most patient care hours. Because of this, many pre-PA students will spend multiple years working in a clinical setting in order to accumulate these hours and increase their chances of acceptance. The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) reported that the average age of first-year PA students is 25.7, which clearly demonstrates the gap years these individuals are taking between undergrad and PA school. “As a 21-year old with a subpar application, I knew that my chances of acceptance were slim and therefore wanted to take at least a year to enhance my application and skills,” Mansour explains. During this upcoming year, Mansour will be working as a medical assistant in an orthopedics office, where her duties will include taking vitals, removing sutures, learning how to cast, and making steroid injections. Ultimately, she will be immersed in a clinical setting to gain the skills expected of an incoming PA student. She also will be using any free time to vacation and relax because she knows the path ahead of her will be extremely strenuous.
Jenna Sesi:
Jenna Sesi, on the other hand, opted to take a gap year due to the stress of trying to study for the MCAT while taking a rigorous course load. Sesi is also a University of Michigan senior, double majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Biomolecular Sciences (BMS). At the beginning of her third year of undergraduate studies, Sesi decided to double major. Because of this decision, she realized that her course load was too strenuous to be simultaneously studying for the MCAT. “Traditional” pre-med students will typically study for the MCAT exam during their third year so that they are able to take the exam early enough to apply during their desired cycle. Studying for the MCAT is a grueling process that requires countless hours of studying, reviewing, and practice test-taking. The exam is unique in that it requires the taker to not only learn vast amounts of information across the main concentrations of science, but also to demonstrate an ability to apply previous knowledge to new situations, a key facet of becoming a physician. Furthermore, the MCAT was updated in 2015, adding the Psychology and Sociology section and thus requiring students to learn more material before sitting for the exam. Considering the importance for pre-med students to score well on the MCAT (the average matriculant to U.S. medical schools scored a 511 in 2018-2019, which ranks in the 84th percentile of MCAT scores), many find it a challenge to prepare for the exam during a normal semester. Sesi therefore realized that in order to score as high as she possibly could on the MCAT, it would be necessary to study for the exam during the summer following her third year when she would not be in any classes. By doing so, she knew she would be able to dedicate her time time solely to the exam, giving herself a better opportunity of admission to medical school.
In addition to spending adequate time studying for her MCAT exam, Sesi knew that she needed to engage in more medically-related experiences during her gap year because working in a medically-related environment makes you a stronger and more knowledgeable candidate for medical school, according to AAMC. To accomplish this, she recently began working as a medical scribe in the Emergency Department for Inscribe Documentation Services, and she will continue to work there during her gap year. As a medical scribe, Sesi sees patients with the physician and fills out their entire chart, including patient history, why they present to the Emergency Department (history of present illness), and medical decision making (MDM). Sesi has been exposed to all of the medications and tests that are administered in the Emergency Department, which has allowed her to gain immense knowledge about the field of medicine. She has also learned substantial medical terminology, which will be extremely beneficial during medical school. Most importantly, she has become more familiarized with the patient-provider relationship. She will only learn more throughout her time there this next year, which will undoubtedly make her a preferred applicant and more prepared student for medical school.
Chaitu Dandu:
For Chaitu Dandu, medical school seemed like it was coming at him too fast. As a 20-year-old senior studying Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Michigan, he felt as if he had not had enough time to become more mature and engage in enough medically-related experiences. Dandu therefore decided that he would take a gap year or two to become a stronger applicant, intending to work full time in his research lab that investigates the management of heart failure through the use of websites and smartphone applications. “Because I do not feel like I am ready to go to medical school yet and I love the work that I am doing in my research lab, I have decided to work full time in my lab until I feel mature enough to begin that process,” Dandu explains.
Many pre-health students use their gap year to perform research, either through a program or as a full time research assistant, like Dandu. As more and more medical school applicants have worked in research labs, simply having the experience is not the distinguished resume piece that it once was. Therefore, many students feel that it is in their best interest to spend a year after their undergraduate studies working full time in a research lab with the intention of getting their work published or presenting their findings at a conference or symposium. These accomplishments are much more impressive than taking part in research alone. AAMC notes that having a meaningful experience in a lab like this not only helps you to gain a better understanding of different research processes, but also helps you gain more in-depth knowledge about medicine because research is essentially the future of medicine.
Tabitha Kalabat:
Tabitha Kalabat’s gap year experience was especially meaningful, as “it helped solidify my chances into getting into the top-ranked dental school in the United States and third-ranked dental school in the world, the University of Michigan.” Kalabat graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016, majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN). Kalabat wanted to take a gap year because she wanted to gain a year of experience working in the field of dentistry before actually starting the program. During this time, she worked as a dental assistant for Bloomfield Hills Dental Associates, assisting the dentists in dental examinations and procedures. She also monitored the sterilization of dental equipment and examination rooms. Her year of experience as a practicing dental assistant supplemented her stellar grades and experiences and ultimately made her an exceptional candidate for her dream school, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. According to Dr. Brawn, she is one of many students in graduate school that say they are really glad they took a gap year when asked. Their gap years gave the students an opportunity to mature in their fields and gain more experience to better prepare themselves for their career paths.
Pre-health students take gap years for a myriad of reasons and spend their gap years engaging in many different activities. Despite these differences, pre-health students are typically using this time to address any weaknesses they might have in their application, gain more knowledge about the field they wish to enter, take part in more meaningful experiences, and ultimately work as hard as they possibly can to make themselves the strongest applicant for graduate school. Gap years also allow students to not rush through any of the pertinent steps of the application process, which helps reduce stress and mistakes. By taking this additional time to perfect one’s application, students are become more attractive applicants. Due to the strikingly low acceptance rates and extremely competitive atmosphere that surrounds graduate school applications, it is in becoming more common to consider a gap year if they are not a wholesome applicant. As gap years become the new normal among pre-health students, any social stigma that labels gap year takers as unprepared and unqualified has dwindled, which has made it much easier for students to now consider. The “traditional” path to professional school is not really traditional anymore. Instead, the increased requirements and competitiveness for pre-health applicants have transformed the idea of a gap year from being a break from responsibility to being an almost necessary bridge on which applicants can improve and stand out.
Feature photo by Muneer Hasso