A 4 Year vs. 5 Year Academic Plan for College

You may have heard of the concept of students taking a year off between college and medical school, often called a Gap Year. To better understand this concept consider that in order to start medical school immediately after college, you will have to apply to medical school at the end of your Junior year. If you would like to take a year off between college and medical school, you will have to apply to medical school at the end of your Senior year. This is because the application cycle to medical school starts in June and ends the following May, so students need to apply one year before they actually start school. For example, if you are trying to start medical school in Fall 2018, you would need to apply in Spring 2017. A 4 year Academic Plan allows for students to apply to medical school during their Junior year, whereas a 5 year Academic Plan allows for students to apply to medical school during their Senior year giving them a Gap Year, which is the fifth year of the plan. In both versions of the plan, all of the college courses are completed in 4 years. The Gap Year is generally a time where students can focus on their application and their other interests before dedicating their lives to the study of medicine. 

Here are two sample timelines which show the major differences with a 4 year vs. 5 year Academic Plan:

A 4 Year Academic Plan

Freshman
  • Begin premed course requirements
Sophomore
  • Complete all premed science courses by the end of Sophomore year
  • Take the MCAT the summer after Sophomore year
Junior
  • Apply to medical schools June of Junior year
​Senior
  • Complete the application process including secondary essays and interviews during Senior year
  • Graduate from college at the end of Senior year
Start Medical School in the Fall after the end of Senior year

A 5 Year Academic Plan

Freshman
  • Begin premed course requirements
Sophomore
  • Continue premed course requirements
Junior
  • Complete all premed science courses by the end of Junior year
  • Take the MCAT the summer after Junior year
​Senior
  • Apply to medical schools June of Senior year
  • Graduate from college
The Gap Year
  • Complete the application process including secondary essays and interviews during the Gap Year​
Start Medical School in the Fall after the end of the Gap Year
While there used to be a stigma associated with taking a year off after college, it is now becoming more commonplace. In fact, the median age of students accepted to medical school is 23 years old (Women) or 24 years old (Men). If most students complete college by age 22, this means at least half of all medical students are now taking a Gap Year, if not longer, between college and beginning medical school.

​The 5 year plan allows you to take less science classes per quarter/semester thus allowing you to perform better in those classes. This plan will also allow you to have more time to prepare for the MCAT and retake it if necessary.  Additionally, you won’t have to worry about traveling to interviews while taking courses concurrently. Once the interview season is over, you will have about 6 months to travel or relax before starting medical school. For all of these reasons, we recommend the five year plan. However, if your goal is to save time, the four year plan may be a better choice for you. Just remember, a medical education requires 11-15 years after high school, so what's another year going to do :). If you decide to take a year off after college and you have taken out student loans to finance your undergraduate education, be mindful of when you will need to begin repayment on those loans.

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