Taking a Gap Year
It is increasingly common for students interested in pursuing clinical medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and physician assistant professional health programs to take a gap year to gain additional experience to strengthen their applications. Here are some resources to consider as you think through whether you will take a gap year and what you might do during that time.
Keep in Mind...
Students should think about the AAMC's Core Competencies required of medical school applicants as they plan out their gap year experiences.
Recent Davidson graduates who have successfully entered medical school have pursued the following after graduation:
NIH IRTA Post-Baccalaureate Program
Clinical Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, Atrium Health, Emory Medical Center
Fulbright Scholarship doing research & teaching
Bench research at Cornell Weill Medical Center & Duke Human Vaccine Institute
Med-Serve, an AmeriCorps program
Medical Assistant work at dermatology, family practice, and community clinics
Pre-Med Gap Year Possibilities
Gap Year Handout.docxThe American Dental Association encourages students to plan your gap year wisely and use the time to get yourself ready for the demands of dental school. Check out this great resource from the American Dental Education Association about the benefits of a gap year.
Davidson students have spent a gap year or two doing the following before starting dental school year programs:
Dental Assistant/Working in a dental office
Dental service mission trip
Master’s Program / Post-Baccalaureate Program
Dental research at a school of dentistry
Volunteering
Shadowing
Pre-veterinary students considering a gap year should look to gain additional animal experience, and potentially research experience for the more competitive programs. Students who have successfully entered vet school after taking a gap year have worked in the following capacities:
Vet assistant at small animal hospital and vet clinic
Research at a school of veterinary medicine
Clinical research on animals at a school of medicine
Biomedical research
Fellowship with US Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Inspection Service
