GAP YEAR OR NAH? Choosing to take a break between undergrad and medical school will NOT impede your ability to get into medical school! I know sometimes there may be some “stigma” floating around against taking a gap year, but do not fall into this trap! Gap years are VERY COMMON. A large majority of people in my class chose to take a break whether it was one gap year or even ten gap years. There were also many people who went to medical school straight after finishing undergrad. The decision to take a gap year or not can all be based on how ready you feel to start medical school, how confident you feel in your grades and application, what experiences you want to have prior to attending medical school, and how committed you are to attending medical school. I decided to take one gap year prior to applying to medical school for a few reasons: I wanted to spend more time volunteering in a clinic that I had recently gotten involved in and also get some solid lab research under my belt. I also wanted to further solidify my interest in medicine and specifically becoming a physician through more job shadowing and clinical experiences. Lastly, I just wanted to take some time to make money and travel and enjoy myself after graduation prior to starting up another four years of school. I do not regret taking a gap year one bit! In fact, taking a gap year was one of the most valuable things I could have done both academically and mentally, and ultimately was probably the reason I even got accepted into medical school.