Please Help Me With Gap Year Timeline, My Advisor Knows Nothing

[deleted915763]

So I am planning on taking a gap year, but in that case, when do I have to take the mcat? My advisor told me to take it during my gap year but from what I can tell, for a gap year, you have to take it the summer before your senior year, is that true? In that case, when do I submit my applications, August of Summer after my senior year (I want to get my apps in early)? I am so confused because everything he has told me seems like its completely wrong, and his career is being a medical school advisor, how does he not know???

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Zenabi90]

So I'm going off a post I remember you saying where you said you're a sophomore right now. That means you are looking to graduate in Spring/Summer 2020, and with a gap year, matriculate in the fall of 2021. So let's work backwards a little.

Fall 2021: Start medical school as MS1
Winter 2020/Spring 2021: Interview season
End of June: Latest I usually recommend students submit their fully verified primary applications, barring an exceptional application
May 2020: Applications open for submission, submit application to a throwaway school for verification of transcript, LORs, etc.

***End of May 2020: latest MCAT date to receive MCAT score back at end of June (4 weeks)
Ideal time to take MCAT: End of summer break -> August 2019 -> Summer before your senior year. This is just because you get those 2-3 months for dedicated review. you can take it later than this, all the way up to May 2020, but you have to study for the MCAT while also doing coursework.

 

[deleted915763]

So I'm going off a post I remember you saying where you said you're a sophomore right now. That means you are looking to graduate in Spring/Summer 2020, and with a gap year, matriculate in the fall of 2021. So let's work backwards a little.

Fall 2021: Start medical school as MS1
Winter 2020/Spring 2021: Interview season
End of June: Latest I usually recommend students submit their fully verified primary applications, barring an exceptional application
May 2020: Applications open for submission, submit application to a throwaway school for verification of transcript, LORs, etc.

***End of May 2020: latest MCAT date to receive MCAT score back at end of June (4 weeks)
Ideal time to take MCAT: End of summer break -> August 2019 -> Summer before your senior year. This is just because you get those 2-3 months for dedicated review. you can take it later than this, all the way up to May 2020, but you have to study for the MCAT while also doing coursework.

So by the end of June, my senior year, I should have all my applications submitted? Should I aim for submitting as soon as possible (the beginning of may?

Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[Zenabi90]

So by the end of June, my senior year, I should have all my applications submitted? Should I aim for submitting as soon as possible (the beginning of may?

Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

If you can, submitting earlier is better