Are you heading into junior or senior year of college and worried that you’ll have to take a gap year before applying to medical school? Don’t be worried: you’ll have plenty of company if you do. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), 68.5% of students who entered medical school in 2021 reported that they had taken at least one year off between graduating from their bachelor’s degree program and starting medical school.
It's now the norm to have a space between finishing undergrad and starting medical school. What you fill that space with matters, however. If you think you’ll want to spend time improving your academic record, you should consider pursuing a Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) with one of our partner schools. Here’s why.
Extend Your Knowledge Instead of Re-Taking Classes
Students who want to improve their GPA during a gap year may consider pursuing an undergraduate-level post-bacc—one that fills in gaps in their prerequisites or involves re-taking classes they struggled with the first time around in the hopes that they can raise their GPA by a few tenths of a point.
By pursing a Tiber Health MSMS, you’ll go beyond undergraduate-level coursework and instead take classes that mirror the first year of studies at an LCME-accredited medical school. Completing coursework at this challenging level can help you demonstrate to medical school admissions committees—and yourself—that you have both the academic aptitude and the drive to succeed in an MD program.
Get Hands-On with Course Content
Our MSMS programs leverage innovative educational technology to create a dynamic classroom environment. Also known as a “flipped” classroom, the dynamic classroom sees students watching lectures online, then coming to class to discuss issues and perform hands-on activities like virtual dissections or working on cases in groups.
In a dynamic classroom, you’ll spend little time taking notes—instead, you’ll make active connections between what you’ve covered in the textbook and how that applies in clinical settings.
Always Know How You’re Performing
Tiber Health partner schools have access to our proprietary predictive analytics system. This allows you and your instructors full transparency into how you’re performing in all areas of the curriculum. You can see where you’re struggling or where you’re strong, and your instructors can understand how to personally support you with additional instruction in problem areas.
Plus, as the name suggests, the predictive analytics system generates a real-time prediction of how you’ll perform on the US Medical Licensing Exam Step 1 based on your performance in class. With a clearer idea of where you need to improve, you’ll always be able to form an action plan to keep yourself on track toward your goals.
Receive Individualized Support and Coaching
In addition to offering you access to challenging, exciting learning opportunities equivalent to the first year of medical school, our MSMS partner institutions are administered by on-campus faculty who care about your goals.
You’ll receive advising not just about staying on track in your program, but also about creating a game plan for after graduation, whether that means MCAT prep and help crafting the strongest possible application to an MD program, or exploring other health profession options like dental school, DO programs, or even medical device consulting.
Since launching in 2019, our MSMS program has a great success record. 77% of our graduates to date achieved admission to their preferred health professional program, and 65% went on to MD programs. Depending on which partner school you choose, you can complete your MSMS in as few as 11 months of intensive, challenging, and rewarding study—leaving you with one month left over in your gap year to savor your success!
Take the Next Step
Find a Tiber Health MSMS program near you today!
