Growth years set students up to take purposeful time between the end of their undergraduate career and the start of health professional school. This is becoming the pathway for the majority of medical and dental matriculants nationally. The amount of time one takes prior to matriculation to professional school is dependent on one's own circumstances. To learn more about the difference between a growth year timeline and the “traditional” timeline, as well as factors of consideration when deciding on taking a growth year or not, visit our website here.

If you have decided that a growth year is right for you or you are strongly considering a growth year as an option but are not certain what opportunities you want to pursue with your additional time, explore this page to learn about different ways to bolster your candidacy. Also, check out advice HERE from pre-health advisors and medical school admissions officers on preparing for the application process if you have taken one or more years off. 

Some numbers

Taking one or more growth years before applying to medical or dental school has become the norm rather than the exception. Among UConn applicants, 76–77% of medical school applicants and 58% of dental school applicants took at least one growth year, with most spending about two years strengthening their application before matriculating. These trends closely mirror national data. According to the AAMC's 2023 Matriculating Student Questionnaire, 73.2% of entering medical students took at least one growth year, up from about 69% in 2021 and 71% in 2022.

According to the 2023 Matriculating Student Questionnaire, growth years are often used to gain valuable experience, improve financial stability, complete prerequisite coursework, pursue graduate education, or engage in research, service, and other meaningful opportunities. The chart at right highlights some of the most common ways medical school matriculants spent their growth years (multiple responses allowed).