The best time to apply is when your application is strong enough to reach your goals.
Work with HPA to reflect on your preparedness for health professions school, based on your understanding of what it takes to be a successful applicant. If you know that there are aspects of your candidacy that you could improve dramatically, you may want to reassess your timeline of application. In most cases, it's better to devote time, energy, and money to strengthening your academic record, gaining health-related experience, or otherwise becoming a stronger candidate. rather than to an application process when you aren't confident in your candidacy.
Metrics
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Do your metrics match your goal schools?
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Look through the HPA application statistics. Buy access to the MSAR (or similar publication for your profession of interest) and research the GPA and standardized test scores for applicants accepted at schools of interest. Focus on the range, not the average -- metrics get your foot in the door, but experiences and personal attributes lead to interviews and offers! Grades tend to trend upward in the senior year, which can improve your candidacy. Many applicants participate in postbac coursework after graduation to continue to demonstrate evidence of their academic readiness.
Clinical Experience
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Is your clinical experience convincing?
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You will have to convince members of the profession that you have a realistic understanding of what you're getting yourself into and that you've started developing the necessary competencies to care for patients from diverse backgrounds. We recommend sustained patient-facing experience and work with professionals in your field of interest.
Standardized Test Timing
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Do you have time to prepare for your standardized test by the end of the spring term?
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Expect to spend about as much time as you would for a semester-long science course in order to prepare for the MCAT. Our applicants typically take a few weeks to learn new content and refresh past knowledge, then focus on practice problems and practice tests while refining knowledge. Expect to take about six to ten practice tests, with additional time devoted to post-test analysis.
Letters of Recommendation
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Will you have at least three strong, supportive letters of recommendation by the end of the spring term?
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Letters are a critical source of information. They have the potential to bring an applicant alive as a person in ways that cannot be captured in other application materials.
Time Commitment
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Do you have the time you need to dedicate to preparing your application this year?
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Expect to spend many hours soul searching/reflecting; communicating with letter writers; researching schools of interest; writing application materials. Do not underestimate the time that it can take to prepare a strong application. The bulk of the time commitment will be from May through July.
Potential for Improvement
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Could your experiences in the coming year make you a much stronger applicant?
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If there are gaps in your preparation, spending a year addressing them before applying could make a significant difference in potential outcomes.
Burnout and Overall Readiness
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Will you be mentally, emotionally, and professionally ready to write a strong application this summer and start a rigorous academic program next Fall?
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The "on-ramp" in medical school is fast and you want to be ready to hit the ground running. You may want to take another year to expand your knowledge of health care, and develop professionalism in a "real world" setting. One or more glide years can also help you reenergize after the intense college experience before taking on medical school expectations.
Glide Year Considerations
Over 75% of Princeton applicants take time off between graduation and health professions school matriculation.
Students who wish to take time off before beginning professional school may start the HPA preapplication process in their senior year or wait until after they’ve graduated. It can be helpful to gather letters of recommendation from Princeton faculty and staff prior to leaving campus.
Your age when you decide to apply does not bias medical schools against your application. The average age of matriculating medical students is 24, so taking a year or two off does not harm your chances.
As you decide when to apply, it's okay to start the preparation for your application -- it's much easier to start preparing and then postpone than to have to scramble at the last minute to pull an application together. Applying early in your chosen application year is to your advantage since most schools are on a rolling admissions policy. You should plan to submit your application in June. HPA prepares students throughout the academic year to be ready to apply in June.