Why Start Medical School in January or May?

Western Atlantic University School of Medicine (WAUSM) offers three start dates a year – in January, May, and September – with no summer breaks. This allows students to start medical school when it’s right for them, and complete it without interruption.

Having additional options in terms of when you can begin medical school provides not only more choice and flexibility, but some long-term benefits as well. Here are just a few:

Starting in January gives you time to catch up.

Sometimes life doesn’t match up with institutional deadlines. Perhaps you are looking to make your application more competitive by earning a master’s degree or post bacc certificate, taking a prerequisite course again to boost your GPA, or completing an important research project. Having the option to start “off-cycle” means you can do these kinds of things without having to wait an additional year to begin your medical school journey.

By not having a summer break, students starting WAUSM in January may catch up to their counterparts who began medical school the prior September at another institution.

Starting In May Gives You A Head Start

By choosing to start medical school in May and not wait until the following September, you will have more time to prepare for important educational milestones, such as:

• Studying for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 CK.
• Scheduling and completing clinical electives in order to become a more competitive MATCH candidate.
• Scheduling and attending residency interviews.

The opportunity to finish faster.

By beginning earlier, you’ll finish faster. How? It all has to do with the timing of the residency process cycle. Students beginning WAUSM in May will ultimately enter the MATCH (National Resident Matching Program®) with their counterparts who began at schools with one start the following September, thus giving them the advantage of completing their clinical clerkships earlier and having the opportunity to pursue residency interviews unencumbered by their final elective clerkships.

No waiting.

For many students, the most compelling reason to choose a January or May start is so they can begin medical school immediately, and be that much closer to making their dream of becoming a MD a reality.

If this is you, we invite you to contact us to discover how you can begin your WAUSM journey this January or May, and get on the fast track to seizing your future!