"WHEN I DECIDED TO TAKE an additional year in medical school to pursue a major writing project, I felt like I was breaking the rules. Like many students, I entered med school assuming that the path toward graduation was fixed. Sure, I would get to choose some elective rotations, but the overall timeline would stay the same, right?
Wrong.
At my school, Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, about 35% of students are deciding to take a fifth year. At Yale University’s med school, the majority of students were taking five years by 2013." …
https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor/articles/2019-11-05/5-reasons-to-consider-completing-medical-school-in-5-years
And every year a med student delays completing medical school increases their costs:
–lost opportunity cost equivalent to 1 year of an attending salary (~$200K at a minimum)
–additional year of interest on all student loan (plus any capitalization of the interest)
–additional years or degrees earned in med school are rarely free–so add another year of tuition (plus increased interest from increased loan debt)
Additionally, as part of the ERAS application for residency, med students are required to explain any delays in graduation or deceleration of their education if they take longer than 4 years to graduate. A delayed graduation is often viewed as a red flag on application by many residency program directors.
Not mentioned was my daughter’s reason for a 5th year, delaying a year to go into couples match with a partner that was a year behind. Luckily she did a research year that turned out to be very meaningful for her. IIRC, her additional costs were $3,000 and of course living expenses for the year. Minimal $ in the long run, as she came out with a fantastic husband and they are in residency at the same location!