Although I’m extremely interested in medicine, I don’t see the point of speeding through college with the intent of finishing medical pre-requisites in the first two years of a degree. What are the advantages of doing this, besides an easy schedule for the remainder of the degree? Will I be seen differently than other applicants if I space my pre-requisites into four years and take a gap year after college to take the MCAT and apply and interview at medical schools?
No. What you’re proposing is actually quite common.
The average age at matriculation is now 24.6. About 1/3-1/2 of all newly matriculated med students have taken 1-2 gap years post-gradution.
You will not be viewed any more or less favorably for having applied to med school after graduation–provided you have spent your post-graduation time actually doing something meaningful (i.e. not just studying for the MCAT to the exclusion of everything else) and have kept up with your clinical/non-clinical volunteering.
P.S. I see you’re NM resident. If you have any specific questions about UNM or UNM SOM, feel free to PM me. D1 is UNM and a UNM SOM grad; D2 is a current MS3 at UNM SOM. Plus I know their a number of their friends who are either past or current UNM and UNM SOM students.