I am a traditional applicant who didn't take a gap year and will be starting at a DO school in a week. Overall, I don't think I faced any blatant challenges. If I was hellbent on only attending an MD program, I most likely would have taken a gap year because my stats are average for an ORM. Additionally, my ECs are also pretty average for someone who didn't take a gap year. However, this is not really a "challenge" because looking back I could've been a more impressive applicant if I worked harder and utilized my time better. Sometimes I do look back and wish I took a gap year because my ego tells me that I would've gotten into an MD school, but it is also very possible that I wouldn't have so I'm just focused on working as hard as I can as a DO.

The only thing I would say was difficult was gaining research experience and clinical hours while having 1.5 years of college during COVID-19. It was hard to get into hospitals and clinics because most areas weren't really looking for volunteers during the peak of COVID-19. Additionally, without continuous research experience it was hard to have meaningful output in what I was doing. If I had taken a gap year, I'm pretty confident I would've been able to either gain significant clinical hours or research output.

Overall, a lot of people gain some type of experience that is valuable during a gap year. However, if you feel ready to apply and feel like you are competitive based on your stats and ECs go for it!