Health leave of absence- had to leave MBA program early into my first year and restarted this year- how do I explain this when interviewing for internships?

As the title says- I was a first year MBA student last year. About a month in, I had some health issues that quickly worsened. It became pretty clear that I wouldn't be able to continue with school that year, so I took a leave of absence and restarted the program this year.

I might be making a bigger deal out of this than I should be, but I'm worried about how this will look on my resume. I essentially have a year where I didn't "do" anything. I was mainly taking care of my health and making sure I would be ready to go back to school this year. 

How should I address this during coffee chats and formal interviews? Will I be dinged for having this year where I didn't work/wasn't in school? How much detail should I, or will I be expected to provide? 

Sorry if this isn't the right forum for this. And thanks in advance for your help!

3 Comments
 

Deserunt maxime temporibus consequuntur assumenda consequatur sapiente. Quibusdam quo ut perferendis iure voluptatibus. Sed eum explicabo neque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”