Anxious about the timing of secondaries

[madame.psychosis]

Hello, fellow non-trads! I'm applying this cycle and I'm feeling increasingly anxious about submitting my secondaries. I could use some advice and/or reassurance. Here's the situation: I was in a full time post bacc program last year so I wasn't working. Now that I've finished I'm applying for jobs again, ideally looking for something in research or else otherwise healthcare related. But the job search is tough and it's taking a long time; I had an interview I thought went pretty well last week but I haven't heard anything from them since, and besides that nothing on the horizon.

My problem is that almost all of my secondaries have some variation on the question "If you won't be in school full time this year, what will you be doing?" Right now I don't really have anything to say. I've kept one of my volunteer gigs but it's only 2-4 hours a week. I'm also doing some freelance work for my old job, but again it's very minimal and not at all related to medicine. Trying to pursue a more committed volunteer position instead of a job is not an option -- I need the money. I was hoping to have a job lined up before I sent these secondaries back so I'd have something to talk about, but now I'm not sure what's worse -- keep sitting on them, or send them back with an unimpressive answer to the "what are you doing with yourself?" question. Besides this hurdle I think my application is pretty strong and I'm excited to move forward, so this is very frustrating. Thoughts?

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[CMagPBPM]

Hello madame.psychosis,

So I don't know if I can do much in terms of assurance, but I can let you know my experience and opinions on dealing with the issue last year. I applied last year after completing NYU's post-baccalaureate program and like you I had to find a job that pays so I could make it through my gap year. I sent in my application and secondaries without a full time position and updated the medical schools when I began working in December. I had a few interviews for school, but ultimately nothing worked out.

Now the whole medical school application process is blind for the applicants, you don't get a statement of what happened, but I think that for many schools your AMCAS and secondaries are what they look at. I do think that not having an obvious activity from 2015-2016 on my AMCAS was held against me and when I updated by employment status it was too late to reverse that impression.

In regards to what I put down on the "what are you doing with yourself?" question, I usually explained that I was applying and interviewing for positions in medical research and planed to be working. I don't know if it is the best answer, but I couldn't think of one that was better.

Here's a brief sense of what my stats are just so you can get a sense of where I was compared to where you are now: 3.3 Undergrad GPA; 3.6 PostBacc; 34 MCAT. I also had worked as an intern in research at a middle tier institution and started working in December at an ivy league level medical school as a research coordinator, where I still work.

I am applying again, but who knows what will happen this time around. I will admit that a year later and working, the application and secondary process has been a lot easier. I feel like my application and essays are much stronger, plus I have a letter of recommendation from my job. If I knew what I know now I would have waited. However when I applied last year, I didn't know that I would find a position in medical research, instead of something completely unrelated. Its a really tough call though, really really tough.

-CM