icypepper11
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- Jul 15, 2023
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Hello!
I'm about 3.5 years out of college (Bachelor's degree) and am wanting to apply once the cycle opens in May of 2024, but am considering taking another year (and applying in 2025) to strengthen my application.
The main reason I'm considering delay is that, currently, I have no shadowing, patient-facing exposure, or volunteering. I'm taking the MCAT very soon, and plan to devote significant time towards these areas leading up the opening of the cycle, but I'm unsure how all of this will be viewed. I'm sure that "cramming" all of these things in the last 7 months or so prior to applying will be a red flag, but am hopeful I can still display a commitment towards becoming a physician, as well as communicate why I wish to do so.
From the beginning of college I wanted to become a physician, but felt the need to prioritize my grades. My only parent has a high school education, and proper study habits weren't enforced; they took quite some time to develop, but I was able to and finished my bachelor's with a decent GPA (~3.8).
Around the beginning of my junior year of college, I began to have medical issues that really "threw me off" any sort of path I had planned. Everything was cleared up by the end of my junior year, but at one point I was told by my physician that it was believed that I would require an intensive surgery or was afflicted with an incurable disease which would severely reduce my life expectancy. I hope I'm not being too dramatic, but this was all pretty traumatic. I spent a big portion of that year trying to cope with the reality that there was a realistic chance I only had 5 or so more years of life.
While I can't express how happy I was once everything had been resolved, I still needed time to re-evaluate my life and what I wanted to do career wise. I was able to get a job as a clinical scientist and attain several promotions, somewhat just letting life unfold as I figured things out. Without a doubt the experiences from this job would make me a strong applicant in many areas, but I'm still missing many that are crucial.
I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice, no matter how big or small. I'm not sure the best way to approach things from this point, but from what I've read there's many people on this board who are knowledgeable in regards to the application process and have provided help to others. So seriously, any advice would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to any who've read this (rather lengthy) post!
I'm about 3.5 years out of college (Bachelor's degree) and am wanting to apply once the cycle opens in May of 2024, but am considering taking another year (and applying in 2025) to strengthen my application.
The main reason I'm considering delay is that, currently, I have no shadowing, patient-facing exposure, or volunteering. I'm taking the MCAT very soon, and plan to devote significant time towards these areas leading up the opening of the cycle, but I'm unsure how all of this will be viewed. I'm sure that "cramming" all of these things in the last 7 months or so prior to applying will be a red flag, but am hopeful I can still display a commitment towards becoming a physician, as well as communicate why I wish to do so.
From the beginning of college I wanted to become a physician, but felt the need to prioritize my grades. My only parent has a high school education, and proper study habits weren't enforced; they took quite some time to develop, but I was able to and finished my bachelor's with a decent GPA (~3.8).
Around the beginning of my junior year of college, I began to have medical issues that really "threw me off" any sort of path I had planned. Everything was cleared up by the end of my junior year, but at one point I was told by my physician that it was believed that I would require an intensive surgery or was afflicted with an incurable disease which would severely reduce my life expectancy. I hope I'm not being too dramatic, but this was all pretty traumatic. I spent a big portion of that year trying to cope with the reality that there was a realistic chance I only had 5 or so more years of life.
While I can't express how happy I was once everything had been resolved, I still needed time to re-evaluate my life and what I wanted to do career wise. I was able to get a job as a clinical scientist and attain several promotions, somewhat just letting life unfold as I figured things out. Without a doubt the experiences from this job would make me a strong applicant in many areas, but I'm still missing many that are crucial.
I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice, no matter how big or small. I'm not sure the best way to approach things from this point, but from what I've read there's many people on this board who are knowledgeable in regards to the application process and have provided help to others. So seriously, any advice would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to any who've read this (rather lengthy) post!