Downward Trend. Apply Now or Later?

[noworlater2015]

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[Lucca]

So you essentially have 4, maybe 3.5 years of lab experience a very strong MCAT and an "Excellent" GPA (which we all understand to be about average for top programs if not a bit below). From a practical point of view, the theoretical benefits of a gap year do not outweigh the costs of lengthening training by another year given that your current stats do not themselves act as obstacles to obtaining the training you want.

However, do you believe that the activities performed in that gap year would greatly improve your chances with the top programs? Is there any reason that increasing your GPA by 0.05 at most (I'm guessing here but I feel that is a fairly liberal number to begin with assuming you already have a 100+ hours on your degree) should be the deciding factor in getting an interview/acceptance at these schools?

Perhaps the year could significantly improve your chances if it was a combination of 1) all As (no A-s) and 2) valuable research efforts. With 3-4 years of research under your belt I doubt anyone would question your "experience" but another year might hold that publication, presentation, or award that might add a little sparkle to your application. Given my current experience with research, I believe achieving this in a single year with no other reason to believe it should happen is unreasonable. Research is inherently unpredictable and the project could go well, badly, it could take a long time to publish before it even matters for the next cycle - the most likely case is that it is more of the type of experience you already have, that is, more than sufficient.

I don't believe taking a gap year would be wise in an effort to improve your chances at top schools. The benefits are marginal if not non-existent and chancey. The costs are real and immediate as well as prolonged. If you want to for personal or developmental reasons then that is another question entirely and totally up to you. Just my 2 cents as a premed.

 

[nein]

I would definitely not take a gap year if I were you, especially not for raising your already-close-to-the-ceiling GPA at a top 10 school. If you want to take a gap year for a different reason, then you should. If you don't want to take a gap year, then just don't- you don't have to. Do you know what you'd want to do during that year, and where you'd want to to it? You already have a great application for top programs. If you take a gap year, you're going to have to find something to do that'll only make your application better, but if you're ready and want to apply now and go straight through, then do it!

I really don't think your B's in upper-level biology courses at a top 10 school are 'red flags', or that anyone would say "Whoah, their GPA 'dropped' from 3.9 to 3.8." Maybe I'm wrong though, and the sdn peeps on here that have actually been on the other side of admissions can chime in. 3.9 and 3.8 sound the same to me- they are both above the bar and excellent. Plus, what if you get two more Bs your senior year? You can't just assume it's all uphill from here. If you play your cards right, though, you could have an acceptance at a top program before your next semester grades are even out (still keep your grades up though).

I think the reason you haven't gotten a straight answer for your clinical experience is that there's no way to tell by just giving your number of hours. Your amount of hours could be enough if your descriptions of the experiences show that they were enough to get you to make an informed decision about pursuing medicine.

Based on your program interests, I had what you would consider a very successful app cycle. Even without all the details of your app, to me, your app sounds like it could potentially be more competitive than mine was- and that's with me including gap year activities. Of course, you do still have to actually put together an interesting and compelling app, and interview well, but... you're on the right track. If you need some more time to think about taking time off, don't let up on your applications for this cycle while you think. If you decide to apply now, having everything in as early as possible will only better your chances at your top programs.

 

[Neuronix]

Huh? Just apply already.

 

[noworlater2015]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Yeah, I feel like this post/question was an emotional response to an unexpected grade rather than something I thought through fully. Now that I've thought about it with a level head, I've come to 2 conclusions (which you guys have already stated):

1) While I would have preferred to have gotten better grades, these grades do not substantially affect my candidacy.
2) Taking a year off will not "undo" these grades or have a huge benefit otherwise.

With 3-4 years of research under your belt I doubt anyone would question your "experience" but another year might hold that publication, presentation, or award that might add a little sparkle to your application.

This is actually something I was considering when I first decided to apply in this coming cycle. I don't have much to "show" for my research, since most of my projects will be wrapped up or published in my senior year. Based on what I've heard though, publications/posters/etc. aren't as important to your application as your ability to write/talk about your work (which I am pretty confident I can do).

I think the reason you haven't gotten a straight answer for your clinical experience is that there's no way to tell by just giving your number of hours. Your amount of hours could be enough if your descriptions of the experiences show that they were enough to get you to make an informed decision about pursuing medicine.

That's about what I've been hearing. I just wanted to make sure people wouldn't rule out what I had to say about the experiences simply because the hours weren't enough.

Huh? Just apply already.

Haha, thanks. Will do.