Gap year or not?

[frodo25]

I never anticipated taking a gap year, but I have not been able too study for the mcat as much as I would have liked to for the May test. My coursework has just been too much,leaving little time for mcat review. Since I am now not sure whether I'll be ready for the May test, I have been thinking about taking a gap year to study and beef up some clinical experiences.
My cGPA is 3.8, science is a little higher. My ECs include:

• 100 hours hospital volunteering
• 1 year( including a summer ) of research and ongoing
• 100 hours non clinical volunteering
• 25 hours shadowing
• TA for bio courses
• Just began volunteering in a free clinic

I know the shadowing hours are also a little on the low side as well.

Would I be competitive if I received a competitive score on the MCAT to apply this cycle? Or would it just benefit me overall to just take the gap year? If I took the gap year, I would probably work in a physicians office and do EMS work (already have license but wasn't able to use it)

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[NeuroMd23]

Your ECs look great. 25 hours shadowing is not that bad. As long as you think it was enough time for you to develop a relationship with the doctor because you'll want to get a LOR from them. I'm pretty sure you would be a competitive applicant if you did good on your MCAT.

 

[palatopharyngeus]

I never anticipated taking a gap year, but I have not been able too study for the mcat as much as I would have liked to for the May test. My coursework has just been too much,leaving little time for mcat review. Since I am now not sure whether I'll be ready for the May test, I have been thinking about taking a gap year to study and beef up some clinical experiences.
My cGPA is 3.8, science is a little higher. My ECs include:

• 100 hours hospital volunteering
• 1 year( including a summer ) of research and ongoing
• 100 hours non clinical volunteering
• 25 hours shadowing
• TA for bio courses
• Just began volunteering in a free clinic

I know the shadowing hours are also a little on the low side as well.

Would I be competitive if I received a competitive score on the MCAT to apply this cycle? Or would it just benefit me overall to just take the gap year? If I took the gap year, I would probably work in a physicians office and do EMS work (already have license but wasn't able to use it)

honestly, you have a very solid application. if you think you can manage a 30+ mcat, I recommend taking it in may and applying this cycle

 

[kevinsword91]

All depends on where you are scoring and how prepared you feel you are. If you are not going to be ready by May, take it later, get a solid score and apply the next year.

 

[frodo25]

All depends on where you are scoring and how prepared you feel you are. If you are not going to be ready by May, take it later, get a solid score and apply the next year.

Is taking a gap year just to study for the MCAT a valid reason though? Will it seem like I was unorganized and didn't prepare well in the first place?

 

[PlaqueBuster]

You always have the best chance by applying only once to medical schools. If you are not ready for the mcat that is a valid concern and taking a year to do something clinically oriented or research will help your application even more. As others have said, if you do not think you can get 32+ then wait a year before you apply. You have nothing to lose an everything to gain

 

[kevinsword91]

Is taking a gap year just to study for the MCAT a valid reason though? Will it seem like I was unorganized and didn't prepare well in the first place?

Not at all. People take gap years for any number of reasons. I took mine because I was taking the MCAT in August of that year and I felt I needed more clinical experiences.

A large share of applicants take some sort of gap between schooling so admissions committees will not view you as unprepared or unorganized.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

Is taking a gap year just to study for the MCAT a valid reason though? Will it seem like I was unorganized and didn't prepare well in the first place?

If you feel like postponing, almost definitely do. You can improve your app and do better on the MCAT with less time pressure.Both are good things As long as you are part time volunteering and have at least a part time job/ unpaid research (which is not that hard to get), you should be fine.

 

[frodo25]

So, my application is strong enough to apply, given I get a decent MCAT score? I guess I've been comparing myself to applicants on SDN and feeling inadequate, but I probably should stop doing that haha.

 

[Glandzburg]

As long as you think it was enough time for you to develop a relationship with the doctor because you'll want to get a LOR from them.

This is not true. Adcoms on this site have said over and over that it is generally a bad idea to get LORs from doctors that you have only shadowed. They simply don't know you well enough from that experience alone.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

So, my application is strong enough to apply, given I get a decent MCAT score? I guess I've been comparing myself to applicants on SDN and feeling inadequate, but I probably should stop doing that haha.

It is not given you get a decent MCAT score. You do not want to attempt the mcat if you are scoring in the 27-30 range. If you consistently score 32+ on the mcat then sign up for it. There is no point taking the test when you know you will perform mediocrely. Better to have 1 score than multiple on your account. This is the most important test you will take in your life up to this point.

 

[frodo25]

It is not given you get a decent MCAT score. You do not want to attempt the mcat if you are scoring in the 27-30 range. If you consistently score 32+ on the mcat then sign up for it. There is no point taking the test when you know you will perform mediocrely. Better to have 1 score than multiple on your account. This is the most important test you will take in your life up to this point.

At this point, I haven't even taken a diagnostic yet, so I'm not sure where I stand. I have been casually doing content review and some TBR passages, but I haven't been able to do a full length. I just feel very rushed, which makes me feel uncomfortable applying this cycle. Do people just take gap years to take a breather from academics? At this point, I already feel burnt out, which is not a good sign, given, I have many years of continual schooling ahead of me.

 

[lifetothefullest]

At this point, I haven't even taken a diagnostic yet, so I'm not sure where I stand. I have been casually doing content review and some TBR passages, but I haven't been able to do a full length. I just feel very rushed, which makes me feel uncomfortable applying this cycle. Do people just take gap years to take a breather from academics? At this point, I already feel burnt out, which is not a good sign, given, I have many years of continual schooling ahead of me.

I'm taking a gap year for precisely those reasons - not enough time for MCAT study this year and to take a small break from schooling before diving back in again. There are several good reasons to do this (and, I'm sure, several good ones to not do it). For example, you want to only take the MCAT once. Especially because the new MCAT is 6 hours long instead of 3. It also covers a lot more material in greater depth than the old one - no "if I throw a ball up at x m/s, how long will it take to fall back into my hand?" and more biologically-relevant questions. It's also more interdisciplinary. So keeping that in mind, you should take the MCAT when you would feel best prepared for it.

A small break in schooling can also be good to explore the world. Once med school starts, you won't have much of an opportunity to do that. Exploring research you love, going new places, working a job, etc. are all great experiences.