GAP year

[jayjae]

I have c and s 3.0 gpa (bio major with like 2 minors) as a senior who's going to graduate a semester late with a 525. So that is already a gap year. there is no trend whatsoever, i would get a 4.0 one semester and 2.3 the next. irrelevant to whether the classes were hard (would get an A in orgo while a c in music...). My GPA will be around a 3.2 cgpa and 3.0 s gpa if i get a 4.0 my remaining semesters.

Ecs aren't that great
Certified Nurse Assistant and HHA (around 300 hours)
Clinical volunteering at a hospital (250+ hours in different specialties for 8 months)
Pharm tech(400 hours+)
No research - although did about 2 years in lab in HS and might participate in a lab this semester
Virtual shadowing with certificate (500+ hours)
Worked as a youth peer at a hospital (250 hours+)
Teachers assistant (200+ hours)
eboard member for a club related to helping the sick

ORMF, disadvantaged (low income if that counts), 1st to go to college in fam

Got diagnosed with ADHD this year hence the terrible grades along with other health issues that messed me up. I Gaslit myself into believing I was lazy so my studying habits would not work.

My question is should I even consider applying this year or do a post bac? I would end up getting accepted (if i do get accepted) in 2026 at that point if I apply in 2025

My dream would be to go to a NY or NYC school as I'm a resident who is poor and would need the aid.

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[Angler]

a semester late with a 525

First, there's no such thing as a "semester late!" How old are you? You set your own timeline.

Second, is that your MCAT score? If so, that's fantastic!

My question is should I even consider applying this year or do a post bac?

I would recommend not applying for the 24-25 cycle. There are some red flags here.

You posted in the MD forum. Are you ok for DO?

You might have some GPA repair to accomplish. It's hard to tell the exact trend of your grades in school. Were your last few semesters pretty good? If you were just diagnosed with ADHD, then you might not have enough of a good recent GPA track record to have your app look good.

You need significant in-person non-clinical volunteering, at least a couple of hundred hours, probably best to get more. I'm not sure I would recommend you trying to do all that while going to school. Does your club activity have significant hours?

The biggest issue is your ability to handle med school. Is your ADHD treated? Health wise, otherwise ok? Are you now able to confidently handle challenging classes? If this is dicey, then no point in pursuing this yet.

 

[jayjae]

I didn't realize that I only posted for MD. I'm more than okay with DO.
My trend is terrible but im looking forward to fixing it these next two semesters.
i'm medicated for ADHD now and see significant improvement.

 

[Angler]

I didn't realize that I only posted for MD. I'm more than okay with DO.
My trend is terrible but im looking forward to fixing it these next two semesters.
i'm medicated for ADHD now and see significant improvement.

Would you mind posting your approx GPA's per semester?

ADHD is so much better, once treated!

You don't need to repost in DO forum.

 

[jayjae]

3.7
3.0
2.5
3.8
1.5
3.0
4.0 (did well on finals current semester)
3.5-4.0 (hopefully for the next two semesters
- These are very close approximates as I’m basing it off of degreeworks, if you need exact I can repost later and send based off of transcript.
- Decided to delay graduation so I could get financial aid for extra classes
In terms of the club activity, I’ve been on the board for about 2 years. That’s around 70-100 hours.
- I’m going to look for more non clinical work maybe a health coordinator as well as maybe do scribing and in person shadowing


I really appreciate your input and advice.

 

[Angler]

very close approximates as I’m basing it off of degreeworks, if you need exact I can repost later and send based off of transcript.

close enough; this is med school admissions, not rocket science.

That 1.5 might make me pause, especially after the 3.8. I think you will need to prove to adcoms that you can be consistently high in the future. Up to you whether to disclose your ADHD diagnosis, but I don't see how else you'd explain the marked discrepancies in grades over time. Just spin it the right way.

A gap year would be really good to get your EC's better. That's as important as your GPA right now. There's a limit on how much improvement you can get in your overall GPA with a post bacc, but you could show a trend toward excellence. Your app is like a three legged stool: GPA/MCAT/EC's. The stool is a little rickety now, but work on the leg that you can improve. And don't apply until your application is very good.

 

[jayjae]

Thank you! I really appreciate it.
I will definitely work on this app. And hopefully I’ll post another WAMC in about a year or so.

 

[Dee2daK]

As far as your ADHD diagnosis:

This is not a bad thing, and can definitely be spun in the right way. One of the important things to be able to discuss, should you choose to identify it, is how your symptoms have affected you and specifically (medication, counseling, therapy, etc.) how you have managed them so they are less of a barrier, both now and continuing into medical school. Without giving too much away, I had a senior ADCOM member speak about how many students don't recognize or get diagnosed/treated until they are already in medical school and begin to struggle; he said that in his eyes, recognition and effective management prior to the admissions process is not a red flag to him. The important thing is already having those mechanisms in place and being able to speak on their effectiveness.

 

[jayjae]

I really appreciate it. I think I will probably have to vaguely talk about my ADHD considering the low dip in gpa along with financial issues. I’m definitely going to work on getting a 4.0 this semester and the following.